Blog #4

When I was reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, “Tableau” by Countee Cullen and “Theology” by Paul Laurence Dunbar it was clear what the message of each reading was. After attending the Elizabeth Smart lecture, the message became even more clear. In “Tableau” by Countee Cullen, it begins by saying there is a black boy and a white with their arms locked to one another walking down a street. While they are walking down the street, the speaker says blinds are lowered meaning people are hiding and judging them. He emphasizes the cowardly judgement of the two boys by saying "Indignant that these two should dare/In unison to walk" (lines 8-9), and does this to show that people are not okay with the two boys. I believe race and sexuality is the message behind this poem. The people around the two boys that are annoyed and talking behind their backs are stunned by the race factor and seem angered by the sexuality factor. However, the two boys go about their business and if they are the only ones in the world and show no care for those with negativity. The moral of this poem is that race, sexuality, and beliefs differ for every person but they have their right to believe in what they are passionate towards and you should not judge because every person deserves to be treated with the same respect and dignity as you would want. No matter how people act or what they say, continue to do as you believe because as long as it makes you happy, that is all that matters. 

The second reading I read was “Theology” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and his writing had more of a humorous intention. It seems as if he has been mistreated by his neighbors so he is wants to go to heaven. He states this by saying, "There is a hell, I'm quite as sure; for pray/ If there were not, where would my neighbours go?" (lines 3-4). In saying so, he humorously says he's going to heaven and his neighbors are going to hell. Although it is supposed to be funny, I found a lot of meaning out of this short poem. I believe Dunbar purposely makes the poem short to emphasize the fact that life is too short to mistreat and judge people. The same message that applies to "Tableau" is likewise seen in this poem but Dunbar gets straight to the point. 

For my event, I went to see Elizabeth Smart talk about an extremely emotional and impactful situation that has unfortunately happened to her. At the young age of just fourteen years old, Elizabeth smart was abducted from here own bedroom and kept hostage for nine months. During her abduction she endured pure evil from her abductor as he raped and starved her day in and day out. People admired her strength to overcome such a horrific experience and move forward and she told many she does not think it is worth spending time in the past. Although it is an event that she is emotionally and physically hurt by she said with her strong faith she is able to look past it and find the good in life. Her message to us is that life is so precious. Too precious to take for granted or not live everyday of your free life to the fullest because there are people out there who are in her shoes and she prays for them as we should too. Life is valuable and we should cherish it no matter what. Even though there are people out there doing bad things, try to find the good in everyone. Never judge someone because we do not know what their story is. Aside from looking at it from a narrators perspective, I also think that Smart's message was that although there are acts of evil out there, we are strong enough to over come it. Never give up on life no matter the circumstance.

Lastly, the third reading was the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and after reading the first half of this novel it was about a monster created and he is feared by everyone even though he has good intentions Frankenstein is the creator of this monster and because he looks scary and ugly he is feared by everyone and blamed for a lot of bad things that he did not do. I was easily able to connect the common theme for all the readings and Elizabeths Smart's message. Life is extremely valuable so do not judge or mistreat people because although some are strong enough to over come the hatred, it leaves an emotional and sometimes physical scar on other people for the rest of their lives. In "Tableau" the boys do exactly as they should and block out he hatred while those showing hatred do exactly what you're not supposed to do and judge them. Fortunately, the two kids were strong enough to overcome the hate just as Smart was able to put her miserable times in the past. These two were strong enough to endure the verbal and physical abuse but in a poem like "Theology" although it is supposed to be funny, it is an example of how someone can feel if they are mistreated. The speaker skips to the end of his life because he wants the hate to be done and seeks revenge for his neighbors. The stories all relate and have a similar theme because they all have to do with being strong, recognizing the value of life, and learning from your past. It will be interesting to see how the monster in Frankenstein reacts to such hatred. If he reacts anything like Elizabeth Smart, then his reaction is perfect.