A lot of the below definitions of “wake” seem to be pretty straightforward, however there were quite a lot that were interesting to find. Some dealt with “watching” or “observing” and others might have dealt with more “nauticle-like” references:

• “The state of wakefulness esp. during normal hours of sleep. Obs. exc. in sleep and (or) wake, wake and dream.”
• “Abstinence from sleep, watching, practised as a religious observance: often coupled with fasting. Also, an instance of this; a night spent in devout watching (on the eve of a festival, of the reception of knighthood, etc.); a watch, vigil.”
• “The watching (esp. by night) of relatives and friends beside the body of a dead person from death to burial, or during a part of that time; the drinking, feasting, and other observances incidental to this. Now chiefly Anglo-Irish or with reference to Irish custom. Also applied to similar funeral customs in other times or among non-Christian peoples”
• “Used by Hogg for: A serenade, nocturnal song.”
• “With unfavourable implication: To sit up late for pleasure or revelry; to turn night into day”
• “To be active, alert, stirring, vigilant. Const. as above; also, to be diligent, exert oneself to(do something). to wake over, to occupy one’s mind with. Obs.”
• “Phrases. to fetch (get, get into, have) the wake of (a pursued vessel): to get so close to her as to be able to see, and steer by, her wake. to stay a weather of a wake:”
• “The disturbance caused by a body swimming, or moved, in water”
• “Naut. or quasi-nautical. in the wake of (a vessel); in her (its) wake, etc.: immediately behind, and (properly) in the actual track made by, a vessel; immediately backward and along the track made. Also used of any person or persons aboard, as in his, our, etc., wake; behind his, our, etc., vessel.”

I would like to nominate myself for the word “wake.” I think that this would be a good word to read about/work on because it could take on several meanings: the religious ceremony before a funeral, waking up from sleep, or following after someone or something. Altogether, these are interesting words because they can possibly indicate life, death, and afterlife. I’m interested to see whether or not Joyce will use this to his advantage, and if so, how.

Another option I would be interested in would be “Son” and “Sun.” In our last class, we briefly discussed the death of Bloom’s son, Rudy, and the idea of death in general and how characters cope with it. I am wondering what possible connections might arise between “Son” and “Sun,” with the overarching theme of “metempsychosis” interspersed throughout the novel.

Throughout Episode 4, we find ourselves immersed in Leopold Bloom’s stream-of-consciousness, much like that of Stephen Dedalus’ in Episode 3. Having these two so close together, we are able to see a contrast between both characters in their trains of thought. Stephen Dedalus’ thoughts and questions often seem out of place or make him seem like a lost soul, “Endless would it be mine, form of my form? Who watches me here? Who watches me here? Who ever anywhere will read these written words?” (3.414-415)

Leopold Bloom on the other hand tends to wonder about things in a whimsical sense, asking “why” or “what if” questions. The very first question that he asks himself is what he looks like in the eyes of his cat, “Height of a tower?” These thoughts continue to appear throughout the story generating from pure curiosity which, when compared to Stephen Dedalus, shows that his questions are much more light-hearted.

Molly heself shows curiosity when she asks Leopold what the word “Metempsychosis” means. He briefly explains that it is the “transmigration of souls” (4. 342) and later elaborates saying that it is “what the ancient Greeks called it. They used to believe you could be changed into an animal or a tree, for instance.” (3.375-376) Here, Joyce is setting up what will be a big theme through out the rest of his text.

Katherine Mullin says that “The Little Review’s appropriation of promotional and editorial strategies more at home within a mass-market periodical like Tit-Bits makes it, in one sense, the ideal location for Ulysses” (Mullin 382). I’m curious to know why this is, since Ulysses was considered a piece that was on the borderline of censorship. The magazine took into account the involvement of their readers and incorporated room for critiques of stories. Was Joyce’s work successful in this magazine because it challenged the boundaries and took a much more modern approach?

In our previous class, we briefly discussed the themes of reality and fantasy. It occurred to me after reading Norris and Pecora’s article “Dead Again” that Joyce brings up epiphany as a form of irony.

“…when I came to the story’s penultimate paragraph, which follow’s Gabriel’s realization that his love for Gretta was trivial by comparison to the love of the heroic Michael Furey and which dramatizes the sudden appearance within Gabriel of a new self-awareness and acceptance of others earned through humiliation, my argument was that the attentive reader could not read the line ‘Generous tears filled Gabriel’s eyes’ without feeling that it rang false, or…that Joyce was being thoroughly ironic about Gabriel’s presumed emotional awakening.” (346)

This passage reminded me of our discussion of Araby in class. Like Gabriel, at the very end, the narrator realizes his love for Mangan’s sister will never be reciprocated. Joyce portrays this epiphany as a form of irony, in that there is a clash of what is real and what is not real for the narrator. The dream-like state he finds himself in is ultimately crushed once he steps into the world of reality (in the form of the bazaar) as he comes to terms with being rejected.

It would seem that when characters are thrust forth into the “real world” there aren’t very many positive outcomes. Both the narrator in “Araby” and Gabriel find themselves in the midst of rejection by both of their love interests (though neither are said out loud). Joyce seems to be showing how a fantasy world is much more ideal than a harsh reality where things aren’t catered to how we would want them to be and we must live knowing that perfection does not exist.