HTRLLAP Chapter 12

          The fence is James Joyce's "Araby" contains several symbols. First off, being a fence, it's job is to separate and contain something, such as animals, but it has a secondary purpose to keep other things, like unwanted visitors, out. This shows how Mangan's sister is contained, she is restricted and has little freedom from behind the fence that contains her. It also symbolizes how the unnamed protagonist is being kept out of her life, and away from her. Even further, it represents an age gap. Mangan's sister is presumably older than him and our protagonist, and is out of his reach in both friendship and love. While the fence is really only just a fence, it shows how our protagonist and Mangan's sister will never be able to really know one another.

HTRLLAP Chapter 11

          One of my favorite fiction works is And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and it is a wonderful example of character-on-character violence, with on man, the Judge, essentially killing off ten other people single handedly for crimes they committed but could not be imprisoned for due to lack of evidence. This character-on-character violence shows the reader the severe brutality of this man, and comes off as evil and vile.
          The other type of violence, "accidental" violence, is where the author is the one to kill the characters. It seems like an accident in the novel, but really is planned and has a deeper meaning. In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"Willy Loman dies in a tragic car accident after he realizes his family would benefit more from the life insurance money resulting from his death than having him alive. This is accidental, author-inflicted violence because it is more tragic and heartbreaking, instead of simply violence for violence's sake.

HTRLLAP Chapter 10

          Now, if I'm remembering correctly, in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte, when Heathcliff proposes to Cathy's daughter Isabella, there is a violent rainstorm right before. It symbolizes the violent future the could will have together, since Heathcliff is so bitter. It helps to set the mood for the rest of the piece, as dangerous and violent.
          Not in terms of plot, weather can enhance the mood entire works. Dry, desert conditions show the desperation or depression of the characters, while constantly rainy conditions can show the boredom and disinterest of other characters.

HTRLLAP Chapter 9

Hades dwells upon the deep
The souls that die he has to keep.
As they cross the deadly river
and their souls begin to whither
he laughs and boasts
as they roast
in his fiery hell.


Zeus resides up in the sky
Over everything that can fly.
He rules the gods with bolts of lightning
his mere face can be frightening.
He can trounce
the post powerful pounce
Oh, the powerful Zeus.

HTRLLAP Chapter 8

          One piece that I also read in junior high (I think that's all I did, for a while I read through a new 200 page book everyday) is Beastly by Alex Flinn. This book is basically a modern day Beauty and the Beast, which is both a traditional fairytale and beloved Disney classic. The parallels are as follows: jerk guy has a spell cast on him to make him ugly, he must be loved to return to his normal state, a girl in a tough situation gets essentially taken prisoner, she eventually falls in love with him, has to go away, but comes back where she says she loves him and he changes back into his human form.
          I hate this book, because it's a total copout. The author barely creates any part of her own plot, so the entire novel is ironic because it's supposed to be this touching teen romance but is totally just the Disney version set in modern day. There are other books, like Ella Enchanted that allude to fairytales as well (Cinderella) that take creative license such as Ella getting run over by a horse, which deepens appreciation.

HTRLLAP Chapter 7

          While I am not exactly familiar with the bible, I was able to see some allusions in Joyce's short story "Araby." First, a priest dies in the house, a boy goes to a Christian school, a woman collects stamps for pious reasons, and the aunt says "night of Our Lord." As well, the main storyline is very much the "Adam and Eve" theme. Boy meets girl, is obsessed with girl, and would do anything for her. Then he gets off track a little. There's even a reference to an apple tree, like in the Garden of Eden, which symbolizes temptation.

HTRLLAP Chapter 6

           The work that I'm most familiar with that famously alludes to Shakespeare is The Lion King (not a literary work, I know, but good none the less). Disney writers allude to Hamlet in many ways. Mufasa is killed by his jerk brother Scar to gain power, and Hamlet Sr. is axed by Claudius for the same reason. Then, Claudius/Scar convince Hamlet/Simba that everything is their fault, and drive them to run away and eventually find friends in unlikely places. Then of course the hero Hamlet/Simba come back and kill their evil uncles to gain the power that is rightfully theirs. This theme of the hero triumphing against all odds is common in other works too, such as The Hunger Games, but is most closely related in Disney's The Lion King.