Flaubert; Baudelaire; Rimbaud; Tagore; Yeats

Is Felicite a saint or a simple-minded servant? Or is she both? Or is she neither? Outline your perspective of her character as compared to Mme. Aubain’s. How do they differ?

Felicite was a to me a simple easy going person who didn’t really know much. She was almost oblivious to the outside world it seemed at times. I guess that what happens when there is no way for word to travel. She lived a simple life out on the farm. This is where she learned the ways of the world as she thought they were.

When comparing Felicite to Mme, I find that Felicite is far simpler than Mme. Mme was confusing to me I guess that could just be because of the way I grew up, which was similar to the way that Felicite did in some aspects.

How are women imagined and characterized in the poems you read? What attitude is implied? Is it dual or contradictory? Does Baudelaire give similar weight to the description of men? What definitions of womanliness are depicted, affirmed, or criticized in his work?

 I find these poems rather negative and tough to read for a positive person. He has a condescending tone towards women in his work. There is no real highlighted reason for these negative feelings towards women, yet he still believes they  are nothing and men are ranked way ahead of women.

How are Chidam and Chandara distinct from Rama and Sita?

 It is obvious that these two characters have a terrible relationship, they fight and show hast towards one another through the whole script. One of the best showings of this is when Chandara was on her death bed and Chidam wanted nothing to do with her and just let her die rather than making an effort to save her.

These two characters share the opposite relationship than that of Rama and Sita. Rama and Sita are truly in love it is seen without a doubt. These two characters are devoted to one another for eternity.

Pick a Yeat’s poem and discuss what it communicates to you and why.

 The poem “When You Are Old’ was one that really caught my attention. It reminded me of when I was a little kid at my grandparents playing go-fish when my grandma always used to reminisce about the good times her and her old lady friends used to have on Sunday’s after church playing cards and drinking coffee. The poem made me think, “What will my memories be like?’ I think that the message that this poem sent me was that life should be lived and had fun because when you are old and remembering the things you once did you want to enjoy the memories and not wish you would have done something else.