Revised Open Prompt #2

Open Prompt #2----NEW POST

1994. In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Choose a novel or play of literary merit and write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work. You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald includes a character that we know of by the name Owl-Eyed Man. The Owl-Eyed Man does not appear very often in the story, but all of his apperances are significant to the story as a whole. Few characters know of the Owl-Eyed Man, but he seems to know many things about the characters. He sees it all without creating a disturbance, just like an owl. His meaning towards the novel may be much more complex than his exterior suggests. 

Fitzgerald introduces us to the Owl-Eyed Man early in the story.  He is first seen reading in the library of Gatsby's house at one of his parties. Owl-Eyes believes that Gatsby is superficial and along with his personality, the books in the library are also fake. He suggests that similar to Gatsby, the books look nice on the outside but they are filled with blank pages. This assumption gives the readers one opinion of Gatsby, and most likely the opinion of many other people including the guests at the party. As Owl-Eyes discovers that the books are actually real, he begins to see Gatsby in a different light. Nick Carraway's reaction of Owl-Eyes affects his first impression of Gatsby and the guest he has at his parties. After the party Nick sees Owl-Eyes getting out of a car that was driven into a ditch. The drunken crash changes the impression of Owl-Eyes. He is no longer an intellectual figure, but a man that is involved in depreciating means of society. 

The eyes appear again, but this time on a billboard. The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg that watch over the Valley of Ashes can be related back to the Owl-Eyed man. Although this isnt the same concept, the eyes serve similar purposes. The eyes on the billboard watch over everything, they see it all. They represent the unfiltered view of society; they watch everything that goes on and nothing can be hidden from their sight. Just like Owl-Eyes it represents the sight of knowledge. Nick is first startled by the billboard and he isnt sure what to make of it, similar to his first encouter with Owl-Eyes. The billboard contributes to the theme that someone is always watching, even when one might think not. 

 At the end of the novel, there are few people to show up at Gatshy's funeral, and the Owl-Eyed Man is one of them. The Owl-Eyed Man was one of the few who truly understood Gatsby, or he understood him more than any other character. He was able to see something that no one else was able to see in Gatsby. His glasses, are a symbol of intelligence, and his name, Owl-Eyed Man, also contributes to this. He is wise like an owl, therefore he was able to see what others couldnt. He had the ability to look past the superficial boundaries. 

Response to Course Material #6

After all of the annotations, I was very relieved to move on from Hamlet. I definitely enjoyed reading Shakespeare, but I felt it was time for something new. I was also very grateful for what ended up to be our final. Worrying about failing the terms test AGAIN was not something I was looking forward too. Acting out Hamlet as our final was a great alternative and I actually learned a lot. Each group's interpretation of their selected scene made me realize how many different ways there are to take in a matter. Not one group's performance was exactly the same, I thought this might pose as an issue. Watching the finals I noticed how each factor in a play can contribute to the effect received from the audience. Each specific movement can mean something, this is what Shakespeare left out by not including specific stage directions. I think he wanted us to be as imaginative as possible with what he left us. After realizing this technique Shakespeare is famous for, I started to notice it everywhere. In every text, art, conversation, etc., there are items missing for others to fill them in. The world around us it completely open to an individual's interpretation.

So far, I've found Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard very interesting, and also very confusing! I think the techniques Stoppard uses are complex and very new to me. I like how the story overlaps with Hamlet, telling the story of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. That allows for the comparison between the two to be rather basic. I can't wait until I find out more of what's really going on in Stoppard's head, I just want to follow along! I'm kind of excited to re-read and annotate this play because I know it will help me see all of the details and meanings behind Stoppard's choices.