вторник, 14 мая 2013 г.

Final word

This course was something new. There were many tasks and a lot of information to cope with. 
But still, it was one of the most useful subject during the 4 years. We learnt how to analyze texts of different janres. Also we learnt many stylistic devices, we learnt many new notions. I'd like to add that this subjet helped me to sort out the information I knew earlier and too add more useful things. I liked the way it was presented - very clear and interesting. Thank's a lot!

That's it


The Cactus by O. Henry

         William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), known by his 
pen name O. Henry, was an American writerO. Henry's short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings. But there are many other things to know about his works. His stories are also known for witty narration. O. Henry's work is wide-ranging, and his characters can be found roaming the cattle-lands of Texas, exploring the art of the con-man, or investigating the tensions of class and wealth in turn-of-the-century New York. O. Henry had an inimitable hand for isolating some element of society and describing it with an incredible economy and grace of language. From December 1903 to January 1906 O. Henry wrote a story a week for the New York World magazine, and published several short stories in other magazines. There are some of his famous works – “The Gift of the Magi”, “The Ransom of Red Chief”, “The Cop and the Anthem”, “A Retrieved Reformation”, “The Duplicity of Hargraves’.  The last collection of short stories was “Waifs and Strays” published in 1917. “The Cactus” belongs to this book and is one of the best stories among other. This story was written earlier and the exact time is unknown. But the fact is that the last collection consists of stories, including “The Cactus” that were written earlier but were not published. Also I’d like to add that the last O’Henry’s years were not so successful. He suffered from diabetes and cirrhosis, abused alcohol; he had not any money and finished his life being ill and forgotten. The last book was published after his death, and I wonder why he did not manage to do it earlier. May be that was a clue to his triumphal ending. Still, he is a short story genius for many readers including me and my family.
             Going further it is time to analyze the setting of the story. Undoubtedly it is a narration. The story begins from the episode where we meet the main character – Trysdale. The action appears in the real present time. From the first phrase we can easily imagine the situation and the atmosphere around him. The author gives the direct description and many prompts to help us to deepen in the story. Firstly, we can see the place and the occasion of the action occurred: “…Trysdale standing by a table in his bachelor apartments…” it is a clear hint that the main character is single and lives alone. “Trysdale's friend, the brother of the bride, stood at a sideboard complaining at being allowed to drink alone. Both men were in evening dress.” Here I guess becomes obvious that they are joining some wedding, but both stand aloof. They are both in a downcast, each has his own reason. The author describes the atmosphere in the room as a dark and negative, for example: “gloom of the apartment”. Also we get acquainted with one more “character” – the cactus. Actually this particular plant is very important as far as we can find more details about it than about   Trysdale: On the table stood a singular-looking green plant in a red earthen jar. The plant was one of the species of cacti, and was provided with long, testicular leaves that perpetually swayed with the slightest breeze with a peculiar beckoning motion.” This description takes place after the main character’s and it can make me think that the clue is in this very plant. Except present time, the author used such techniques as flashback and foreshadowing.  After presenting the main character and the place the story takes place we turn back to the events that happened before. Also I can easily judge what was the end of that story, because the young man is sad and unhappy in present.  I think the setting of the story is very realistic; the place – Trysdale’s apartments, it suits his mood. The room is as dark and gloomy as main man’s thoughts. The atmosphere has such colors that everyone deepens in the story and feels the temper of it. O. Henry supports the mood of the story from the very beginning saying that the time is purely relative.
         There are many massages in the story. I thought about the main one. But it seems that it is like a chain. There was a little bit of lie and a little bit of ignorance. But I think that the main point is that we always should pay attention to the details. The girl misunderstood that Trysdale knows Spanish. And the young man did not disprove that fallacy. It was a fatal mistake because it led to the final mistake. The man asked her to marry him and the girl answered in an unusual way. She sent him a cactus with Spanish name, which was meant to be her agreement. But the young man did not guess it. So, the reason is that one lie led to other mistakes. He did not pay enough attention to the details and it caused him love.  
           Talking about the plot of the story I’d like to say that it is quite specific, because the author used such technique as a flashback. But the rest is clear for me. So, I think that in this story we have external conflict. Firstly, it is a conflict between Trysdale and his girl. The reason is that the girl married another man. Trysdale’s heart is broken. Secondly, it is a conflict between Trysdale and his fate. He missed his chance to become happy with his beloved because he lied to her and did not react properly. He had to pay more attention to the details and to make right decision.
            The text begins with the exposition. The author tells us about the place, time and the situation where the events take place. Also we get acquainted with main character. We get to know that the main character stands in a gloomy room. He is a guest at the wedding and he is thinking about his life:That is what Trysdale was doing, standing by a table in his bachelor apartments. Trysdale's friend, the brother of the bride, stood at a sideboard complaining at being allowed to drink alone. Both men were in evening dress. White favors like stars upon their coats shone through the gloom of the apartment.” What is more, we can see the important detail – the cactus. This detail adds more intrigue to the plot: “On the table stood a singular-looking green plant in a red earthen jar. The plant was one of the species of cacti, and was provided with long, testicular leaves that perpetually swayed with the slightest breeze with a peculiar beckoning motion”. Then we observe the previous events. The author tells us the story from the very beginning. The relations between the man and a girl can be counted as the rising action.  Their relations were nice and romantic. She respected and adored him. But gradually the author opens the reality for his readers. Trysdale did not pay any attention that the girl’s love is almost blind. He did not think about the disappointment she would feel. There were many things he had to refute, but he liked the place of the king in her life:She had always insisted upon placing him upon a pedestal, and he had accepted her homage with royal grandeur”.  We see that there is some lack in these relations. Though, Trysdale made a proposal. And the moment when the man asks the lady to marry him plays the role of the climax. And in spite the fact that the young man was completely sure that she would agree (“…he could swear now, that unmistakable consent was in her eyes”) – something went wrong. The character’s expectations were running out. This time and their next meeting are falling actions in the story. The pressure decreased. Then the resolution comes. The author brings us back to the real time. The voice of Trysdale’s friend interrupted his thoughts. The final question will open the truth  to us: Hallo! Here’s an old acquaintance. Wherever did you rake up this cactus, Trysdale? … - Know any Spanish, Trysdale?.. - Yes. The natives imagine the leaves are reaching out and beckoning to you. They call it by this name--Ventomarme. Name means in English, 'Come and take me.'" So, that is the resolution. There is a closed ending in the story.  It is very clear and easy, told in a few sentences, much unexpected and twist ending.  
         There are three participants in the story: Trysdale, his girlfriend and his friend. We meet the main character at the beginning of the story. He seems to be very decorous, thoughtful, serious and calm person. I can say something about his appearance but somehow I am sure that he is handsome. There is no direct description of his temper. O. Henry tells nothing about his attitude towards him directly too. It is possible to guess everything from Trysdale’s speech and behavior. So there is first hint about Trysdale: “That is what Trysdale was doing, standing by a table in his bachelor apartments.” We see Trysdale thinking about time. He is single, not married. “As he slowly unbuttoned his gloves, there passed through Trysdale's mind a swift, scarifying retrospect of the last few hours.” – he does everything  measuredly  and confidently. That is why I say that he is calm and thoughtful. I can say that he has a calm and sedate temper. “From this last hopeless point of view he still strove, as if it had become a habit of his mind, to reach some conjecture as to why and how he had lost her. Shaken rudely by the uncompromising fact, he had suddenly found himself confronted by a thing he had never before faced — his own innermost, unmitigated, arid unbedecked self. He saw all the garbs of pretence and egoism that he had worn now turn to rags of folly.” – it tells us that responsible and conscious man and he does not afraid to make self-analysis. “He shuddered at the thought that to others, before now, the garments of his soul must have appeared sorry and threadbare. Vanity and conceit? These were the joints in his armor.” Here we see the man who changed himself, he feels broken. I can definitely say that he is honest with himself; he repents and bares his soul in his mind. I was deeply impressed – it is a thing that hardly happens nowadays. “For the thousandth time he remarshalled in his mind the events of those last few days before the tide had so suddenly turned.” He tends to analyze and criticize. He value himself, value his love. He value the time he spent with her girlfriend. But the author shows us another, previous Trysdale: “…he had absorbed the oblation as a desert drinks the rain that can coax from it no promise of blossom or fruit.”  Her girlfriend loved him very much. But this love was a bit fanatic. It was his duty to balance it in order not to hurt that girl. He was too passionate about her praises. He behaved like an egotist focused only on himself: “He allowed the imputation to pass without denial. Without protest, he allowed her to twine about his brow this spurious bay of Spanish scholarship. He let it grace his conquering head, and, among its soft convolutions, he did not feel the prick of the thorn that was to pierce him later.” He was too proud and conceited to pay attention to her feelings. “His large pride and hurt vanity kept him from seeking her.” And this is the way O. Henry introduce the main character. I can judge only from the character’s speech, actions and behavior.  That is what we have about Trysdale. What can I say about his girlfriend? We understood that she got married recently. We see her only through the eyes of Trysdale. And we see her as a loving and adoring him girl thus mannered and reserved lady: “How glad, how shy, how tremulous she was! How she fluttered like a snared bird when he laid his mightiness at her feet! He could have sworn, and he could swear now, that unmistakable consent was in her eyes, but, coyly, she would give him no direct answer.”  Here we have the direct description. She is very tender and naïve, open and sincere like a child: “It had been very sweet incense that she had burned before him; so modest (he told himself); so childlike and worshipful, and (he would once have sworn) so sincere. She had invested him with an almost supernatural number of high attributes and excellencies and talents…” But still his memories can show us a little bit of her appearance:“…the careless wave of her hair, the tenderness and virginal charm of her looks and words.” So, she was beautiful and well-mannered as well. But what I want to add is that she was extremely smart and resourceful. She decided not to give him a simple trite answer, but to make it more special and unusual. She believed her beloved man is special and bright as well. She thought Trysdale would correspond to this answer. I wander if she tried to show that she is smart enough, or did she start to learn Spanish in order not to leave behind? I like her idea, and Trysdale disappointed me as well as her. Trysdale’s friend played a great role in the story.  He appeared as a flat character at first, but then he answered all questions Trysdale has asked himself.  Finally, the characters are quite usual people, and I liked Trysdale as a person who changed his views; and his beautiful girlfriend who undesignedly taught him a lesson.  I liked their bright-colored speech filled with old, high-flown words of that particular time.
     To tell the story in an attractive and intriguing way O. Henry used special stylistic devices. There were a great number of them, each has its aim.
Similes: white favors like stars – the author wanted to contrast the grandeur of clothes and the gloom of the character’s room;
as a desert drinks the rain – the author intensifies the reality of the situation occurred;
fluttered like a snared bird – to underline the girl’s feelings;
Epithets: well-bred voices; odorous masses; drawling words; poor  consolation;    swift, limpid, upward look; convincing beauty  - O. Henry used it to give more details and give us more images.
Metaphors:  beckoning motion; garbs of pretence and egoism; incense of her admiration; laid his mightiness; ruins of his self-conceit; turned to snow and ice – here author tried to impress the readers combining such qualities and created a specific philosophical effect.
Hyperbole: “She had always insisted upon placing him upon a pedestal…”; “…he had asked her to come up on his pedestal with him and share his greatness” -  the author intensify the reality.
Allegory:  “twine about his brow this spurious bay of Spanish scholarship”, “She had always insisted upon placing him upon a pedestal”, “desert drinks the rain” – were used to make the reader crate the images and understand all the seriousness of the situation.
Emphatic constructions: “That is what Trysdale was doing…”, “Only little sister I had”- to intensify the importance of the given information.
Oxymoron: sullen exultation – to contrast the feeling.
Irony:  “It had been a very sweet incense that she had burned before him”;  “... he had absorbed the oblation as a desert drinks the rain that can coax from it no promise of blossom or fruit”; “ he allowed her to twine about his brow this spurious bay of Spanish scholarship”;  “He let it grace his conquering head…”, “… he, the indulgent, confident victor, smilingly granted the delay”; “… he laid his mightiness at her feet!” – here we see some authors prompts about his attitude towards this situations;
Zeugma: a garlicky, cockroachy banana steamer – the creation of humorous effect.
Those were lexical expressive means. Analyzing the story we can found syntactic stylistic devices such as:
Repetition: “So childlike and so worshipful, and (he would once have sworn) so sincere”;”How glad, how shy, how tremulous she was! How she fluttered” – were used to intensify the impressions received from the situation.
Asyndeton: “Indeed, his conceit had crumbled; its last prop was gone.”; “As he slowly unbuttoned his gloves, there passed through Trysdale's mind a swift, scarifying retrospect of the last few hours” – to make the utterance more rhythmical.
The author used rhetoric questions in order to underline the philosophical and thoughtful mood of the character: “Vanity and conceit?”; “But why?”; ”Why had it ended thus?”; Where was his fault? Who had been to blame?”
     It is very bright and amazing story and, as usual, with an unexpected outcome. There is something to think about after the reading. It is moderately easy to read but has a deep meaning. I admire the author’s mastery of writing. 

четверг, 9 мая 2013 г.

  1. Going further it is time to analyze the setting of the story. The story begins from the episode where we meet the main character – Trysdale. The action appears in the real present time. From the first phrase we can easily imagine the situation and the atmosphere around him. The author gives the direct description and many prompts to help us to deepen in the story. Firstly, we can see the place and the occasion of the action occurred: “…Trysdale standing by a table in his bachelor apartments…” it is a clear hint that the main character is single and lives alone. “Trysdale's friend, the brother of the bride, stood at a sideboard complaining at being allowed to drink alone. Both men were in evening dress.” Here I guess becomes obvious that they are joining some wedding, but both stand aloof. They are both in a downcast, each has his own reason. The author describes the atmosphere in the room as a dark and negative, for example: “gloom of the apartment”. Except present time, the author used such techniques as flashback and foreshadowing.  After presenting the main character and the place the story takes place we turn back to the events that happened before. Also I can easily judge what was the end of that story, because the young man is sad and unhappy in present. 

воскресенье, 7 апреля 2013 г.


William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 – June 5, 1910), known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American writer. 
O. Henry's short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and clever twist endings” – this is what Wiki can tell us about this author first of all. But there are many other things to know about his works. His stories are also known for witty narration. O. Henry's work is wide-ranging, and his characters can be found roaming the cattle-lands of Texas, exploring the art of the con-man, or investigating the tensions of class and wealth in turn-of-the-century New York. O. Henry had an inimitable hand for isolating some element of society and describing it with an incredible economy and grace of language. 

                                                 He really followed his words: 
                                                         “Write what you like; there is no other rule".

четверг, 28 марта 2013 г.

"The Cactus" by O'Henry

So, hi again. Finally I've made a decision. As my favorite american author is O.Henry I selected one of his short stories. To tell you the the truth, O.Henry is a writer with whom I always associate my childhood. I used to read his stories with my father during the evenings. Our favorite stories are "The  gift of the magi" and "Gold and love". But the first one was chosen by many students and the second was not included in the list. So I selected "The Cactus". I have not read it before, but this title is rather intriguing. I'd like to say that in spite of the common titles the context of the authour's stories is very complicated and quite tricky. I'm sure that the cactus has a symbolic or partly figurative meaning in the story. Also I look forward the unexpected ending. I really enjoy this thing!

You can read this great story here: http://www.americanliterature.com/author/o-henry/short-story/the-cactus

понедельник, 25 марта 2013 г.

Hi, now it seems I started my blog too. Actually, I was surprised with that great number of people who have blogs. Frankly speaking it wasn't my first experience in creating a blog, but I'm for the first time here. It was not difficult to do it. Fortunatelly, I've read all instructions and did it easily. I liked the wide choice of options here and the possibility to choose the design of the blog. It's great! Also it's a good way to share our ideas towards the new subject and it undoubtedly saves time. But the most important thing is experience.
I wish everybody good luck with your blog!)