Literary notes: Sophie's World

Characters: Sophie, 14 year old girl living in Norway. Protagonist, a friendly girl and rather introspective, the reader learns along side her as she understands how to question her existance, herself and the world around her.
Alberto Knox: Sophie's teacher, sends her the letters and packages in the mail. embodies an idea philosopher. a well thought through man who uses his analytical  mind to be slow to judge. He forces Sophie to think for herself, be untied from the preconceived notions she was raised with, look at the world with new, open eyes.
Hilde Moller Knag: daughter of Albert Knag, parallels Sophie's deeper thought and philosophical intellect.
Albert knag: author of the novel that his daughter is reading, bases Alberto on himself.
Sophie first receives a letter asking "who are you?" This begins her journey to enlightenment, looking at herself and trying to find what makes her her. Whether it is physical, mental, emotion what defines her beyond her likes  or dislikes and for the first time discovering herself. She finds that philosophers must retain that child-like sense of wonder that holds a amaezment with yourself, your world, the origin and essence of life and to never get tired of questioning your surroundings or experiences


Quote one: "You can;t experience being alive without realizing that you have to die, she thought. But it's just as impossible to realize you have to die without thinking how incredibly amazing it is to be alive."


Quote 2: "A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part: it troubled him that he knew so little.” 


Quote 3: “A lot of people experience the world with the same incredulity as when a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat.…We know that the world is not all sleight of hand and deception because we are in it, we are part of it. Actually we are the white rabbit being pulled out of the hat. The only difference beween us and the white rabbit is that the rabbit does not realize it is taking part in a magic trick.” 
                                                                                                                       cont....

Poetry Analysis of How Doth The Little Crocodile:

-a,b,a,b c,d,c,d rhyming pattern
- speaker: caterpillar
-ongoing description of a crocodile's cunning and alluring grace as a predator
- logic is the known and acknowledged prey and predator tale in poetic beauty
- present tense
- most important words: shinning tail, golden scale, seems to grin, spreads his claws, gently smiling jaws. strong imagery of a fearfully inviting predator.
- repetition: How (lines 1,5,6) And (lines 3,6)
-tone, admiration towards the crocodile's natural abilities.
-central message: I think it can be paralleled to the serpent in Eden, convincing his prey to eat the forbidden fruit through smooth words and cunning. Here, the crocodile is also cunning in his appearance and ability to seduce his prey into his "gently smiling jaws". I think there is also a warning, beware what may seem beautiful and inviting might turn out to be a trap set by a skillful enemy.

Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities Lecture Notes

- Preface: Dickens "I have done and suffered it all myself" (level of personal intensity)
-1857 helped his friend put on The Frozen Deep (played Richard, sacrificial character) influences The Tale of Two Cities later on.
- Ellen inspires Lucie, similar physical traits (ends Lucie with the E for Ellen)
- Sydney Carten, sacrificial hero. (Dickens liked Sydney, wanted his name to be Richard ^)
- Being brought up in England at age 10 many things he saw haunted him and influenced him. Quoted saying it gave him an "extensive and peculiar knowledge of the city".
-A place of wretchedness and darkness, as well as great facination.
-Creative ties there referred to as his "magic lantern" every thing is there but disconnected like a newspaper.
- A place of extreme poverty and wealth, a labyrinth.
-Visited Paris in 1844
- Was overwhelmed by the novelties Paris had to offer "there never was such a place for a description"
- Admired the construction, progress and elegance of Paris, while he was also attracted to its harsher side. Its wicked appeal.
-Drawn to the morgue. "drawn to the attraction of repulsion as he put it."
- Emphasizes the similarities in England and France in his famous introduction.
- Dickens was no revolutionary. Tale of Two Cities expressed the horrors of riots
-Pre revolutionary  France paralleled with contempory England
-Victorian fear: revolution
- 120,000 in sales with Tale of Two Cities in the fore ground

For Dickens...

     The first few pages of A Tale of Two Cities describes the contrasting chaos existing in both England and France. Dickens' compares each country by their opposing existences but shared ignorance at their own plight. They have become numb the the disorder and injustice, execution has become the quick fix from the greatest infractions of the law to the least. And as we see throughout history as violence grows so does a tolerance and normalcy regarding the gore and horror of it. For example, gladiators, hangings and now executions brought to life by the beautiful French instrument of death: the guillotine.