1. Read chapter 8 on allusions. Answer the questions following Milton's poem "On His Blindness" (135/127/140/140) and turn them in on Thursday.
2. Read "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" (355/295/365/369) and join in a discussion on the blog.
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42 comments:
After reading this poem the parallels between the seven deadly sins and the seven dwarfs is eery. I looked up "Peter's First Epistle, chapter 3" and found the synopsis of Snow White which really helped me understand the poem better.
Since we're focusing on allusions, I think it's safe to say the strongest ones in this poem are to the Bible and to Snow White. I never realized how neat allusions are because once you figure out what the poem/work is alluding to, it's like you discovered a secret message from the author. Snow White and Sins are an incredible pairing and causes the reader to continue to think about their similarities. Both place a significance on the number 7, and I just realized how the Dwarfs personified the sins in an obscure way.
Italicizing the name of the sin clearly related her work to each specific one. The "looking glasses" of Pride is like the Magic Mirror in the fairy tale. Snow White also cooked for the Seven Dwarfs, which is the allusion for "gluttony". The "sloth" stanza is alluding to how she was also the house maid for these dirty little men.
There're some sins that Disney didn't include (for obvious reasons) like Lust and Wrath, so the allusions weren't as striking in those stanzas.
The end of the poem is interesting because "Handsome Prince" was italicized just like the sins. To me it seemed like Snow White gave into Lust and Greed when she "beat it to St. Anne's" Maybe this was put in there to show that we all have our faults?
I don't know if the dwarves learned from Snow White, but I feel like they would've, knowing it's a Disney movie. Snow White is also about as pure and angelic of a name as there is, so I could see that she was the mender of their sinful ways.
I don't feel like this poem alludes to anything else, so I can't see a connection to society at large. It was an interesting comparison though.
For the real story (not Disney) of Snow White, see http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/snowwhite/story.htm. Also, "to take the veil" is to become a nun.
After reading this, I never really realized such similarities between the sins and the dwarves, and like Natalie said, the significance of the number of dwarves and the number of deadly sins, is the same, 7!
Pride: looking glass --> "mirror mirror on the wall"
lust: magazines --> dirty magazines? (bare tits and asses - line 15)
gluttony: covered half the table --> table full of food
avarice: cards and chips --> i'm not sure what avarice is
envy: bought at Gyp's --> i don't understand the envy one
sloth: soiled drawers --> being lazy and not cleaning after dirty things
wrath: bruise of wrath --> angry for being banished
These seven allusions are pretty much the same, every way you analyze it. So Natalie did, but I chose to repete it. haha
I'm not sure why the author chose to compare the sins with the dwarves. Maybe the dwarves were the epitomes of these sins. We, society, just goes along, living our lives with all of these sins and we expect and hope for someone like Snow White to come along and make us good by cleansing us of our sins.
I need help on the On His Blindness questions.
I'm assuming that the point of the poem is to take what happens? The speaker seems content with his blindness and doesn't whine or demand things from God. I get confused around line 10. "Who best bear his mild yoke, they serve him best." Who is they? Who is saying this?
aaahhh hellppp!
I believe there are two obvious allusions in “Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins”. First, the Bible, or more specifically, the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride). There is also an obvious connect between the allusions of Snow White and the Bible because of the number seven.
One of the things I automatically think of when I think of the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is how the evil queen would sit and look at her reflection in the mirror, asking “Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?” This is much like the line "pride's wall of looking glasses" (line 13) which describes the queen’s magic mirror that would tell her she was the fairest of them all, and the queen would beam every time she heard the answer.
The poem always talks a lot about how the “Good Catholic girl” did the cooking, cleaning and completely took care of the “Seven”. In the beginning she did not mind her duty as a caretaker, for “one's duty was one's refuge, after all” (line 4). I recall similar behavior by Snow White when she first came across how the Seven Dwarfs lived. She was appalled that the men lived in such filth and without the care of a woman that she took it upon herself to look after them. "Retrieving several pairs of Sloth's soiled drawers,/ A sweat-sock and a cake of hairy soap" (lines 23-24).
The last two or so stanzas seem to be a turning point in the poem. “And she was out the window in a second, / In time to see a Handsome Prince, of course, / Who, spying her distressed condition, beckoned /For her to mount (What else?) his snow-white horse (lines 33-36). Just as she was getting fed up and worn out, her Prince Charming showed up and rescued her. This is not unlike Snow White’s situation, who she lived “happily ever after” with.
HI--
I like this poem’s rhyme scheme. It’s constant throughout the whole poem.
Like Natalie and Michelle have already said, the poem alludes to Snow White and the Bible -- Catholicism, too.
I think it’s interesting how the words “handsome prince” and “male” are italicized, just like each “seven deadly sin.” This might suggest that her “prince,” husband, or whatever, is the one committing these deadly sins. She is growing tired of her horrible life. Literally, she seems to be counting down the days, drawing “X’s” in the mirror “with her thumb. She notices herself sick, “grey and paled,” which only emphasizes the bruise “Wrath” left underneath her eye. Abusive husband?
Thanks Ms. Minor for explaining the last line. At first, I thought she and the prince married (veil a bride wears). The fact that she became a nun is sort of ironic. In the original fairy tale (the link a few posts up) they do marry, and live “Happily Ever After” -- this poem suggests the complete opposite. It sounds to me like the woman finally breaks out of her nightmarish marriage… and goes on to be a nun, a life where sin is avoided and can no longer harm or touch her.
Snow White is a commonly heard story among American Children, and the Seven Deadly Sins are common knowledge to Christians around the world. The title was once again key in breaking the poem. Without the title, I would most surely be lost in confusion right about now.
When you count out the italicized names, there are 7. Seven is relevant to both the Bible and the princess story. Within the bible, God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. For Snow White, the seven dwarfs are clearly where the number seven shows up.
In the third stanza it says that slowly she became a little more sinful every day. A common phrase in Chritianity is, "the slippery slope". It is slowly growing more and more corrupt until you are lead into your ultimate destruction.
Snow White eventually, while cleaning, dies from it all. This is just like the old tale. Then, her prince comes home. And now instead of bringing her back to her senses by knocking out the poison apple, he knocks her into conciousness with the slam of the car door.
The color of purity is white. Snow White was originally so pure. The prince who I am guessing is a priest of sorts or Christ himself, speaks to her and tells her of her wrong doings. She immidiately takes the veil by becomming a nun.
I would have not had an idea about the last stanza were it not for Ms. Minor's help!
I hope I am going in the right direction...
Having never really watched Disney's version of snow white here is my take on the poem. I think this poem retains many elements of Disney's rendition, however it is retold with a twist.
In the beginning it is said that "she didn't mind the cleaning. "All of her household chores, at first, were small And hardly labors one could find demeaning". I think this passage is introducing the reader to her life of sin and that it is at a manageable level (nothing big). When things get a little out of hand she just "confessed them to the Father".
The next stanza tells the reader that "years passed. More sinful every day". It is followed by an introduction of the seven sins alluding to the seven dwarves of snow white. I got the impression that she is growing tired of the "seven", but is becoming more enslaved as time progresses. The following stanzas allude to the 7 sins. (Natalie and Michelle explains it very well)
Like snow white, the "Good Catholic girl" is forced to work for "seven". She is a victim of the "seven" sins. The ending is where it gets a bit different. Instead of her prince saving her, she leaves her prince and saves herself by going to "St Anne's where she took the veil".
Many people have already noted the parallels between the seven dwarfs and the seven deadly sins, so I will refrain from restatement.
To me it seems that over the course of the poem, Snow White becomes increasingly sick of supporting the sinful dwarf's bad habits. Although she is not committing the sins herself, she feels she is enabling them and therefore sinning indirectly. She notes that she has "grayed and paled" (27) from the stress of it. I interpreted her murmuring of "no poisoned apple needed for this princess" as her realization that her supporting of the dwarf's sinning is poisoning her as is. At the end of the poem she decided to "beat it to ST. Anne's where she took the veil" (like many others I would have not figured out that this meant becoming a nun without the help of Ms Minor, so thank you professora!). As a nun, Snow White would only have to be responsible for her own actions, and therefore be free of supporting sin as she did for the dwarfs.
Also, as Jonathan said, white signifies purity. She starts off as Snow White with "skin as white as snow", and ends up becoming a nun, wearing black clothing. Is there symbolism in this change of color?? I am a bit confused...
Nick -- I like what you said about the prince and male being italicized as well. I noticed it, but didn't really make too much out of it. It makes sense.
I'm going to help out a bit more. The source of the seven deadly sins is as follows: The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. The Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories: "venial", which are relatively minor, and could be forgiven through any sacramentals or sacraments of the church, and the more severe "capital" or mortal sin. Mortal sins destroyed the life of grace, and created the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of confession, or forgiven through perfect contrition on the part of the penitent. Beginning in the early 14th century, the popularity of the seven deadly sins as a theme among European artists of the time eventually helped to ingrain them in many areas of Christian culture and Christian consciousness in general throughout the world. One means of such ingraining was the creation of the mnemonic "SALIGIA" based on the first letters in Latin of the seven deadly sins: superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia.[1]
There is nowhere in the Christian Bible that a specific list of the Seven Deadly Sins is given, although lists of virtues contrasted with lists of sins are found in certain books of the New Testament, such as the Epistle to the Galatians. The modern concept of the Seven Deadly Sins is linked to the works of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus, who listed eight "evil thoughts" as follows (Refoule, 1967):
Gluttony; fornication; avarice; sorrow; anger; discouragement; vainglory; pride.
Another allusion to think about is part of much of stanza three. The following is the parable of the tares, from The New Testament, book of Matthew:
24. The kingdom of heaven is likened. The object of all parables in this connection is to explain various features and principles of the kingdom of heaven. Unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. It is important to note what the kingdom of heaven is likened to. It is not to the field in which the tares and wheat were both sown, nor to the enemy who sowed the tares, but to the man who sowed the good seed. The kingdom does what the Sower is represented as doing. It sows the good seed. Good seed. It is declared in verse 19 that the seed is the "word of the kingdom," and in verse 38 that the "good seed" are "the children of the kingdom." These are those in whose hearts the good seed has fallen, and their new lives, as children of the kingdom, are the fruit of the good seed. In his field. The controversy has turned upon what the Savior represents by the field. 1. It is not the kingdom, or church, for this is represented by "the man that sowed good seed in his field." 2. It is the place where the good seed is sown by the Son of man, or through his agency; in other words, the place where the gospel is preached to men. 3. Verse 38 states emphatically that the field is the world.
25. But while men slept. During sleep is the time of the tare-sowing. His enemy came and sowed. It is by no means uncommon for the malice in the East to show itself in this way. A wicked person may do great injury with little chance of detection. Tares. The tare or darnel is, like our chess or cheat, a kind of bastard wheat, looking like wheat.
26, 27. Whence come the tares? When the harvest was near at hand the difference was seen.
28. An enemy hath done this. The great enemy, the prince of the world, who sows evil seed in [78] human hearts.
I really liked this poem! It’s loaded with tons of figurative language, imagery, as well as allusions, which makes the poem very striking and full of meaning.
One of the images that grabbed my attention was in Stanza 3, "the Seven/ breakfasted, grabbed their pitchforks, donned their horns/ and sped to contravene the hopes of heaven/ sowing neighbor's lawns with tares and thorns," (9-12). I thought this image was very vivid and symbolic. The Seven Dwarfs, which symbolize the Seven Deadly Sins, were described as having “pitchforks" and "horns", which personify them as demons, a Biblical allusion. It also contains an allusion to the Bible from Matthew 13.24-30, the Parable of the Weeds, which talks about a man’s enemy who, “while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weed among the wheat.”
Another allusion I found was in Stanza 4, "weighed by his devices- chains, cuffs, and whips," (16). The words "chains", "cuffs", and "whips" refer to Snow White as being in bondage and a slave to sin, which is another Biblical allusion. Although this alludes to many places in the New Testament , a specific spot in the Bible where you can find this allusion is in Galatians 5.1 ,“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…do not let yourselves be burdened by the yoke of slavery.”
Like Natalie mentioned, I didn’t really understand why Male and Handsome Prince were italicized. Are they related to the seven sins? Maybe the prince symbolizes Jesus, because it talks about the Prince having a snow-white horse, which is a Biblical allusion. But most of the time, heroes or good guys in old tales have white horses, so I maybe the prince doesn’t symbolize anyone.
I'm going to help out a bit more. The source of the seven deadly sins is as follows: The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, are a classification of the most objectionable vices that were originally used in early Christian teachings to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen man's tendency to sin. They are: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. The Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories: "venial", which are relatively minor, and could be forgiven through any sacramentals or sacraments of the church, and the more severe "capital" or mortal sin. Mortal sins destroyed the life of grace, and created the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of confession, or forgiven through perfect contrition on the part of the penitent. Beginning in the early 14th century, the popularity of the seven deadly sins as a theme among European artists of the time eventually helped to ingrain them in many areas of Christian culture and Christian consciousness in general throughout the world. One means of such ingraining was the creation of the mnemonic "SALIGIA" based on the first letters in Latin of the seven deadly sins: superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia.[1]
There is nowhere in the Christian Bible that a specific list of the Seven Deadly Sins is given, although lists of virtues contrasted with lists of sins are found in certain books of the New Testament, such as the Epistle to the Galatians. The modern concept of the Seven Deadly Sins is linked to the works of the 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus, who listed eight "evil thoughts" as follows (Refoule, 1967):
Gluttony; fornication; avarice; sorrow; anger; discouragement; vainglory; pride.
Another allusion to think about is part of much of stanza three. The following is the parable of the tares, from The New Testament, book of Matthew:
24. The kingdom of heaven is likened. The object of all parables in this connection is to explain various features and principles of the kingdom of heaven. Unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. It is important to note what the kingdom of heaven is likened to. It is not to the field in which the tares and wheat were both sown, nor to the enemy who sowed the tares, but to the man who sowed the good seed. The kingdom does what the Sower is represented as doing. It sows the good seed. Good seed. It is declared in verse 19 that the seed is the "word of the kingdom," and in verse 38 that the "good seed" are "the children of the kingdom." These are those in whose hearts the good seed has fallen, and their new lives, as children of the kingdom, are the fruit of the good seed. In his field. The controversy has turned upon what the Savior represents by the field. 1. It is not the kingdom, or church, for this is represented by "the man that sowed good seed in his field." 2. It is the place where the good seed is sown by the Son of man, or through his agency; in other words, the place where the gospel is preached to men. 3. Verse 38 states emphatically that the field is the world.
25. But while men slept. During sleep is the time of the tare-sowing. His enemy came and sowed. It is by no means uncommon for the malice in the East to show itself in this way. A wicked person may do great injury with little chance of detection. Tares. The tare or darnel is, like our chess or cheat, a kind of bastard wheat, looking like wheat.
26, 27. Whence come the tares? When the harvest was near at hand the difference was seen.
28. An enemy hath done this. The great enemy, the prince of the world, who sows evil seed in [78] human hearts.
I thought comparing the seven deadly sins with the seven dwarfs was brilliant..I never thought of the dwarfs or snow white in a "darker" way..
Snow White is considered to be "pure." I think michelle made an interesting point about how we continue to live with these sins and hope for someone to "clean" them away. In the poem, the narrator's tone expresses Snow White's disgust of cleaning up after the dwarfs. They are ungrateful and disregard her even though she tries to help them.
Also, living with seven vile dwarfs made her associate sin with men. I think in the end when she is describing the handsome prince she knows she could be lured by him. Instead she runs in the opposite direction to become a nun because she would rather devote her energy towards God.
Ignore the second half of my comment about the wheat and the tares -- I copied the wrong piece. The parable, in simple English, tells of a man who went out into his field and sowed wheat seed. During the night an evil person came and sowed tares (a weed that looks like wheat, but produces no grain). The problem then arises of how to tell one from the other. The field can be ruined because of the actions of the evil person. This is only a piece of the parable, but the only really relevant part for stanza three. Hope this helps and isn't just more confusing.
I just realized that Mrs. Minor and I posted one of our responses almost as the same exact time. If I wouldn't of gone back to fix an error, we would have posted at the same exact time. That's funny!
Like Mrs. Minor said, there isn't really a place in the Bible that talks about the "Seven Deadly Sin" (Christians are taught that in God's eyes, all sins are equally evil) but there is a place in the Bible that talks about the sins that God detests. It's found in Proverbs 7.16-19, but these are not the same sins the poem talks about.
P.S. I don't think Minor read my response.
Words Italicized
-The seven deadly sins.
-Ho-hum. Ho-hum. It's home from work we come.
-Handsome Prince
-Male
I agree with what Jonathan said:
"The prince who I am guessing is a priest of sorts or Christ himself, speaks to her and tells her of her wrong doings. She immidiately takes the veil by becomming a nun."
I didn't really get the impression that the Snow White in the poem was living with seven dwarfs who were committing sins. I think the seven dwarfs were personifications of the seven sins. She seems to be caught up in a cycle of committing sins and how tired she was of all the guilt and pain.. The Handsome Prince, "Who, spying her distressed condition, beckoned for her to mount ... his snow-white horse" seemed like a metaphor of Christ. White represents purity, and her decision to mount the pure horse was a symbol of her being forgiven, and leaving her sins in the past. The line: "She took a step, reversed and without slowing/Beat it to St. Anne's where she took the veil" was unclear to me. I may have overlooked any interpretation of those lines in previous posts.
She didn't get on the horse, but she "Beat it to St. Anne's." Why doesn't she get on the horse? Isn't it going to take her there? Is the Prince a bad character?
I don't really get what happens there. The poem was sad. Why are all the females in the poems we read so.... pathetic...
I didn't even write anything about the italicized words... I just listed them..
Yeah, I don't know why the "handsome price" and "men" would be italicized along with the sins if the prince is a metaphor for Jesus.
I find it interesting that "male" (38) is included via italics with the seven deadly sins. Snow White seems to agree as she "took a step, reversed and without slowing / Beat it to St. Anne's where she took the veil" (39-40). Snow White is rejecting what she sees as a sin. She's also rejecting Prince Charming as a person along with rejecting males in general by becoming a nun. This isn't surprising, as she toils every day under the mess that the Seven Deadly Sins creates and sees their reprehensibility firsthand. All the other sins get one or two lines describing them, and "male" is no different; apparently male is "debonair" and "charming" (38). Is the poem trying to label attractive things as a deadly sin?
Sharon, I don't see this female character as being pathetic. I see her as a woman of character that has the inner strength to put up with all these sinners and not complain about it. Then, when she's tempted with sin, she flatly rejects it.
"Sowing the neighbors’ lawns with tares and thorns."
The Seven Deadly Sins attempt to deceive humanity of their purpose. The tares look as if they will bear forth fruit but never do. The sins trick us into believing the tares, or sinful life-styles, are our purpose; that the tares are productive and will feed us. We, humanity, eventually find out that they don't, but inevitably lose some of our own in starvation...
"as/ If a petitioner before the Pope./ Retrieving several pairs of Sloth’s soiled drawers,/ A sweat-sock and a cake of hairy soap." These lines evoke striking imagery as she, the innocent, suffering and chaste Christian is forced to clean up after the debauchery of religious leadership's hypocrisy. Nice allusion(or metaphor?).
This is another poem offering a progressive view on the question of women in our "civilized" world. The Seven Deadly Sins are all actualized upon by the scenes of this certain Snow White's cleaning of a shared home. Her boyfriend possibly, or even a husband, like every male in the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and even today's American Suburbia, leaves home for the day to work a "real" job. Snow White is left behind to clean the house; attempting to gloss over the debauchery of the opposing half of the human race.
She gives up though, as I would too, and comes upon another man. Perhaps the Prince is an Idealist, a man who makes the woman feel cherished and loved. I think she sees the deception and innate lust the Prince has and "took one step, reversed, and without slowing/ Beat it to St. Anne’s where she took the veil."
I think Snow White, or women, finally realize that the only way to overcome the lusts of Man is to deny them the pleasure of the feminine species. She becomes a servant to her religion, and God alone. She will search for fulfillment in the spiritual world, not the world run by men, created by men, and torn apart by men.
In reality the Seven Deadly Sins apply to men much more-so than to women. It seems like men plant the tares, such as their objectification of women, and, as a result, women see the tares as the true purpose of life; women, as a result, see the objectification of their bodies as the goal, purpose, and meaning of life.
One thing that's bothering me is the author's tone when they write "What else?" (36). As I see it, the author is being sarcastic, the contempt showing that "male" is a sin like the seven others. But I'm sure there are plenty of other interpretations out there.
I agree with Natalie, allusions are mechanisms that authors use to convey their message and express particular ideas. Understanding them however, takes a broad range of knowledge and exposure to literature. In this case, a cursory understanding of the Bible is required to make sense of the allusions being made in the poem.
Before analyzing this poem however, I just want to say that it is "a stretch" for me and I thought it was a bit ersatz but nevertheless interesting. The number 7's significance in the poem were the allusions are concerned and across the board in monotheism cannot be understated.
I read everyone's comments and I think this poem is fairly straightforward in showing how she gradually gains the courage to break away from the life she has been subjected to and become a nun. I don't think this poem has religious encouragement as an intent though.
I want to say something about what a few of you mentioned, that is "white" being a symbol of purity. This is actually a construct. In many cultures not only is this not the case, but it has also been the source of much controversy. Snow White, the Disney movie, was one of the major examples used by academics in accusing Disney of perpetuating harmful stereotypes of race and ethnicity. It's actually a very interesting debate and heavily published if you're interested in reading more. Some of you avid disney fans may have also noticed that in the mid-90s disney began to be more embracing of other cultures and ethnicities.
POCAHONTAS!!!!! My hero.
Obviously, as others have said, this poem parallels the seven deadly sins, and the seven dwarfs.
First of all, when it says "One's duty was one's refuge, after all." This is a very true statement. Because typically no matter how much one hates their daily routine, it is the place that they turn to.
Of course, the seven deadly sins are all italicized as well as others such as "Handsome Prince," and "male." Not really sure why, but I think it may be because they are the themselves are considered sins by the author? It says, "She took a step, reversed and without slowing / Beat it to St. Anne's where she took the veil." As Mrs. Minor said, this means becoming a nun. So everything she had experienced led her away from whatever the "male" could give her, or because the "male" is a sin just like all of the other italicized words. Just a thought.
Nick, I think that her having "grayed and paled" is because of not literal abuse, but just trial and hardship she has faced in her life. Her life slipped by as she was consumed by her work.
I don't see what's the point in this because we are all paraphrasing each other.
When are we going to read a poem about Alice in Wonderland?
~ok, on with the show...
I noticed that this poem read like a nursery rhyme, like the ones your parent/guardians read to you with the protagonist finding a moral to live by. The poem has a hint of feminist in it (what's with all the feminists poems lately?). Well actually I'd turn away from the prince too after suffering through sin that has physically beat her ("festered the bruise wrath beneath her eye." Thats why Snow detests slaving away for a prince. He's a male and males make messes and most of the time there isn't any woodland animals to help you clean. The thorns was a hint for expressing that sins (or really the devil) pops up in everyday life. I'm wasting time by saying that the sins are personified ( but if I don't say it I may lose out on serious points).
Yeah thats about it.
~Alice in Wonderland poem...It would be fun.
Why would Snow White even put up with cleaning the house with the Sins ( SIMS, haha) in it?! I would leave, actually I'd kick them out of the house. Get my pepper spray.
The last two lines of most of the stanzas in this poem confuse me a bit.
I agree with Lauren that Snow White is a victim of the seven deadly sins, always surrounded by them in some way or another. I don't think all seven dwarves necessarily symbolize each of the seven sins, however. In the beginning, "hardly labors one could find demeaning."
In the third stanza, "the Seven [deadly sins]... sped to contravene the hopes of heaven." Perhaps being in the presence of sinners brought her closer to sinning, herself. I don't really understand what "his 'devices' are... 'God's' devices? Expanding on my thoughts of Snow White being the victim of the seven sins...
Gluttony is being 'committed' right in front of her, enticing her to sin. The "cards and chips" could represent that she's gambling with sin, getting close to the edge. I don't really have a clue what the last two lines of that stanza have to do with anything... a gyp is a fraud and she sewed a label on a blazer. Maybe that she is being false in her actions. I'm going to far and incorrectly with that, I think.
As the poem continues, she's more and more unhappy. Slaving away, picking up "Sloth's soiled drawers" and noticed "festered the bruise or Wrath beneath her eye." All the sins seem to be torturing her.
I envision a person driven mad when I read the eighth stanza. She needs no poison apple, for the destruction of her has already occurred.
"She was out the window in a second," running from the sins. I think Snow White "took the veil" after seeing the prince because she saw him as Lust (Handsome Prince), just waiting to torture her: "So debonair! So charming! and so MALE."
I thought this poem was pretty depressing. She gets so caught up in trying not to sin that it takes over her world. It's almost like she's sinning, trying not to sin.
I liked how the seven deadly sins were incorporated into the Snow White story; the seven moral sins diminish the innocence of the childhood story, making it become a dark and depressing story.
There was something I didn't really understand in this poem. Why was there a car slamming sound when there wasn't even a car? The prince was on a "snow-white horse". Also, I've noticed that there were a some modern day objects mentioned in the poem, but the setting is a long time ago. "Bill Blass Label" "Windex" "car door"
I have already been poisoned with Disneys happy story of snow white, but I still found it easy to see the seven sins as corresponding to each of the seven dwarves. Each did seem to have his flaw. (sneezy was unclean, sleepy was lazy...) I may be being captain obvious by pointing this out, but one line I picked up on was line 32. "Ho-hum. Ho-hum. It's home from work we come." this is oddly similair to the song the dwarves sing in the movie, "hi-ho, hi-ho, its off to work we go." It's interesting that the seven deadly sins are introduced in stanza four with "she set to work" and were concluded in stanza 8 with "Ho-hum. Ho-hum. It's home from work we come." What is the meaning of this connection?
I think this poem--like many of it's predecessors in our class--is criticizing the typical American dream lifestyle, with specific reference on American gender roles. This poem was written in 1948, as good American values, white picket fences, golden retrievers and having two children all took off. Society during this period told men to go work, while the women stayed home in their domestic sphere.
I'm guessing this author comes from a catholic background, because being raised catholic, I can say that in many cases the Catholic church is even further behind the rest of society in terms of traditionalism. The multiple religious references throughout the poem help put in context, namely the multiple allusions to the church. The Catholic churches reluctance to change traditional gender roles was even stronger than the American society. You can still see this today, as women are still barred from being priests.
I believe the reason "handsome prince" and "male" are italicized along with the seven deadly sins is because the poet is trying to link men and this woman's misery. The overarching irony is that really her depressing life is not a result of the sins as the surface level of the poem would suggest, but actually her husband. The dwarves traditional song of "hi-ho" is replaced with her husbands "ho-hum" referring to the lackluster life they lead. She describes the husband as attractive and charismatic. Clearly however, all the glimmers is not gold, which is the major point this poem is trying to make.
The comparison of the Seven Dwarfs to the Seven Deadly Sins was hardly an easy and obvious one to me. True, there are seven of both, and for the most part, each dwarf has a quality that resembles closely one of the sins. But the dwarfs are good in Snow White. They ask she do all their cooking, cleaning and so on, but they offer her shelter and everything she could want. They even work hard to keep her safe.
With a twist of analysis, one could say that the dwarfs actually ask her not to leave or talk to strangers at the door because they wish to keep her at home with them. If the dwarfs are in fact going to be paralleled with the Seven Deadly Sins, it would be necessary to assume that the Snow White in the poem turned to sinning for some comfort or relief. After all, the Snow White in the fairy tale would not have sought refuge with them if the years had simply passed as it appears in the poem.
I tried to break apart the allusion that Megan brought up about Billy Blass and envy at the end of stanza 5. However, because I couldn't find any information on what "Gyp's" could be referring to, the allusion could still mean one of many things. Billy Blass was a fashion designer that was known both for his elegant and appealing designs, but also for his fashion that the "everyday, modern woman" could wear. So the allusion could be that because of envy, she tried to cover up how expensive the blazer was by putting a label on it that made it look more common, or it could be that she was envious and sowed an extravagant label on an inexpensive blazer to make it seem better.
So this Catholic girl, (and why is it always 'catholics' that get used as examples for sin and degeneration?) has succumbed to every sin there is, yes?
So there is Pride, which is
synonymous with vanity, which is where she kissing herself in the mirror.
Lust's....um, questionable, not so school appropriate magazine that apparently involved bondage.
Gluttony had half a table of food and greed had a gambling problem.
Then there is sloth, who has left all the dirty clothing and hairy soap around the bathroom floor.
Then there is wrath, which I don't understand because she didn't inflict a black eye on herself, which means someone else had embellished in the sin of wrath.
I don't understand the 'making X's with her thumb' bit either, I know it has something to do with the poison apple thing, where in the story Snow White had to eat a poisoned apple to fall into a deep sleep (that looked a lot like death...).
I feel that this woman is making being a male a sin, after being italics like the other sins. It seems to be like a huge strike agains him in some way, like if that was the reason she became a nun (or his wife if you want to ignore the traditional use of the term 'to take the veil'). Do you think that sho could be a lesbian? Another appearent sin against God? I mean if the guy was so perfect, why would she run away and become a nun?
And once again the idea of a "good" girl gets tossed off the roof of the empire state building and lands on dumpster full of glass and broken pipes. Really, do we have to mutilate all the illitions we set up for ourselves in life? Can't we have a few and let ourselves live in the old saying of 'ignorance is bliss'? No?Darn...Well then.....
I dont believe that the prince is a metaphor to Jesus since Snow White takes a step towards him and then "[reverses]" in the opposite direction. As some others have touched on, I think the prince is rather somehow a source of fuel for these sins and by turning away from him she cleans up her life and becomes a nun.
Perhaps I am looking far too much into the Disney version but since the poem made direct allusions to religion, I figured that maybe the poisoned apple is an allusion to Adam and Eve. Gwynn's Snow White declares that there is "no poisoned apple needed for this princess," and she turns away from the sins and poisons that the apple possesses.
Going out on a limb here, it could be possible too that the names of the dwarfs represent each of the deadly sins somehow.
When I first read this poem I had the same general idea that James and Erik had. This poem is trying to comment on the role women have in society. I did not know what the third chapter of the first epistle of peter was about so I looked it up online and found out that this chapter discusses the role of a good wife. A good wife is supposed to be obedient and is supposed to give the husband authority. The poem is probably commenting on the image of the 1960's housewife that was supposed to stay at home to cook, clean, and cater for the husband.
Also, I agreed with sean's analysis that snow white saw the same flaw and sins in the prince men and all men as she did in the seven dwarves. This is why handsome prince is also italicized.
I looked up gyp online as well and the best definition that I could find is a fraud. So i think these lines are trying to say that envy bought a fake blazer and Snow White sewed on the Bill Blass label to make it look like a real designer jacket? This is the only thing I could come up with.
Nima, I'm glad you added so much to this conversation. It seems like it was the early 90s when all of were watching disney movies so I guess all of us should have learned our proper diversity lessons.
The sins are italicized and capitalized because they are being personified... I think the one about Envy means that she is sowing the label of a more expensive brand (Bill Blass) onto a cheap sweater bought at Gyp's. It's interesting that the speaker says she "knelt.../ as if a petitioner before the Pope" as if her religion was still with her as she cleaned up after these Sins. It's also interesting that as she is cleaning the mirror which had earlier "ogled her dimly, smeared with prints of lips" that she realied how old she'd gotten. Wrath seems to have abused her. I think the Handsome prince is her husband coming home from work, and after cleaning up after him all day and seeing all the Sins he has, she decided she would be better off as a nun.
I think that the main point of this poem was to convey Snow White's feeling of how tired and older she has become due to the life that she is living. Her husband is quite frankly a pig who seems to create messes all over their relationship that has aided in how tired Snow White is of them as a couple. She goes to the pope for help, and all he gives her to ponder about is that epistle in peter, which is about the religious duties of a married man and woman. This seems to be such a harsh and strange verse to be giving to a woman who is frustrated about the life that she lives with this man, and all the advice the pope has to offer is basically to submit to her husband? That seems a bit ridiculous. I could see her drawing the x's with her thumb on the mirror, like she might as well be dead the way that she is living. That whole scene where she is in the bathroom is pretty sad, how the relationship with this man has completely aged her and made her so extremely tired of living in this way.
by the way, i had no idea they made windex in 1948!! haha
I agree with what most have said about the allusions. The main allusions were to the work of 4th century monk Evagrius Ponticus (thanks Ms. Minor), the story of Snow White, and the Bible. First, I find it interesting that the topic was about this, because just a few days ago I was talking to a couple of people and they were telling me how the original stories of Snow White, Cinderella, and even Little Mermaid have all sad endings in contrast to the "happy ever after" endings that Disney made it to be. And they're actually really sad and dark stories. Another thing is that, this topic reminds me of that movie Seven which was a psychological thriller about the seven deadly sins.
Anyways, I think overall this was an interesting yet captivating poem. How do you put Snow White and the seven deadly sins together? The personification of the sins made it more real and more understandable. For example, the author describe gluttony that "empties covered half the tables" and sloth as "soiled drawers, a sweat-sock and a cake of hairy soap". And Michelle, I liked how you said, "We, society, just goes along, living our lives with all of these sins and we expect and hope for someone like Snow White to come along and make us good by cleansing us of our sins." It makes sense and I agree.
I'm still trying to figure it out, and I think an in-class discussion would even further my knowledge but yeah I'm just going to sleep on it for now. :D
I think this poem is quite strange for several reasons. Through several allusions to "snow white and the seven dwarfs" R.S. Gwynn describes a weird scenario of a woman becoming more and more emmersed in sin and a world of sin. Instead of dwarfs, there are instances of sin, and strange occurances. Snow white is a tradition childrens story, and is so opposite to this poem, that describes the seven deadly sins, that it makes for a very interesting contrast. Towards the end of the poem, the speaker looks into a mirror and notices she's become, " grayed and paled," which I think is supposed to stand for the effect of this described sin. I'd also like to point out perhaps the funniest line of the poem that happens after she runs into a prince charming, "For her to mount (What else?) his snow-white horse."
I thought that it was really interesting to see the seven dwarves as something other than the happy little men that Snow White met in the forest. in the disney movie, they seem so innocent, but in this poem, the author uses imagery very well to illustrate what kind of conditions that Snow White had to live in. I thought that "Sloth's soiled drawers, / A sweat-sock and acake of hairy soap" (23) was pretty genius.
Also the first thing that I noticed after reading though the poem once was that the seven sin (ish) words were underlined. I dont really know why they are but It seems like the author is trying to make the connection that the seven dwarves are a metaphor for the seven deadly sins. again... PRETTY GENIUS.
Also the I thought that the ending was very Disney. Princess is fine then trouble hits, but by the end of the poem, Prince Charming comes riding in on his white horse to sweep Snow White off her feet.
I have to admit... this is pretty genius too...
This poem is full of allusions, which makes it hard to follow and understand. I think the general idea of the poem is about the “Catholic girl” (representing a girl who was initially good) encountering the seven deadly sins – lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. The last two stanzas seem to be very important; they act as a turning point in the poem. The girl that was lead into the seven deadly sins by this “Handsome Prince” chooses to turn away from him and move onto another path that will allow her to escape this sinful lifestyle.
I found this poem interest since it feels very different from the poems that we have read so far (more modernized). But the allusions really made it difficult to grasp the idea in this poem.
Scary. Just read the poem again, and that is the right word for this. Then again I believe it is a case of looking at only part of the truth of Snow White, yes there is little way one can rebut the points that R.S. Gwynn has made here, but there is also little way that he can really blame Snow White for what she did or for the dwarves being as they were. They were nice, but even in the Disney version they didn't have the nicest names or anything they were: Dopey, Sneezy, and Grumpy. additionally I think Disney knew the real story quite well because a bit of quick research has shown me that the only dwarf name that the producers were set on from the start was grumpy. And they only chose seven from about 50 here are a few of the ones they rejected:Blabby, Jumpy, Shifty, Snoopy,Awful, Baldy, Biggo-Ego, Biggy, Biggy-Wiggy, Burpy, Busy, Chesty, Cranky, Daffy, Dippy, Dirty, Dizzy, and Lazy.
not exactly the most flattering names, any of them. I certainly think that Gwynn has got the right idea with the sins, and definetly that most of us didn't think about it that way before reading this. The Brothers Grimm version again gives this poem more sense (I'm reading random related things like other versions while I type). I suppose it is only fair to relate them to the Christian sins, and that is what they are doing. In the process Snow White gets made to look like some poor beaten wife with a family who hates her and she just up and runs away with Prince Charming, who is so male . Again a play on our stereotyped life, along with the Bill Blass label.
All in all a fun poem to read.
I thought this was a really interesting poem, and I liked how it blended the allusion with the entire plot of Snow White. I agree with Natalie's and others' analysis of the 7 Deadly Sins and its parallels to the 7 Dwarves.
However, I interpreted the sin of Wrath not as one of the dwarfs' sins, but as Snow White's sin. It seemed as though as the years went by, she was becoming more and more angry with the dwarfs, and Gwynn metaphorically compared it to a festering bruise. The line right after the stanza about Wrath reads "No poisoned apple needed for this Princess." She doesn't need the poison of the apple, because she's already sinned by feeling anger towards the dwarves.
I also agree with Sean's analysis of the last 2 stanzas. Snow White wants to escape the sins of Males and doesn't want to be deceived by a good-looking Prince Charming who probably has sinned or is going to sin like the dwarves did. So she decides to escape and become a nun, instead.
Re-reading this poem, I think the dwarves are more of a metaphor for her husband/partner and his sins that she has to put up with.
This isn’t very original… :(
I thought this poem was eery. The similarity between the seven dwarfs and the seven sins is interesting, albeit a little scary. I thought that the italicizing of the words helped to convey the message that Gwynn wanted to convey, one of giving each of the sins a personality. Each is distinct, yet contributes to the overall message of the poem.
The poem has strong allusions to the bible and the story of Snow White (like evryone else has noticed). I can picture each sin through Gwynn's description, and then connect it to the work that is being alluded to. I think that the purpose of the poem is to show a more personal side of the sins, one that can apply to many different kinds of people.
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