I think that what Gwendolyn Brooks tries to do here is break the segregation that is occuring at that time period. She writes that the narrator wants to "wear the brave stockings of night-black lace implying that it takes bravery to rebel against an issue that was seen as the norm (segregation). Her use of the word "strut" makes the narrator seem ruthless and willing to attempt to make a difference to somthing that dosen't seem right to him/ her.

This particular portion shows the stereotypes that were created with segregation. As we can see, the mother attempts to instill fear withiin her child by explaining all the bad things that will happen to "those" people. However, the child is still curious. What those kids are doing looks like fun to her so she wants to do that too.

What I picture when I read this section of the poem is that the charity children play in a bad area of town, and to the narrator as a child, she (or he) dosen't see that aspect. She just sees that they're having fun in the alley. In this time period, there was also a great deal of racial segregation in the United States. This particular scene shows the perspective of a white child growing up in that period of segregation.

I think one of the themes that the author is trying to suggest in this part of the poem is that having great things in life dosen't always mean happiness. As we can see here, this character is used to things like "roses" but yet, she wants to experience what the people in the "back yard" feel.

This is actually pretty weird. I think what this saying is that whether or not the two find love in their relationship (which is what the ultimate goal is; what they're seeking) that's not worth anything in the biological world. In other words, I think the narrator is saying that the true love/ ideal relationship that they are looking for isn't something that is a part of nature. Our success as humans depends on whether we can introduce our genetic material into the environment and reproduce, not to find true love. So I think the narrator is saying that it dosen't make a difference to their success as humans if they find true love or not. All they need to do is reproduce. That's kind of sedistic and a pretty harsh truth.

In this part, the narrator claims that this non-lasting love is a part of "nature". "I would indeed that love were longer-lived" means that if only love lasted longer, she "would indeed" truly love someone... she is saying that however, the way nature works makes "vows are brittle" and inhibits that true love.

In this part, I think that when the narrator says "If you entreat me with your lovliest lie" she is threatening him that If the love that he has for her isn't real, or if he pretends/lies to love her when he actually dosen't, she'll pretend like the feelings of love actually do exist. At first I thought she was being pessimistic, but I think she is claiming how even though the love may not last forever, she will still try to pretend like it's there.

I think in this part of the poem, the message that the narrator is trying to get across is her pessimistic perspective of the love that she has for her "dear". She says, "so make the most of this... [periods of time]" showing the flimsiness of the relationship that she has with her dear. The reason why she says that she will "forget" him is to show how meaningless the relationship is. After a little while, the relationship is going to end, and she will "forget, or die, or move away". The narrator delegitimizes the deep meaning that love has. So the little time that is present should be cherished.

before (in time)

In this passage, I noticed that Jeff is actually feeling natural emotion after escaping the spiderhead

a grotesque carved human or animal face or figure projecting from the gutter of a building.

is this like the futuristic lingo word for wasted?

excessive speed or urgency of movement or action

"docile" means "ready to accept control or instruction; submissive"

I feel like this is a very controversial statement. These aren't animals, they're human. But they dont have feelings. The questions that came to my mind after reading this sentence were: Why are experiments be conducted on animals first and not humans? What makes humans human? Is it the ability to feel emotion? In this case, since they can't, are the experiments justified?

steady

Is this Verlaine's real name?

blissfully happy

This is an interesting passage. Since Jeff does not feel any emotion naturally, he now is relearning and describing what it's like to feel empathy

I think Abnesti is trying to imply all of these factors about Heather's past to bring Jeff's lack of emotion to its boundries to make sure the experiment is valid

attractively unusual or old-fashioned

the art of knotting cord or string in patterns to make decorative cloths

in proportion

somewhat annoyed

Usually, in experiments, the person conducting the experiment has a more serious relationship with the subjects. In this case, Abnesti and Jeff seem to have more of a casual friendship

Aside from Abnesti, there is absolutely no emotion displayed in any of the test subject's dialogues (without the addition of the drugs)

I noticed that every time Jeff encounters a new "test subject" or someone that he will be interacting with, a Roman numeral is placed right before any interaction between the two. However, the first Roman numeral was II (when Jeff interacts with Rachel), not I. Why is that?

therefore

They're testing to see if there is any bit of feeling left for either Rachel or Heather after the drugs wore off

Is Jeff saying that it would be random when deciding who to give the Darkenfloxx to because he forgot what kind of experience he had with each woman (what it felt like)? Or did the artificial drugs that were given to him only allow him have an equally enjoyable experience with each woman?

the artificial hormone that causes an extreme form of stress

are the artificial "hormones" being delivered through cerebrospinal fluid?

This passage shows how these "experiments" being conducted by Abnesti are occuring as a punishment for a crime that Jeff comitted. This reminds me of how sometimes, people who commit minor crimes get given a certain amount of hours of "community service"

changing in form

Is Abnesti conducting experiments on them, or is he trying to help them regain emotion? or both?

come together and form one mass or whole

Dr. Seuss inspired?

the state of being pleasantly lost in ones thoughts; a daydream

beyond or above the normal range of normal human experience (exceeding normal limits).

This is interesting, so when the emotion is put into "the IV", he not only experiences the feeling, but he remembers/realizes how bad he wanted to feel it as well.

having the childlike innocence or plump prettiness of a cherub

A public address system used to allow a person to speak to a large public

This Verbaluce therapy gives the character spikes of emotion, and without it, the he can not feel any particular way about anything.

lasting for a very short time

Is this like a futuristic IV therapy that can improve someone's language?? Through their veins?

later learn that Aminadab appreciates the birthmark when he says that if that were his wife he'd leave it.

signifying that Aylmer should have been content with the wife that he had. He failed to look into the future and as a result lost something so much more precious and worthy than a birthmark

intensely enthusiastic

Aylmer is implying that he didnt realize how the birthmark was not just a superficial defect, but something that is much deeper and personal to Georgiana, and that altering it will alter everything about her.

was he "as pale as death" because his scientific career was consuming him?

don't believe in scientific intervention

her birthmark is so bad that that amazing elixir couldn't even heal it? it could wash freckles away, why not her birthmark?

it (the elixir) has it's ups and downs, just like the interference of science in nature

Is this passage implying that he could have made a liquid that makes people live longer but it would create a disagreement in the world which would lead to a curse, so he didn't make it?

what kind of experiments was Aylmer performing on Georgiana that made her see all of these things?

short lasting

little known

Is this Aminadab character Aylmer's scientific conscience that drives his emotions regarding the birthmark? He is described as "incapable of comprehending a single principle, but executes all the details of his master's experiments". Does this personality symbolize how Aylmer's views are towards the birthmark? Incapable of seeing the inner beauty of the birthmark, but instead focused on how to remove it? Blindly, emotionlessly, laboring to help spur his scientific career forward?

womans bedroom or private room

Gerogina's attitude towards the birthmark seems to have changed. Before, she would cry and feel personally attacked that Alymer would make comments about something that she couldn't control. Now, when Alymer mentions that he dosen't know what kind of effects the removal could potentially have on Georgina's life, she asserts that she will take any risk to remove it!

wait, how did Alymer's wife know that he had a dream about the birthmark?

extremely unpleasant

this bass-relief term was brought up in Poe's the Black Cat as well. Why do authors in the dark romantic period use this term often?

At this point in the story, Hawthorne has been talking about this birthmark and the distress that Alymer is feeling as the focal point of the story. Is there a deeper reason why he hates this birthmark? Why is this distress being emphasized so intensely?

express a complaint or grumble about something

Since Hawthorne was a writer in the time of Dark Romanticism, (a time when people would try to pierce the reality and look at the dark, sadistic realities) this paragraph seems to demonstrate how instead of looking at the birthmark as a beautiful imperfection, Alymer is "shocked" at how imperfect the mark is.. highlighting the dark reality of the mark

a person's face or facial expression

taking someone's power or property by force

cautiousness

*discouraging passivity and encouraging the vigilance of any injustices

definition: until now or until the point in time under discussion.