A-rose-for-Emily-分析（人物-象征-背景）

A-rose-for-Emily-分析（人物-象征-背景）
作品分析题（18分）
1. Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily
This story happens after the American Civil War, in Jefferson Town. It’s a story about an eccentric spinster named Emily Grierson whose marriage is totally manipulated by her father. Two years after her father’s death, poor Emily is acquainted with a northerner called Homer Barron, a day laborer and she falls in love with him. However, their relation is short-lived as Homer becomes tired of her and intends to get rid of her. In order to keep Homer at hand, Emily kills him with arsenic and “obtain” him, thus, she sleeps with his corpse for decades. This is the truth that villagers find after her death. From my own perspective, this masterpiece reflects the decline of the southern society and reveals the conflicts between the two different value systems and two societies after the American Civil War. Then, I will explain my opinions from the following two aspects: character, symbol .
Emily is an embodiment of the south, the old and tradition. At the very beginning of this story, the writer recounts the decoration of her house which is still 1870s style, isn’t change any more. Besides, she is also obstinate. When the new government compel the taxes on her，she refuses to pay the tax and even ridiculously mentions a colonel who has been dead almost ten years. Another example is that she prevents people from installing mail-box on the wall. She keeps the traditional views all the long，but resists to change anything. However, poor Emily is a determined woman. Regardless of people’s criticism, she insists on marrying a northerner whose social position is apparently lower than her. It is known that in that period of time,
hierarchy is prevailing and deep-rooted through out the society. It particularly has a profound influence on marriage. When someone chooses a partner, he or she must consider the social position of the other party to the marriage. However, Emily chooses to disobey the convention and challenges tradition. Given this situation, her failure is quite expectable. However, she cannot get rid of the shackles of the Southern conventions. After all, she captures her lover in her own way and the love is treated with honor.
Her father, the old Grierson, is also an incarnation of the South, patriarchy and tradition. He was very fastidious about her daughter’s marriage and drove away every man who caught the fancy of her. “When she got to thirty and was still single”. Obviou sly, both her body and mind are enslaved by her father’s traditional concept. Therefore, she feels released when her father is dead, and there is no “trace of grief on her face”.
In this novel, Emily symbolizes the South, old and tradition, the Yankee represents the North, new and modern. Both young guys might be interested in each other when they first meet. But they possess altogether different values or concept of lives. So they inevitably separated before long. The conflict between the two partners symbolizes the conflict between the South and the North. And the absurd murder aggravates the contradictions.
The “Rose”, that is never mentioned in this novel, is always interpreted conventionally as a symbol of love. It might be used as the love Emily gets from her lover. But in my opinion the rose mainly represents decay and death. At the time the villagers went to her room and found the valance curtains of faded rose color and the rose-shaded lights in the room. Actually, the author plays a trick on Miss Em ily. In fact, she doesn’t really get any love from
any man whether it is from her lover or her father. Emily could have a favorable marriage but for her father’s interference. She could have got her deserved love from Homer. But on account of her obstinacy and pride, she receives tiredness and indifference, instead of affection---rose, from him. Thus, as an outsider, the author or the villagers, they give a rose as a tribute to Emily. Besides, the rose also stands for the author’s and villager s’pity, sympathy and lament for Emily, whose mind is imprisoned in the past and fails to adapt to the change. What’s more, the author, “William Faulkner objectifies his complicated and emotional involvement in the South and in the people who grow up and live there ever since”.
2. Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, 黄色的树林里分出两条路
And sorry I could not travel both 可惜我不能同时去涉足
And be one traveler, long I stood 我在那路口久久伫立
And looked down one as far as I could 我向着一条路极目望去To where it bent in the undergrowth; 直到它消失在丛林深处
Then took the other, as just as fair, 但我却选择了另外一条路
And having perhaps the better claim, 它荒草萋萋，十分幽寂
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 显得更诱人，更美丽Though as for that the passing there 虽然在这条小路上
Had worn them really about the same, 很少留下旅人的足迹
And both that morning equally lay 那天清晨落叶满地
In leaves no step had trodden black. 两条路都未经脚印污染
Oh, I kept the first for another day! 呵，留下一条路等改日再见Yet knowing how way leads on to way, 但我知道路径延绵无尽头
I doubted if I should ever come back. 恐怕我难以再回返
I shall be telling this with a sigh 也许多少年后在某一个地方
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 我将轻声叹息把往事回顾
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—一片森林里分出两条路
I took the one less traveled by, 而我却选择了人迹更少的一条
And that has made all the difference. 从此决定了我一生的道路赏析："The Road Not Taken" is a poem by Robert Frost. It is the first poem in the volume and is printed in italics. The title is often mistakenly given as "The Road Less Traveled", from the penultimate line: "I took the one less traveled by". The poem has two recognized interpretations:one is a more literal interpretation, while the other is more ironic. According to the literal interpretation, the poem is
inspirational, a paean to individualism and non-conformism.The poem consists of four sta nzas. In the first stanza, the speaker describes his position. He has been out walking in the woods and comes to two roads, and he stands looking as far down each one as he can see. He would like to try out both, but doubts he could do that, so therefore he continues to look down t he roads for a long time trying to make his decision about which road to take.The ironic in terpretation, widely held by critics,[1][5] is that the poem is instead about regret and personal myth-making, rationalizing our decision. In this interpretation, the final two line s: “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”are ironic: the choice made little or no difference at all, the speaker’s protestations to the contrary. The speaker admits in the second and third stanzas that both paths may be equally worn and equally leaf-covered, and it is only in his future recollection that he will call one road “less
traveled by”.
3. Emily Dickinson’s“Because I could not stop for Death-
Because I could not stop for Death
He kindly stopped for me
The Carriage held but just Ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only – Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground-
Since then –‘tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses Heads
Were toward Eternity –。