NINETH JOURNAL

Jhorman Calderon
Foreign Languages
English VII
Martha Muñoz
Journal # 9

ARABY

At the beginning this story was really confuse for me to be understood, but through the reading I could see the way the writer wanted to show us the idealization of the love in a little boy.
I enjoyed very much this story because of the descriptive language, the way each episode was developed; that’s why the whole reading called my attention.
I have a question, I don’t know if the boy had the sexual intention in his childhood or if he had a trauma about the relationship between a man and a woman.
I felt sadness when the boy found closed the bazaar, because his intention was good, but unfortunately his uncle was negligent at arriving early at home.
James Joyce was the author who made a lot of criticisms to the Irish community; he fight against the narrows of mind, against the intellectual paralysis and his style as a writer was characterized by the stream of consciousness and for me the Araby is a great example of it. I could see it, when the boy thought about the girl, about the feelings she could feel for him.
Finally, I think that this story is very interesting and has many aspects to be seriously analyzed.


May 17 – 2009
ARABY
James Joyce
UNKNOWN WORDS
- Dusk: the time just before night when the day is losing its light but it is not yet dark
- Gauntlet: a long thick glove (= covering for the hand), worn for protection
- Flaring: to burn brightly either for a short time or irregularly
- Throng: a large group of people
- Foes: an enemy, or a competitor
- Bosom: a woman's breasts or the front of a person's chest, esp. when thought of as the center of human feelings
- Impinge: to have an effect on (something), often by limiting it in some way
The Supreme Court will decide if the new communications bill impinges on the Constitutional right to free speech.
- Veil: a piece of thin material worn to protect or hide the face or head
- Twinkling: (of light) to shine brightly then weakly, as if quickly flashing on and off
- Humbly: I humbly ask your pardon.

QUESTIONS FOR DICUSSION

3. Have you ever felt a platonic love?
4. What do you think about the uncle’s behavior?

QUOTES
- “When we met in the street the houses had grown somber.”(607)
- “She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half-opened door.” (607)
- “I kept her brown figure always in my eye and, when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her.” (607)
- “I thought little of the future” (607)
- “I did no know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her , how I could tell her of my confused adoration”. (607)
- “I could not find any sixpenny entrance and, fearing that the bazaar would be closed”. (608)

OPINION
It’s very interesting to try to understand why the author wrote such a short and nice story.