The preoccupation with numbers throughout the play is interesting. Many of the characters' actions revolve around collecting capital: Crofts and Mrs. Warren justify their business by needing money, Rev. Gardner and Frank argue because Frank does not work or have his own money, Frank justifies marrying Vivie to Rev. Gardner by citing how much money she has, Mrs. Warren attempts to persuade Vivie to keep a relationship with her by providing her with money, etc. Throughout the play, numbers are thrown around in order to highlight the severity or extravagance of a particular person's situation. Furthermore, Vivie, who constantly speaks out against capitalistic motives, works with numbers; and, it is with numbers that Vivie finds refuge--after literally saying "goodbye" to everyone, she experiences "intense relief" and "becomes absorbed in its figures." It is with this image that the play concludes: Vivie, seemingly content, alone from everyone previously in her life, with numbers.

Given that we have discussed marriage plots frequently throughout the semester, this passage is interesting because, rather than seeing a woman being pushed to marry a man for money, social status, etc. like much of what we have read, we see the gender roles reversed: a man courting a woman for her intellect and income. Vivie is seen as the superior person in this situation, and Frank is the one being pressured into marriage in order to "turn my good looks to account by marrying someone with both." More than that, Vivie and Mrs. Warren seem to be the two central characters orchestrating the play, whereas the male characters are left simply to follow them, even while the number of male characters begin to outnumber the female characters; at this point in the play, there are four different male characters, and yet, it is Vivie and Mrs. Warren who are constantly the topic of conversation, and not simply because they are "pretty" but due to their intellect, mysteriousness, power, and wealth.

This parenthetical first appears towards the beginning of the poem when Laura encounters the goblins and eat their fruits. When I initially read the line, I assumed it was simply placing emphasis on the fantastical elements of the poem--goblins, twilight, forbidden fruit--by stating that these fruits are not sold in town by people; however, the line repeats, here, at the end of the poem, when Laura is describing the goblins and fruit as "wicked," "haunted," and "poison." I am stuck on this line for a few reasons: first, it is, from what I noticed, the only line in the poem that is explicitly repeated; second, it is the only line in the poem enclosed within parentheses; and third, it seems to be the only line that mentions men, and in doing so, it separates men from the goblins and their manipulation and assault. This line seems to be making a broader statement than many of the other lines in the poem; most of the poem focuses on specific details, such as describing the fruit or the goblins, or the focus is on individual experiences, such as Laura and Lizzie's conversations, the story of Jeanie, etc. However, the language in this line is more broad: Rossetti writes "men" and "any town," implying that this line is talking about men everywhere. Plus, in putting this line in parentheses, the line is almost separated from the rest of the poem. Do men not behave as the goblins do? Or, are men not as explicit as the goblins in their actions? Does "men" some men or all men? Is "men" referring to the male population or is it referring to humans in general?

Here, again, we see Bronte using the imagery of the landscape and the weather in order to describe her characters, however, usually Heathcliff is the one conflated with Wuthering Heights and the landscape surrounding it, whereas in this instance, the focus is on Catherine. Catherine is described as having "shadows and sunshine flitting over it [her face] in rapid succession," perhaps implying the rapid changing emotions Catherine must go through, not only in regards to her dying father but also as concerns her relationship with Linton, as seen throughout this passage. Bronte also emphasizes Catherine's declining happiness by stating that "the shadows rested longer, and the sunshine was more transient." It seems as though Catherine is being consumed by more "shadows" than she is "sunshine," despite the "golden afternoon" the paragraph begins with. This is a somewhat ominous passage, as it is not only Catherine that is experiencing these "shadows" and darker emotions but the landscape itself.

It is interesting that Isabella chooses to compare Heathcliff's expression in this moment to "stone," especially given our conversation in our last class regarding Charlotte Bronte's preface, in which she describes Healthcliff as "colossal, dark, and frowning, half statue, half rock in the former sense, terrible and goblin-like; in the latter, almost beautiful, for its coloring of mellow grey, and moorland moss clothes it..." Charlotte Bronte describes Heathcliff as having been carved from stone, producing a "terrible and goblin-like" statue that is at the same time "almost beautiful." In this passage, Isabella describes both of these aspects of Heathcliff's appearance simultaneously: Heathcliff is "diabolical" with "basilisk eyes" and a "ferocious sneer," while also "weeping," "quenched by sleeplessness," and "sealed in an expression of unspeakable sadness." Isabella usually sees Heathcliff as something terrible and not quite human, however, in this moment, she recognizes Heathcliff's very human moment as he grieves Catherine. When Charlotte Bronte describes Heathcliff as "almost beautiful," I am inclined to think that she is referring to his humanity among his stony countenance, and in this passage, Heathcliff shows one of his most human moments, or "his weakness" as Isabella describes it.

Throughout the novel, Catherine's character comes across as selfish: she is always doing whatever she wants, whenever she wants and does not seem to ever consider how her actions will affect others. Even in this passage, Catherine appears a bit selfish when she explains that the marry Heathcliff would "degrade" her; it seems as though she cares more about her own reputation than she cares about Heathcliff. However, at the end of this passage we see that Catherine is not the self-serving, young girl she appeared to be in the novel, rather she is smart and strategic in her actions, and she also genuinely cares for Heathcliff. Catherine is aware of the social structures of their society which would outcast her and Heathcliff as "beggars" if they were to marry; she has planned to Linton, even though she does not wish to, because she knows she will then have the financial advantage to be of help to Heathcliff in order for him to establish his independence; and she understands the strict and violent power dynamics of their household and its affects on Heathcliff. In these lines, Catherine shows that she is actually the opposite of selfish--she is putting Heathcliff's life and independence above her own desires in order to prevent them both from continuing to live under miserable circumstances.

In this passage, Nelly implies that after Catherine's transformation by the Linton's, Catherine has become a kind of "stranger" at Wuthering Heights. This is interesting because throughout the novel so far, Heathcliff is primarily seen by everyone at Wuthering Heights as being the outsider, with his unknown background and family history and his dirty appearance. In this moment, though, Nelly calls Catherine a stranger for the opposite reasons that Heathcliff is seen as an outsider: Catherine now wears a "grand dress" and seemingly appears as a mature and proper lady. Rather than wanting Catherine to return to her dirty lifestyle with him, Heathcliff instead asks Nelly to transform him as well into this strange appearance. At the beginning of the passage, Heathcliff tells Nelly he wants to be "good" and "decent," which suggests that changing his appearance, like Catherine, will make him a better person. However, Catherine being described as "converted into a stranger" after cleaning up her own appearance complicates that idea that in order to be good you must look good.

The imagery of the moon reflecting off of the water in these first few lines reflects the discussion of appearance versus reality in the last few lines. The speaker explains at the end that the world "seems / To lie before us like a land of dreams" (lines 30-31), but that the world is actually "a darkling plain" (line 35). In the beginning, the moon "lies fair / Upon the straits" (lines 2-3) and "Gleams and is gone" on the French coast (lines 3-4). In these images, the moon's light temporarily reflects on the water. The light is not a part of the water, but it makes the surface of the water look "fair," and the light only remains on the surface of the water fleetingly. These images highlight the world's appearance of being a place "so various, so beautiful, so new" (line 32), when actually the light of the moon is not a part of the Earth, and the world is actually just the dark waters that the moon's light reflects off of.

Throughout the poem Hemans repeats the line, "There slumber England's dead" four times; however, here she alters the repetition to "Even there sleep England's dead." By beginning the line with "even," she emphasizes the repetition of the line with the speaker almost commenting on the fact that this is the fifth time that they are pointing out where England's dead lie. "Even" suggests a kind of exasperated tone at the excess of places where the English have died. Along with the allusions to war and the military, perhaps the speaker is saying that England has fought too many wars and too many have died.

In this line, Browning mirrors the sentiment of the second line of the poem. In the second line, the speaker explains that the spot they are standing on is where "the first white pilgrim's bended knee" had rested. This line is followed by the third and fourth lines which imply that after the pilgrim's knee rested in this spot, the pilgrim was no longer an "exile" and could become an "ancestor" of the country as they were granted "liberty." However, when this act of resting the bended knee on "this mark" is repeated by the speaker, the line is followed by an ellipsis. The ellipsis suggests that the speaker, unlike the "first white pilgrim," is not transformed from exile to ancestor and is not granted liberty; after bending their knee on the mark, the speaker is left with a pause, implying that nothing has changed for the speaker after mirroring the actions of the pilgrim.

Avarice is the extreme greed for wealth. Here, Southey calls avarice a "demon" on the shores of Africa, implying that the greed for wealth is an evil that has come to Africa and brought "all the horrors of his train." Southey could be alluding to colonialism and European nations' desire to accumulate wealth and land by conquering and enslaving parts of Africa. It is avarice, or greediness, that has led to the horrors of colonization on Africa's shores.

Mary's post-script begins with an acknowledgement of Fanny's intimacy with and importance to the Crawford's: Mary supports Fanny's leaving Portsmouth early to travel to Northamptonshire, and Mary claims to be at "your [Fanny's] service and Henry's, at and hour's notice." mary sees Fanny as a part of her family, as we have seen throughout the past few chapters as Mary begins calling Fanny by her first name and describing her as a sister. However, the letter's tone shifts in the last few sentences: Henry cannot follow Fanny's advice because "we," the Crawford's, are already engaged, and Mary and Henry will be visiting the Rushworth's without Fanny. These last few lines are different from the first because at the end, Fanny is abrupty taken out of Mary's conception of her family--the plans now revolve solely around Mary and Henry, without any consideration for Fanny. Perhaps this is Mary's reminder to Fanny that though Mary and Henry care deeply for Fanny and consider her family, Fanny cannot actually be considered family unless she marries Henry. Informally, the Crawford's consider Fanny's feelings and advice, but formally, Fanny's voice has no stake in the actions of the Crawford's.

The structure of this paragraph, as well as the paragraphs above and below it, give an interesting insight into status and autonomy of the characters. First, Sir Thomas is mentioned in all three paragraphs, and it is his opinion and actions which all of the dialogue and thought centers around--Sir Thomas is in charge of the conversation and the household. Second, in this paragraph, Austen provides Lady Bertram with direct dialogue: even though Lady Bertram has no opinion on the ball so long as she doe snot need to do anything, her opinion is still valued, she is still given her own voice. Unlike Lady Bertram, in the paragraphs surrounding her opinion, Edmund, William, Fanny, and Mrs. Norris are all denied any direct dialogue in the text; we do not hear any of their distinct voices. This lack of voices among everyone save Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram suggests that these two are the only ones with full autonomy within the Bertram family--and while it can generally be anticipated that Lady Bertram will not have an opinion on any manner that does not involve her direct action, she is still always consulted, her voice always must be heard.

In this passage we see a flip in the dynamics of Fanny and Edmund's relationship: since Fanny has lived at Mansfield Park, Edmund has been her mentor and teacher; however, in this chapter, we see Edmund asking Fanny for her advice and guidance. Edmund has come to "consult" with Fanny regarding whether or not he should participate in the play and asserts that he is "not comfortable without" her approval. Even though this moment may seem to portray the high regard in which Edmund holds Fanny (even Fanny sees Edmund's consulting with her as a "compliment" at first), I think this passage more so shows that Edmund sees Fanny as an extension of his own morals and teachings rather than viewing her as her own individual. Fanny agrees with Edmund's initial sentiment that the play should not be put on and that he should take no part in it, but when Edmund's thoughts on the matter change, perhaps due to Miss Crawford as it is her "feelings" which seem to become the crux of Edmund's argument for his participation in the play, Fanny's opinion does not change. When Edmund comes to seek Fanny's opinion, he is not exactly genuine--Edmund is only "satisfied" with Fanny's advice when it seems to be more in line with his new opinion regarding Miss Crawford. Fanny, however, does not actually agree with Edmund; when she begins praising Miss Crawford, "She could not finish the generous effusion. Her conscience stopt her in the middle" of her thought. Fanny attempts to show Edmund that she agrees with him but cannot finish speaking because she does not actually believe what she is about to say, and Edmund does not seem to care about Fanny's hesitancy so long as she comes to eventually agree with him in some way. Edmund is not seeking advice in Fanny, he is simply looking for someone to agree with him and support his actions without question, even when his actions contradict what he claims are his honest opinions.

In the first line of the novel, Austen focuses on social and economic status in order to introduce her characters: Miss Maria Ward is described by her "seven thousand pounds" and her marriage to Sir Thomas Bertram (his title indicating that he holds a higher place in society), which "raised [Miss Ward] to the rank of a baronet's lady." By introducing her characters in this way, Austen highlights the importance wealth and social status hold in her characters' society. What I find interesting about this first sentence is Austen's comment that Miss Ward "had the good luck to captivate Sir Thomas Bertram." The phrase "good luck" suggests that it is not usual for someone of Miss Ward's socio-economic status (having "only" so much money) to marry someone of Sir Thomas' status. If this situation is unusual, then it suggests that there is a lack of socio-economic mobility in the characters' society, and people, perhaps, are born into one socio-economic class and do not leave that class, or at least do not move up. Gaining a higher "rank" in society is not common, as we see a few lines down when Austen writes, "But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them." Miss Ward's case is fairly rare, and she is considered lucky to have married Sir Thomas and move up in social and economic rank.

Up until this point, the speaker has been speaking highly of autumn and this is the first time we see any counter to the beauty of autumn. It is unclear who is asking the question "Where are the songs of spring?" (line 23). The question could be asked rhetorically by the speaker as a means of comparison between spring and autumn; however, the comparison between spring and autumn is a bit abrupt and odd as spring has not been mentioned or described at all by the speaker and after this line the speaker does not speak of spring again. The following line in which the speaker addresses autumn, asking autumn to "Think not" of the songs of spring, suggests that autumn does not believe she has the same beauty and "music" as spring, and perhaps spring is commonly seen as being more beautiful than autumn by the general population. This question could be the speaker playing devil's advocate with themself in order to address a common misconception of autumn's beauty.

The repetition of lines 56 and 58 implies a tone of desperation as the speaker asks, rhetorically, "How often" he as prayed to river Wye and the "wanderer" (line 58, 57). The question is asked twice, suggesting that the speaker has come to the river "in spirit" on numerous occasions to seek guidance. Earlier in the stanza, the speaker questions whether or not his belief in nature is a "vain belief" (line 52)--the repetition in the last three lines of the stanza indicate that the speaker's belief is not vain because he relies on nature "In darkness" to help him raise his spirits; the speaker needs the river Wye, and nature in general, in order to restore his spirit.

While Wordsworth uses the word "nature" several times throughout the poem, this is the first time that he writes the word as a proper noun. In writing "Nature" rather than "nature" in this line, Wordsworth is perhaps demonstrating the speaker's new perspective on nature as something divine. Wordsworth could be likening Nature with God to show the speaker's reverence for nature and highlight the spiritual experience the speaker undergoes when in nature. This could be seen as the speaker's conversion moment from seeing nature as something simply material, such as during the speaker's "thoughtless youth" (line 91), to seeing nature as the "soul / Of all my moral being" (line 111-112).

In this line, the speaker of the poem is addressing the convict, yet the speaker refers to the convict as "victim." This is an interesting way to refer tot he convict as convicts are generally the ones seen as doing the victimizing; however, here the speaker is calling the convict the victim. Perhaps in this line Wordsworth is calling convicts victims of the government, institutions, etc. and creating a grey area of viewing people, specifically those in jail, as opposed to strictly seeing crime and convicts as solely bad or evil.