The Different Borders Of The World

The dictionary definition of a border is: “a line separating two political or geographical areas, especially countries.” Most countries in the world share their border with at-least one more country. China shares its borders with 16 other countries, Russia with 14. At the same time, Australia and Japan don’t have any neighbors. Borders can be peaceful and open (European Union), tense and closed (North/South Korea) or variation of both. Below, you’ll see incredible examples of the starkly different, as well as the wonderfully similar borders around the world.   1. East and West Berlin, Germany     The India/Pakistan border along the Himalayas

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Within the dumbling world

I always wonder about the end of this world. People are killing each other,countries are fighting .. whats the end of this. I never understand why people don't understand the value of human life.

THE POWER OF POSITIVE TALK

By Dr. ABDUL KALAM

I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.

My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Bart, Hold on tightly." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.

I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Tammy, don't fall!" And Tammy did. fall.

My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.

This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal . You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, "Don't drop it!" Naturally, I dropped the ball.

My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper "self-talk."

They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career.

Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil.

Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, "Okay, try to drop the pencil." Observe what they do.

Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor.

You respond, "You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again." Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.

The point is made.

If you tell your brain you will "give it a try," you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a "no try" rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't.

Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words "I'll try" come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar.

If you "try" and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. "Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not.

I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite."

People respect honesty. So remove the word "try" from your vocabulary.

My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.

These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children.

 Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.

So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, " I'm fat. Nobody will like me.

I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc."

If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue.

Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words.

Notice when you or other people use them.

Ø But: Negates any words that are stated before it.

Ø Try: Presupposes failure.

Ø If: Presupposes that you may not.

Ø Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener..

Ø Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen.

Ø Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.) Ø Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.

Ø Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error.

Examples:

Toxic phrase: "Don't drop the ball!"

Likely result: Drops the ball

Better language: "Catch the ball!"

Toxic phrase: "You shouldn't watch so much television."

Likely result: Watches more television.

Better language: "I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!"

Exercise:

Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them

Thoughts of Life

It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get.

Arnold Palmer

 

 

 

 

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my ax.

Abraham Lincoln

 

Do what you can with what you have where you are.

Theodore Roosevelt

Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.

Alfred A. Montapert

 

Knowledge becomes wisdom only after it has been put to practical use.

Unknown

 

 

 

 

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

 

 

Do not wait for extrordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations.

Jean Paul Richter

 

 

 

 

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.

Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.

 

 

 

 

Dale Carnegie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.

Josh Billings

 

 

 

 

 

You see things and say 'Why?';

but I dream things that never were and I say 'Why not?' ".

 

George Bernard Shaw

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good idea will keep you awake during the morning, but a great idea will keep you awake during the night.

Marilyn Vos Savant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.

Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

Carl Sandburg

 

 

If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying.

 

Dale Carnegie

 

 

 

 

 

Footprints on the sands of time are never made by sitting down.

Unknown

The future depends on what we do in the present.

Mahatma Gandhi

A loser seldom lives in the present, but instead destroys the present by focusing on past memories or future expectations.

Muriel James

 

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.

 

John Wayne

 

 

 

 

 

He who seeks rest finds boredom. He who seeks work finds rest.

Unknown

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.

If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Dale Carnegie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie; for an excuse is a lie guarded.

Alexander Pope

Because

Niney-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.

George W. Carver

 

Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve.

Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.

Satchel Paige

 

If you envy successful people, you create a negative force field of attraction that repels you from ever doing the things that you need to do to be successful. If you admire successful people, you create a positive force field of attraction that draws you toward becoming more and more like the kinds of people that you want to be like.

Brian Tracy

 

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

Lao-Tzu

 

Every artist was first an amateur.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.

Dale Carnegie

 

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Don't worry over what other people are thinking about you.

They're too busy worrying over what you are thinking about them.

Unknown

 

 

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein

 

If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got.

W.L. Bateman

 

 

If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with a different reality system.

Unknown

 

 

 

 

Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

Og Mandino

 

Remember that failure is an event, not a person.

Unknown

 

If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry.

Worry never fixes anything.

Mary Hemingway

 

An age is called Dark Age, not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it.

James Michener

 

 

Don't criticize what you don't understand, son. You never walked in that man's shoes.

Elvis Presley

 

 

 

 

Have the courage to act instead of react.

Earlene Larson Jenks

 

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

The Colors Of India

A Memo From God

I am God. Today I will be handling all of Your problems. Please remember that I do not Need your help. If life happens to deliver a Situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. All situations will be resolved, But in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into The box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the Wonderful things that are present in your life now. If you find yourself stuck in Traffic; Don't despair. There are people in this world For whom driving is an unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at Work; Think of the man who has been Out of work for years. Should you despair over a Relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has Never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of Another weekend; Think of the woman in dire Straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her Children. Should your car break down, Leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who Would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray Hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in Chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a Loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who Didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the Victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or Insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them! Should you decide to send this To a friend; Thank you, you may have touched Their life in ways you will never know!

What Goes Around Comes Around

What Goes Around Comes Around

In his story "The Black Cat," Edgar Allan Poe dramatizes his experience with madness,
and challenges the readers suspension of disbelief by using imagery in describing the plot and
characters. Poe uses foreshadowing to describe the scenes of sanity versus insanity. He writes "for
the most wild yet homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor illicit belief. Yet
mad I am not- and surely do I not dream," alerts the reader about a forthcoming story that will test
the boundaries of reality and fiction. The author asserts his belief of the activities described in the
story when he states "to-morrow I die, and to-day I would unburden my soul"(80).
Poe describes his affectionate temperament of his character when he writes "my
tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions"(80). He
also characterizes his animal friends as "unselfish" and their love as "self-sacrificing" illustrating
to the readers his devotion to them for their companionship. The author uses foreshadowing in the
statement "we had birds, goldfish, a fine dog, a rabbit, a small monkey, and a cat"(80). The use
of italics hints to the reader of upcoming events about the cat that peaks interest and anticipation.
Poe also describes a touch foreshadowing and suspension of disbelief when he illustrates his
wives response to the cat when he writes "all black cats are witches in disguise, not that she was
ever serious upon this point-and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than it happened,
just now, to be remembered"(80).
Poe expresses his early attachment to the cat and dramatizes the character changes he
experiences when he writes "our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which
my general temperament and character-through instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance-had (I
blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse"(81). He warns the reader of
new events in a cynical tone and implies the beginning of the madness he denies. Poe first
illustrates this madness when he uses imagery to describe the brutal scene with the cat when he
writes "I took from my waistcoat-pocket a pen knife, opened it, grasped the poor beast by the
throat, and deliberately cut one of its eyes from the socket!"
The author describes his emotional and physical state of being during the unthinkable act
as "I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity"(81). He describes the morning
aftereffect of his actions when he states "when reason returned with the morning-when I had slept
off the fumes of the night's debauch-I experienced a sentiment half of horror, half of remorse, for
the crime of which I had been guilty; but it was, at best, a feeble and equivocable feeling, and the
soul remained untouched"(81). Now Poe implies to the readers that he has truly crossed over into
madness by brutally attacking the animal and feeling little or no remorse.
Next Poe dramatizes his change in character even further when he writes "and then came,
as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow, the spirit of PERVERSENESS,"(81) which once
again alerts the reader of new events so shocking that reading forward becomes an essentiality.
The author illustrates a scene so outrageous that the reader has to go beyond the suspension of
disbelief they have agreed to participate in. He writes "One morning, in cold blood, I slipped a
noose about its neck and hung it to the limb of a tree;-hung it with tears streaming from my eyes,
and with the bitterest remorse at my heart;-hung it because I knew that it had loved me, and
because I felt it had given me no reason of offense;-hung it because I knew that in so I was
committing a sin-a deadly sin that would jeopardize my immortal soul as to place it-if such a thing
were possible- even beyond the reach of the Most Merciful and Most Terrible God"(81-82).
Now the reader has crossed over the line of reality versus fiction. The author continues to
illustrate the inconceivable story when he describes the scene after the fire that destroyed every
part of the house except the one wall that was still standing. Poe writes "I approached and saw, as
if graven in bas-relief upon the white surface the figure of a gigantic cat and there was a rope
around the animals neck,"(82) leading the readers to join the madness and believe that this was the
same cat that Poe had savagely destroyed earlier that same day.
The author describes his need to replace the animal in order to feel peace and after doing
so, he finds himself once again feeling a abhorrence toward the animal. He writes "but
gradually-very gradually- I came to look upon it with unutterable loathing, and to flee silently
from its odious presence, as from the breath of a pestance"(83). Poe uses imagery to describes his
disgust with the cat when he states "that like Pluto, it also had been deprived of one of its
eyes,"(83) he now wanted to destroy this animal as well. Poe illustrates the change of character he
has experience since the beginning of the story only now he has gone beyond the madness that has
consumed him many times. He writes "evil thoughts becomes my sole intimates-the darkest and
most evil of thoughts"(84).
The author uses more imagery when he writes the final abominable act of evil. Poe
confesses to the reader about the murder of his wife when he states "goaded by the interference
into a rage more than demoniacal, I withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the ax in her
brain"(84). He explains how he disposes of the body in detail and describes the relief he feels
when he writes "I soundly and tranquilly slept; aye, slept even with the burden of murder upon my
soul"(85). Poe informs the reader of his little remorse when he states" my happiness was supreme,
and the guilt of my dark deed disturbed me but little"(85).
The author leads the reader to the final plateau of suspension when he dramatizes the
conclusion of the story. He explains the sounds he heard in detail when the mystery unfolds
regarding the missing cat he had not seen or heard from since the murder. He writes "like the
sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly
anomalous and inhuman-a howl-a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might
have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the damned in their agony and the
demons that exult in the damnation"(85). Poes use of descriptive details allows the reader to feel
the horrifying experience of a man who believed he was free from the evil of madness. Poe ends
the story after utilizing every inch of suspension of disbelief the reader can afford. He sums up the
plot of the story when he writes "the hideous beast whose craft had seduced me into murder, and
whose informing voice had consigned me to the hangman," (85) implying that the cat had induced
the same torture on him that he had brought on the first cat.

UtopiaSir Thomas More

Thomas More's use of dialogue in "Utopia" is not only practical but masterly layed out

as well. The text itself is divided into two parts. The first , called "Book One", describes the

English society of the fifteenth century with such perfection that it shows many complex sides

of the interpretted structure with such clarity and form that the reader is given the freedom for

interpretation as well. This flexibility clearly illustrates More's request for discussion and

point of view from this reader. In one concise, artistic paragraph, More clearly illustrates his

proposition of the problems people possess within a capitalist society and the fault of the

structure itself; clearly showing More's point of view for "Book One". If More attempted to get

anything across to the people of England it was this:

Take a barren year of failed harvests, when many thousands of men have been carried off by hunger. If at the end of the famine the barns of the rich were searched. I dare say positively enough grain would be found in them to have saved the lives of all those who died from starvation and disease, if it had been divided equally among them. Nobody really need have suffered from a bad harvest at all. So easily might men get the necessities of life if that cursed money, which is supposed to provide access to them, were not in fact the chief barrier to our getting what we need to live. Even the rich, I'm sure, understand this. They must know that it's better to have enough of what we really need than an abundance of superfluities, much better to escape from our many present troubles than to be burdened with great masses of wealth. And in fact I have no doubt that every man's perception of where his true interest lies, along with with the authority of Christ our Saviour..... would long ago have brought the whole world to adopt Utopian laws, if it were not for one single monster, the prime plague and begetter of all others---I mean pride. (More, pg.83)

For one to fully realize the significance of this virtueous paragraph they first must remember

the time period it was written; more so now that we are in the twentieth century dominated by

capitalism.


Before More accounts for his rhetorical, socialist society of "Book Two" in detail, he

strengthens his idea of communism by pre-establishing the problems of England in "Book

One". This measurement makes one see the strengths and weaknesses between the two; as

well as, their similarities. It is difficult to title Utopia as a socialist, communist society, in as

much, it is just as valid to argue that Utopia is as opressive as the England described in

"Book One". If Utopia is a truely socialist state, then one can see that opression is

unescapable in either society. Either way, it just shows the absurdity to claim either of these

as an utopian commonwealth. However, it is clear that More's attempt was to make Utopia an

egalitarian society for the better of the people as whole. His description of the institutions

Utopia is so prescise and well formatted that it is difficult to see any flaws other than the ones

that were out of his control. More, just as anyone, was a slave of the society he lived in. No

matter how hard More tried to escape it, his morals and values were still derived from the

society he lived in. This is why one must look at Utopia as a society designed only to better

the people of the capitalist England. It is absurd to look at Utopia as a perfect state, in as

much, the knowledge which was true to More would interfear with many areas within the

society of Utopia; More's faith, his ignorance of the evolving future, and the societies outside

of Utopia described in "Book Two" would make the society of Utopia a paradox. The strength of

it all, is that More amazingly knew his socialist state was not perfect; even for the society of

England:

...though he is a man of unquestioned learning, and highly experienced in the ways of the world, I cannot agree with everything he said. Yet I confess there are many things in the Commonwealth of Utopia that I wish our own country would imitate----though I don't really expect it will (More, pg. 85)


In correlation to both societies described in "Utopia", with both opressing the people

within it, controlling their knowledge and way of life, it is clear that utopia is impossible to

reach as long as human kind is confined to any institution. The difference between the two

societies is seen when one looks at where this opression stems from. England's capitalist

society is structured in such a way that it allows the people within it to opress or be opressed

by each other. In Utopia the oppression is derived not from the people but from the structure

itself. Therefore, a capitalist societies' structure allows more freedom for the people than the

egalitarian society; thus, ironically, it is argueable to state that capitalism is more socialist

than socialism. The problem of a capitalist society stems not from its' structure but from the

people within it. In contrast, the people of the socialist society are all equal; yet, what makes

this possible is the structures' control over the people. Both societies have strengths and

weaknesses. Untill humankind can be resocialized losing the terms power, greed , and pride

from our vocabulary, will there be terms like opression and freedom in it as well. The only

possibillity for this, is if humankind is confined within a similar society as described by More

called Utopia; then evolve into a society with the same structural freedoms like capitalism.

Therfore, for the capitalist England of the fifteenth century, More's society in "Book Two" was

not his ideal utopian state; but a path leading towards it.

As you can see, More's liturary dialogue called "Utopia", as stressed through out this

essay, is not an attempt to illustrate an utopian society, and would be a parodox if done so. I

think one get's this false interpretation through the title of the text and the name of his socialist

imaginary state with perfect political, social, conditions or constitution."(pg.395) It also states

that "Utopia" is derived from the Greek words "no place". If More had this definition in mind it

would clarify the a majority of the ambiguities within the context of the text, also illustrating

even more of the opression More faced in England; as well as, his fear of it. More's "Utopia

was done in such a way to enlighten the people of England about their opressing capitalist

society. Instead of leaving the reader with a sense of hopelessness, he gives an alternative

society; not to make the reader interpret it as an ideal society to want over England's, but

make one realize the possibility of change. It is aimed to make one contemplate on the

weaknesses and strengths of their own society and how to go about changing it to better the

common wealth of their people as a whole

the yellow wallpapera journey into insanity

The Yellow Wallpaper - Journey into Insanity


In "The Yellow Wallpaper", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman,

the dominant/submissive relationship between an oppressive

husband and his submissive wife pushes her from depression

into insanity.


Flawed human nature seems to play a great role in her

breakdown. Her husband, a noted physician, is unwilling to

admit that there might really be something wrong with his

wife. This same attitude is seen in her brother, who is also

a physician. While this attitude, and the actions taken

because of it, certainly contributed to her breakdown; it

seems to me that there is a rebellious spirit in her.

Perhaps unconsciously she seems determined to prove them

wrong.


As the story begins, the woman -- whose name we never

learn -- tells of her depression and how it is dismissed by

her husband and brother. "You see, he does not believe I am

sick! And what can one do? If a physician of high

standing, and one's own husband, assures friends and

relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one

but temporary nervous depression -- a slight hysterical

* * * * * Roberts 2

tendency -- what is one to do?" (Gilman 193). These two

men -- both doctors -- seem completely unable to admit that

there might be more to her condition than than just stress

and a slight nervous condition. Even when a summer in the

country and weeks of bed-rest don't help, her husband

refuses to accept that she may have a real problem.


Throughout the story there are examples of the dominant

- submissive relationship. She is virtually imprisoned in

her bedroom, supposedly to allow her to rest and recover her

health. She is forbidden to work, "So I . . . am absolutely

forbidden to "work" until I am well again." (Gilman 193).

She is not even supposed to write: "There comes John, and I

must put this away -- he hates to have me write a word."

(Gilman 194).


She has no say in the location or decor of the room she

is virtually imprisoned in: "I don't like our room a bit.

I wanted . . . But John would not hear of it." (Gilman

193).


She can't have visitors: "It is so discouraging not

to have any advice and companionship about my work. . . but

he says he would as soon put fireworks in my pillow-case as

to let me have those stimulating people about now." (Gilman

196).


Probably in large part because of her oppression, she

continues to decline. "I don't feel as if it was worthwhile

to turn my hand over for anything. . ." (Gilman 197). It

seems that her husband is oblivious to her declining

conditon, since he never admits she has a real problem until

* * * * * Roberts 3

the end of the story -- at which time he fainted.


John could have obtained council from someone less

personally involved in her case, but the only help he seeks

was for the house and baby. He obtains a nanny to watch

over the children while he was away at work each day: "It

is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby." (Gilman 195).

And he had his sister Jennie take care of the house. "She

is a perfect and enthusiastic housekeeper." (Gilman 196).


He does talk of taking her to an expert: "John says if I

don't pick up faster he shall send me to Weir Mitchell in

the fall." But she took that as a threat since he was even

more domineering than her husband and brother.


Not only does he fail to get her help, but by keeping

her virtually a prisoner in a room with nauseating wallpaper

and very little to occupy her mind, let alone offer any kind

of mental stimulation, he almost forces her to dwell on her

problem. Prison is supposed to be depressing, and she is

pretty close to being a prisoner.


Perhaps if she had been allowed to come and go and do

as she pleased her depression might have lifted: "I think

sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little

it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me." (Gilman

195). It seems that just being able to tell someone how she

really felt would have eased her depression, but John

won't hear of it. The lack of an outlet caused the

depression to worsen: ". . . I must say what I feel and

* * * * * Roberts 4

think in some way -- it is such a relief! But the effort is

getting to be greater than the relief." (Gilman 198).


Meanwhile her reaction is to seek to prove him wrong.

"John is a physician, and perhaps . . . perhaps that is one

reason I do not get well faster. You see he does not

believe I am sick! And what can one do?" (Gilman 193). It

seems to me that while putting on an appearance of

submission she was frequently rebelling against her

husband's orders. She writes when there is nobody around to

see her, she tries to move her bed, but always keeps an eye

open for someone comming. This is obvious throughout the

story.


It also seems to me that, probably because of his

oppressive behaviour, she wants to drive her husband away.

"John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases

are serious. I am glad my case is not serious!" (Gilman

195). As her breakdown approaches she actually locks him

out of her room: "I have locked the door and thrown the key

down into the front path. I don't want to go out, and I

don't want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want

to astonish him." (Gilman 203). I see no reason for this

other than to force him to see that he was wrong, and, since

she knew he couldn't tolerate hysteria, to drive him away.


Works Cited

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." 1892.
The New England Magazine. Reprinted in "Lives &
Moments - An Introduction to Short Fiction" by Hans
Ostrom. Hold, Orlando, FL 1991.

The Yellow Wallpaper

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper is a commentary on the male oppression of women in a patriarchal society. However, the story itself presents an interesting look at one woman's struggle to deal with both physical and mental confinement. This theme is particularly thought-provoking when read in today's context where individual freedom is one of our most cherished rights. This analysis will focus on two primary issues: 1) the many vivid images Gilman uses to illustrate the physical and symbolic confinement the narrator endures during her illness; and 2) the overall effect of, and her reaction to, this confinement.
The Yellow Wallpaper begins with the narrator's description of the physically confining elements surrounding her. The story is cast in an isolated hereditary estate, set back from the road and located three miles from town. The property boasts protective hedges that surround the garden, walls that surround the estate, and locked gates which guarantee seclusion. Even the connecting garden represents confinement, with box-bordered paths and grape-covered arbors. This isolation motif continues within the mansion itself. Although she preferred the downstairs room with roses all over the windows that opened on the piazza, the narrator finds herself relegated to an out of the way dungeon-like nursery on the second floor, appropriately equipped with "rings and things" in the walls. Windows in each direction provide glimpses of the garden, arbors, bushes, and trees. The bay is visible, as is a private wharf that adjoins the estate. These views reinforce isolationism; they can be seen from the room, but not touched or experienced. There is a gate at the head of the stairs, presumably to keep the children contained in their play area. Additionally, the bed is immovable as it has been nailed to the floor. It is here that the narrator secretly describes her slow decent into madness.

Although the physical confinement drains the narrator's strength and will, the mental and emotional confinement symbolized in the story play an important role in her ultimate fall into dementia. By being forced to be her own company, she is confined within her mind. Likewise, part of the narrator's mental confinement stems from her recognition of her physical confinement. The depression the narrator has experienced associated with child bearing is mentally confining as well. Specifically, she cannot control her emotions or manage her guilt over her inability to care for her child. These structures of confinement contribute to the rapid degeneration of her faculties.
As the wife of a prominent physician in the late nineteenth century, the narrator's assumption of the typical female role illustrates one aspect of the symbolic confinement present within both the story and the society. She is subservient and deferential to her husband John who enjoys the power traditionally associated with his sex and additional authority afforded him by his status as a doctor. Jean Kennard notes, "By keeping her underemployed and isolated, John effectively ensures his wife's dependence on him" (81). John's control over his wife is typical of the control most men had over women in the late nineteenth century. He decides everything on her behalf, including what room she will stay in and who she will be allowed to see. He diagnoses her postpartum depression as a "temporary nervous depression--a slight hysterical tendency" and in doing so, diminishes her complaints and demeans her individuality. His prescribed treatment is worse than the disease; every hour is scheduled, she is forbidden to write, told what to think, and prohibited from acting as mother to her child.
John's behavior illustrates his covert efforts to control his wife as well. He looks to the narrator's brother, who is also a physician, to validate his diagnosis and prescribed cure, making it even more difficult for the narrator to challenge the prescription herself. He repeatedly diminishes her by laughing at her and not taking her grievances seriously. The narrator complains "John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him." John's contempt for his wife's ideas is blatant; he refers to her as a "little girl," and when she requests that she be moved to a different room downstairs, he "took [her] in his arms and called [her] a blessed little goose, and said he would go down to the cellar, if [she] wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain." That he is only willing to move her into the basement, instead of allowing her a room of her choice, epitomizes his domineering personality.
As the woman descends into madness, she notices that the pattern in the wallpaper "becomes bars" in the moonlight and that "the woman behind it is as plain as can be." Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar assert that the woman behind the wallpaper is the narrator's doppelg nger (10). This woman is symbolic of the narrator's own confinement by the patriarchal society she lives in. Moreover, we see that the wallpaper is a metaphor of her fractured mental state. She describes the chaotic pattern that will follow ". . . the lame uncertain curves for a little distance. . . suddenly committing suicide--plunging off at outrageous angles, destroying themselves in unheard of contradictions," alluding to her own, and society's, eventual destruction in the absence of enlightened change. Furthermore, the narrator acknowledges that she is representative of most women of her time with the statement "I think there are a great many women [behind the paper]."
The effect of John's oppression on the narrator is severe. At the climax of her insanity she writes that she can see the woman from behind the wallpaper pattern "out of every one of my windows!" The narrator continues:
It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight.
I see her on that long road under the trees, creeping along, and when a carriage comes she hides under the blackberry vines.
I don't blame her a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight!
That evening the narrator noticed the woman in the pattern begin to crawl and shake the wallpaper in an effort to break free from it, just as she would like to break free from the confines and restrictions imposed on her by society and her husband John. In her diary she describes helping the woman tear down the paper: "I pulled and she shook, I shook and she pulled . . . ."
Most of the paper was removed the next day while the narrator watched many women creeping around in the street. At the end of the story the narrator has surprised John, who has come home from work to find her creeping around the room. She proclaims "I've got out at last, in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back!"
Although the reader might pity the narrator's inability to challenge John's authority, one must view the events of the story within the context of the 1860's. At this time, socitey would not tolerate such assertiveness from women. Moreover, the tragic story ends with a paradox. By definition, one who is mentally ill is not healthy. However, the narrator finds freedom, and apparently health, by rejecting an insane society and loosing her identity to the wallpaper. In contrast, the reader concludes the narrator is now confined by her insanity, and cannot be free.
Works Cited
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." English 2307. Comp. Jane Bell. n.p., c.1996. 3-7.
Kennard, Jean. "Convention Coverage or How to Read Your Own Life." Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The Woman and Her Work. Ed. Sheryl Meyering. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1989. 75-94.

The Yellow Wallpaper A womans struggle

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{\plain \tab \par
}{\plain \par
}{\plain \tab Pregnancy and childbirth are very emotional times in a woman's life and many women suffer
from the "baby blues." The innocent nickname for postpartum depression is deceptive because it
down plays the severity of this condition. Although she was not formally diagnosed with postpartum
depression, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) developed a severe depression after the birth of
her only child (Kennedy et. al. 424). Unfortunately, she was treated by Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, who
forbade her to write and prescribed only bed rest and quiet for recovery (Kennedy et al. 424). Her
condition only worsened and ultimately resulted in divorce (Kennedy and Gioia 424). Gilman's
literary indictment of Dr. Mitchell's ineffective treatment came to life in the story "The Yellow
Wallpaper." On the surface, this gothic tale seems only to relate one woman's struggle with mental
illness, but because Guilman was a prominent feminist and social thinker she incorporated themes of
women's rights and the poor relationships between husbands and wives (Kennedy and Gioia 424).
Guilman cleverly manipulates the setting to support her themes and set the eerie mood.\par
}{\plain \tab Upon first reading "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader may see the relationship between the
narrator and her husband John as caring, but with examination one will find that the narrator is
repeatedly belittled and demeaned by her husband. On first arriving at the vacation home John
chooses the old attic nursery against his wife's wishes and laughs at her when she complains about
the wallpaper (Kennedy et al. 424,425). In Charlotte Bronte's novel }{\plain \ul Jane Eyre}{\plain , Mr. Rodchester
uses his attic to keep his insane wife hidden from the rest of the world. John's actions can easily be
interpreted with the same malice. The narrator's insistence that John is a caring and loving husband
draws special attention to the true meanings behind his word's and actions. Would a man deeply
concerned for his wife's mental state constantly leave her alone to tend after patients with "serious"
conditions (Kennedy et al. 426)? Any time John speaks to his wife, he uses the third person voice
or refers to her as "little girl" or some other term of endearment (Kennedy and Gioia 430,431). He
never uses her name, therefore he never really recognizes her as a person nor an equal. This dialog
can easily be compares to one between a parent and his child. Because the room was an old nursery
this idea is strongly enforced. Hance, there is no oddity in the fact that the narrator comes to think of
herself as a child (Twentieth 111). She comments on the fact that the children tore the wallpaper
and later admits to doing it herself (Kennedy et al. 426,428). Her regression is also demonstrated
by her comparison of her present room with the bedroom of her childhood (Kennedy and Gioia
427,428).\par
}{\plain \tab The underlying theme of woman's rights emanates from every part of "The Yellow
Wallpaper." In an essay by Elaine R. Hedges, she points out how the wallpaper symbolized the
gross lack of women' rights (Short 119). The yellow "smooches" that Jennie finds on the clothes of
the narrator and her husband, symbolize the stain that this social situation leaves on everything it
touches (Short 120). Though she tries to break free of the overwhelming oppression she suffers, she
says the pattern, "slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples on you (Kennedy et al.
431)." The intensity of frustration the narrator feels is further described when she describes the
designs in the pattern: "(They) suddenly commit suicide - plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy
themselves in unheard-of contradictions (Kennedy et al. 429)." Hedges also suggests that the
wallpaper symbolizes the way men view women (Short 120). The "absurd, unblinking eyes" in the
wallpaper indicate the lack of intelligence women have in the perception of men (Kennedy et al.
427). The hallucination of the creeping woman that the narrator sees symbolizes the domination
that women bear. As the creeping woman violently shakes the bars of the pattern, so too does the
author struggle to gain her own identity and break free of the imprisonment of her domination
(Short 120). Jennie, the contended and quiet sister who wishes for no "better profession," is the
epitome of what the narrator is struggling against. Though ultimately she is broken by insanity, the
narrator never gives up and triumphantly creeps over her husband at the end.\par
}{\plain \tab The setting of "The Yellow Wallpaper" is vital to uncovering the meanings hidden
underneath the surface. Because she is being forced to stay in the attic of the old house, she is also
being kept, figuratively, in the "attic" of her mind (Twentieth 111). The distance in the relationship
of the narrator and her husband is portrayed in the necessity for two beds (Kennedy et al. 425).
Bechelard goes so far as to say that the house can be seen as a small version of the world and the
social problems that burden it (Twentieth 110). Upon close scrutiny of the setting and small detail
that the narrator relates, one begins to question the innocence of the quaint "vacation home." While
describing her room and surroundings, she makes the reader suspicious when she mentions barred
windows and nailed down beds, but the gate at the top of the stairs and rings on the wall go beyond
suspicion (Kennedy and Gioia 426,429). Could the rings possibly be manacle rings, like the kind
doctors used to chain mental patients? Could that "yellow" smell be the foul smell of urine? The
mental institutions of old where not very sanitary. These facts make one wonder if the narrator's
"loving" husband institutionalized her.\par
}{\plain \tab "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, was written to protest the treatments
of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, but contains much more than one expects. The short story \par
}{\plain \par
}{\plain \par
}{\plain not only studies the complications within a marital relationship, it examines a woman's struggle with
mental illness and the hardships of inequality between the sexes. The setting plays an important role
to strengthen the themes and also makes the reader question the innocence and simplicity of what is
related to him.\par
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}{\plain \tab \tab \tab \tab \tab Works Cited\par
}{\plain \par
Bronte, Charlotte. }{\plain \ul Jane Eyre}{\plain . New York: Signet Classic, 1960\par
}{\plain Kennedy, X.J. and Dan Gioia. }{\plain \ul Literature: an Introduction to Fiction, poetry, and Drama}{\plain . Sixth
\tab Edition. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers Inc., 1995.\par
}{\plain \ul Twentieth Century Literary Criticism}{\plain . Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1983.\par
}{\plain Hodges, Elaine R. }{\plain \ul Short Story Criticism}{\plain . Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.\par
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The Transcendence of frogs and ourangatangs

The Transcendence Of Frogs and Ourang-Outangs

"Hop-Frog!, I will make a man of you."

In Edgar Allen Poe's short story "Hop Frog," the title character Hop-Frog is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body, in ways the King and his seven ministers are unable. "Hop-Frog" has multiple examples of the transcendence of man, and the inability of man to transcend. The most prominent of these points are:

1. By overcoming the limitations of his, Hop-Frog's, physical body he is able to transcend into a greater existence than his biology would allow.
2. By the King and his ministers discounting of Hop-Frog due to his disfigurement and their inability to acknowledge his transcendence, they are fated to never have the chance to transcend.
3. By the use of symbolism in "Hop-Frog," Poe reinforces the actions of the characters and strengthens the representations of their transcendence, or lack there of.

Each of these of these three points coalesce to bring the significance of the transcendence of man, or the lack there of, into a focused view.

Hop-Frog, the title character in Edgar Allen Poe's "Hop-Frog," is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body. Biologically Hop-Frog is nothing more than a freak of nature. Hop-Frog is a dwarf. His means of locomotion was that of an "interjectional gait---- something between a leap and a wiggle,"(482) and this motion was only afforded to him through "great pain and difficulty." Hop-frog's teeth are "large, powerful, and repulsive."(484) His arms, not in balance with his body, have a "prodigious power."(482) His arms so over compensated for his body he "resembled a squirrel, or a small monkey, more than a frog."(482) His ability to tolerate wine is nonexistent. The story states that Hop-Frog is from "some barbarous region."(482) For the King, Hop-Frog is a "triplicate treasure"(482) for the king to laugh at. If a man is no greater than his biological make up, then Hop-Frog is a freak, and limited to his body. Hop-Frog proves this is not true. By using his arms Hop-Frog is able to do astounding acrobatic feats. Hop-Frog is able to overcome the effect that drink had on him and is able to remain calm and formulate a plan of revenge when Trippetta is struck and wine is thrown in her face. Hop-Frog even breaks the stereotypical mold of a beautiful hero. Hop-Frog is able to find a love with Trippetta, a love that transcends his physical makeup. Hop-Frog saves the girl, has his revenge, escapes unharmed to his homeland, and in an ironic twist of fate is able to have the last laugh at the King's expense. Hop-Frog is an example of a transcendent male, one who is able to go beyond his biological makeup and becomes something greater.

The King and his seven ministers are all healthy, albeit fat, strong men with little or no disabilities the reader is informed of. Their only weakness according to the author was that for "jest."(481) It the King's and his minister's predisposition to joking, and their inability to see in others any measure of transcendence are doomed to failure. The fact that the King and his ministers call him "Hop-Frog" and not his given name, thereby not acknowledging his existence, further reinforces the fact that they see him as nothing more than an object to laugh at. The fact that the King continually forces Hop-Frog to drink wine even though the King knows the effect it has on him. The King, unable able to recognize Hop-Frog's transcendence, has no idea as Hop-Frog lays the ground work for the King and his ministers death through a "carefully planned and enacted setup."(1089) The King is only Able to see that Hop-Frog is laughing, and since the King's weakness is a "good Jest"(481), he is unable to see the motives behind the actions. When the King allows for no weapons at the gathering, and entrusts the keys to the locked doors to Hop-Frog, the King and his ministers are again unable conceive of any transcendence in Hop-Frog. The King and his ministers are, up until the moment of their inevitable death, still not cognoscente of their fate, they "were convulsed with laughter,"(486) and ignorant to the events that were to succeed. It is the King's and his minister's predisposition to jokes, and their inability to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence from the limitations of his body, the fact that he is more than just the sum total of his parts, that dooms them to their fate. "Hop-Frog!, I will make a man of you,"(484) is the King's ultimate admission of his inability to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence, by not acknowledging that Hop-Frog is biologically a man, the King is blind to the fact that Hop-Frog can be more than a man biologically.

In "Hop-Frog," Poe makes use of extensive symbolism to enhance the transcendence of Hop-Frog and the inability of the King to recognize the fact. The opening description of the king is that he would have "preferred Rabelias' 'Gargantua'," a giant king with a great capacity for food and drink, indicating a great lack of control and animal desires. When the mythical king is hungry or thirsty he eats or drinks, and when the King in the story wants a jest he has one. Both kings react without consequence, and both kings constrained by their animal urges and desires, are nothing more than the biological limits of their bodies. Another strong symbol, is that of Hop-Frogs choice of costume for the King and His Ministers. By choosing ourang-outangs Hop-Frog represents the King and his ministers as "basal beasts,"(331) with no conscience. He, Hop-Frog, shows them to be animals that have a thought, lust or desire and act upon it accordingly without care to the repercussions that it might have on others. The chains that Hop-Frog ties around their bodies is a representation of the fact that the King and his ministers, will never be able to transcend the "bestial bodies"(331) they inhabit. Hop-Frog's final words as he is about to leave, "... this is my last jest,"(487) is a vocalization by Hop-Frog that he has now transcended the limitations of his body and indicates that he is going to go forward from there. The most profound use of symbolism is when Hop-Frog escapes through the "roof of the saloon."(487) The act itself represents Hop-Frogs ability to transcend his body. The saloon represents his body, and the escape a symbolic representation that Hop-Frog has surpassed his biological limitations.

Edgar Allen Poe's Hop-Frog contains many examples of the transcendence of man and the inability of others to acknowledge. The main character, Hop-Frog, is able to overcome the effect that drink has on him, finds love, and manages to be more than his biological makeup. Hop-Frog is able to transcend the limitations of his physical body, and is able to become something greater than biological makeup. The King and his seven ministers are unable or are unwilling to acknowledge Hop-Frog's transcendence and in so doing they doom themselves to an inevitable fate. Also, through the use of symbolism, Poe is able to "strengthen his imagery"(1091) of Hop-Frog's transcendence and the King and his seven ministers inability to transcend and recognize transcendence in others.


Works Cited

Hall, Donald, and Stephen Spendler. Concise Encyclopedia of English and American Poets and Poetry. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1963. 1084-1092.
Hart, James D. Oxford Companion to American Literature. 5TH Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983. 323-336.
Poe, Edgar Allen. "Hop Frog". The Bedford Introduction To Literature Ed. Michael Meyer. 3RD Ed. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1996. 481-487.

The Pitiful Prufrock

The Pitiful Prufrock
T.S. Elliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," is a melancholy poem of one man's frustrated search to find the meaning of his existence. The speaker's strong use of imagery contributes to the poems theme of communion and loneliness.
The Poem begins with an invitation from Prufrock to follow him through his self-examination. The imagery of this invitation begins with a startling simile, "Let us go then you and I/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherised upon a table." This simile literally describes the evening sky, but functions on another level. Prufrock's description of the "etherised" evening indicates an altering of perception, and an altering of time, which creates a dreamlike quality throughout the poem. This dreamlike quality is supported throughout the poem with the "yellow fog" that contributes to the slowed-down-etherised feeling of the poem. Time and perception are effectively "etherised" in this poem. It is almost as if the poem is a suspended moment of realization of one man's life, "spread out against the sky". The imagery of the patient represents Prufrock's self-examination. Furthermore, the imagery of the "etherised patient" denotes a person waiting for treatment. It seems this treatment will be Prufrock's examination of himself and his life.
Prufrock repeats his invitation and asks the reader to follow him through a cold and lonely setting that seems to be the Prufrock's domain. The imagery of the journey through the city is described as pointed to lead the reader (and more accurately Prufrock) to an overwhelming question. Prufrock's description of the urban city is quite dreary: " Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/ The muttering retreats/ Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/ And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells;/ Streets that follow like a tedious argument/ Of insidious intent." This is the lonely setting that Prufrock lives out his meager existence. This city is suspended under the same anesthesia that spreads the evening like an "etherised patient."
Prufrock moves his attention from the city to his final destination; "the room the women come and go/ Speaking of Michealangelo." This couplet contrasts with the previous urban landscape and adds anticipation to the ominous tension surrounding the event. This line also is about time. The couplet suggests that Prufrock has been around to see these women "come and go," implying Prufrock has been situated in the high societal environment for some time. The line also implies that while others have come and gone from the social circles Prufrock is a part of; Prufrock has stayed stagnating. On the way, Prufrock deliberates on whether he can find value in the cold superficial environment, and ask the overwhelming question, "Do I dare/ Disturb the universe?". He feels if he can muster the courage to ask the question, he may at last find value in his life: "would it have been worth while/ To have bitten off the matter with a smile,? To have squeezed the universe into a ball." Ultimately, he fails at both tasks.
Throughout the poem, the themes of time's passage and age continue to illustrate the unhappiness of Prufrock's life. Prufrock reveals the measured out portions of life he has lived: "I have measured out my life in coffee spoons." This phrase shows Prufrock's inability to seize the day. He also employs subtle devices, such as thinning hair and resulting bald spot, as indicators of age and the importance he feels now that he is past his prime: "Time to turn back and descend the stair,/ With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--/ (They will say: 'How his hair is growing thin')" This shows Prufrock's fear of being laughed at. Furthermore, this line shows Prufrock's desire to "disturb the universe," and his fear that he will be scoffed at for not acting his proper age. When he speaks of time it is in a contradictory fashion. On one hand, he feels a sense of urgency as he travels to the party, because must decide if he will ask his question. Yet, while he agonizes over whether to attempt a change in his life, he tells us time is plentiful, explaining "there will be time for you and time for me/ And time yet for a hundred indecisions / And for a hundred visions and revisions/ Before taking of the toast and tea" This seems to be Prufrock trying to escape his conviction of asking the question through rationalization.
Prufrock's growing indifference towards his sophisticated social circle, where time is suspended, reflect his aging weariness. Ironically, he has catered to the proprieties of high society for years, and remains unaware of how time has ingrained the same emptiness into his own nature: "For I have known them all already, known them all/ I know the voices with a dying fall/ And I have known the eyes already, known them all/ And I have known the arms already, known them all" In this line, Prufrock shows that he is part of the societal circle, and has shared the shallowness of living he finds repulsive in his peers.. Prufrock understands the his inability to "disturb the universe" when he considers how he will approach his intended romantic interest, but realizes his leisurely way of life has left him ill-prepared to deal with the responsibilities that accompany change: "I should have been a pair of ragged claws/ Scuttling across the floors of silent seas."
Not Surprisingly, after declining to "dare disturb the universe," he becomes resigned to his unchanging fate in superficial, sophisticated style. He imagines himself walking along a perfect beach, wearing fine "white flannel trousers," He has not lost or gained anything, the labor of his decision has added up to nothing of consequence.
Prufrock talks compulsively of the party scene, but actually speaks to no one. Even as the scene unfolds in his mind, he is rendered practically speechless by the scrutiny of the cultured society matrons as they "fix" their gazes upon him: "The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,/ And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,/ Then how should I begin?" From this line, we see that Prufrock is reduced to a bug under the scrutiny of his peers; there approval pins him down and renders him unable to ask his question. He is tense and excited at the prospect of his question changing his life , but knows he will feel horribly self-conscious , and it frightens him. He is certain if he asks his question and reveals his feelings, he will not be understood. Surely, he would be made the fool. He decides it is not worth the effort after all: "I am no prophet-and here's no great matter;/ I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,/ And I have seen the eternal footman hold my coat, and snicker,/ And in short I was afraid."
In this line, Prufrock's fears betray his desires. He knows the approval he covets comes from a frivolous, futile, class of people. He has heard them talk for years and knows only fashion, appearance, art, and style are deemed worthy of discussion. In fact, he listened so long he can't hear there voices anymore. He can only hear "voices dying with a dying fall," not unlike the indistinguishable hum of music playing in another room. But this is fine with him, because he and his world are once again at a comfortable place.
Finally and permanently, Prufrock accepts that he will never be a prophet like Lazarus or a prince like Hamlet, and he slips into the safety of a fantasy world.