Twinkle Twinkle little star, how steadfast you are.

http://www.impawards.com/2009/bright_star_ver2.html

In the poem "Bright Star" by John Keats we see a want for the speaker to be steadfast just as the star, which by using context clues we can she that he is talking about the North Star. Although he wants to be steadfast like the star he uses a shift to where he doesn't want to be like it because it can cause loneliness 

Looking at the poem you notice that the whole thing is in the narrating voice, which is very likely of Keats writing. first introducing the idea of eternity and consistency in comparison to a star. He wishes to be as "steadfast as thou art," speaking directly to the star. He points out all of the good qualities of the in a way of admiration. The eternity being asked for is not the infinite time a star experiences, but a forever of love and passion on Earth. 

 About half way through the reading there is a tone shift.  Coming from admiring the star, he then dismisses all other qualities of the star, not alone, looking from above onto the world below as sleepless creature, something that no human could ever be. In the poem he asks for the lifetime of a star, yet the he cannot relate to what the star is, in itself. He is asking for something entirely inhuman and impossible. Keats struggles to cope with the rush of time on Earth as human, when stars existing above Earth live forever. In the final line, he says he will go willingly if he can die in love if he cannot exist forever. 

After reading the following quote it's possible to understand the actual meaning of the poem as a whole  "No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable-- Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast," says lines 9-10. What is truly being asked is for the constant nature the star possesses, the eternity it gets to live. Contrasting with the star is the impermanence of life, the "ripening breast" implying change and movement of humans not seen in the lines preceding it in reference to the star.

http://crazy-frankenstein.com/christmas-star-wallpapers.html

Monsters- What they really mean in Literature.

http://londonmumsmagazine.com/2013/film-review-monsters-university

A monster is an imaginary or legendary creature, such as a Frankenstein, that combines parts from various animal or human forms. Most are recognized by their characteristics of being strange or having a frightening appearance. Though society is set on this image of a typical monster, Thomas C. Foster, the author of "How to Read Literature Like a Professor", explains that in literature monsters are actually more significant than what we make them out to be. Four of his main focuses are vampires, witches, trolls, and ghosts.

 http://ramen-country.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=35674354

Vampires, or blood-sucking corpses to society, symbolize a fear of sexuality in literature. This fear creates the tension of the corruption of innocence on exotic foreigners (humans). After reading this the example of Edward in "Twilight" seemed to fit this exact explanation.  Edward Cullen is our protagonist vampire and deep love interest of Bella.  Much of the tension in the novel results from Edward's very nature as a predator, a vampire. He's a conflicted character because he sees himself as a monster, he hates that he craves human blood, especially Bella's. He's horrified by his natural instincts because it interferes with his sexual connection to Bella. His reason for this connection is because he doesn't want to harm Bella and turn her into a monster

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Witches, typically ugly and wicked old women, symbolize a fear of religions that existed before religion. Witches also symbolize the fear of female power in a male dominated world. Neytiri, from "Avatar" fits this witch character when it comes to the female domination. Neytiri is brave, loyal and strong-willed. She is devoted to her people and is willing to put herself in a dangerous situation for the sake of her clan. Neytiri is also wise far beyond her years, and can see past a person's physical flaws to the heart within. She has a tendency to get angry when people close to her do wrong or when others try to offend or harm her loved ones. She symbolizes the power and domination of a woman as her character is a leader of war rather than the calm less violent character.

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Trolls, normally portrayed as a friendly or mischievous dwarf or as a giant, represent threatening, uncontrollable powers of nature. They represent how powerful and dominant nature is compared to humanity. The Hulk is a good representation of this characteristic. Hulk is a genius scientist who because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into the Hulk when stressed, enraged, or excited. This character appears as something that can never be destroyed such as nature.

 http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/132455/christmas-carol

Ghosts are what we believe to be the soul of a dead person. Ghosts are embodied warnings. They foreshadow disasters of unveil past evil. They also tend to demand vengeance or proper burial. The overall significance of a ghost is to be a sign. A good childhood example that goes along with this is "A Christmas Carol". The first ghost represents "The Ghost of Christmas Past" The first ghost is like a child. This represents innocence and purity (as children are) or what Scrooge used to be. The second ghost represents "The Ghost of Christmas Present"
This ghost is dressed in a green robe with white fur, and a holly wreath and he comes with a scabbard with no sword and with a huge feast. This ghost seems more jovial and kingly. He represents generosity and plenty. He also represents power,but at the same time peace. The third ghost represents "The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come". This ghost represents death as he appears like the grim reaper.

Connection is key!

When writing an author uses experiences to connect more with the audience. While reading chapter 5 I got caught up on the idea of intersexuality. Intersexuality is when a species has a connection with both male and female characteristics. It causes them to have feelings from both a male and female stand point so it causes the species to have appreciation for both sexes. In my opinion authors use a form of intersexuality in a way to deepen the connection that he or she may have with their audience. It causes us to be conscious of our own experiences and more appreciative of the story being told. Once we understand this connection, the text becomes more alive and enjoyable to us. These connections can be made on purpose and also can be made without the author even knowing. A novel that comes to mind when I think of authors writing about issues unconsciously is "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. 

Kate Chopin bravely exposed an attitude of feminism to an unprepared society in her novel The Awakening. Her brilliant work of fiction was not recognized at the time because feminism had not yet become popular. Chopin defied societal assumptions of her time period and wrote the novel, The Awakening, using attitudes of characters in regard to gender, changes in the main character, imagery and Edna's suicide to illustrate her feminist position. Society during Chopin's time period believed women to be a weak, dependent gender whose position lay nothing above mothering and housework. In The Awakening, Chopin relays the basic attitudes of society toward women mainly through her characters Leonce, Edna, Madame Ratignolle, and Madame Reisz. She uses Leonce and Madame Ratignolle to portray examples of what was considered acceptable in society. However, Chopin includes the contrasting characters of Edna and Madame Reisz in an effort to express urges and desires disguised by the female gender.

In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier undergoes many changes. She discovers a sense of independence and shows this through her emotions and rebellion against her husband and children. She also experiences a sexual "awakening" as a result of her love for Robert and an adulterous affair with Arobin. Edna's life is changed so drastically that she realizes there is no way for her to live a normal life and be happy any longer. Edna's sense of independence is portrayed in descriptions of her feelings throughout the novel. It is also evident that she has found a new freedom when she rebels against her husband and the norms of society. Edna first feels emotions toward being independent when she swims for the first time. This is a turning point in her life, as she is able to swim off on her own, with the desire to "swim where no woman had ever swum"

Just as Edna did not conform to the standards of her peers, Kate Chopin rebelled against her own peers by writing the novel, The Awakening. She uses attitudes of characters in her novel toward gender, changes in Edna and her suicide to express her own feminist attitudes. Chopin was shunned from communities as a result of her strong feministic views and great ability. but later on she unknowingly helped women to want to find that independence through her story connection.

Rain, Rain, Should you stay?

in chapter 10 it talks about how weather in a story sets the atmosphere, the mood, and the feeling of a certain character. When I read the chapter I automatically thought of the use of symbolism so I looked up the meaning behind certain weather conditions.

RAIN- symbolizes a purification, often erases and wipes away the stain on a certain charcter.

SNOW- can have both a positive or negative meaning:  

1. can symbolize purity, good natured
2. coldhearted, death

DROUGHT- can symbolize helplessness or depression

Once I looked up these meanings some examples of this from literature popped in my head; "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck and "Holes" by Louis Sachar

In "The Grapes of Wrath"  the weather is barren and dry and dusty, along with the situation of the family. They are being forced from their land and it seems that their luck has run dry. The rain at the end of the story is even more important and signifies many things. The rain signifies the end of the drought which was the cause for their problems in the first place. Though the rain signifies spring and new birth, just like Rose of Sharon's delivery does, they both also bring death and calamity. Rose's baby is born all blue and dead from lack of food. The rain also brings the threat of death to the immigrants. The presence of the rain at the end of this story is so important to tie in the whole mood of the last couple chapters. Though the hard times are coming to a close, not everything is just right yet and there are still going to be some trials.

In "Holes" there was a vast, vibrant lake that made the town living by it survive. The lake produced every kind of nourishment for the town. It was the center of life. When Sam, the simple black man making a living from the lake crops, is murdered, the town suddenly stops getting rain. The lake ends up drying up and the town lies to waste. The lack of rain symbolizes the harsh payback the murderers had coming. It was a punishment to the town. Also Sam's girlfriend Kate is telling the story at that point, so the dried up lake means a sense of hopelessness for her. She wants to dry up and die just as the lake that Sam had lived on had done. When she dies a curse is placed on the people who live around the lake that in order to find a certain treasure she has hidden generations of their family must dig for years in order to find it. The drought continues for years as a symbol of hopelessness for everyone. Later on we see the story of Stanley Yelnats. He is the fourth generation of his family that has been under this curse placed. He is sent to camp to dig holes in the dried up lake bed looking for treasure. He is being taken advantage by having to dig holes from one person's obsession. In the end, the obsessed woman gets taken to jail and when that happens it begins to rain there and the curse is broken. The mood is no longer hopeless, but is joyful and happy. Weather is an enormous part of a good novel. It creates the mood and gives the reader a sense of what the characters are feeling. It simply makes the story more enjoyable and easier to understand.