Blindness and Delusion: Quotation Presentation

 The Stone Angel: Margaret Laurence

“Summer and winter she viewed the town with sightless eyes. She was doubly blind, not only stone but unendowed with even a pretense of sight.” (Pg. 3)

 

“Every last one of them has gone away and left me. I never left them. It was the other way around, I swear it.” (Pg. 164)

 

Who are you?

Relatively easy question, but look at all the factors that define the complexity that is embodied within you. You would not be who you are today if it weren’t for those people that you are surrounded by. The man who smiled at you before getting on the train; the child who eagerly reached out her hands trying to grab your shirt; the family you depend upon for love and support; they are all potters – gently making impressions into the wet clay molding you into who you are.

 

As evident in The Stone Angel, Hagar seems to be pushing all those who love and care for her away. After delving more into her heritage, Hagar seems to have had an upbringing that has taught her the traits of being rigid and uncompromising directly as a result of her father. The mindset that he approaches his problems with is one of pride- unwavering pride.He purchases a Stone Angel statue from Italy not to make a symbolic reference to his wife’s angelic beauty, but rather he wanted, even in death, to have his family name above the rest. This is in itself quite repulsive but who can blame him for being just like all other self-centred humans. His act of giving his family name honour and respect was purely an act of selfishness.

For the second quotation Hagar considers herself to be alone at home and is unable to fall asleep again. Hagar complains about the lack of warmth and places the blame on Doris- as usual. This is the turning point for when she recalls John leaving her and not going to pursue further studies because he wanted to go to his father Bram. Her quotation greatly demonstrates Hagar’s delusion and how she is never the one to blame. This ideal picture of herself is precisely what has made her deluded which I go on to further talk about in the following paragraphs.

 

Margaret Laurence’s style of writing leaves behind many clues that are left for the reader to put the pieces together. In the first quote, she implies how since the Stone Angel is viewing the city she is not actually part of it. This separation is what Margaret Laurence is trying to display throughout the course of the novel. If someone is alone, they will have nobody to correct their mistakes resulting in a lack of growth. It is quite apparent that Hagar is a character that fails to grow and accept her circumstances because of her pride.  She also mentions how the statue is “doubly blind” with not “even a pretence of sight”. Humans are quite fond of creating facades or putting on an act because we are either unable to understand or are too afraid of the truth.  In order to better understand this, the concept of being blind needs to be coupled with delusion.

Delusion is not a choice; it is a rigid mindset. This is evident in the second quote when Hagar’s internal beliefs are shown describing how she believes that everyone has left her and how she “never left them”. Individuals that are delusional hold their beliefs quite close to themselves and are not willing to accept that what they believe is wrong. Therefore, these individuals would not be capable of putting on an act because they don’t have any doubts that their beliefs are in any way wrong. Hagar greatly resembles this statue in that her pride has alienated herself from others which, consequently, has left her blind to not only others but herself as well. She has become so blind that she can’t even recognize herself any more.

 

My grandmother is very close to me and has been a major part of my life ever since I was a child. She is one of the main reasons that I am the person that I am today. Her problems are considered to be my own problems. So, when I heard about her situation with her brother I was naturally interested. There was some issue that had arisen-pointless now- that caused a fight between the two siblings. My grandmother’s brother lived in India and stopped talking to her altogether. He became deluded with the impression that he was the one who was right, and he firmly stuck by his belief. This resulted in a separation that lasted three years. My grandmother had made some attempts to send cards, but it was only in vain because he just returned them. Then one late night my grandmother found out that he passed away which left her devastated. She was filled with a sudden surge of both grief and regret that was so overwhelming that even I could feel it. She still went to his funeral and the moments that she spent there were stretched about and made to feel like an eternity. His blindness and delusion is what created this misconception that broke such a powerful bond that existed between a brother and sister.

 

Prior to his death, my grandmother’s brother was made to look like a villain which wasn’t necessarily true. Yes- it was wrong for him to have severed all his ties, but his love for her never faded away. With this in mind, I wrote a poem in the perspective of my grandmother’s brother. I felt a need to prove that his love never died for my grandmother because it was essential that she knew the truth. This is an interpretation made by me, but I feel that the truth does not rest too far away.

September 8th, 2018: This was the date that I wrote this poem and, coincidentally, it happened to be the same date that my grandmother’s brother had passed away a few years ago. Still, I have felt that this was less of a coincidence and something more like fate.

 

 

The murmuring of dark skies

 

Here we are.

Summer and winter

she ran away like a majestic bird,

ready to take flight.

I guarded her with my life and loved her

for being there with me.

A red flower that bloomed in my life giving

me hope. She hid in

the bushes waiting for me to find her. I never did. It was

a simpler time then.

 

3 years alone…

Time stalls here without her. I feel like

a caged bird unable to escape.

I love her and care for her. Why did she

leave me? I never left her,

I swear it. I look up and see a glimpse of

the clouds, and I see her

there-falling like a drowning woman. Why

can’t she come to the

surface? Flames rekindle in my heart. She

calls. Her voice is the

honey to my naked soul; it helps lull me to

sleep on these

sleepless nights. How can I tell her this?

 

Gone.

 I see my body burning below with

my family watching

in sorrow- she comes. She cries until

she can’t anymore.

At length the funeral ceases. Her life

will be filled with

regret, and I know better than to be

forgiven. I couldn’t

take care of that red flower and now she

has wilted.

 

My last kiss is not to be placed upon

my sisters withered cheeks; my last

kiss is reserved for death- so unexpected.

I always thought that I had more, time.

 

If only I could fill the gaps of those lost years.

If only I could hold my deedi¹ one more time.

If only she could look up at those dark skies to hear my confession.

If only- these two words are all that I have left.

 

 

 

 

 

deedi¹: Sister

 

 

 

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4 thoughts on “Blindness and Delusion: Quotation Presentation

  1. Dearest Abhay:

    WOW! You never cease to amaze me with your intellect and insight. You always seem to offer new perspectives and ideas to everything you analyze, allowing me to think more and formulate new ideas of my own. I love learning from others – thank you for giving me that opportunity.

    I would just like to take a second to appreciate the quotations you chose because THEY ARE SO GOOD, OH MY GOODNESS! They are so well written and beautiful and clever, UGH! I can’t believe I hadn’t chosen them lol.

    Anyway, back to this. I really, really loved your choice of the word “delusion”. It’s exactly the word that describes what Hagar experienced. It is the perfect word I needed to use, but never found in my analysis, so thank you for reminding me. Delusion is the best description of Hagar, in my opinion, because she has a skill of judging people, yet she cannot judge herself. She lacks the self awareness she needs to accept her life, resulting in breaking that delusion. She does not even know that is what she is experiencing. So how can she undergo change when she is unaware? I thought you explained that greatly.

    I also have to comment on your personal story. I was so touched by how you were able to become so intimate with the class. I feel like I’ve gotten to know you better by just hearing that story. And I was just in awe of your emulation. It’s so difficult to write in the perspective of another, yet you did it so incredibly well, it could’ve been your grandmother’s brother all along. Gosh, I also loved how you wrote it on his death anniversary. Not that his death was good, but I love how you said, “Still, I have felt that this was less of a coincidence and something more like fate.” GOSH, I really felt that in my soul.

    My favourite line of your emulation was, “My last kiss is not to be placed upon my sisters withered cheeks; my last kiss is reserved for death- so unexpected. I always thought that I had more, time.” These lines truly encompassed the effects of time, love, and regret so tragically, and so beautifully. Well done!!

    Thank you for this, Abhay! I can’t wait for more to come.

    All the best,
    mia 🙂

    1. Mia,

      Thank you for all the glows that you got out of my piece. It is nice to know that my point of view aids you in creating new ideas of your own, but, for me, YOU are the one who offers some great ideas and also creates a positive vibe in the classroom. I am grateful for having you in my class because your honesty is what helps not only me but other students in our class feel more open to sharing their own thoughts. The story that I shared with the class was probably more personal than I usually get, and I am glad to hear that it helped to enhance my piece. It was amazing to see how you narrowed my quote down to being the effects of time, love, and loss which are three topics that I may consider writing about in the future. I appreciate you taking the time to read through my post and pulling out specific details that you liked which can be useful for me when I write future posts. Thanks once again.

      Sincerely,
      Abhay

  2. Abhay,

    My friend I always knew you were one of hidden intellect. You see all and you synthesize your thoughts and ideas into one powerful piece. Having you in our class is such a blessing, and being one of your parents, I have nothing less to say than that I am proud. Proud to have this beautiful opportunity of being able to watch you grow, and growing myself while at it. Now, let’s look into this beautiful piece here.

    A habit of one of our former classmates which I have adopted, I will begin with the “grow” aspects first, as I feel then we may end off with a positive notes on everything you’re doing well. So just to start off, there was a minor inconsistency with the words in the quote (at the top you had the word “pretense”, whereas during your analysis you used “pretence”). It isn’t too big of a deal at all, but it had me checking to see if even I truly understood what the quote was saying, so just a quick proofread will help keep your blog consistent. Not only in that, but also I noticed quite a few GUMPS (grammar, usage, mechanics, punctuation, spelling) throughout your piece, sometimes in the usage of hyphens, or in starting off sentences, etc. Although it was still possible to understand the meaning of your writing, a read through afterwards will help keep your writing smooth, and allow the reader to easily grasp the true intellect behind your words. If you have any questions as to any specifics you’d like for me to point out, I’d be more than happy to do so, during class, or even after school. Just let me know :). As well, just a last comment, I’d find it easier to believe your words if there’d be a sense of confidence behind them. Whether by habit or some other reason, there seems to be a layer of fluff around your meaning, where there are words which may seem unnecessary or add a little doubt as to how much you believe in yourself. Once again, going through with a fine-tooth-comb will most certainly help to remove that fluff and get straight to the meaning.

    Moving forward, onto the “glow” aspect. Just to start off, I want to congratulate you on the poetic skill which you are already showing. I must admit, it took me quite a while to find the courage to share any of my poetry, and here you are with a poem for your very first blog. And a great one at that. Man, you already have your own, defined voice developed. I can hear you saying these words as I’m reading it – and we’ve only known each other for a couple weeks. That’s a talent I daresay is hard to find for a first blog (in AP), and I must commend you on it. Furthermore, the way you use imagery to get your point across – nothing short of brilliance. To convey different emotions of the same aspect, I am honored to have been able to read such a piece. Although you didn’t do it with this piece, there’s no doubt that you’re able to hold such images and metaphors throughout your writing, and I cannot wait to read one. Another thing I must say you do wonderfully is keeping the quote integrated within the piece, through direct quotations even. Even now, I find it a challenge to stay on one task of keeping some important aspect of my writing INSIDE my writing, and I’m impressed to see that there wasn’t a single moment where I could say that you let go of your grip on those quotes. There’s no doubt that you’re going to go far, my friend.

    I applaud you on a successful start to the AP English course which you have decided to take (thankfully). Although there were not any doubts prior, you’ve completely solidified (like a stone) your position in this class, removing any spec of doubt, if there be any. I look forward to the brilliance you are going to show in this class, and then in life. I am more than honored to be one of your parents in your journey through AP 20, and anticipate that your presence will aid many in their self-growth. Great job man!

    ~Muhammad

    1. Muhammad,

      Let me just start off by saying that I am proud to be your child in our family group! The discussions that we have are amazing and leave me quite confused before I get home. I appreciate having you as one of my role models for this class.

      I accidentally mixed up the American English and British English way of writing “pretense” and “pretence”, respectively. Thank you for reminding me of that. After Mrs. Hunnisett had explained how to use hyphens properly, only then did I realize that there is supposed to be a space, so I will ensure that I fix these mistakes for my future posts and do quick proof-reads to check for any GUMPS. I actually have been told that my writing is too ambiguous, and I am so grateful that you were able to catch this so that I can fix this problem early on in the semester.

      My style has actually been difficult for me to find and was actually something that I struggled with, so its nice to know that I have grown past that. The use of imagery and metaphors can be so powerful in poetry; I hope that I will be able to take this into my future posts like you said. Coherence is another problem that I have because my mind tends to wander when I look at certain topics. It is comforting to know that my writing was clearly conveyed to you as it shows that others will also be able to understand what I am trying to say.

      Thank you for taking the time to go through my post; it is nice to hear feedback from such an insightful person like yourself. You have been one of the factors for why I no longer feel any doubt in our class, so I thank you for that as well.

      Sincerely,
      Abhay

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