Week 3
Prompt 1: In the story Araby a priest dies. How is this significant to the overall meaning of the story? Think about what he leaves behind.
OR
Prompt 2: How is color effective in Araby? How does it relate to the meaning?
YES, Cite evidence. YES, back up your claim with not only evidence but a clear line of reasoning.
Grace Dunaway Week Three: Araby Priest
ReplyDeleteDark vs. Lightness: The power of color
The idea of color being used as symbolism throughout literary works is nothing new. In Araby specifically, various colors along with the dark vs light contrast adds meaning to the story as a whole. The sky is described as being “violet”, which gives the mere element of color in the setting that had seemed so lacking of color or vibrance. Purple is typically a color that is supposed to symbolize mystery and imagination, which parallels the boy’s mindset. The boy is living in his own imaginative world, as he hopelessly falls for a girl who barely knows he exists. The purple is significant though, because it symbolizes the boy’s imagination of being with the girl he longs for. The idea of light vs darkness comes into play when the boy describes the sight of the girl, “the white curve of her neck, out up her hair and rested there and, falliing, lit up the hand upon the railing”. The idea of light here symbolizes the new and awakening desires the boy feels towards this girl. The light overall represents the rise of his romantic feelings for her and the joy he feels. Darkness, in the story, is prevalent while describing both the setting, and even subtly mentioned while describing the girl he longs for. At the beginning, the houses on the street are described being “brown”, which overall adds to the atmosphere of the setting. Since the setting had already been describes as very isolated, as the author uses words such as “uninhabited” and “blind”, the addition of the description of it being brown also helps paint the scene as a very boring and dull setting that the boy lives in. Brown also comes into play when the girl’s “brown figure” is described. This is a clear contrast with his description of her being a light, which foreshadows the boy finding out that he had romanticized her and that his idea of being with her was actually a false reality. Darkness is also prevalent when describing the setting with it’s “dark, odorous stables” and “dark, muddy lanes”. This darkness symbolizes the internal darkness that the boy feels. While he is temporarily distracted by the false idea he created of this girl in his mind, the gloomy setting reveals his true feelings as he begins to find out that he had created a fantasy of the girl in his head that didn't really exist and wasn't achievable. By the end, he feels emotionally exhausted, which mirrors his descriptions of the setting.
I think it is very interesting to read your statement about the color brown foreshadowing the boy finding out that he had romanticized the young girl and that his idea of being with her was actually a false reality. That's something I didn't even think about.
Delete-Lilly Cox
Jackson McGarrigan
DeleteI like how you approached this from different angles rather than focusing on one sole thought.
This was an interesting approach. This blog really encapsulated how light and darkness was perceived in Araby. -Emily Ally
DeleteCaroline Hunt
ReplyDeleteHow is color effective in Araby? How does it relate to the meaning?
The contrast between dark and light colors in Araby is utilized to accentuate the emotions the boy is feeling. When Joyce is describing the setting of the town everything is very dark and somber in to coexist with the detachment and sadness the boy feels at this awkward stage in his life. However, when the boy sees the girl the color changes to bright and cheerful as Joyce uses words such as “white, “lighted window gleamed above me” and “lit up the hand upon the railing”. Through the light/bright imagery Joyce is able to uncover that the girl is the boy’s light. She allows him to dream about the future and his aspirations while he is stuck in the gloomy town where his parents gone and an Uncle who comes home drunk every night. The contrast between light and dark colors relate to the overall meaning of the Araby by emphasizing the amount of growth and maturity the boy still needs to go through. At the beginning of the short story Joyce utilizes words such as “blind” and “long enclosed” to illustrate that the boy feels trapped in a world that he does not belong. As the audience continues to read there are short moments of light and happiness as he thinks about Mangan’s sister. However, ultimately he ends up where he started, alone in a dark room. The purpose of this is to show that life is not like a Disney movie. Life has its ups and downs that allow us to mature even though it can be painful and even heart breaking at times. In the boy’s case he must acknowledge his mistake of believing he was in love with a girl he didn’t know and move on in order to escape the darkness and find another light.
You did a great job of comparing the light and dark colors that are seen throughout the story, and utilizing them to resemble the boy's emotions. You also picked out great quotes, and analyzed them well in order to emphasize the contrast between dark and light colors in "Araby". -Brynn Klaber
DeleteJackson McGarrigan
DeleteI like how you juxtapose the two color themes instead of just focusing on one form of color imagery.
Emily Beaupre
ReplyDeletePrompt 2: How is color effective in Araby? How does it relate to the meaning?
James Joyce uses the contrast of light and darkness in order to describe the feelings of the boy and to show his transformation. At the very beginning, Joyce uses the color brown to describe the town the boy lives in stating “the other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces.” Joyce uses brown, a color usually associated with poverty, to symbolize the dullness of everyday Dublin. Describing the houses as brown, the author emphasizes how mundane and oppressive the setting is for the narrator as he lives with a drunk uncle who pays no attention to him and is unable to escape the prevalent religious atmosphere that is starting to bore him. Furthermore, brown is also used to describe Mangan’s sister as the narrator states “I kept her brown figures always in my eye…” The fact the Mangan’s sister is also described through the use of the color brown just like the town shows that she is also mundane and dull foreshadowing that she isn’t going to bring the change and joy the boy is hoping that she will. Describing Mangan’s sister as a “brown figure” is vital in showing the boy’s naivety at the beginning as he believes she is the source of his freedom from the oppressive world he lives in.
Although Joyce doesn’t use many specific colors throughout the short story, he does contrast light and darkness. In the beginning, while the narrator plays outside, he describes the darkness of the town as he ran through “dark muddy lanes” to “the dark dripping gardens.” The darkness of the town not only further shows the oppressiveness of the town to the boy but also suggests that something sinister is occurring in the town. Although this is a religious neighborhood, there seems to be a disorganization of the church as the former priest read books about the conflict between churches as well as suggesting that he may have had a job outside of adulthood. The darkness of the town is not only used to show the dullness of the town but also to criticize the religious atmosphere there. Although the children are surrounded by darkness, they are still described with light focusing on their “bodies glowed.” The children are characterized by light in order to show their innocent and naivety to the realities of life. Light is also used to characterize Mangan’s sister as she is described as being “defined by the light” and “the white curve of her neck.” Light is associated with her as she is the subject of the character’s hope in escaping the oppressiveness of his life. As light seems to represent innocence, darkness in the story represents the loss of innocence and the formation of cynicism. At the end, when the boy arrives to the bazaar and is disappointed to see that it is not a magical, enchanted, Eastern market but rather an English one, he experiences an epiphany. Unlike most stories, darkness is associated with the boy’s new knowledge instead of light. As the bazaar becomes completely dark, and the narrator “gazes up into the darkness”, he realizes the truth about his feelings for Mangan’s sister and his vain motives for coming to the market. Since his epiphany is revealing something dark inside him, his vanity, the author uses darkness instead of light to represent it. In the end, darkness surrounds the boy in order to symbolize his loss of innocence as he becomes aware of the harsh realities of life. The contrast between light and darkness relates to the overall meaning of the story as it emphasizes the coming of age of the boy highlighting his transformation from innocent to cynical. At the beginning he is described with light to symbolize his innocence but in the end, he realizes his disillusionment and becomes aware of his naivety noting that impressing Mangan’s sister was not going to be his outlet from the mundane life he lives.
That was a great analysis of color and I like how you described his epiphany.
DeleteHank McAlister
ReplyDeletePrompt 2
Color is effective in araby to help show how the boy is feeling. For example, when the town is introduced, It is very bland and grey,which reflects the boys emotions that he is bored in the town. The first time the Boy sees the girl he falls quickly in love with, the author uses words like "white" to show how she brightens his mood. The boy begins to dream of the girl as a way to escape the gloomy town. The contrast between dark and light is also shown by the boys uncle, and the dark colors help symbolize the boys thoughts towards the uncle
You did a good job picking out specific examples of where color is seen in the story, and analyzing how the colors are effective to the overall meaning of Araby.
DeleteI like how you mentioned the relationship with his uncle and how it can also contribute to the darkness he's living in. -Thomas Stewart
DeleteI forgot to put my name, but the first comment was Brynn Klaber
DeleteThomas Stewart
ReplyDeletePrompt 2
I think color is effective in this story because it's meant to represent the tone and feelings of the author and main character. The bland description of the setting goes to show how the narrator feels about where he lives and how is life is going at that moment. The setting is described as being very dark and boring. "Air, musty
from having been long enclosed, hung in all the rooms, and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered with old useless papers." This description seems to match the way the narrator feels at the beginning of the story. However, once the narrator meets Mangan's sister, those thoughts and feelings begin to fade away. The color transitioned from a grey to a more vibrant color as the narrator begins to become more happy thinking about the girl. His thoughts of Mangan's sister are a mental escape for the narrator, allowing him to take time off of thinking about the bland and boring life he had been previously living. This brings dark and light colors to clash, as the narrator is fading between being happy and being sad.
Brynn Klaber Week 3: Araby
ReplyDeleteThe Priest and his role in the story
In the story “Araby” a priest dies, and it is significant to the overall meaning of the story. Although the priest is only mentioned twice throughout the story, what he left behind after he died is extremely important. In the beginning of the second paragraph the narrator explains that “The former tenant of our house, a priest, had died in the back drawing room.” This is the first time the priest is mentioned, and the mention of his death contributes to the quiet and isolated mood of the setting. Later on in the paragraph the narrator mentions that he had “found the late tenant’s rusty bicycle-pump.” The mention of the priest having a bicycle is significant because it was one of the many things he left behind. The bicycle symbolizes the priest's childhood, and how even though he was seen as a strict priest, he was still a normal person who found joy in riding bikes. The priest has a strong relationship with the church, but he also enjoys doing things outside of the church highlighting the fact that he is like an ordinary human. The priest is mentioned again towards the end of the story when the narrator is confessing his love for Mangan’s sister, and is explaining his romantic ideals for him and her. The narrator explains that he “ went into the back drawing-room in which the priest had died.” This particular mention of the priest, again, acknowledges the dark and deserted setting, and how the narrator enjoys his isolation from everyone. The room in which the priest had died symbolizes a spiritual escape for the narrator as he is able to pray for romantic relations with Mangan’s sister. Although the priest’s room seems dark and quiet, the narrator is able to find the light in the darkness when he thinks about Mangan’s sister, which highlights his optimism. Overall, the priest’s death is significant to the meaning of the story because it adds to the isolated mood of the setting, emphasizes that people have lives outside of their jobs, and allows the narrator to have an escape from reality, while also showing off his optimism.
good job at describing how the priest was important to the overall tone and mood of the story. - Hank McAlister
DeleteThanks for the feedback! -Brynn Klaber
DeleteHIIIII BRYNN. I really enjoyed reading about the approach you had regarding the priest's true function in the town in comparison to what role he was supposed to serve.
Delete-EVA GRACE HECHT
Gabriela Miranda Week 3
ReplyDeletePrompt 2: How is color effective in Araby? How does it relate to the meaning?
The author, James Joyce uses color to describe how Araby feels. Its mostly a contrast between light and dark. Araby is a boy growing up in a boring city trying to find some light and he finds that in his friend’s sister. The setting is described as dull and dark, “The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses”. The description reflects the authors unhappiness with where is he is. In the same paragraph he repeatedly uses dark to describe his surroundings until he reaches his friend Mangan’s home then he switches to using the word light, “She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door.” Light represents his romantic feelings for the girl, it’s his hope in his everyday life filled with darkness. Brown is the most common form of darkness mentioned, for example, “I may have stood there for an hour, seeing nothing but the brown-clad figure cast by my imagination”, this quote reflects his disappointment at that moment because uncle was late.
Your explanation about light vs dark was perfect.
DeleteAndrew Plate
ReplyDeleteWeek 3
Prompt Two
In James Joyce’s short story “Araby”, color is an integral part of the meaning. The dull and dark colors, such as brown, bring out how Dublin was unexciting and oppressive for the narrator. Brown is also used to describe the characters. Mangan’s sister is described as a “brown-clad figure”, maybe showing that she was unexciting. The narrator repeats Mangan’s sister’s brown appearance two other times to emphasize the meaning of the color. No other colors are specifically named, but words such as dark further portray the dull imagery of Dublin. Dark stays with the narrator throughout the entirety of the short story. In the last line of the story the narrator says, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself …” This quote shows how the narrator now feels about himself. He is ashamed at what he has seen and how he now knows more than he should about the world at his age. The use of the dull and dark colors helps to portray the meaning of the short story. The colors relate to the meaning of the loss of innocence. In the very last line of the story the narrator says, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.” This quote shows how the darkness seen reflects how he now sees himself. The boy knows he has lost his innocence and it pains him.
Caitlin Fleming
ReplyDeleteWeek 3, Prompt 2
Dark and Light
In the short story "Araby", the author's use of color plays an important role in the meaning. The author specifically uses light vs dark colors as a symbol of the tone of a specific object or situation. The author also uses colors to define the narrator's emotions towards something. For example, the room where the priest died. The narrator walked into that room on a "dark, rainy evening". The use of the word dark adds gloominess to the tone of the story. On the other hand the author uses light colors to show how the narrator is in love with this girl, "The light from the lamp opposite our door...lit up her hair... lit up the hand upon the railing". This quote shows how the narrator feels about Mangan. He uses the light from the lamp to explain how he saw her as beautiful and how she made him happy, until the end of the story when it all changes. Near the end the narrator starts to describe Mangan, and his surroundings, as dull, dark, gloomy colors. He does this because the narrator has been let down and now knows that Mangan didn't see their conversation as anything more than just a bunch of words. The author's use of dark and light colors contributes to the meaning of the story because without them we would not be able to understand clearly how the narrator feels about something.
I completely agree that the author uses lighter and darker shades to emphasize and define the narrator's emotions towards something.
Delete-Lilly Cox
I agree with idea that the Joyce used the light vs. dark colors to describe the tone of the different situations. - Josie Markovics
DeleteLilly Cox (Prompt 2)
ReplyDeleteThe concept of color plays a substantial role in regards to the meaning of this piece of literature. This story specifically focuses on the contrast of light versus dark and correlates these two shades of color with the main boys emotions. Initially, the town in which the story is first placed is described as “bland and gray.” This dark description of setting is in similitude to the isolation in which the young boy feels; due to the disassociation the people in his town portray. Furthermore, the sky is described as being “violet,” and this coexists with the boys mindset. The main boy is living in his own individual world, as a hopeless romantic who falls for a girl in which they have minimum to no association. The color purple coincides with this, due to its common description of portraying imagination, and mystery. The portrayal of lighter colors is shown when the boy describes the sight of the young girl. He states, “the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.” This statement is a prime representation of the optimism and happiness that the boy feels when looking at the girl in which he has fallen for. Conclusively, the final setting truly ties in the darkness among the town the boy lives in, in coercion with the way he feels emotionally. The author uses phrases such as “dark, odorous stables,” and “dark, muddy lanes.” These two phrases symbolize the inferior darkness the boy feels once he comes to the realization that he has created a fantasy of the girl in his head, and establishes that a relationship with her is not achievable.
HIIIIIII LILLY. I liked your approach on the specifics regarding color and how the main character noticed these things and your connections to how that contributed to the overall purpose he had in his endeavors.
Delete-EVA HECHT
HIIIIIIIII EVA!!! :) Thank you for your reply, I appreciate your input!!!
Delete- Lilly Cox
Jackson McGarrigan
ReplyDeleteWeek 3 Prompt 3
Literature has used color imagery almost as long as it has been around in an effort to deeply affect the plot, mood, and idea of a story in a very subtle way. It can be seen being used in “Araby” in the contrast between the light and the darkness, or in a greater sense, purity and filth. For example, in terms of light imagery, the girl being described is used, saying “the white curve of her neck, out up her hair and rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.” This clearly describes her as a symbol of purity, with the whiteness and positive tone in the sentence being utilized as a tool to give her a positive connotation as his love interest. While on the topic of her, the environment also gains this light. For instance, while gazing at her, a “lighted window gleamed above [him].” However, the filth of dark imagery is used in juxtaposition to this light as well. When describing his environment before the mention of the girl, he talks of the houses having “brown imperturbable faces.” This is a stark contrast to the light, and describes his life without the girl in it, as she is his symbol of hope for a better tomorrow. In conclusion, light and dark imagery play a strong role in the structuring of the story, and are used in cunning ways as a means to effect the tone and persuade the reader’s perception of the situation at hand.
I like your approach to go further beyond just the use of color and connect it to the idea of purity and filth. -Josie Markovics
DeleteI enjoyed how you connected color to ideas like purity- Gabriela Miranda
DeleteEVA HECHT
ReplyDeleteWEEK THREE- PROMPT TWO
Prompt 2
The colors in Araby are symbolic of the nature of the community of which our main character lives in. The introduction and the utilization of colors, mostly bland and dark colors, emphasizes how bland, quiet, and boring this area is. In the first paragraph, our narrator describes the atmosphere as “The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet..” This appeals to the dark and dingy weather and through the addition of this quote, we can understand how this bad and dark weather does not help the situational mental despair and boredom they endure on a daily basis. Further along in the excerpt, we see a continuity of this darkness, both physically and mentally, and how this correlates to the overall meaning of the text, which is the boy’s revelation of his true self despite situational experiences. The text says “It was a dark rainy evening and there was no sound in the house.” This quote fosters the experience of loneliness and how this correlates to the young boy’s desire for attention from his neighbor in a relationship. These quotes help contribute to the idea that colors are so strong in correlation to emotions and how our characters were impacted by their environment. The word “blind” utilized by the author in the first paragraph is an example of verbal irony. It reveals to the reader that this pattern of loneliness and darkness is so engraved into their society, that this boy’s internal struggles for relationships would be looked down upon if expanded into the real world. Overall, the power of the colors implicated by the author make it evident that they were incorporated to foster growth and perseverance, despite the prevalence of loneliness and darkness.
I liked your examples to how you perceived light and the darkness. -Emily Ally
DeleteJosie Markovics
ReplyDeleteWeek three- prompt two
James Joyce uses color as a way to symbolize the light and dark tones in the story Araby. Color is a very effective tool that helps readers to reveal the tone and feelings throughout the story. The setting is described to be a bland city with houses that, “gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces”. This use dark colors like brown help set up the idea that this city really isn’t anything special. This setting differs from who the narrator is as a person and the fact that he tends to see the light in things even though the word around him is described to be dark and dull. His life revolves around Mangan’s sister who seems to be his biggest source of happiness and he makes the most of his living situation by focusing his attention on her. The narrator notices the beauty of Mangan’s sister, “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there”. After being so focused on the beauty and light of her, the end of the story turns the narrator back to acknowledge the dark setting. He realizes the mistake he made to try and impress someone while completely ignoring the real life around him. The narrator states that, “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity”. The importance of darkness in this scene shows how he is able to see the truths of reality rather than imagining and hoping for the presence of light.
I really liked your relation of light to Mangan's sister
DeleteYour explanation of the importance of darkness is clear and concise- Gabriela Miranda
ReplyDeleteJackie Denenny
ReplyDeletePrompt 2
James Joyce uses color to emphasize the tone throughout the story Araby by contrasting dark and light colors. This helps the reader get a better understanding of the tone depending on what colors are present. The houses within the neighborhood that the boy lives in are described as "brown imperturbable faces." By describing the houses as a dark color, this makes them appear rather boring and unimportant. In contrast, Mangan's sister is described by "the white curve of her neck" and "the white border of a petticoat." Mangan's sister represents the boys happiness when he is in love with her so she is described using white to symbolize his joy and therefore the impassioned tone. When the narrator is leaving the bazaar, he observes "the upper part of the hall was now completely dark." This darkness in the bazaar is a good indicator of the melancholy tone once the boy realizes there is no actual love between himself and Mangan's sister. All in all, the use of dark and light imagery is effective in aiding the reader in understanding the underlying tones throughout Araby.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEmily Ally
ReplyDeleteWeek 3
Prompt 2
Instead of noticing the darkness around him, his playful childhood harvests this darkness and turns it into light. His youth emits a glow that blinds away the darkness. The young boy is totally oblivious to what is around him, and everywhere he goes light images and the happiness of youth follows him. “The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns. The cold air stung us and we played till our bodies glowed. Our shouts echoed in the silent street. The career of our play brought us through the dark muddy lanes behind the houses..” The bright light is used to create a fairytale world of dreams for the young protagonist, and it is expressed through his deep admiration for Mangans’s sister. An example of this light that is shown upon Mangan’s sister is “she was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light of the half opened door.” Through the dark images in the story, the setting of poverty on the street is set through the vivid descriptions: “jostled by drunken men and bargaining women.” The dark images throughout the story are signs of his maturation. His uncle allows him to leave for bazaar at nine. The dark city at night allows him to be on his own, which leads himself from childhood and into the steps of adulthood. The protagonist begins to realize more about the atmosphere around him, and is exposed to these harsh realities. Darkness from the Bazaar, “The upper part of the hall was now completely dark.” The dark setting now represents his exposure to the world around him without the blindness of the light imagery.
Prompt 2:
ReplyDeleteIn Araby, both light colors and dark colors are frequently used by the author in order to communicate the desired mood of both the setting, and the characters, to the readers. The boy’s main focus during the story is impressing and winning over the girl that he likes. Because of this, most other characters are blank to him, as he does not pay much attention to anyone else but himself, and the girl. In the first paragraph, when describing the setting of the street and its inhabitants, the school boys are described as having “brown imperturbable faces” (1). The color brown here is used to give an empty, lifeless mood for the setting of the story. For the boy, the only person in his mind who harbored any sort of life was the girl. Towards the middle of the story, the author narrates the first interaction between the boy and the girl that we have seen. While describing the girl, the author uses the color white twice, both for the “white curve of her neck” (9) and the “white border of a petticoat” (9). Here, the color white is used to characterize the girl as angelic, or innocent. The white on her skin and clothing represents her purity, untouched by the hopelessness or disparity of the world around her. The boy sees everyone else around him as dark and brown, devoid of life, but within the girl, he sees hope and peace. It is because of how the girl is able to take his mind off of the world’s darkness that the boy is drawn to her. (Regan Allen)
The quotes you used were great evidence that supported your well written points.
DeleteRaneem Al-Habsha
ReplyDeleteWeek 3 Prompt 2
How is color effective in Araby? How does it relate to the meaning?
In the short story Araby, James Joyce uses color to demonstrate different meanings throughout the story. The color brown is intended to reveal a dull, colorless life, "gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces". This is Dublin life where the people and surroundings are dark and dull affecting the town. Even surrounded by darkness in a town of poverty a light (white) from Mangan's sister lightens his surrounds as an adolescent boy, he contemplates every aspect of her appearance and movement with a religious devotion. "The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lift up her hair that rested there and falling, lit up the hand upon the railing." The author's style of writing this quote shows his usage of sight words, like movements and her appenrece show her beauty and elegance to the reader. The boys life upturns from a darkness to a lightness because of the girl that brings him a new sense of feeling taking his mind off the darkness.
Mary Claire Haldeman
ReplyDeleteWeek 3 Prompt 2
Color plays an integral role in “Araby.” It establishes a consistently depressing mood and relates to the underlying meaning of the story: the boy’s transition from an idealist, fanciful perspective to a realist and hopeless one.
Reading Araby was not an exciting, inspiring experience. It was depressing and disappointing. One cause of the melancholy mood redundant in Araby is the dark color scheme utilized throughout. Of the 17 colors in Araby, 11 pertain to darkness. The author, James Joyce, completely disregards vibrant, lively colors and employs dull, spiritless colors to describe the boy’s neighborhood and bazaar in Dublin. For instance, Joyce describes the “brown imperturbable faces” of the houses and the neighborhood’s “dark muddle lanes,” “dark dripping gardens,” and “dark odorous stables'' (1). The dark descriptions and colors combine to establish a dull, lifeless mood reflecting the boredom within the boy that leads to his fanciful quest for excitement and love. The few examples of light in the story reflect \the boy’s initial refusal to conform to his community’s dark, realist attitude. For instance, though the streets are flooded with darkness, he and his friends continue to play under “the feeble lanterns” (1). Their body’ glow in the dark as they play, still young enough to dream and romanticize life. In the description of the boy’s love, Mangan’s sister, lightness is used one more time.. Joyce describes the “white curve” of the girl’s neck(2). This whiteness symbolizes the idealist, romantic mindset of the boy, hungry for love amidst the boredom and dullness of his town.
Ultimately, the prevalence of dark, engulfing colors in Araby represent the inevitable mindset the boy will adopt as he moves into adulthood. No matter how hard he tries to fantasize his life, the boy cannot escape the darkness of reality. Mangan’s sister is dressed in brown, and the supposedly-exotic bazaar is filled with darkness. This reflects the boy’s realization that there is nothing special about the bazaar or the relationship he has with Mangan’s sister. He then resorts to adopting a pessimistic and realist perspective on life.
In the short story “Araby” by James Joyce, images of color and color descriptions play an important role in understanding the underlying tone and mood of situations and characters. For example, the story opens talking about the quiet and boring little street that Araby lives on, and within this same opening we see colors like “gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” and “The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet..” that help show and not tell. These colors indirectly tell us that the town is sad and boring and almost never changing. It also gives of the underlying mood in which things are dark and gloomy. We see a shift in the tone and mood that correlates with the shift in colors that we see when Araby’s crush is introduced into the story. For example, when describing his crush we see brighter colors that are associated with happier thoughts and moods like “the white curve of her neck”, which not only creates the underlying message that the mood is lifted, but also that he has strong and positive feelings about this girl. As the story continues, we see another shift in colors that directly relates to the saddening tone and mood of the story. As Araby leaves the bazaar and has his epiphany that his sweetheart will never love him, immediately Joyce states, “The upper part of the hall was now completely dark.” Again we see how Joyce directly creates an underlying mood and tone to express the overall feelings and moods of the story without openly stating them, and utilizing the power and important symbolism of colors.
ReplyDeleteCharlie Jones
Week 3 Prompt 2: Taylor Harris
ReplyDeleteThe priests place of living was unorganized which seemed strange along with the books found in his house which were not religious based. The settings is through the perspective of the boy who finds his place of living boring and only feels alive when he is being mischievous with his friends. This setting of heavy religion means his vocabulary is not as strong as it would be if he was only being regular school. He also falls in love at first sight with his friends sister which becomes his escape. He doesn't know but he is being creepy. The colors play into the mood of the setting “brown imperturbable faces” these faces have no color to him. He only feels alive when he is being mischievous and we see this when his body “is glowing” in the winter setting after being outside with his friends. The sister is emphasized by the” white color of her neck” the color being bright and usually represents so type of glow. The character seems to feel alone. He can not find a sense of happiness in what he has been given as a life
In the story Araby a priest dies. How is this significant to the overall meaning of the story? Think about what he leaves behind.
ReplyDeleteThe way he kind of dismisses the fact that the priest died early on and kind of forgets about it. I think this means that he wants to kind of forget about and this indicates that this event took a toll on him and his life. As a young child when someone in your life dies, you don't understand what's going on. A priest dying also kind of symbol of faith dying and when someone losses faith it can change the whole meaning of life for a child. This is kind of when the story takes a shift because in the beginning of the story he is just talking about his childhood and him playing, then he brings up a quote about the incident with the priest and the whole mood changes he goes from being incident to being creep really fast. It is almost like when the priest died so did hi childhood. The events after the priest dying were creep and horrifical when coming from a child of that age. He would talk about the way he felt about this girl and he would watch her from his window and imagine sexual things when he saw her. At the end of the story it brought back old feelings in the kid because he over hears thing very adult conversation and his whole mood changes once again, Its almost like he realized that his still a kid and that he doesn't have time to be worrying about some girl when he could be out enjoying his childhood.
the last one was lily Perry
ReplyDeleteI never considered the death to be so significant good job!-maggie
DeleteJohn Biesecker, Prompt 2
ReplyDeleteThe contrast of color between light and dark plays a very important role in the story of "Araby". In the beginning of the story, the lighter colors seem to be more prominent, signifying the boy's hopes and aspirations. The quote “gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces” shows the boys fascination with the girls heritage. Being from a place other than Ireland amazes the boy, and draws his attention to her. However, the colors become much more dim towards the end of the story. The colors described become very dull when describing the uncle and the boy's admiration towards the girl completely fades when he arrives and sees that everyone working there looks exactly like him. This kills the boy's fascination, and the similar colors he sees everyday is a leading cause of his disappointment. Overall, colors play a massive role in the story and the author uses them to convey his message.
I too, examined the light and the dark but never considered the girls color.-maggie
DeleteI believe that color is very effective in the story Araby because the color of the tone in the story carries the shifts throughout the story. In the beginning the story is very dark as the author describes a gloomy town with the sun setting, which implies a dark tone. Along with the colors directly stated in the story the author also implies the color use in light and dark tones. The beginning of the story has a dark tone as the author writes soberly and has little enthusiasm even when a normal story would be excited about seeing the girl he likes. This can be seen in the quote, “Every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door”. This quote is very depressing as it creates an image of a sad boy patiently waiting at the door as time ticks on rather that a boy who is happy and excited about seeing his first crush. The author chose to portray the story in a dark tone in the beginning to contrast the shift that comes in the later part of the story. When the boy arrives at the bazaar he catches a glimpse of light and bright colors just as the shop is closing. This is a light tone to represent how the boy is now learning about the real world. The light represents his knowledge and alertness to reality as it contrasts the dark tone of when the boy was naive and confused.
ReplyDelete-maggie
ReplyDeleteCarissa Boddie
ReplyDeleteWeek 3, Prompt 2
Throughout Araby, James Joyce utilizes colors as symbols throughout the story. For example, at the beginning of the story everything was described as dark and dull. The light a dark colors also reflect the boys felling's. Since the boy is only focused on the girl he likes, all the others characters don't matter to him. This is shown with the quote "The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing. It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible as she stood at ease." The boy describes the girl he loves as white and light meanwhile he describes everything as dark and gloomy. This shows how the use of colors reflect his feelings and emotions.
Thina Ksor
ReplyDeletePrompt Two : Week Three
Color is effective in Araby because James Joyce uses it to symbolize the boy. In the beginning of the story, the author starts off describing the setting as "dark" and "dull". This can reflect the feeling of the boy. In the story, the author states "... gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces". The color brown could symbolize a dull and colorless life. It is used multiple times throughout the story. In a turn of events, when the boy meets Mangan's sister, the use of color changes from dark to light. The boy is often describing her as white and light, which can reflect the amount of joy Mangan's sister brings the boy. The boy states "The light from the lamp... caught the white curve...". With the shift of colors, it depicts the shift of the boy's feelings as it went from dull and dark to light and joyful as soon as he fell in love.
Week 3/Prompt 2
ReplyDeleteWinston Eskridge
In the story Arraby by James Joyce, imagery and descriptive language is extremely prevalent throughout the story. This is intentional not only to create a great story but to enhance the main meaning of the story. Color is one of the most prevalent parts of the descriptive language and it plays a very important role in the meaning of the story. In the beginning of the story I noticed that the colors are lighter and prettier, and then in the end the colors shift to browns and blacks, which are darker more bland colors which have significant symbolism. In the beginning of the beginning of the story you will find sentences like “The space of sky above us was the colour of ever-changing violet and towards it the lamps of the street lifted their feeble lanterns”, and “It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible as she stood at ease.” These quotes show that the colors in the beginning and middle of the story are bright and lighter, which symbolizes the narrators innocence. The sentences near the end of the story have a shift in color, for example “The upper part of the hall was now completely dark.” Along with the shift in color there is a shift in word choice which shows the main theme of a loss of innocence. The descriptive nature of the writing along with symbolism like color contribute to the overall meaning of the story.
Week Three :
ReplyDeletePrompt two -
For a lot of authors, the use of color helps to depict a certain mood and helps to add emphasis to certain topics that are displayed in their writing, this being true for “Araby” by James Joyce. This short story opens to be about this little boy that is seemingly unhappy and unengaged in his life or surroundings, as his street is described as boring and quiet. Those that he was around were described as interacting with “brown imperturbable faces,” giving them a dull and boring feeling as that color is often described as a neutral color that does not stand out. But as the story’s plot changes and the boy is introduced or written as being in contact with Mangan’s sister, talking to her about the upcoming event that she said she would like to go to. This sister is written to have a white or light aura around her being, and this shows that in the world of bland and saddening neutral colors, this girl stands out to him and acts as a source of happiness. From “the white curve of her neck” to the “lit up hand upon the railing,” this girl is highlighted with white and described in such a way that makes her beauty stand out very vividly to the boy and the audience. Color helps to set the tone and helps to have the audience picture how these characters are feeling, and overall is very useful for the story’s impact.
Madeline Guyer
ReplyDeletePrompt 1
I think the significance of the priest was the idea of blind faith and disillusionment. In the very beginning we learn about the priest. An important description of him lies in one of the things he possessed. "The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple-tree and a few straggling bushes, under one of which I found the late tenant's rusty bicycle-pump." When one thinks of priests, they usually do not think of them riding a bicycle. This possession helps characterize the priest as a regular person. That characterization is important, because later on, a parallel is seen to the priest in the quote "One evening I went into the back drawing-room in which the priest had died...All my senses seemed to desire to veil themselves and, feeling that I was about to slip from them, I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: `O love! O love!' many times." The pressing of the palms together, as if praying, and the murmuring which was similar to praying, resembles blind faith. And as he was disillusioned of the priest being a great figure when he was just a regular person, he was also disillusioned of his blind faith for the girl in the end.