Quote from Ulysses

A Quote from the Poem Ulysses

By: Nikki L.

“To sail beyond the sunset and the baths of all the western stars, until I die.”

Now where do I begin? Let’s start with the sunset and stars. Ulysses believed that one can go beyond the horizon to reach one's goal even if it takes a lifetime to reach. He wanted to be successful in everything he did and he didn’t want to give up on trying to reach it. Ulysses sailed beyond the seas and stars to have an adventure that took over a decade to complete and when he did achieve it he felt empty because he had no purpose to accomplish a task once he returned home.

Ulysses wanted others to understand that it was okay to go for an adventure and to reach the point of almost finishing the adventure because that is the purpose of one’s life, to accomplish your desired goal and to never give up in trying to reach it.

No where do I end? Ulysses wanted to accomplish his goal throughout his entire life, or until he died. Ulysses finished his adventure before he died but once he accomplished it, he felt like he had no purpose in life because his adventure in Troy and returning home had lasted for over a decade, but now that he his home, all he does is relax, tend to his duties of his estate, and protect his family.

Quote from Alice

“Alice opened the door and found that it led into a small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she knelt down and looked along the passage into the loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed to get out of that dark hall, and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but she could not even get her head though the doorway.”

            This quote from the first chapter caught my attention when I read it. It has both an allusion and archetypal elements incorporated into it. The allusion refers to the Garden of Eden from the bible. It represents the perfection of the garden yet how no one can ever reach it, hence why Alice cannot get to it either. The first archetype is the dark hall. Darkness usually represents evil, death, or lost soul, which actually foreshadows the plot of the book in that there will be evil afoot and Alice will get lost at some point. Alice wants to get out of the dark and go to the place where there is light and natural beauty which is the archetypal element of journey. This foreshadows Alice’s journey into finding “the light” or ultimately finding herself. Finally, the archetype of nature represents maturity and fertileness, which probably pertains to the fact that Alice will mature and become a woman after her journey.

Any other opinions on this quote regarding its meaning?

Alice in Wonderland Mock Writing: Anorexia

 Alice in Wonderland Mock Writing Chapter 2 Page 14-15

            By: Chanel Chu

Oh my, what am I saying?

            Just then, my hips began to grow wider, becoming tighter and tighter in my jeans: in fact, I was now 2 sizes bigger and ten pounds heavier, and I at once grabbed the celery and water bottle and hurried off to the gym.

            Woe is me! As much as I exercised and dieted, restraining myself from eating, to look at the scale fearfully and with one eye open; but to lose all the weight gained, I felt more hopeless than ever: I sat down and began to cry, every night—hoping the fat would shed away.

            “This is all your fault,” said Chanel, “why did you have to eat so much,” (I might as well say this), “the only person to blame for your weight gain is yourself. Stop eating this moment, I tell you!” I continued on the same, bawling gallons of tears, until I was surrounded in a pool of guilt, regret, and remorse, 120 pounds heavy, 175 centimeters high.

            After time I heard a voice calling from afar, and my interest dried up my constant tear flow. It was what seemed to be a mirror image of myself approaching, gliding on air, except well- dressed, beautiful and thin: she came, “Oh! Quit your tears, the tears! Oh! It is not a bright thing for a smart girl to starve herself.” I felt so alone and desperate that I was ready to ask advice from anyone, whether the person or thing is real or not; so, in a shaky and quiet voice, “Excuse me, how can I be like you? I’ve had enough of this you see, but I have not achieved the results desired.” The image glowed brightly, lowered herself onto the floor with bare feet and ran away into the darkness as fast as she could—yelling, “you do not need to ask, you already know the answer.”