Poetry Response #7

The Coming of Wisdom with Time
William Butler Yeats
(1865 – 1939)

Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth.


“The Coming of Wisdom with Time” by William Butler Yeats is about a person gaining knowledge as time progresses. The poem itself is like the cycle of life; it begins talking about life and ending it in death. It also has an array of emotions from happiness, to sadness, and grief.

In the first line of the poem Yeats states, “Through leaves are many, the root is one”. A tree is a metaphor for life; it has the ability to live for hundreds of years, surviving on its roots for water and nutrients. As time passes, a tree grows leaves that fall off the limbs in the fall and ultimately wither away in the winter.

The second and third lines of the poem, “Through all the lying days of my youth/ I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun,” relate to a person’s youth. Children do not give much of a care in the world and do as they please; they are set on having fun and don’t figure out (well the majority of children don’t figure out) what death is until they grow older. When Yeats says, “Lying days of my youth” it illustrates knowledge. We know now what we believed in when we were younger was fabricated and realize we were basically lying to ourselves/being lied to.

I enjoyed reading this poem because it was simple and very true. As the years go on a person gets older, their knowledge grows with them. They aren’t seeing the pretend world they saw when they were younger; they are seeing the world for what is really is and that can wither away a person.

Poetry Response #6

For the Sleepwalkers

Edward Hirsch
(b. 1950)

Tonight I want to say something wonderful
for the sleepwalkers who have so much faith
in their legs, so much faith in the invisible

arrow carved into the carpet, the worn path
that leads to the stairs instead of the window,
the gaping doorway instead of the seamless mirror.

I love the way that sleepwalkers are willing
to step out of their bodies into the night,
to raise their arms and welcome the darkness,

palming the blank spaces, touching everything.
Always they return home safely, like blind men
who know it is morning by feeling shadows.

And always they wake up as themselves again.
That’s why I want to say something astonishing
like: Our hearts are leaving our bodies.

Our hearts are thirsty black handkerchiefs
flying through the trees at night, soaking up
the darkest beams of moonlight, the music

of owls, the motion of wind-torn branches.
And now our hearts are thick black fists
flying back to the glove of our chests.

We have to learn to trust our hearts like that.
We have to learn the desperate faith of sleep-
walkers who rise out of their calm beds

and walk through the skin of another life.
We have to drink the stupefying cup of darkness
and wake up to ourselves, nourished and surprised.


“For the Sleepwalkers” by Edward Hirsh is a poem about when people are sleepwalking, their hearts are leaving their bodies to go on some adventure. It describes how amazing it is your heart and body can leave your mind in it’s unconscious state, and always come back.

This poem grabbed my attention immediately as I felt I could relate to the Hirsh’s first line in the stanza. He wants to say something astonishing and wonderful for the sleepwalkers about the invisible faith they have in their legs is. I myself have wanted to say something “profound” and have not been able to grasp the right words. Hirsh does a great job writing the poem.

A reason I also liked this poem was how it utilized the use of imagery. It was used to describe how the sleepwalkers are walking around, and how they are not entirely certain where they are going to end up. In the first stanza Hirsh states, “…For the sleepwalkers who have…/so much faith in the invisible/arrow carved into the carpet…” (Lines 4 and 5). He does this to show that even though they are not awake, the sleepwalker still seems to trust where their bodies take them. Hirsh also uses sensory images in a variety of stanzas to create a vivid picture of the night and what it sounds and feels like for the reader.

“For the Sleepwalkers” by Edward Hirsh has a theme of the body and heart leaving the mind on its own. It’s an engaging theme, one that I don’t seem to find too often. It causes the reader to keep on reading until the end when they find out what really happens, when the sleepwalker returns back to bed. All together, the sensory images, the theme, the diction, and word play are utilized in a great way to ‘walk the reader’ through what’s going on in the poem; I really liked it because of that.

The Awakening, Ch. 35-39

Oh Edna. You exhaust me.

Seriously reading this book was exasperating. I wanted to shake Edna most of the time and get her to 1) wake up and 2) stop being so confused and make a damn decision! While I’ll admit I did enjoy this book most of the time, however her views on what she thinks is freedom, her children, marriage, the three men she became involved with, and the sea just became too much. It was a nebulous book of her whole life.

To talk about the last couple chapters, Edna basically drowns herself in the ocean and that is that. There are many instances of the sea and the word “awakened” is heavily repeated. Edna is so selfish and does whatever she wants, when she wants to. I mean, she is completely not admirable. She see’s her children when she wants, she throws a party when she wants, and hell, she even dies when she wants. Edna really just needed to get help because she has no structure to fall on other than the Creole society that was imposed upon her. She became the opposite of what she was supposed to be and broke all the rules.

This entire book was about feminism and not conforming to what society wants you to be. Edna did not represent feminism very well as she got gratification from breaking the rules. It’s not that she did anything better after she moved out: she hooked up with other men and became very ignorant to herself. When she doesn’t get the reactions she wants, Edna can’t take it and thus, dies of her own fault. And that was The Awakening.

The Awakening, Ch. 30-34

The next chapters of The Awakening, Edna hosts a farewell party before she moves into the “pigeon house”. Edna wears an elaborate yellow dress and a diamond tiara, given by her husband for her birthday. Leonce showers Edna in gifts and pays for the party, however he does not come. Without her materialist husband around, Edna’s mind wonders and she gets bored. Her emotions get stirred soon in when Victor, a young adult, starts singing Edna’s and Robert’s song. She gets very upset and the party ends.

Edna closes out the large house and moves into the smaller, “pigeon house”. This scene holds significance as it leads to an actual affair at the new home. Edna holds a sense of hopelessness and feels it’s something outside of her. She doesn’t really know what to do with her and the three men she is messing around with. Edna continues to be a very unstable character, and I have a strong feeling Edna won’t make it through the rest of the novel.

The Awakening, Ch. 25-29

In the next few chapters, Edna has an affair. And the affair, while wrong, it represents the extent of Edna being trapped in a life she doesn’t want. We can pull from the last few sections, when Edna became awakened by the feelings she gets from Robert. Now, Edna isn’t able to figure out what exactly she wants and is in a plateau, confused state of mind.

Edna just wants to have this “freedom” to be independent and do the things she wants, like painting, but she doesn’t know how to have freedom without having everything she wants. She does have all the jewelry and luxuries she could ever want, but she doesn’t able the freedom of her own mind. Edna isn’t able to live with just physical freedoms.

One example of Edna not knowing how to balance her life is when she learns Robert is coming back home she still kisses the other guy. Her actions do not align with what she wants. Edna wants to move to her own little house and be independent, yet before she leaves she goes and has a dinner party, and furthermore bills the cost to her husband. Also when she has thoughts of moving, she wants to take the maids with her. She is back and forth, and cannot make up her mind.

I mean really, Edna has no idea what she wants; all she knows is that she doesn’t want what she currently has. It causes her to be in a very confused state of mind in these sections. She wants to be rich and well respected, while doing what she wants. And she wants her kids to adore her, while she doesn’t pay attention to them.

Edna is doing all right now, but we can foreshadow it won’t last long.

The Awakening, Ch. 20-24

In the next couple chapters of The Awakening, Edna becomes obsessed with Robert and her husband, Leonce, expresses his concern about Edna to their family doctor, Dr. Mandelet. Edna is continuing to mope around the house and has lots of mood swings. Leonce confides they are not sleeping together anymore to Dr. Mandelet.

It’s kind of bizarre actually, because Leonce says one of her symptoms is an interest in internal rights of women. They then have a good laugh about it; they don’t take it seriously. The doctor is very interesting character. He does grasp what’s wrong with Edna, but at the same time he doesn’t take it very seriously. He even goes as far to ask if there is a history of insanity.

Another thing that occurs is Edna’s father, a former colonel, comes to visit in New Orleans. He comes to shop for a wedding dress and ring for Edna’s sister, Janet. The relationship between Edna and her father have is a bit distant, however they are companionable and enjoy each other’s company. In the beginning of The Awakening, Edna was very excited about the wedding and now, she does not want to attend it at all. She doesn’t want to go because she feels marriage is a ridiculous thing, and tells Leonce their marriage is failing apart.

What do you even say to that? Edna is changing, awakening, and quite possibly is going crazy.

The Awakening, Ch. 15-19

In this section of The Awakening, Edna is starting to go through the process of change more and more. Robert leaves for Mexico and doesn’t care to tell Edna. This upsets her, particularly when he wrote to his mother and not her.

Back at their home in New Orleans Edna doesn’t do very much, she just draws and paints and sings all day long. She isn’t doing her duties as a wife and is trying to show her husband he doesn’t control her. His opinion of this is he feels she isn’t acting like her self, but what she is really doing is discovering her real self. Edna is tired of her life and is trying to make a new one. Edna is at her breaking point.

I don’t see this as Edna being crazy, she is just trying to get away from life. Edna doesn’t really know where she is going or a plan; she is just aware that is tired of what she has. Edna is still in the process of awakening compared to where she was before.

Also in this section, Edna discuses the relationship she holds with her children. She talks to Adele about never scarifying herself for her children. Edna states she would give up the “unessential’s” for her children, like money or her life, but not her self. This is really interesting to read as it signifies Edna awakening. I mean, before she had children she never had to give up her passions, such as the act of painting.

Edna now realizes that it’s wrong she changed herself and stopped painting after having kids. She is making realizations about her life and she wants to pass on things that make her, her. This shows a great progression of Edna and she is finally able to come to terms with who she is.

The Awakening, Ch. 10-14

In the next four chapters of The Awakening, we see how Edna becomes “awakened”, although no fully. She begins to rebel against her husband and become independent. Edna is not sure what direction she is moving toward, but she knows she’s going somewhere. She is also looking at things in a different way, although she doesn’t understand why things have changed. For example, Edna is unable to relate to her former self submitting to her husband. She also has a vision of death in the ocean and is unable to sleep at night.

Robert triggers Edna beginning to become awaken. She begins to fall for him and enjoys the attention he gives her. Because of her previous romantic history of people not being interested in her who she likes, this mutual attraction is very new to her. She now feels Robert is interested in her – and this is totally unlike her husband. What I mean by that is while her husband does give her gifts and care for her, he is not really interested in spending time with Edna. (Neither of them are at fault, though, as they simply don’t have that kind of relationship.) And so, because of the chemistry Edna and Robert have together he entrances her.

Poetry Response #5

Evening Concert, Saint-Chapelle

The celebrated windows flamed with light
directly pouring north across the Seine;
we rustled into place. Then violins
vaunting Vivaldi’s strident strength, then Brahms,
seemed to suck with their passionate sweetness,
bit by bit, the vigor from the red,
the blazing blue, so that the listening eye
saw suddenly the thick black lines, in shapes
of shield and cross and strut and brace, that held
the holy glowing fantasy together.
The music surged; the glow became a milk,
a whisper to the eye, a glimmer ebbed
until our beating hearts, our violins
were cased in thin but solid sheets of lead.

—John Updike


I really enjoyed “Evening Concert, Saint-Chapelle” by John Updike. The poem had nice very, smooth flow that helped convey its meaning. The imagery allowed me to feel as though I was actually in France listening to this classical concert, watching the intensity of the artists’ performance.

On line 10, Updike described the artists’ performance as a, “…holy glowing fantasy together”. Violins struck furiously together with immense passion; their hearts’ beat rapidly, keeping up with the pace of the music. Updike also chose really strong diction to portray the rapid movements, such as “strident strength” and “blazing blue” on lines 4 and 7. The stalwart diction parallels with the overall feelings and emotions this poem produced.

The ending stanza slowed down the pace of the poem and created an interesting affect on me, the audience. After the swift performance, “the music surged” and the people listening to the music became overcome with emotion. The violins also turned into a glimmer ebbed into their audience’s hearts. I loved the last four lines of the poem because I found it be quite clever. Updike related the passion of the artists with the violins becoming beating hearts. Emotion and passion comes from the heart, and I really liked how he tied the poem all together at the end.

In conclusion, “Evening Concert, Saint-Chapelle” by John Updike was a poem I had never come across before but greatly enjoyed. The emotions and feelings of the artists’ performance jumped off the page; the smooth flow made me feel as though I were in France watching this scene occur.

I am interested to see what else Updike has written...

The Awakening, Ch. 5-9

I really like The Awakening so far. It’s a real story with a plot line and is easier to comprehend than The Darkness, for example. It’s also not just intense imagery with every word meaning something else. So for that, I think it’s a good novel.

One of the interesting parts of The Awakening is a symbol not being represented by something skewed, but rather the symbols are the people. For example, women like Madame Ratignolle and her beauty represent the feminism ideal. That is also the focus of chapters 5-9; it concentrates on two opposite figures, Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier.

Madame Ratignolle is characterized a mother-women who is fully devoted to her children; her identity is them. She is this loving mother that will inconvenience or possibly endanger herself for her kids. For example, Madame Ratignolle is not supposed to lift her children, as she is pregnant, and everyone knows it. It is because she constantly talks about her “condition”, her pregnancy that everyone is aware of what her doctor not to do. Her children and husband tie up her whole world. She wants to be close to her child, in spite that it could put her unborn baby in danger.

Contrasting to Madame Ratignolle is Edna. Edna is the type of women that is constantly trying to put on a good show for the Creole culture. For example, in the previous chapters we saw Madame Ratignolle making clothes for her children, and Edna picked up a piece of cloth and follow suit. She does this because she doesn’t want to get a rise out of the other women; she is the one conforming.

Perhaps the most significant difference between the two women is Madame Ratignolle being a Creole and Edna isn’t. They have been raised in two different cultures. Madame Ratignolle knows how to act within that culture and the so-called “rules” of being mother-women. Edna on the other hand is an outsider, and is still trying to figure out who she is.

The Awakening, Ch. 1-4

The first four chapters of The Awakening were very interesting. I’m glad we looked up information about the Creole society; the information we found applied to the novel. Mr. Pontellier is one of the main characters. He is a man in his 40’s, married to Edna Pontellier, and has two sons named Robert and Raoul. He comes off as a selfish man in a world of his own, and he doesn’t seem to care about his family or how he treats them.

In the research I found, the father is the dominant figure in a Creole household. He does not have to be faithful spouse, but is an indulgent parent. I found this to be apparent in The Awakening. For example in chapter three, Mr. Pontellier had been gone at a men’s club called Klein’s all day and when returned home, everyone was sleeping except for one of his sons. He found his son, Raoul, kicking and talking about crabs. Mr. Pontellier took this as Raoul being sick. “Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needing looking after. He then lit a cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it” (p. 8).

When Mrs. Pontellier denied Raoul being sick, as she had been with him throughout the day and did not see any symptoms, Mr. Pontellier said she was neglect of her children. This made her sob the entire night, as he went off to bed.

Rude.

Poetry Response #4

Still Memory

The dream was so deep
the bed came unroped from its moorings,
drifted upstream till it found my old notch

in the house I grew up in,
then it locked in place.
A light in the hall—

my father in the doorway, not dead,
just home from the graveyard shift
smelling of crude oil and solvent.

In the kitchen, Mother rummages through silver
while the boiled water poured
in the battered old drip pot

unleashes coffee’s smoky odor.
Outside, the mimosa fronds, closed all night,
open their narrow valleys for dew.

Around us, the town is just growing animate,
its pulleys and levers set in motion.
My house starts to throb in its old socket.

My twelve-year-old sister steps fast
because the bathroom tiles
are cold and we have no heat other

than what our bodies can carry.
My parents are not yet born each
into a small urn of ash.

My ten-year-old hand reaches
for a pen to record it all
as would become long habit.

—Mary Karr


“Still Memory” by Mary Karr is the memory in the author’s childhood. It is early morning when her father comes home from working a late night shift as her mother makes a pot of coffee. Karr wakes to the scent of “crude oil and solvent” off her father’s clothes and hears the water dripping down from the coffee pot, releasing a smoky odor. She also hears her sister quickly move across the cold tile in the bathroom. The description of these actions occurring appealed to my senses and gave me a feeling of what mornings were like at her house; it made me feel as though I’m watching this memory replay next to her.

The poem itself is a contradiction to the title, “Still Memory”. It is not one snapshot, many actions occur within (as I previously mentioned). One of the interesting things about this poem is the reoccurring theme of darkness. Karr was deep in sleep when she awoke and reached towards the light. “The bed came unroped from its moorings/drifted upstream till it found my old notch/in the house I grew up in/then it locked in place/a light in the hall –“ (Lines 2-5). When there is no light, Karr is able to stay still and not move forward. It is as though she fears something that comes action occurs. Perhaps Karr is unable to face reality, and that reality may be death. When her father stood in the doorway, “not dead”, and her parents were not “yet born each into a small urn of ash”, Karr illustrates a fear her family dying. She doesn’t want things to change. One final example of that is when she notes the town waking, “Its pulleys and levers set in motion/my house starts to throb in its old socket” (Lines 17-18).

In the last stanza of this poem, Karr reaches for a pen to record what is happening around her. She does not want to forget and writing allows her to remember and revisit her memories.

Heart of Darkness #6

In the final section of Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is carried out to the steamer because he is sick. The natives are very distraught and upset he is being taken back to Europe because he is their sole voice. It is very clear too, that Kurtz is going to die.

When he had a candle in front of him, he could not even see the light. It was unable to penetrate his darkness and now, he is lying in the dark waiting for death.

We come across the mistress who is the complete opposite of Kurtz’s intended. She has seen all of the horrible things occur and represents someone that has been affected. The mistress is completely savage and wild. Kurtz’s intended on the other hand, represents European thinking – she doesn’t understand the darkness. The intended is very naïve too, as she thinks she knows Kurtz but she really doesn’t.

I think Conrad did something very interesting in this passage, and that is while Kurtz is being taken there are shadows covering her. It is like the darkness is growing on her and she is being painted.

Heart of Darkness #5

In this section, Marlow comes to the realization of how dark Kurtz really is. On page 57, he takes a second look at the posts outside of Kurtz’s house and realizes they are not posts with round knobs, but they are in fact skulls!

“I return deliberately to the first I had seen- and there it was black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids- a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of the teeth, was smiling too, smiling continuously at some endless and jocose dream of that eternal slumber” (p. 57).

The skulls are very symbolic to how the natives treat Kurtz. The natives worship him, and Marlow beings to think Kurtz actually ordered this. The skulls face towards Kurt’z hurt symbolizing and acting as a visual reminder he is the one with all the power and is in charge. It is his way of showing the he can take their lives at will.

What makes me twitch after reading this passage is that the skulls are actually smiling. How disturbing! We talked about in class actually, that the skulls are smiling for the simple reason of: they are released from Kurtz’s terror. I still don’t fully understand that analysis, but I do understand that sometimes death is seen as being better the act of suffering. And now all I can think of are those poor natives…

Heart of Darkness #4

The next section of HOD focuses on the journey to Inner Station. There is a strong comparison between it and the men possibly becoming cursed after obtaining ivory. Visually, the men are on small steamboat on river, surrounded by hundreds of trees. The forest could easily consume them. Likewise after the men get the ivory, the power of it could overcome them.

There is also a large focus on restraint in this section. As the ship heads towards the Inner Station, pilgrims and cannibals onboard. Originally they'd been waiting to depart the Central Station without a purpose, but that’s not very important to note. What is important is Marlow's admiration for the cannibals and their self-restraint in not eating people on the ship. There isn't a clear reason as to why they don't eat them; the cannibals are just "nice". Marlow very much admires them for this.

Additionally in HOD we, the reader, realize the amount of restraint in the Natives and Marlow have and the minute amount in the Europeans. When the men begin to hear screams from the mist ahead they begin to freak out. They cannot see through the thickness of the mist that is hiding the darkness. (Hello symbolism!) Marlow has restraint himself in not thinking they will be attacked, although he soon finds out that’s not true. He is very static and remains calm in difficult situations, similarly to the Natives. The men on the other hand cannot keep their composure when the ship is attacked.

Heart of Darkness #3

The second section of HOD was a lot more interesting than the first - more action occurs and we finally begin to explore the darkness. There are two means of exploring deeper into the darkness. Literally, the men on the ship travel towards the center of the Congo. Symbolically, Marlow begins to realize the evil of the people around him by the bad things they want to do.

When Marlow overhears the Station Manager and his Uncle talking about Kurtz, Marlow finds out they both want him dead. The Station Manager feels Kurtz wants to get ahead of him and is bring moral reign. Interestingly, they don’t plan on killing him though. The Uncle feels and trusts the darkness of the land will eventually overcome Kurtz and destroy him. This causes Marlow to realize the evil in man’s hearts and is a very large symbol to pay attention to.

I think it is important to note what Marlow was doing during this seen as it also symbolizes the newfound realization of evil. When the Station Manager and the Uncle are speaking it wakes Marlow up from sleeping. Most often than not Marlow provides many details about everything in HOD, but in this scene the details are not so clear. Marlow is awakened, literally and figuratively, to what the men are saying and as I stated previously, Marlow begins to realize the evil in the people around him.

Heart of Darkness #2

In the next section of reading HOD, we begin to see Marlow’s consuming obsession with Kurtz, who is sick. He is made out to be an icon, an idol, and was the company’s biggest asset for having the most successful trading post. Marlow expects he will be meeting Kurtz but soon finds other problems get in the way, like his damaged boat. Marlow suspects it was intentionally damaged as a diversion from meeting Kurtz.

I felt the damage to Marlow’s boat was really quite unfortunate. He looks to Kurtz as a model for how one can succeed in the darkness, or at least he use to until a new light is shed upon him. After Marlow spoke with the brick maker his opinion altered negatively toward Kurtz. Marlow started to see the reality of who this man really was. I found it to particularly ironic for Marlow to associate time as a reference point with Kurtz because it paralleled to his feelings changing over time.

Heart of Darkness #1

Oh Heart Of Darkness. I’m just going to throw it out there and say, I'm not a fan of this book. It’s extremely difficult to read as I can’t seem to grasp the language, the changes in narration, and most importantly the plot very well. It’s a tough one to read if you don’t devote a long amount to time to, i.e. reading HOD in study hall doesn’t work for me personally. Hopefully sitting down this evening to reread all that we have been assigned will help.

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Over the first ten pages, the men aboard the Nellie sail down the river and Marlow tells a story. The journey they are about to embark upon is characterized as very deselect and adventurous by the narrator. There's a large fabrication of foreboding on the Nellie.

From that point forward, there were many references to darkness and light. The darkness and light symbolize heading from the known to the unknown with the journey. I thought it was very scrupulous to give the feeling of gloom, a word repeated at least fifty times, to represent the darkness and fear. The sense of it is like fog hanging over the men, which contributes to the building of mood and foreboding.

Symbolism and color seems to be very prevalent in HOD, and it should as it ties with the title of the book. Specifically, black and white are used to denote evil and good, as well as indicating purity and death. Take for instance when Marlow sees two women kitting black wool in the Company’s office. He describes the experience as, "…A dead silence, grass sprouting between the stones, imposing carriage archways right and left, immense double doors standing ponderously ajar…as arid as a desert, and opened the first door I came to. Two women, one fat and the other slim…knitting black wool” (p. 10). The women are made to seem as the gatekeepers of darkness. And it took me a little while to grasp this idea, but it makes sense: the women act as fate; they are spinning the wool like a yarn of life. Keep in mind though the wool was black, and so it seems they beckon the darkness.

P.S.

Are my postings too long, or is everyone else's too short?

Poetry Response #3

In Blackwater Woods

Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars

of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,

the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders

of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is

nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned

in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side

is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
—Mary Oliver

"In Blackwater Woods" by Mary Oliver is a poem about a fire that destroys a forest. Oliver uses different literary elements to convey the destruction of the fire. The clear imagery about the features of the land paints a lasting picture, the word choice creates a rhythm and smoothness, and the duties we are told to have as a humans makes this poem very meaningful. Oliver is able to convey the emotional loss she continues to carry around since it burned, and that caused me to really enjoy this poem.

In the first stanza, Oliver grabs the reader’s attention by saying, “Look the trees are turning their own bodies into pillars of light”. She beings with the verb “look” emphasize the importance of the forest burning to her. I loved how she describes the fire climbing up the trees and how it made them look like burning pillars. The image of a pillar caught on fire to describe the trees adds a bit of a shock value to the poem. She also uses personification when referring to the trees as bodies and alliteration with trees and turning to create flow.

One of Oliver’s strengths throughout the poem is the descriptiveness of the stanzas. She describes the scent of cinnamon the trees give off as they burn and paints a picture of the cattails bursting into flames and being taken away by the pond. In the third stanza Oliver writes, “…Bursting and flowing away over the blue shoulders of the ponds, and every pond, no matter what its name is, is nameless now”. Her clear imagery contributes greatly to poem and conveys how the forest completely lost its identity after the fire.

In the last four stanzas, Oliver expresses her sadness and connection to the forest. She lists out the duties we as humans must be able to do: we must “love what is mortal”, meaning we must respect all living creatures, and “hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it…” Oliver writes if the time comes and you have to let it go, the best thing to do is let it go; remember the memories and let it go because that’s all you can do. I thought that was a great way to conclude the poem

Mary Oliver has a deep, personal connection to the Blackwater Woods that was destroyed. What made me really like this poem was how she painted a picture of her memory of the event and was able to let it go at the end. She took us through the process of seeing the trees catch on fire and the forest losing it’s identity completely, and then taught the reader about the duties we must be able to do to live in this world. Doing that caused the poem to make an impact on the reader and created a sense of meaningfulness.

“Eveline” by James Joyce

“Eveline” by James Joyce is a short story about a girl being stuck in dead life and her fear of change.

Level 1 – What is the name of the character in love with Eveline?
Level 2 – Why does she not leave?
Level 3 – Have you ever felt yourself to be in a state of paralysis? Explain.

I really enjoyed this short story much more than “Araby” by James Joyce. It brought out a reaction and made me feel for the character, Eveline. I felt bad for her being stuck in such a dead life. Eveline didn’t have a very good childhood and is unable to understand what love is. Although she does have a man, Frank, who loves her, she doesn’t know how to return it.

What struck home with me about the story was Eveline’s state of paralysis and fear to leave the home she knew. I myself have had many thoughts of leaving this high school before, but have been too scared to leave what I am familiar with. The thought of going to a new school would be a drastic change in my life and I have never been able to take the final step.

After reading this story, I found myself relating to Eveline a lot more than I thought I would. Frank offered her an entirely new life in Argentina, but the shock and thought of leaving scared her. This fear of change is an underlying theme throughout the entire story. Eveline took the steps to leave with Frank and convinced herself change would be a good thing, but she becomes paralyzed once she was about to leave. Eveline had a desire to stay because of the familiarity and only had a disposable person, Frank, to push her. It was not enough and that is why Eveline did not leave.

“Araby”

“Araby” by James Joyce is a short story about a teenage boy’s love for Mangan’s sister and his disappointment when he cannot buy her something from Araby.

Level 1 – Why does the boy feel for Mangan's sister?
Level 2 – What kind of role does the uncle play in the story?
Level 3 – Have you ever found yourself in a situation like the boy? Have you ever felt a loss of hope? Explain.

This short story was amusing to read. At first glance, I wondered why Joyce had written the piece with one sentence quickly following another. For example in this paragraph Joyce writes, “…I watched my master’s face pass from amiability to sternness; he hoped I was not beginning to idle. I could not call my wandering thoughts together. I had hardly any patience with the serious work of life which, now that it stood between me and my desire, seemed to me child’s play, ugly monotonous child’s play.” It feels rushed and does not leave time for the reader to digest. I then realized after reading the story a second time through that the author is mirroring the feeling the teenage boy has with this girl. He is infatuated and fantasizes about her; she is constantly on his mind.

The story moves on to a quest for the boy, which leads to the theme of the story of escape and fantasy. He wants to see the bazaar at Araby and views it as an opportunity to win her over; he fantasizes about bringing her a gift from the bazaar as a way to capture her heart. He promises her a gift, however they’re several obstacles that get in the way, the most prominent being money.

Asking his uncle for money to go to the fair that night, he seems less than interested and returns home later without it. The uncle does not care that he has disrupted the boy's fantasy. This angers him and so he gathers what little money he has in his pockets and runs off to Araby. After facing the cost of the train and the admission price though, he is nearly broke and cannot afford a gift for the girl. This upsets the boy quite a lot and becomes hopeless. He acknowledges that his stay was useless and leaves Araby with “anguish and anger”. Kind of sad, but the boy had to face reality at some point.

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find”

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is short story about an escaped convicts murdering of a family during their vacation in Florida, and how ultimately you should listen to those around you.

Level 1 – Where is the family heading?
Level 2 – What happens every time Bobby Lee and Hiram take someone into the forest?
Level 3 – What can be said about the grandmother going everywhere the family does, and them dying? What could this kind of technique be called?

Let me start off my saying that this story took me for surprise! There are many unexpected turns and I think I’ve come to realize that all the stories we have read in this AP English packet are about death - and you know, that's not depressing at all...

O’Connor used a couple of narrative techniques that made this story captivating. One of which is writing from the perspective of the grandmother and in third person. As a reader we are able to see what is occurring and go into the mind of any character. This made it somewhat difficult to understand the point of view of the story, however it allowed us to see the story unfold.

The story kicks off with the typically family that is challenged by the family member that doesn’t want to go on vacation – in this case it is the grandmother. The reason she does not want to go is because she has read about an escaped murderer named the Misfit who is heading for Florida. Unfortunately every one in the family, except for June Star, ignores her… and at the end the Misfit kills all of them.

I think the theme of the short story was to listen and cherish those around you and maximize the opportunities in life that you are given. I thought it was interesting the grandmother warned the family about the Misfit, got the family lost, and then was eventually killed. There is a fair amount of foreshadowing that leads into the violence at the end. Had the family listened to the grandmother in the beginning, they would all probably still be alive.

“The Rocking-Horse Winner”

D. H. Lawrence's “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is about a family who lives in style but lacks in money, and their son’s answer to the solution through the rocking horse.

Level 1 – What could the mother and children read in each other’s eyes that no one else knew?
Level 2 – Why does the house whisper?
Level 3 – Why are eyes referenced throughout the story? Is this important?

I found D. H. Lawrence's “The Rocking-Horse Winner” to be slightly confusing at first, but had a great flow throughout the story. Paul wants to help his ill-fortuned parents make money. He is pressured through the house whispers to him, “There must be more money! There must be more money!” Paul soon learns about the relationship between luck and wealth, and wants to fix his mother’s problems.

What confused me was why Paul wanted to help his mom, Hester, when she did not love him. He knew this and set that factor aside to try and fix the problems. Hester was unable to love her children and was constantly thinking about the need for more money.

What also befuddled me was why during a conversation between Paul and his mother about luck that he told her he had luck when there was none to be found until after the magic of the rocking horse was found. The order seems backwards; I felt he should have known the rocking horses powers before he said anything to his mom. It seemed kind of strange that the rocking horse spoke to Paul and that, through placing bets on the horses his rocking horse gives him, the rocking horse was the answer to fixing his troubles.

However, when Paul drove himself to his death the cliché part ended. I thought that was a great twist to the story and made me realize the theme to the story more clearly – which was that money can not fix a person’s problems. His mother was never going to be satisfied and the house continued to whisper about getting more. This ultimately ended his life.

Poetry Response #2

"To Myself"

Even when I forget you
I go on looking for you
I believe I would know you
I keep remembering you
sometimes long ago but then
other times I am sure you
were here a moment before
and the air is still alive
around where you were and I
think then I can recognize
you who are always the same
who pretend to be time but
you are not time and who speak
in the words but you are not
what they say you who are not
lost when I do not find you

—W.S. Merwin


“To Myself” by W.S. Merwin is about the loss of someone the author loved and remembering things about that time. Even when he is not thinking of who is lost, he continues to pursue and look for her wherever he goes. The poem itself is a narrative that uses repetition and is one continual thought to explain his feelings.

The way in which this poem is written causes the reader to have to reread it over and over again. W.S. Merwin is remembering a loved one and we ‘walk’ through his thought process by having no punctuations. I think it relates to the title of the poem, “To Myself”, in that, usually when one writes a note to themselves it rambles on and is unorganized such as with the repetition of the two words “I” and “you”. Some parts of the poem are hard to understand but I don’t necessarily think comprehension was the goal of the piece; meaning he wrote it for himself and not anyone else.

I found the ending of the poem to be particularly difficult to understand. Lines 10 through 16 are about what I think is a women and her always be the same but she is not who they she says. It is unclear who they is and why the tone changed from remembrance to more of a challenging tone. The author doesn’t think others understood who the loved one was and only he really identified with her.

It is actually a sad poem because you can almost feel the presence or try to imagine who the person he is talking about is. For example, when he says, “…The air is still alive around where you were and I think I can recognize you…” shows that he has not moved on from the loss of this person and he still thinks of her even when he does not intend on doing so. “To Myself” by W.S Merwin shows the emotion behind the loss the author and how she was remembered.

“I Stand Here Ironing”

“I Stand Here Ironing” is a monologue about a mother’s regrets about her daughter, Emily, and why she is now having problems in school.

Level 1 – Where was Emily sent when she was younger?
Level 2 – Do your parents have an actual handle of what your life is like?
Level 3 – Do you think a man could relate to this story as well as women could? Explain.

I found this short story to be my favorite reading so far because of the way it was presented. It begins in present tense and then moves into the past, when Emily was born and the mother was only 19. What’s interesting about that is that Emily is now 19 and I thought that tied the story in nicely. Also, when I was reading this I sort of envisioned a scene in a movie. I saw the conversation the mother was having and then flash backs of certain scenes, like the daycare or when Emily is waiting for her mom to return, with the author speaking in-between. In the short story the line between the author and the narrator is blurred in a way that it all ties together and flows nicely.

Going to the story itself, I actually felt really sad for the mother. She is talking to the school administrator, or a counselor of some sort, of how she has failed as a mother and that is why her child is having so many problems in school. Emily was sent to boarding school when she was very young, and so a strong relationship between them was never formed. Emily’s mother never was responsible for Emily’s upbringing, it was always the babysitter, or the daycare center, or the boarding school. Emily had to learn to take care of herself and I think her mother regrets that.

"The Lesson"

Sylvia learns through her trip to F.A.O. Schwartz that her family is far worse than she thought they were.

Level 1 – Who is Miss Moore?
Level 2 – Who is Sylvia’s best friend and how is she different than Sylvia?
Level 3 – Why are the children happier living in denial?

I actually enjoyed reading the “The Lesson” because it felt more like a story and was less formal. I felt the author tried to make Sylvia seem like a round character and failed at doing so. She was pretty much a plot device for being the poor girl that doesn’t want to acknowledge her place in the world. She was definitely more of a flat character because of how stereotypical she was.

I found it interesting that as the reader of the story, I was able to figure out the lesson before Sylvia – or at least understand the story better than her. Sylvia continued to try to escape reality and daydreams of places she would rather be. For example, when Miss Moore takes her into a cab and asks her to calculate the tip, Sylvia sticks her head of the window and goofs around. She can’t figure out the tip at the end because she is not focusing on reality. She especially doesn’t want Miss Moore to teach her a moralizing lesson. It is like Sylvia has a strong destination of what she thinks of pertains to her; she knows what is reality and what is in her head.

So in the end, the children and Sylvia don’t like Miss Moore because she tries to teach them lessons they don’t want to know. They are happier in the denial of not having money. She tries to show them the bigger world, which is too dramatic for them to think about. When they go to F.A.O. Schwartz, they are so overwhelmed by all the toys and how expensive they are. It becomes apparent that the class struggles with class-consciousness, the theme of the story. These impoverished people need to realize how class systems are not right and then should do something about it.

"Point the way and we will point the gun"

What does Joe realize that the end of the novel? What is he pointing the gun for?

Joe realizes at the end of the novel that the people that make others kill are the ones, ironically, in charge. It's not them pointing the gun or doing the work. Joe also comes to the conclusion that the whole idea of war is irony because in order to prevent fighting, you must fight. So now that Joe has come to this realization of what he believes, he is willing to fight for it. He is willing to fight for his country if it's good and fitting.

At the end of the book, Joe is pointing the gun towards the men that tell him to fight. One of the quotes I really like in the last chapter is, “You plan the wars you masters of men plan the wars and point the way and we will point the gun” (p,242). Joe knows that he has to point the gun at the masters because they the ones causing the deaths in the war.

Joe's Desires

Do you agree with Joe’s desires? Would that be what you wanted in a similar situation?

I definietely agree with Joe's desires to communicate his sufferings and ideas to others. Once he realizes that the nurse actually understands why he is tapping,, he is so unbelievably happy. So why wouldn't he want to keep on communicating and tell people his story if he is able to get that feeling every time?

If I was in a similar situation, I think I would do just about anything to get out of the hospital. If acting like a warning was the way, then hell, I'd take it - and I would much rather that than die. Also, if you didn't want to that opportunity and be a "spokesmen" for what you went through and allow others to walk right into a similar situation... it just wouldn't be a good feeling to have. As one of my friends once said... "Nobody likes a wallflower!" Take action and do something.

P.S. This is my 80th post. Dang.

What Joe Wants, Joe Can't Get

What does Joe want? Why does he want it? Why is it against regulations?

In the second half of the book, Joe tries to learn how to communicate with others and be understand. It is after he feels a vibration in his throat, a noise the nurse can hear, that he realizes that he can potentially use that with others. Joe also remembers Bill Harper using telegraphing as a form of communicating, and so Joe goes and decides to tap his head in Morse code as his way of talking to others.

Joe then has the idea to take this new form of communication outside of the hospital. He wants to be an educator and show the affects of the war. This however, does not sit well with the government and is against their regulations; the terrible horrors of war would be then exposed. People would see how this man has no limbs and no face, and would not be willing to send more soldiers into such dangerous areas.

Poor Joe

How injured is Joe? How much does it matter?

Johnny Got His Gun starts off with Joe being severely injured in WWI . It's actually really sad because as the book processes, Joe realizes he doesn't have any limbs - including a face. That leaves him without any senses; he is blind, deaf, and can't smell.

This matters to Joe because he is reminiscences his past and is struggling with remaining in a good state of mind. Further, without being able to really experience anything or communicate, his injury puts Joe in a predicament because he must live "inside" his head. He is unlike any other man.

Marriage

Wolfson begins the reading with a definition of marriage. I really like that he started off with saying that when we describe marriage, it's about the love and dedication between the two people - not about it being between a man and a woman. It is also a statement, a status, a symbol. Marriage permits couples to do things others can't. They can have access to health care, taxation, Social Security, and other various things.

The reason why Wolfson does this is, is to provide a base for his argument. He has to first define what marriage is so that he can pull from it later. I think his explanation of marriage is sensible and fair. I love that he does not specify that marriage has to be between a man and a woman because it makes the article seem more on a equal field. Marriage is about the love, not the sex of the people.

Also, on a side, note, the cartoon in this reading was absolutely hilarious. Why, what doesn't make a bigger mockery of traditional marriage than of those who cheat. Such irony!

Always v. Significant Less Often ... (Plane)

After I read Dr. Horn's comparison of the two planes, I feel it's pretty harsh but pretty true. Having two figures in your life is going to allow you to have better odds in life. It's as simple as that. Most of the time parents will stay together just for the sake of the children. I think it's sad that having one parent will raise your chances for risk. And I also feel its harsh because Dr. Horn relates the second plane will getting you to your location, but "significantly less than the first time". He is making the point that people shouldn't take the second plane (if they had the choice) and feels that the traditional mother and father are better for the kiddies.

Appearances

If Vazquez were to disclose that "Brian" and "Mickey" were straight men who got beaten up right off the bat, it would not have made such an impact. It gives the article a stronger angle it allows the audience to have a better understanding of how horribly people that are homosexual are treated. The entire point of the article is show how often people judge others based on appearances. By waiting, it also emphasis the prejudices that occur so often by gays and lesbians. It also gives the article a stronger angle it allows the audience to have a better understanding of how horribly people that are homosexual are treated.

I'm kind of on both sides of the fence in feeling that antigay violence changes when we recognize the victims are heterosexual. I feel that it makes the case worse if a person reacts off of someone's sexual orientation. I don't think people should have a violent reaction to others who might appear or be homosexual. And if they do, then they should be punished to a degree higher because it's so wrong. However, it's also just as wrong to beat someone up for some other reason. So while it should seem okay to say everyone should be punished equally, in my mind I want to say you should have a harsher punishment for antigay violence.

Lesson Learned

Treat others how you would like to be treated; don’t be rude to your brother; always say please and thank you; look people in the eye while talking; eat with your mouth closed and feet on the floor; ask questions, because you won’t know the answer until you do; indulgence and allow yourself to do what you want; this is how you wash whites; use this detergent when washing darks; never mix anything red with light; don’t scuff your feet while you walk, it’s annoying and makes you look sloppy; this is how you put on perfume; this is how you clean the kitchen; light a candle afterwards; protein and fiber are your best friends; eat your veggies; why do you need a boyfriend, can’t you just date?; keep your door open; experiment different things; do multiple things at a time; laugh at yourself; don’t be afraid; don’t smoke; this is what you wear to college visits; shoes without arch support aren’t worth the money; call mom and dad for help; be aware of how you say things; confront those who challenge you;

The “Manly” Man and “Sensitive” Man

Mansfield contrasts the “manly” man and the “sensitive” man. He feels that the two are incompatible because if the two were equal, there would be no need for on or the other. They would become interchangeable and there would be no differences. I hate to think that because it seems so unfair that two cannot exist together. However, I understand it because the two sexes need to compliment each other There needs to be that balance. It's like, woman have to do their womanly jobs, and men have to do the manly jobs and that's way our society works.

Eustace is the Last American Man

Why does Gilbert believe Eustace is the last American man?

Gilbert believes Eustace to be the last American man because he is living off the wilderness and is like a modern-day Daniel Boone. He left his home when he was 17 and moved into the Appalachian Mountains. He made fire with sticks, wore skins from the animals he killed with his own bare hands, and just lived in the wild. Eustace even calls himself a “Man of Destiny”. He knows modern Americans don’t share his same outlook on life and wants to convince them to give up on what they believe in – which is to say a materialistic lifestyle – and join him.

To Gilbert, Eustace is a symbol for what men should be like; Eustace is this man who is rugged and outdoorsy. He is the last American man that lives in a tepee, tracks 30-40 miles through the woods per day, and eats animals right off the branch he might of found them on (e.g. him tying a noose around a birds neck). Eustace is the last American man because he knows how to live in the wild; he is a self-created rustic mountain man.

A man like Eustace is pretty much a memory of the books we were told when we were little. We heard stories of men chasing a frontier, and Eustace represents all of that. He is the only recent one - the last American man.

America vs. Europe

According to Tocqueville, American and European attitudes toward women differ greatly.

He feels that in America, women are rising to same level of men, intellectually and morally. Tocqueville feels that the reason for this is due to democracy. One of the things he mentioned in this article that I found interesting was that, "...Americans do not think that man and woman have either the duty or the right to perform the same offices, but they show an equal regard for both their respective parts..." (p.379). I think that is a very, in a strange way, legit observation. He feels that while both parties treat y each other with respect, the support system for women is not as apparent. It's not that men doubt a woman's ability, they just have trouble showing how they feel.

In Europe it's kind of the opppsite. Men may 'lavish' women, but they have contempt while doing so. Europeans don't see women as equal. That seems very odd to me. To have contempt while complimenting someone is very degrading towards women. Clearly, the attitudes in American and Europe are really quite the opposite.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

It seems like every fairy tale is about boys (who are animals, like the 3 Little Pigs... ironic much?) or they are about a girl who is waiting on the man of her dreams, her "prince charming" as they call it, to come along.

The fairy tale I thought of was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She was thrown out of her house by her stepmother, who was very vain and did not like to be told that Snow White was more beautiful than her.

Snow White was actually suppose to be killed in the woods, which is really interesting and kind of graphic for a fairy tale. She was let go though by the man that was going to kill her and went to live in a tiny cottage belonging to 7 dwarfs. However, her stepmother always came back around, disguised as a witch, and tried to kill her with a poisonous apple. She cooks, cleans, and teaches them manners. She is the wife of the house and does it in a very good mood.

This fairy tale actually kind of bugs me now because it makes girls think that they have to cook and clean for men, and be happy doing it. Never do you see Snow White without a smile on her face or without make-up on. It shows how women are suppose to act and look. It's a bit shallow in a sense. It also makes woman look really competitive, and if you aren't good looking then someone is going to go after you, much like how Snow White's stepmother did with her.

Prospects - Emerson

“But the best read naturalist who lends an entire and devout attention to truth, will see that there remains much to learn of his relation to the world, and that it is not to be learned by any addition or subtraction or other comparison of known quantities, but is arrived at by untaught sallies of the spirit, by a continual self-recovery, and by entire humility.”


So in the last chapter, Prospects, Emerson commences with reflections on nature. I really like this part (of the first paragraph) because Emerson pinpoints what makes a great naturalist. He says that “the best read” naturalists is someone who will devout their attention to truth and try to learn as much as they can about the world and that person's relation to it. Emerson also says that learning your relation to world “arrives”. You can’t learn your relationship to the world by your known qualities, but rather its by unassuming nature and humbleness. I think that’s a very honest assessment, and it’s true. Nothing ever comes straight to you, it happens when you least expect it.

Empire State Building in Bedroom

So when I first saw this picture, Camera Obscura Image of the Empire State Building in Bedroom, by Abelardo Morell it sparked my interest and grabbed my attention. I've studied Morell's work in past photography classes and he truly is a talented photographer. What I love most about his work is how he emphasis's the use of lines and there is depth to his photographs.

In my opinion, this photograph it's just really, really interesting to look at. There is an image of the Empire State Building reflected onto a bed. To Morell, this building must have some sort of significance in his life and he is attracted to it. When I look at the photograph, it makes me think of how, when you are dreaming, nothing is ever clear - it's almost upside down - and that's how it is portrayed here.

Realization

What is Wright’s realization at the end of the novel? Do you agree with it?

At the end of the novel, Wright realizes and comes to the understanding that creation, writing, is the only way to make sense of a senseless world. For him, writing is the only way to make sense of meaningless suffering. He feels that he needs to publicize his beliefs because no one is away. Wright decides that he is going to keep on trying to get people to understand that the only way they are united is how they messing up society with race. Wright really has the most hope he has ever had throughout the entire book, and yet, he is the loneliest.

I think it’s a great thing that Wright has hope at the end of book, however I think it’s really sad that writing is the only way for him to make sense of the world. No one was ever there for him and now, for him to get up and think that he can get people to understand is a really difficult task – I’m surprised is he has that much hope really. I think it’s a good way to get on with the rest of his life and not focus on the past.


P.S. Black Boy was a great book and I'm definitely going to re-read it at a slower pace during the summer.

Opposite Poles

Do you agree with Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles?

I agree with Wright’s theory that artists and politicians stand at opposite poles, especially when it comes to the Communist party. The two really have a completely different way of life and how they approach gathering groups of people. Politicians propagate a system; they group people into categories by certain factors such as class or importance. Most of the time a politician will act on something based on how it could advance their career; they don’t look at how situations could be for the interest of the people. An artist on the other hand, strives for something that would better the people and not do any harm. What they want to do is educate and improve people through art. It's really interesting to look at how the two go about influencing people and goals because they are opposites.

"Perhaps even a kick was better than uncertainty"

Even more so than in Part I, Wright the author – not Wright the person in the text – is speaking to us through these passages in parenthesis. Pick such a passage from this chapter and comment.


“While working in Memphis I had stood aghast as Shorty had offered himself to be kicked by the white man; but now, while working in Chicago, I was learning that perhaps even a kick was better than uncertainty… I had elected, in my fevered search for honorable adjustments to the American scene, not to submit and in doing so I had embraced the daily horror of anxiety, of tension, of eternal disquiet. I could now sympathize with- though I could never bring myself to approve- those tortured blacks who had given up and had gone to their white tormentors and had said: “Kick me, if that’s all there is for me; kick me and let me feel at home, let me have peace”” (Wright, p.265).

This is a very powerful passage Wright put in parenthesis. When he began working in Chicago he rethinks his position on blacks accepting degradation and their willingness towards it. At first when Shorty told a white man to kick him the ass for money, Wright is horrified. However now that he is in the North and is uncertain, he begins to have sympathy for blacks who lower themselves and their standards in order to get by. Wright begins to understand the intuitiveness of the black community and their ability to know what it takes to get by.

A Positive Change for Wright

Is the change Wright sets in motion at the end of Part I a positive or negative change?

I think the change Wright sets at the end of Part I is a positive change. He makes the decision to move to Chicago with his mother, brother, and Aunt Maggie. When he was living in the South, he was heading down a dangerous path. Wright wasn’t listening to what people were telling him to do which was a problem because black people who do this end up lynched. He was trying to stand up to something bigger than himself. Making the decision to move to the North was a good thing because it's so much safer. In the North, Wright goes unnoticed and he among so many other kinds of people. However, I think Richard will find that racism is still prominent and will have problems similar to those in the South.

Moral Dilemma

Write about Wright's moral dilemma regarding stealing and comment whether he is justified in doing what he does.


Wright's has a moral dilemma regarding stealing and I feel that he is justified. He steals because he has this need to better himself and get out. I also feel that Wright is justified because he is doing what he has to do to survive – he has good intentions. If he stayed and worked to get money, it would have taken forever. I think in the chapter, Wright even mentions that it would take him at least 2 years to come up with that kind of money, and in that time, other things would have happened and he very well would have given up. He steals to get out in the quickest way possible.

Pressure to Cover Take 2

What does Griggs mean by ‘learn how to live in the south’?

Wright certainly is an interesting character. He keeps on going out and getting another job, but then he quits. He keeps losing jobs because he does now want to buy into the system; he doesn’t want to be stepped on by whites. It goes back to his conversation with his principal in the previous chapter when he calls him a “bought man”. Wright tells his principal that the white society has bought him out and be has become part of the system of repression. Wright doesn’t want to allow that to happen to him.

So when he gets a job from his buddy Griggs, he tells him straight up that the reason why he can’t keep a job is because Wright needs to learn how to live in the south. Griggs tells him that although he doesn’t believe in the system he needs to at least at like it - which is to say Wright needs to act as though a regular black person in that time would. He needs to put himself below whites or else he will in fact get lynched. This really upsets Richard because it’s giving in and that is everything he is against. He tries but he simply can’t cover who he is.

Justified to Say What He Wants

Is Wright justified in refusing to say the speech?

Of course Wright is justified in refusing to say the speech his principal gave him. If I were named valedictorian of my class, and was told I could not give my own speech, but rather say someone else’s, I wouldn’t do it. The principal threatens to keep Wright from graduating if he gives the speech, but he persists to give his own speech. Richard’s life has been full of discouragement from his family and the community, and this time he decides to take a stand against it.

What is really interesting about what happened at graduation was the reaction of the crowd. Some people clapped and tried to shake his hand, others invited him to parties. The audience did not push him down from the stand they were applauding him, a first in Wright’s life.

Lighting the Fire in Wright

When money gets extremely tight at Granny’s house, Uncle Tom and his family move in exchange for some extra cash. Wright doesn’t exactly like his Uncle though and this leads to a huge fight.

One morning, Uncle Tom wakes up Wright and asked for the time. Wright tells him however, Uncle Tom does not believe it’s accurate – which is odd because why would you ask the time and then not believe it. So Wright checks again and tells him that the time he had given was close enough in a tone that was perceived as rude and “sassy”. This gets Tom VERY angry and he vows that he is going to teach Wright a lesson. This just lights the fire in Wright, seeing as he was taught by his mother to fight, especially to those who beat him. Wright fights off his Uncle with two razor blades and yells at his Uncle for having no right to tell him what to do. Wright made sure to scare his Uncle Tom enough so that they would never have this type of confrontation again.

Writing

When Richard is told to pray by his grandmother, he instead decides to write about an Indian girl. Writing gratifies Richard because it is his way of making sense of the world. He created something that is his own, that no can take away, no matter how it was made. He created something that is tangible in the world even if it is nothing, and that is what empowers him in all the meaningless. Even more so, when he goes to show it to the girl next door, she doesn't understand. That affirms his place above someone else and her inability to grasp what he has done makes him gratified. He now has a relationship between writing and expressing himself.

Nothing Can Be Done

When Wright’s mother goes through paralysis, he is very timid to see her in pain. The thought of her not being there for him, as she was the only real person to always be in his life, is very frightening. It is also very scary for him because she is usually very strong person and he is now seeing an entirely new side of her – one he doesn’t want to see. Even more so, Wright associates pain with hunger, and for that to translate into his mother is not a good combination.

However, Wright is forced to grow up after his mother’s illness hits. He writes his grandmother a letter for help and also asks for money from his aunts and uncles. Wright doesn’t like the loneliness he is experiencing and feels as though he has been thrown out into the real world, having to take on a new length of responsibility.

After his mother’s 2nd stroke, “Her illness gradually became an accepted thing in the house, something that could not be stopped or helped” (Wright, p.100). Everything begins to come together in Wright’s mind, realizing that like the racial roles, nothing can be done about them either.

Playing the Role and Picking the Fights

In chapter 2, Wright is exposed through church that Jews killed Jesus and that they are evil. This concept is furthered while he lives with his religious grandmother; she enforces her prejudices and teachings on him. Eventually it is socially engrained into Wright’s head that Jews are bad people through the people the hangs out and by repeating the rhymes the other black kids shout at Jewish people. We “began to play our traditional racial roles as though we had been born to them, as though it was in our blood, as though we were being guided by instinct” (Wright, p.84). He is learning the behaviors [about hating Jews] through the way people interact with each other. Wright says it is his “cultural heritage” to hate Jews and plays into the racial role. He is doing what is expected of a black boy and is picking the fights.

Hunger

Richard Wright is physically and emotionally hungry in this book. Physically hungry because his family is so poor they can’t afford to buy food. But when Wright talks about his hunger in the first chapter, he is associating hunger with his father leaving him. His father was the provider for his family, and now that he has left, his mother has to get a job of her own. Wright resents his dad and has constant hunger because of it.

I’m really interesting in find out what exactly Wright is hungry for. He seems to be hungry for attention and to be noticed, but I think there is something more to that.

The Need for Education

Gatto has some very good observations about school systems. He believes that education is not working because for one, the students and the teachers are bored! You can’t expect to learn from someone who isn’t interested in a subject. I definitely agree in his point that we should be taking an education, not receiving schooling. Gatto also makes the observation that we really don’t need school to perform our best. I’m not sure I entirely agree with that, even though he backs up his point with political figures. Sure they are good citizens and good people, but in today’s world, people need some help. (Although some people that have gone to school and are political figures need some help too cough cough George W. Bush)

I think school helps push people to the next level in getting them to think outside of the box. I know if I didn’t go to school, I would never have thought to push topics such as this or the rhetoric in advertising. I do think though that we go to school for too long. Five times a week, 7 periods of focusing for 45 minutes, break, focus, break… it gets a little intense, private schooling or not. I mean take a look at a college schedule. Students don’t have class after class after class everyday and they even enjoy what they’re doing.

So I think that we definitely need schooling of some sort and not just completely cut it out. I would say that school systems just need some redefining to them.

Nonacademic Education

Looking at my course load right now, I would say that I value what I learn in our English and government class the most because I’m actually applying what I’ve learned from class and using it in the real world. I definitely value nonacademic education for that reason.

I wish that more of my classes taught less academically because I think that sometimes teachers get caught up with what is going to be on a test or what they have to get through for that year, that they skip out on the lesson of how it applies to us. I, personally, don’t value many of the classes I’m taking because I don’t see how it will affect me in the long term. And while that seems a bit… selfish… how I am suppose to take anything away from learning about polynomials or the Farmer’s Alliance? What does that have to do with the real world?

Like okay, take for example the differences between my history class and my government class. Both have to do with how our country runs and how it came about, but my government class (in the whole week or so I’ve been taking it) is already is being used in my life. In my history class we learned about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights but now in my government class we actually have to memorize the first 10 amendments. I think that is a great idea because, hey, we’re living in America and we really should know what our rights are! I think that if we had had to learn about what impacts our daily lives or how things came out, instead of having to memorize who Sitting Bull was, that would have been a lot more effective.

Maybe I’m totally off in that last paragraph but what I am trying to get across is that nonacademic is valued because it translates over in the real world and stays with us.

You know, when I talk to my dad about our school, he says that he likes University because it teaches us to think- it challenges us to think critically and outside of the box. I’m questioning what is presented and not just letting it go in one ear and out the other. I value nonacademic education because it allows me to do just that. I’m experiencing new things and applying how to view things in different ways. I’m not simply memorizing a lesson from a book; I’m learning from who and what I’m around and what is presented to me.

Rhetoric on the Town Take 2

So this is the second post in response to the blogs! Get excited. Oh and by the way, it’s Valentine’s Day – just in case you didn’t know.

And in spirit of the Hallmark Day of love, I’m going to post about Mallory’s presentation! I loved that she talked about the differences between Victoria Secret and Gap Body. The two are selling the same kind of products but Victoria Secret’s products are a LOT more sexed up.

Victoria Secret tries, successfully, to represent the feeling of sexy with provocative advertisements. One thing I didn’t really notice before was why they only use red tones and black. It makes sense that they use those colors to represent sex and being “naughty”. GapBody on the other hand is all about being comfortable, while looking good. They use a lot of white in their campaigns, which represents innocence. I think what is the most interesting about the two stores was that they take opposite routes in selling similar products are both successful. I think if Gap started to do raunchy things with their mannequins in the windows of their stores, the company’s reputation would be ruined. They have to keep their innocence because they have other stores like GapKids and the GapBaby.

Rhetoric on the Town Take 1

After missing class on Tuesday, I only got to see one day of the presentations for Rhetoric on the Town but never the less the presentations were great! I was expecting them to be a bit more formal, though I thought having them be presented informally made everyone a lot less stressed about presenting.

Ethan’s presentation really made me laugh because well… the thought that he had never really seen a woman eat a hamburger seems bizarre to me! (And that it was unattractive to him!). Getting past that though, I thought what Ethan had to say about rhetoric in the Fashion Mall was straight on and I never really thought about it in the way he had before. The Fashion Mall has narrow hallways because the people that go there aren’t looking to shop with crowds. Also the fact that they bring in nature with the trees and the windows on the ceiling makes the space more open and inviting. The type of people who are going to that mall are more up scale and have particular tastes, hence why you don’t see for example, the Hat Shop or Build a Bear there.

Good job everyone!

Zoom Zoom

I thought the commercials today were great and I was pretty impressed by how well our class did! Every group was very creative in getting their product across by using what-the-hell was that, crazy, out there salesmen, simply showing how the product drives, or setting up scenarios in which the product would be needed.

I thought Nick M, Elise, R.J, and Liz’s commercial of the Crossfire, er… well now I can’t remember what they advertised what the car was, sorry, was done the most professional and resembled a commercial the most. In the beginning Nick and Liz were in Nick’s pick up truck that was obviously struggling and they were in amazement when they saw the really pretty and shiny car zip by. I thought that was a smart move because it showed worst and best type cars. For the rest of the commercial we saw various camera angles of the car winding down a road. That really is how car commercials are. I think it would have been cool to add some sort of voice that said, “zoom zoom” or something of the sort to spice up the commercial.

Good job everybody!

Justin Timberlake and Pepsi

Okay so I did my blogs a little backwards and now I’m going to post about the Sunday Superbowl ads.

One ad that stood out in my mind was for Pepsi Stuff with Justin Timberlake. I enjoyed it and thought it worked because it involved a celebrity doing something embarrassing and funny. It was full of crazy, wild stunts that Justin actually did himself.

The whole concept was a girl sipping on a Pepsi and Justin was “magnetically attracted” to her from across town. Justin gets pulled out of Southern Comfort and is dragged up the side of building where SNL’s Any Samberg makes an awkward and humorous appearance dressed up as a girl. He then gets thrown into a river and is pulled into the suburbs, where he runs into Cowboys Tony Romo, runs straddle-style into a mailbox (several times), and finally gets hit in the back of the head with a flat screen TV.

Basically the concept came down to every sip you take gets you closer. That could be seen as a little disturbing with the sucking of a Pepsi gets Justin Timberlake closer to you. I didn’t think of it like that though, so I don’t think it would be a big deal.

What I found really interesting was the amount of product placement in this ad, all at the same time. You have Justin Timberlake himself, Southern Comfort (which happens to be JT’s new restaurant), Pepsi, and AmazonMP3’s. I thought that distracted away from the main product, Pepsi. But hey getting an ad during the Superbowl is pretty expensive, so you have get some help from other products to cover the cost.

Pottery Barn = <3

So I looked at the assignment sheet and it said that the environment post was for over the weekend… but the updated schedule says it is due tonight… guess that means I’m ahead? Or maybe I’m behind because it looks like everyone else posted about super bowl ads.

Bah, I’m going to post about the “Pottery Barn Style” article anyway.

For starters, I thought this article was pretty ironic because I just got my PB teen catalog in the mail today and the Pottery Barn catalog came a couple days ago. The article was pretty on target (no pun intended) when it mentioned the difference between their product and Target was the design and the “total-lifestyle” look to it. Pottery Barn offers a variety of classic pieces of furniture with special accessories to go with, which is what makes them successful.

I thought Pottery Barn’s requirements of the 5-point test to their lines were pretty innovative. The product has to look good, but not too cutting edge, or fashion forward that it can’t be a classic piece. The direction has to match with the rest of the home it will be placed into. It also has to feel good and be durable against the little monsters that will most likely be jumping or spilling things on it. When you look at PB’s catalog they have a variety of covers that can be placed over furniture so, in case it does get ruined, it can easily be fixed for an affordable price. The fifth test the product or line has to go against is if the people who designed the piece would buy it or give it to their best friend. I find that to be really smart because if you design something you aren’t going to buy, who will?

Pottery Barn does a great job in selling to an audience that wants pieces of a collection that can be intertwined with what’s already in their house at an affordable price. The products and lines they sell are going to last for a really long time, and that is what gets people more bang for their buck.

Setting the Stage

Ok so the blog assignment is to write about the way the environment of a store we go to often tries to influence us.

Well, my favorite store is the Buckle and they always have outfits, with matching jewelry, displayed along the walls and throughout the store. Obviously they are selling their new items right when you walk into the store. The Buckle also usually has an entire table in the front and back of the store devoted to clothes on sale.

Side note - I think I read somewhere that stores will strategically put women’s clothes on the left side of the store because that is where we look first. I’m not sure if that is actually true but the Buckle and Hollister follow that.

Another way the environment of a store tries to influence us is by the lighting and the music. I notice the lighting the most in dressing rooms, especially with Victoria Secret and Hollister. Victoria Secret’s dressing rooms have dimmed lighting along the bottom of the walls. I sure they do that because harsh lights are just not going to make you look your best, especially if you are trying on clothes/lingerie.

Music is also another factor in the environment that can either make you feel happy or sad. The store wants you to feel you’re best and probably have you subconsciously associate their clothing with that emotion.

It pretty much comes down to that the store’s environment is going to have a huge influence on whether or not you buy their clothes. They are going to set the stage – meaning putting new clothing in the front of the store, the sale tables with big signs, dimmed lighting, and feel-good music.

Warning: Possible Crazy/Confusing Product Explained Below

All right a night of posting about whatever we want – sweet deal.

I’m really excited to be working on this rhetoric advertising assignment because rather than writing another paper, we can fully put what we have learned so far into use. I’m not sure what my group, Derek, Mallory, Kendal, and myself, are going to do yet but I’m sure it’ll be awesome. I think it would be interesting to do something involving Apple products like an ipod or the iphone, calculators, and gum together. It would be like a mega little device. I mean think about it, they would fit for our target audience, the class, because we all use them.

I guess I envision a wild device that is a couple inches longer than the iphone, and is a bit like the new Verizon Voyager. It’s hard to explain without drawing it out. But think about – one side could be your regular iphone (with a 30 or 60 GB of course because we all listen to a ton of music and 8 GB is not nearly enough) and then on the other side could be your touch screen TI-84 calculator. Coming out the end of the iphone, where you plug into the charger, would be you gum slot thing-a-ma-jig where when you press a button on the screen, out pops a stick of gum.

Oh and other additional ad ons would be a video camera, so we could record the crazy conversations we have, a mirror, and a foldable mechanical pencil that could pop out the top.

It sounds wacky, but I think it would be pretty tight.

Yeah Kilbourne

I feel like I am the only one who really agrees with Kibourne's argument. I thought she presented her point of sex/violence in advertisements well and backed up most of with sources. The fact that in some instances she went a little over board, like with the shaving ad, didn’t change my opinion that most women are dehumanized and made into objects in advertisements.

Edit: Thinking about this now though, maybe I was a bit wrapped up how women are seen as objects because I was frustrated with my brother and wanted to think that all males thought about is sex when it comes to women and these ads. Who knows?

In Kilbourne’s article she mentioned how it is typically the women’s fault if she gets raped or something bad happens otherwise because she was wearing the wrong clothes, was in a dark alley, or had been drinking. And it’s totally true. I suppose the only instance you don’t see that is in bromance movies when the guy gets drunk and sleeps with what he thinks is a really attractive women, but when he wakes up… she’s definitely not. Then it is blamed on him.

She also points out the ads in which men are encouraged to not listen when a woman says no. I’ve never seen those ads before and it really bothered me because it’s most likely men made those. It just kind of makes me sick to see what people come up with in their heads when it comes to sex and how much money they can make off of explicitness.

I think Kilbourne has some really interesting and dead on things to say about sex in the media and how women are targeted. Although yes, she did over anyalize some things, I feel that if say a person had been in one of those situations we saw in the ads, like with the man over the women and she laughing but over her head it says no, then they would be thinking like Kilbourne too.

Oh and P.S. I totally read this article before our debate I just didn't have time to blog about it afterwards.

Commercial Watching

This assignment reminded me of one we had during my Mass Media class except we had to write down what every commercial was for and then see if it was directed towards the same audience as our show. So it’s kind of fun to have all of this come back and do a similar assignment – minus all the writing.

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I actually found the commercial that aired during an MTV show was really ironic. For starters, I was watching True Life – “I like being overweight” (or something of the sort). It was, surprise, about people who liked the shape that they were, even though doctors advised against it, and their lives.

So then, right after the show cut to a commercial came Jenny Craig! It was a newer one though, not the typical one where that woman calls Jenny and talks about all the weight she lost. It was Queen Latifah appearing at the very beginning of the commercial and she said that was going to be taking the first step to improving her health with Jenny Craig. It then showed others cheering her on and telling her that they’ve done it too.

The whole thing kind of made me laugh at first because it seemed as though it was aligned right after True Life on purpose, but once I started to think about it some more, it was a pretty wise decision. I mean really, the audience for True Life is teens/young adults and they might be any size, but are still watching an episode based around over-weight people. And so to put a commercial on afterwards that points in the direction of losing weight and being healthy is pretty smart! I also liked that Jenny Craig focused on having a spokeswoman that just at the beginning stage. It made it seem like you could work on losing weight along side her, which will connect more to their intended audience than say someone who has already reached their goal.

Friday Night Plays

The plays on Friday were really well written and I thought they were great! Elise Lockwood is incredibly talented to write all of these plays and have them flow, make sense, and be funny. My favorite would have to be Playing the Pronoun Game and/or Being or Not Being.

I thought the title, Playing the Pronoun Game, itself was just so creative and I loved David, played by Daniel Hellman, and Isaac, played by Ian Ketcham, as the Dads of Elise Vreede. I wasn’t so sure about the end of play though, not because Maggie and Kristen got together, but because it ended so quickly – course it was a one-act play.

Being or Not Being, written by Henry Johnston, was hilarious. Lucious, played by Ian, telling Brad Pitt, played by R.J. Connors, off was classic. And Jim Ray just made it for me!

The only play I didn’t understand was If Books Could Kill. Joshua, J.P. Mershon, went crazy because he couldn’t figure out the narrator of a book Rory, Elise Lockwood, wrote and eventually it killed him. I feel like there was something deeper to the play, but I don’t know what it is. I also wish I knew the significance of the quote he wanted Rory to figure out which book it was from.

Great Job!