Notes for ARABY

"North Richmond street, being blind" - possibly refers to narrator being blind, or a long obscuring curve, or the road is just dark and ominous.
"was a quiet street" - why is this in past tense?
"except at the hour when the Christian Brother’s school set the boys free." - ‘the hour’ precision; ‘Christian Bro.’s school set boys free’ - Christian schools are viewed as harsh because of corporal punishment in the old days similar to imprisonment
‘house of two stories’- bible contains the old and new testaments, or the house refers to a religious order that is being torn apart by two opposing sides or ideals.
‘stood at the blind end’- justice is blind, the house stood alone, end- signifies a beginning/birth or ending/death.
‘detached from its neighbors in a square ground.’- separated by its square basis, strict, specific rules and regulations.
‘other houses of the street’- branches of the original?,
‘conscious of decent lives within them’- aware of respectable lives; know of wrong doings within them, within the houses, families, sects?
‘gazed at one another’- awed by the others, intrigued, curious about each others differences.
‘with brown imperturbable faces’- brown? Tanned laborers, foreigners, steady calm and cool, collected appearances, disguise.


‘our house’- religious sect/sub-division; priest is a leader/father, died in the back (forgotten/out of the way) drawing room- art/ philosophy of life and science killed his belief in his church.
‘Air’- is essential to life; musty means dirty/tainted or rotting/moldy;
‘been long enclosed’- forgotten and unattended;
‘hung in all the rooms’- tainted crosses hung in all the rooms.
‘waste room’- what is a waste room??
‘behind the kitchen’- hidden behind the most essential room of a house;
‘littered with old useless papers’- trashed/unorganized with knowledge forgotten over time.
‘curled and damp pages’- un-kept
‘The Abbot, Walter Scott’- about a orphaned boy who is raised by his aunt (Lady Mary) and his uncle (Sir Halbert), blessed with misfortune until he falls in love with the queens maiden helper, and finds out he is the offspring of royalty and marries her.
‘The Devout Communicant’ - is a pamphlet guiding Christians into a better understand and practice of receiving the holy communion, daily mass and prayer.
‘The Memoirs of Vidocq’ - autobiography of Vidocq, common thief that steals from family, spends time in prison, turns to help the police.
‘wild garden’- after the fall of man, the garden became wild and overgrown, with out the regular harvest, plants tend to grow free and fight each other for light.
- the priest falls from grace, and leaves the faith, thus is unable to tend to his garden.
The garden contained a central apple tree signifying that knowledge is the center of the garden/world, most important fruit bearing plant in the garden, focal point designed to attract the human eye.
Also the garden contained a few straggling bushes, under which he found the priests‘ (former tenant’s) rusty bicycle pump- natural course of metal is to oxidize and rust, nature took back technology in the absence of human or divine intervention. (regression)
‘term very charitable priest’ compared to stingy Christian priests as the norm.
‘in his will’ - Christian vocation, or death will
Priest shouldn’t have money, or wealth,
‘sister’ - nuns, blood relative?
Days have become short, less time to labor.
‘houses looked somber’- lack of light and energy, tired and dying.
Violet- church color
Feeble lights- not able to accomplish the task of lighting the street.
The stinging air, pleasure brings about pain, playing in the cold air makes you rosy.
A career of playing is a lifestyle of kids.
The gauntlet of rough tribes- the criticism of the families, dares from the kids.
Back doors to gardens- secondary entrance to the nauseating, sentimental past of the forgotten gardens, cast out by nonpartisan caregivers.
The odors from the ash pits are the only remaining hints to the memories of the gardens use, possibly for barbecue/grilling.
The dark odorous stables are housing for beasts/horses, filled with the odor of their presence.
The coachman tends to his horses, which are his living probably. The fact that he shakes music from the buckled harnesses could mean that he hinds pleasure in his work, which is not permanently affixed (buckles).
Returning to the street could mean that the boys returned to the mainstream/wide accepted ideas and/or religion.
When the uncle is spotted, the boys hid in the shadows until the uncle is safely housed. The boys know he tends to be drunk, and try to not piss him off, so they play dumb, or avoid him all together until he passed out or went to sleep.
Mangan’s sister would come out to call her brother in, they would wait to see if she went back in the house from their shadow peer. The shadow peer could be a dark intentioned friend, a shadowy strip or projection in the street. If she waited for Mangan then the boys would ‘resignedly’ walked up to Mangan’s steps. James Joyce never names Mangan’s sister, but makes her seem like and elder or authoritative figure, but Mangan seems to have more rights than she. Mangan’s sister would remain for the boys, knowing she could entice them to her, she knew they, or at least the narrator was attracted to her. She would act as a ‘Siren’ and draw them into her devious world of misconception. The boys’ ‘resignedly’ walk demonstrates they were, as if possessed by her charm, or beautiful appearance. Mangan’s sister waited for them, all that is described about her is her figure outlined by the light from the half opened door. Silhouettes could have been common portraits of poorer people, so that is the way he remembers her. The half opened door appears un-inviting, and kind of secretive.
Why would Mangan tease his sister, did she act flirtatiously, often seen as humorous by younger boys who don’t admit their attractions to girls. Yet he obeyed her orders, so she is probably older, and highly regarded by their parents.
When the narrator says he stood by the railings looking at her, this could mean that he looked at her while she argued harshly with her brother, because he teased her. or simply he watched her from the side of the stairs. his description of Mangan's sisters dress swinging from side to side as she moved her body signifies that she could be arguing at the lot of boys, or she is in the process of making a difficult decision.
Every morning he lay on the floor of the front parlor, this is a habitués action, he lies in wait for her to appear, so he can follow her.
The blind was pulled down to within an inch of the sash, shows that he doesn’t want to be noticed by her, he knows what he is doing may be wrong, he feels its immoral, but pursues his temptation in defiance of his better judgment. also a sash is something to hide or conceal something, exposed neck, chest so as to appear proper, and not indecent in the eyes of others.
His anxious waiting for her gives him excitement, but he is overjoyed when she appears on the doorsteps (Her door steps, or his own).
He (the narrator) ran to the hall to seize his books and then follow her. he rushes to seize, grasp tightly,
I kept her brown figure always in my eye, he could always see her no matter what he was thinking of, when they came to the point of the road where they diverged he sped up and passed her, he is anxious to appear ahead of her, he doesn’t want to be her follower anymore, as it may be uncommon in society, or he wants her to follow him, reversing the roles of his mental relationship with her.
I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, sets the tension between the two, he likes her but he’s unsure how she feels about him; and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood- just the idea of her made him feel uneasy, fluttered by her name, he becomes intensely vexed by her thought.
He thought of her in times when love and romance should never come to mind - his guide from the ugly of life- weather it be with family, or surrounded by prostitutes and drunken men- often brings about thoughts of violence- amid the curses of laborers, the shrill litanies of shop-boys who stood on guard by the barrels of pigs' cheeks- these men are unsatisfied with their jobs, unlike the coachman, and are driven to drink, and lay with whores, blind to the natural beauty found in the world. the cheeks of animals are thought to be the most tender and flavorful part of the animal, very tempting.
Litanies- liturgical prayers consisting of vocations- the shop-boys swore to god about various hardships, shrill meaning deafening or vulgar.
He and his aunt walked through the flaring streets- flaming, dancing flame, fire is tempting to young people, draws moths the fire, hell. the streets may be guiding them to somewhere important, but if they go off the street then they might be lost.
Nasal chanting of street-singers, who sang a come-all-you about O'Donovan Rossa- Irish revolutionary around the time of 1838 - 1898(from Wikipedia). or a ballad about the troubled lands of Ireland, time of crisis, civil war, loss of faith, doubting all that is known.
These noises converged in a single sensation of life for me: I imagined that I bore my chalice safely through a throng of foes.- dreams of being a revolutionary/rebel, he imagined that he safely traveled bearing his religious beliefs through oppressors, barbarians?, native Irish tribes. (reflection of running the gauntlet of tribes from the 3rd paragraph).(also the street he is currently on, jostled by drunken...)
'Her name sprang to my lips at moments in strange prayers and praises which I myself did not understand.' - didn’t understand the prayers or why her name sprang to his lips.
'My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) and at times a flood from my heart seemed to pour itself into my bosom.'- he had sudden feelings that he hid inside, but often escaped in tears, tears that made it difficult to see, in a flood of frustration. overwhelmed by grace, Mangan's sister is his Christ. Ignorant of his feelings and what they mean, he is slowly discovering himself.
'how could I tell her of my confused adoration'- he reveres her, but doesn’t know why he feels compelled by her, and doesn’t know how to judge it.
'my body was like a harp'- past tense, why?, harp is British offensive slang saying of Irish decent. Heavenly instrument.
'her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.'- she controlled him, possessed, bewitched, manipulating his every action.
'One evening I went into the back drawing-room in which the priest had died.' - dusk/night time, place of discovery/judgment/loss of faith.
'broken pane'- allows the dark rainy environment in, he could hear the rain impinge upon the earth.
'the fine incessant needles of water playing in the sodden beds.'- beds in the garden, they are excited by the relentless rain, that impinges upon the earth, striking it violently or altering the state of things. rain is water falling from the sky, which only grows darker throughout the story.
'Some distant lamp or lighted window gleamed below me.'- reflection off the window from across the street or another room in the house.
'I was thankful that I could see so little.'- past tense, probably regrets it now, but was glad that he was impervious to the truth around him at the time, it allowed him to focus on something else.
'All of my senses seemed to desire to veil themselves'- hide themselves, but appear to improve, hide their real intentions, chastise themselves, purify or punish for reform
'feeling that I was about to slip from them, I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring: O love! O love! many times.'- he feared that he was falling from grace, such as the priest might have, so he prayed fervently to his goddess, Mangan's sister, his love.
'At last she spoke to me. When she addressed the first words to me I was so confused that I did not know what to answer.' - She spoke to him, not necessarily appeared, or maybe was an apparition. What were the first words? he might have been confused because she shouldn’t be there, and she magically answered his prayers.
'She asked me if I was going to Araby'- possibly another name for Arabia, full of desired goods, spices, the original trade area of the world. the original bazaar.
'I forgot weather I answered yes or no.'- signifies the answer is irrelevant.
'It would be a splendid bazaar, she said; she would love to go.'- why does she want to go, why cant she, what’s her limitation?
'And why can't you? I asked.'- questioning his faith in her? wants to learn more.
'While she spoke she turned a silver bracelet round and round her wrist.'- signs of deception, enticement, flirting.
'She could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat that week in her convent.' if it takes a week, then Araby must be far, if she goes away, in an opposite direction, and he goes further away, then they grow separated, and lost from each other.
'Her brother and two other boys were fighting for their caps and I was alone at the railing.'- either she was arguing with the narrator, or he was arguing with Mangan's sister and/or the boys, possibly causing them to fight, where did they come into the picture. The BROTHER is trying to decide what cap he wants to wear, and argues with himself.(two stories?).
'She held one of the spikes, bowing her head towards me.'- what’s the spike for, crucifixion?, bow or bow, act of submission, or enticement, temptation.
'The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck,'- attracting his attention, why is it now their door. neck, hair must be up.
'lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the railing.'-some hair luminance in the light. falling hair? what railing? did she start to scold him again, or never stop.
'It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible as she stood at ease.' she stood sideways in the doorway, don’t petticoats cover the dress? she was rested now.
'Its well for you, she said.'- what is well, the bazaar, or fare well, he missed his opportunity to go with her, she was sideways in the doorway as if she was about to leave.

only up to the 8th paragraph, might post some later

Critical Thinking Competency Standards

Um....Mr. Hughes, I can't seem to find this book in any stores. And I've tried many websites too, but none of them sales them. Barnes and Nobles said that there was no publisher for this book so they wouldn't order it. Half Price Books said they didn't hold that book either.

Jesselman CHapter 16

Q: Why should we not feel like we are smarter or more superior than out grandfathers when we have messed up our ideal world?

A: "If they had not yet fully learned what was necessary to create the world they wanted, the esperience we have since gained out to have equipped us better for the task"(262) in other words, we should have drawn off of their knowlegde and moved farther than they did.

"we shall not grow wiser before we learn that much that we have done was very foolish". Amen.

Jesselman Chapter 15

Q:What are some of the problems of peace arising from aritificially fostered economic solidarity of all the inhabitants of any one country?

A: "If the resources of different nations are treated as exclusive properties of these nations as wholes, if international economic relations, instead of being relations between individuals, become increasingly relations between whole nations organized as trading bodies, they inevitably become the source of friction and envy between whole nations. (241)"

Jesselman CHapter 14

Q:What is it that distinguishes our generation?

A: "It is not any contempt for material welfare, or even any diminished desire for it, but, on the contrary, a refusal to recognize any obstacles, any conflict with other aims which might impede the fulfilment of their own desires which distinguishes our generation.(222)"

Jesselman CHapter 13

Q: WHat prepared totalitarianism?

A: "and, undoubtedly, not merely the ideas which in Germany and elsewhere prepared totalitarianism but also many of the principles of totalitarianism itself are what exercises an increasing fscination on many other countries.(202)"

Jesselman CHapter 12

Q: where are the ideals that Plenge expresses popular, or where do they derive from?

A: "certain circles of german scientists and engineers who, precisely as is now so loudly demanded by their english and american counterparts, clamoured for the centrally planned organization of all aspects of life (190)."