Compare Ligeia and Emily
In William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily," and Edgar Allan Poe's "Ligeia," the past strikes upon the present and creates an unending battle for the characters. In Faulkner's " A Rose for Emily," the main character, Emily does not have the desire to live her life through the present. She lives her life through the past and is happier that way. In Poe's, "Ligeia," the narrator, who remains unnamed throughout the story, does have the desire to move on with his life after his wife, Ligeia, dies. However, he can't find the power to do so, and as a result, his life is permanently damaged and he can't find a way to get on with his life and live through the present. The past of each person sets the stage for the character development, and helps us understand the present form in which they have become.In William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily", the past is contrasted with the present era. Miss Emily, Colonel Sartoris, the Board of Alderman, and the old Negro Servant are represented as the past. The Yankee Homer Baron and the new Board of Alderman, and "the next generation with its more modern ideas" (Faulkner 667) represent the present. Emily lives completely in the past. One example of this is when the new Board of Aldermen comes
In Edgar Allan Poe's "Ligeia", Ligeia is a woman who the unnamed narrator is completely infatuated with. After she dies, no matter how hard he tries, the narrator cannot seem to get her off his mind. He moves to England, buys a house and meets another woman named Rowena, but still cannot get Ligeia off his mind. When Emily's father dies, it is almost like she has her own freedom. She could begin to date who ever she wanted without her father chasing them off. However, even after her father dies, she still secludes herself from the real world. She never leaves her house and does not socialize with anyone, except for her gentleman friend, Homer Baron. He is a Yankee, which her father would not have approved of. He does not fit the social standards of her father. Homer Baron represents the present. Emily wants to be loved, and she is determined to make him her true love to rescue her from her fear of being alone. Apparently, Homer's feelings about the relationship are completely different. "Because Homer himself had remarked-he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk's Club-that he was not a marrying man." (Faulkner 671) When Homer leaves town for a few days, Emily becomes very afraid of his departure. Her fear of being left alone, once again, comes back to her. So as a result, she poisons him. Homer Baron tries to escape from her world into the new world, so when Emily finally realizes this, she murders him to keep him in the past with her. "I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering." (Poe 1153) What the narrator says here is very unusual considering that most people can remember the smallest details of meeting their true love. It seems that she has almost taken control over him. He repeatedly points out how flaws in the classical appearance of Rowena
Some common words found in the essay are:
Rowena Ligeia, Homer Baron, Poe's Ligeia, Miss Emily, Colonel Sartoris, Ligeia Ligeia, Rose Emily, Elk's Club-that, Emily Emily, Board Alderman, homer baron, miss emily, poe's ligeia, colonel sartoris, faulkner's rose, faulkner's rose emily, rose emily, edgar allan poe's, completely past, lives life, allan poe's, william faulkner's, william faulkner's rose, allan poe's ligeia, lives completely past,
Approximate Word count = 1329
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
