As one of your options for responding to today's discussion, you are welcome to address questions and insights over William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" via commenting on this post.
If you choose this option, I expect that you will...
1. Respond at least a few times by posting insightful comments or questions. Some have been posting once or twice; that is unsufficient and communicates to me that you might be off task.
2. Uphold our previously established blogging expectations with regard to using formal punctuation, grammar, and language.
3. Consider what is transpiring in the discussion; rather than simply typing, pause to listen to the inner circle at times and use that discussion, in addition to your own questions and comments, to guide your responses.
Feedback from our first few to keep in mind:
1. Keep addressing your questions and responses to individuals when one individual applies, i.e. "Fred Flinstone, ..."
2. Develop your ideas: so what? How so? What makes you say that? As you develop them, refer back to specific passages that inspired your thinking. Go beyond one sentence to really explain your ideas.
3. Keep practicing effective writing skills: avoid prefacing your argument with phrases like "I think" and "I believe"; avoid empty diction like "things" and "bad"; avoid personal pronouns where unnecessary.
Happy posting.
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Why the name of this short story?
ReplyDeleteWhat message did the author wish to convey by writing this story?
ReplyDeleteWilliam Faulkner uses Miss Emily’s house as a metaphor throughout the entire story by portraying it as an uncanny object. A typical house in a typical town soon turns to a dark, forbidden, hidden, and shadowed house that keeps the local villagers away. The windows are shut, the lights are off, and the blinds are closed, giving off the impression that one does not want to be disturbed. The front door is shut, and Miss Emily no longer has any visitors. Only one person goes to and from the house, and that is the Negro man who goes to the market to get food. The author uses the description of the house and of the personality of Miss Emily to show the reader how one’s internal struggles can show on their outward emotions and actions.
ReplyDeleteIn this story, I noticed a lot of emphasis on how the people of the town felt about Emily and her family. "It was another link between the gross, teeming world and the high and mighty Griersons." is one example. Another says, "That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her." And although the general opinion and feelings towards Emily had changed, I can't help but wonder why the people of this town had such a fascination with her and her family... What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteThe inner cirle just asked why Faulkner put the story in 3rd person. I think that it is to show that things are not as they seem. It is largely about Southern Stereotypes. Emily seems to fit some stereotypes so well from the outside. But really, she is completely crazy, and doesn't follow any of the rules of a Southern Belle. It shows what people saw from the outside and what was really happening.
ReplyDeleteKailyn -
ReplyDeleteThe metaphor of a rose is used in the entire story, starting from the title. A rose generally symbolizes love, which is what the people of the town think Emily needs to make her feel happy again. When Homer, the construction worker, comes along, he represents Emily’s rose that she has been missing for so long in her life. William Faulkner uses the metaphor of the rose to show the reader what happiness and love can do for a person’s soul. He uses this object in an uncanny way that turns out to be positive influence on the story.
Kailyn- I think that the name of the story is the called this because the main character's name is Emily and usually after someone dies at the funernal they give flowers (possibly a rose).
ReplyDeleteKailyn- That is something that has been bugging me too... When I looked back I never saw any reference to a rose. Maybe it was because she was longing for love, and a rose represents love
ReplyDelete@ kailyn-- because she died, and roses are often put on graves as an offering to the memory of the dead.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the continual repition of the villagers saying something along the lines of "Poor Emily." Why is this phrase emphisized so much?
ReplyDeleteBridget - So are you saying that you think the author put this in 3rd person because he wanted to hide something?
ReplyDeletePaige, your point makes sense. In the ending of the story they describe the bridal room of faded rose colors. So is a rose needed by emily or was one already given to her?
ReplyDeleteAly- So, then why do you think these people cared so much, like you said,"That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her." - they could have jsut left her alone.
ReplyDeleteWhat is William Faulkner's intent by putting out the feeling of unrequited love from Miss Emily, as well as from the townspeople? How does this felling fit into the Gothic Literature genre?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Grant's initial question: The story is told through the town's eyes and gossip. Do you think this is used to add to the understanding of the internal versus external? For example, the townspeople have limited knowledge throughout of who Miss Emily truly is, yet they feel they know her until she dies and still no one really understands what she felt, or the extent of her mental insanity.
ReplyDeleteBridget: I agree with you. When a story is in third person it allows the reader to see much more of what is going on with everybody, not just the narrator.
ReplyDeleteMeg- I think this was used a lot to show the values of society. All the "proper" women would say "poor Emily" as if they pitied her because she didn't fit into the socially accepted persona
ReplyDeleteAlly, I think it ties back to the feelings of the time it was written. The author grew up in Mississippi and in the South as with many small towns, people knew everything about everyone and it was never just your business it was everyone's business.
ReplyDeleteHow does the "fall" of Emily connect to the South as a whole? I think that the story showed that as Emily, the last traditional southerner in town, fell from her normal life of luxury, it symbolized the south falling too. The old, traditional south was waning and dying out.
ReplyDeletePaige S:
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you found, I also found some kind of creepy aspects behind Faulkner's story. Ms. Emily was so desperate for love that she killed her love Homer Barron and kept his rotting corpse. Another not as creeping thing that I think plays to this story is Faulkner might be playing on the Benjamin Franklin quote, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," Thoughts or opinions?
SO in the end what happened to the man, her lover. It is very evident that she longs for this man, but why keep him in her house?
ReplyDeleteKailyn - At the beginning of the story, we learn that her father died and it took her awhile to get over it. And then she killed her lover in order to make him stay with her. A rose is something that lives on for a long time and has deep deep meaning. Maybe the rose has something to do with her want for something that will live on for a long time. She couldn't take the heartache of him leaving so she made sure that he was with her for a long time and never left....thoughts?
ReplyDeleteAlly, part of the southern culture is that communities are very close. It seems to be everyones bisness to know what you are doing. That is why when the community doesn't know what you are doing they become even more interested.
ReplyDeleteSo, why do you think Miss Emily killed Homer Barron? Also, why do you think she wanted arsenic? It probably wasn't for the rats.
ReplyDeleteMegg-- I think that the people referred to Emily this way is because it almost elevates yourself when you use it. If I go around saying "Poor Billy, poor Sally..." it almost implies that I am in a better situation than them and they deserve my attention and sympathy. I think that the people of the town wanted to elevate themselves a little bit because they were not really sure what the deal was with Emily... I think a combination of jealousy and curiosity made them think she was more superior than they were.
ReplyDeleteMegg- I think the phrase "Poor Emily" is said so much because the towns people really do actually care about her, if they truly didn't care then they would leave her alone and forget about her.
ReplyDeletePeople seemed scared of Emily. Perhaps this is because she is a mystery, and people are frightened of what they do not know. People do not like unfamiliar situations because they cannot control or predict them.
ReplyDeleteAlly: I think that she is so idolized by the townspeople because she does not typify their traditional southern roles of the 'southern belle', etc.
ReplyDeleteKaliyn - The reason that she kept him in her house because she wanted something that she could hold on to and not let go of...something that wouldn't run away from her.
ReplyDeleteAll of the stories we have read so far, have had to do with putting on a facade. It's almost like these characters are trying to be something they are not. Its like the discussion we had yesterday on what makes something uncanny, the answer was something that seemed normal but really wasn't underneath.
ReplyDeleteKailyn -
ReplyDeleteWhen they describe the rose room at the end of the story is Homer. He is her rose the whole time, and even after her dies, she puts his body in the room that noone entered for many years so as to cherish her rose in her heart forever, even if he wasn't still alive to literally be with her.
Everyone- I personally don't think that Emily did kill Homer. He could have died from natural causes like a heart attack or something like that. Is there any evidence in the story that she did kill him?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the last page I came across a very big discrepancy. The door to the literal "death bed" was locked and there was alot of pervading dust, and yet she had laid next to him(evident by the strand of hair) - Did anyone else notice this?
ReplyDeleteKailyn- What I think happened was that she killed him because she felt like she couldn't lose him, and, as the inner circle is discussing, she had an urge to be in control of other people
ReplyDeleteAlex- I think that she killed Homer because she was so lonely and unable to let go of what she had. When her father died, she had nobody left and was in complete denial of his death for 3 days. So, when she began to think that Homer might leave, she began to fear change, and the idea that she might once again be left alone. So she killed him to keep him with her forever.
ReplyDeleteKailyn and Sydney: The title also confused me. I started to wonder why the flower was specifically a rose and what it meant about love in reference to it's thorns.
ReplyDeleteAmanda....than what was the arsenic used for? she didn't want it to be for the rats....
ReplyDeleteAlex- When I looked up this story on the internet, I was reading different analyzations of this story, and alot of people said that she was afraid he would leave her. She didnt want to risk another person deserting her and not wanting to be a part of her life anymore, so she killed him before he could hurt her any more.
ReplyDeletePeople are discussing the fact that emily killed Homer Barron; I hadn't realized this; how do you know that she is responsible for his death?
ReplyDeleteThe inner circle asked an interesting question- How do you guys think Emily viewed death, considering she refused to believe her dad was dead and killed her loved one?
ReplyDeleteTo answer Meg's question, I think the villagers said "poor Emily" so much and reiterated it, because they had sympathy for her and felt bad for her. She lost her dad and maybe because she had some mental issues, she killed someone she loved. She had lost everyone she loved, so instead of trying to relate to it because not many people could, they felt sorry for her.
ReplyDeleteKailyn, She kept the body in her house because she had been so in love with him that when he was going to leave her she just lost it. Like was said in the inner circle, her father had been very controlling of her life and once he died she inherited the control issues. And it said that her father had driven away every man that courted Emily and now that she had finally found love she was so afraid to lose it.
ReplyDeleteKailyn- I did notice that. I think that she layed with him a long while ago, when she first killed him. That was the smell. But when the smell went away, she sealed the room forever.
ReplyDelete@ amanda-- she bought arsenic right before he dissappeared, and didn't say what it was for. It strongly implies she poisoned him, especially since there were no signs of struggle.
ReplyDeleteAlexandria B-- I think that although they could just forget about it, they almost couldn't bring themselves to. There was an element of the unknown with Emily, and by disassociating themselves, they might miss out on any new developments. I can't help but get the feeling that the people in this town were very catty (mostly the women). It says in the beginning of the story that the men came to Emily's funeral as a respectful thing to do, and the women came to see the inside of the house because they had been very curious. I just see them as too caught up in the whole matter..
ReplyDeleteSo what was the overall message that Faulkner wanted to get across? (theme)
ReplyDeleteAmanda:
ReplyDeleteIn contrast to the community's view, we realize eventually that Miss Emily is a woman who not only poisons and kills her lover, Homer Barron, but she keeps his rotting corpse in her bedroom and sleeps next to it for many years. So yes, she did kill him
Do we ever know what the arsenic was used for? Did i miss something?
ReplyDeleteBridget- I totally agree with you, since Emily is the last true "old southerner" left, her passing definitely portrays the passing of the old south. New things are happening and town and everyone is leaving the past behind, except for Emily.
ReplyDeleteKailyn- I think that Miss Emily thought that by killing him she would always be able to keep him. It's kind of like having a toy that I've kept since childhood, yet you don't want to get rid of even though I know that I no longer need it. Yet I keep it so then I can remember things from the past.
ReplyDeleteI think that this story is a very good example of Southern Gothic because Emily is a little crazy because she is so desperately in love. It could happen in real life, but it probably won't, which we find frightening.
ReplyDeleteHailey, Interesting point. Anouther thing to consider is that roses have thorns. They may be beutiful but they can cause a lot af pian.
ReplyDeleteKailyn- when she bought the rat poison, and refused to tell the guy who sold it to her what she was going to use it for, but the author described a look in her eyes, causing one to infer...
ReplyDeleteThe inner circle asked about the taxes. I think it shows a lot of her dependence upon others. She depends on her father, and then on the Colonel to keep her afloat. Even years later when she is told to start paying, she could not deal with the problem herself. She simply said, "See Colonel Sartoris", letting him deal with it again for her.
ReplyDeleteHailey-It is implied that the arsenic was used to kill Homer, even though the author never comes right out and says it. She refuses to tell him what the poison is actually for, and asks for the strongest poision they have. Also, right after she buys it, homer disappears, so it seems like really convinient timing for the poison to be purchased.
ReplyDeleteMiss Emily seemed like a bit of a burden on the towne. "Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the towne."
ReplyDeleteAmanda: In the 3rd chapter Emily goes to buy arsenic, so I think we made the assumption that she used the poison to kill him. Maybe she was afraid he would leave her or she had controll issues and wanted his love forever.
ReplyDeleteHailey- No the story never said what the arsenic was used for. The author most likely meant to imply that it was used for Homer, or possibly someone else.
ReplyDeleteAlong with the question of why was the text in third person, why do all of the authors use an unknown name for the narrator?
ReplyDeleteMary Catherine,
ReplyDeleteThe use of a rose is very interesting I agree. A symbol of both beauty and pain ... One of which emily knew well
Kailyn, It said in the story that he went in the front door and was never seen again. And how else would she have gotten his body?
ReplyDeleteBen...exactly. i feel that the pain that she had to go through was the aspect that she had to kill him ( i think ) in order to have him be with her always. in order to make sure that he would never leave, she had to deal with the thorns by making that sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteAly- So, then do you think that after Miss Emily died that they were then able to move on with their lives or do you think that they still were caught up in telling her story?
ReplyDeleteDo you guys think that death is a major part of gothic writing? I understand that darkness is one of the biggest themes, but it seems like every story we read has someone dies.
ReplyDeleteBenjamin- That was a great thought about the rose. I think that roses in themselves are contradictory. It is beautiful with thorns. So, I think in this story it symbolizes life and death, passion and pain.
ReplyDeleteAnd Bridget:
ReplyDeleteBack to what you were asking about Ms. Emily's "fall" symbolizing the fall of the south, I definitely agreee with that because on the first page they mention her as a "fallen monument" which is showing how she was such a big part of society. She, in her earlier years, was so highly thought of and as she aged, her years and tradtitions started taking a toll on her. She became desperate for love, but seemed to only find it by killing. Which the fall of the South is the falling out of traditions and biases. Which is very similar to ms. emily
Everyone- Okay, so she did kill Homer. What do you think the biggest reason for killing him is? Is it implied in the story?
ReplyDeleteAmanda....it was for Homer apparently
ReplyDeleteSami and Benjaminm-- I completely agree. With the culture of the South, it was just natural to know a lot about your neighbors. The fact that Miss Emily put up so many walls and kept so many secrets would have definitely been breaking the social norm, which might have angered a lot of people. Like the old saying, "You always want what you can't have"... When the information and gossip surrounding Emily wasn't there, it made people all the more curious about her.
ReplyDeleteSydney, mmm... good point. But one must admit that it is interesting that Faulkner used no actual hard evidence to show that she killed him
ReplyDeleteKatie and Amanda: There is a very low chance that he had died from natural causes because as we have already concluded, Emily had control issues and wanted that love forever.
ReplyDeleteKristen- I think that death is used to symbolize an end of an error, which is a big part of Gothic. In The Fall of the House of Usher, with their death ended the Usher family. Emily's death symbolized the fall of the traditional south.
ReplyDeleteAmanda we have been talking about this throughout the blog.....she loved him....wants him with her...
ReplyDeleteMegg,one possible theme for this story could be that hanging on to the past is not allways a good thing and we need to let go of past trials.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn: I think that stories might be in third person so that it appears as if this could have been you in this position. When the author does not throughly describe the narrator, then the reader may be more inclined to picture themselves as the narrator
ReplyDeleteMeg- at the end, Faulken writes, "...But now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the frimace of love..." I thought this was interesting that he included this, and I thought of it like he was saying that love can't overcome death, or anything else for that matter
ReplyDeleteKristen- Yes I think that death intertwines with the darkness in the gothic unit because death is one of the easiest ways to show something dark and ominous. Whenever we think about death or someone dying we aren't happy or excited, the feeling we get is sadness or anger. Always something dark.
ReplyDeleteKristen-Death seems like it really is the very thing that defines darkness. A lot of things in life are "dark" but nothing is darker than death. So it feels like it is just making sure that the author gets that feeling of darkness and sadness while they read the stories, and death is the best way to do that. Also, death seems like it brings out the real qualities in people. Their true selves show through during the time after the death, which helps the reader get to know the character better.
ReplyDeleteThe theme, most basically, is that love can that which liberates us or that which leads us deeper into ourselves and into neuroses. Emily's father drives away men in order for her to remain with him and continuing this pattern, Emily supposedly poisons Homer Barron, securing forever, his physical being. However, this idea lacks peace, self-giving, and true love.
ReplyDeleteMary Cathrine-- Exactly! She was challenging the system by not putting her whole life out in the open and it was so different from everyone else.
ReplyDeleteHailey- I know we have been talking about it throughout the whole blog, but my question was what do you think the MOST IMPORTANT reason for killing him is.
ReplyDeleteAmanda- It said in the story that her father had driven every man away that had tried to court Emily, and now that her father was dead and she had finally found love she was so afraid to lose it that she killed him so that he could never leave her.
ReplyDeleteAmanda:
ReplyDeleteLike I have mentioned in different entry's, I think the reason of killing the one man she loved most was because she was so incredibly desperate to be loved. And earlier in her life she was beaten by her father, and usually when a father figure isn't present in a girls life, they try to make up for that love in a spouse. I think she felt inadequate to Homer so she killed him because of a mental instability that reasoned her into believing that that was real love.
@ amanda-- It's been said that she killed him becuse she didn't want him to leave her, which seems plausible, seeing as the story tells of him saying he's not the marrying type of man. So she probably killed him to be with him always. also, it is fairly obvious she was at least somewhat insane.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have thought about the oximoron of there being so much dust in the bed room - but the imprint of her head on the pillow. This is grossly impossible and yet, completes the whole atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteHailey P -
ReplyDeleteI like the quote that you chose to connect to this text. I think that Faulkner uses this to give the reader a potential reason for killing Homer. The quote by Ben Frankiln can connect to the story in multiple ways. Knowing that nothing is certain, Miss Emily may have killed Homer so that nothing else can happen, taking away the risk factor. She knew that if she killed him, then no one else could, or nothing else would happen that would take away her "rose" of love, so to speak. If Faulkner did truly use this quote as a basis of his story, then that also provides a potential explanation for the reason that he rights about Miss Emily and her refusal to pay taxes. In deeper context, on could take this to mean that Emily was not going to follow the norm of society and let the cultural anxiety of taxes and what everyone else was doing affect her life choices. Thoughts?
One of my favorite quotes is "then they could hear the ticking of the invisible watch at the end of the gold chain." what significance does this have?
ReplyDeleteKailyn- the author shouldn't have to slap the reader in the face with every event that happens. It creates the mysterious tone of the gothic style of literature
ReplyDeleteAlly- I'm not sure she was trying to "challenge the system". I don't think she made a concious effort to do so. Instead she was just weird. She wanted the traditional life with a husband and a family as much as everyone else, she just never got it and as a result drew herself into her own world.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why is Miss Emily Grierson described as “a fallen monument”?
ReplyDeleteWhy did the black guy who helped Miss Emily, why do you think he helped her after she killed Homer Barron? And why do you think he never said anything? "He talked to no one , probably not even to her, for his voice had grown harsh and rust, as if from disuse."
ReplyDeleteAlexandriab-- I don't think that they just forgot. I think it had the opposite effect, actually. Once Emily died, it meant that all of their unanswered questions would most likely never be answered. I think that it would have made them more curious, and of course her death would have brought about a whole new set of questions, most likely to never be answered.
ReplyDeleteHailey- I think it could mean that they knew she was going to die soon.
ReplyDeleteHaley- So, do you think that Homer became the symbol of the past for Miss Emily?
ReplyDelete