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Random Act

Sun, 13 May 2012 20:33:23 -0400

I think random acts of kindness are addictive. I got such a high doing little things this week like opening a door for someone or always adding to the donation jars or buying the “would you like to donate a dollar to (fill in the blank cause)” at various stores. My random act happened one day as I was leaving the grocery store and I saw an older woman with who had a case of water bottles she needed to put into her car. I helped her load her groceries and we ended up talking about different kinds of dogs. I think I do things like this more often than not having worked in various types of retail jobs. I worked for a large home improvement store and had a management position one summer and very regularly I would discount or not scan different items for people who seemed like good people who deserved a little extra. A small amount of kindness can go a long way. Karma is very real and why not earn good karma points when you can!

Rumination 6: Shakespeare Behind Bars

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:32:48 -0400

I really enjoyed watching this movie. During this course I have felt that the readings or assignments have spoken to me at a time when I needed to hear it most. For example, the letter writing assignment helped me to reconnect with someone I had really missed having in my life. Watching Shakespeare Behind Bars and hearing the line “people who need mercy the most are sometimes the ones who deserve it the least” really allowed me to reconcile some feelings I have been having.

Moving on, I found this video to be really enjoyable and sweet at times. It reminded me of a documentary I have seen several times and of an author I love from my field of study, Rafe Esquith. He is an educator of fifth grade students in a poor, urban community. Rafe decided that much like the prisoners in this movie, fifth graders of varying cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic backgrounds were very capable of understanding and learning from Shakespeare. It has always amazed me how the students he worked with were able to take Shakespeare and break it down line for line and truly understand the characters and meaning. Just like the prisoners, the kids who most people would assume would never have the capability to comprehend something like Shakespeare get something so much more than meaning from the writing. The children, like the prisoners grow to understand themselves from the characters and are exposed to various levels of comprehension beyond just mere words.

I have attached a link to a youtube clip of Rafe’s “Hobart Shakespeareans” the kids are performing “The Merchant of Venice.” I think it is obvious from the clip that the kids truly are aware of their characters. I think its also inspiring in a way that Shakespeare Behind Bars can be. It can get old reading literature and trying to make meaning of it to write a paper but seeing these movies and clips of people or children who get so much from it gives me new inspiration and love for the literature I’ve always enjoyed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGopIOztCg

Rumination 5- Volpone

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:25:23 -0400

While reading Volpone, I felt terribly for Celia. She is the flattest character presented in the play and the one who seems to suffer the most. When Celia is introduced she is explained as having several guards watching her. It can be inferred that she too is somewhat of a slave, almost a foil to Mosca. Celia is moral and does not display any high level thought process in comparison to Mosca who is conniving and immoral. In the end, all of the characters get what they deserve. The greedy and immoral men are imprisoned, stripped of their wealth, and Bonario inherits the wealth he deserves from being one of two morally acceptable characters in the play. We don’t really learn anything about Celia. I disliked the fact that she had the apparent misfortune of being an attractive and moral woman and is unable to escape the fate of leading a terrible life due to her of naivete.

This left me feeling like I didn’t have enough resolve. I wanted something more or more resolve for the highly moral characters; however, I think that is part of the overall satire. Being a good person doesn’t get you ahead it just keeps you out of jail. I think this also ties into the question given at the end of the drama about the viewer enjoying the play. I don’t think it is really possible to walk away with a happy feeling after this drama because it is just so empty. The lesson in this is that money is empty and so is wealth if you are as immoral as the main characters of this play. I think in any society that is driven by wealth this drama highlights a few unsavory realities.

Rumination 4: Utopia

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:44:59 -0400

Reading Utopia was really fun for me. I had never read it in its entirety and it was very enjoyable. Norton explains the various readers who praise the work as well as those who distain it. As I read, I kept thinking about being a child and wanting to make and live in my own imaginary world. It is only natural to criticize and judge the world around you and I think that reading any more into what More has written would be as silly as most of his Utopian concepts. For More to have intelligently created this well thought out societal plan he must have also been aware that such a world could never exist. An example of the point I am trying to make is when More is discussing the common eating hall in which elders are served first and with the highest quality food. Before dinner, the hall is given a moral lecture which More describes as being short in length to avoid the topic becoming a bore. Likewise the elderly citizens never ramble on and tell stories about their youth; rather, they engage the young in their thinking as to keep themselves from being a bore to the younger citizens. This made me laugh out loud and think about the thought process of a child who had just endured something like an Easter church service followed by a painfully boring dinner with their grandparents who ramble on about how they never even got an Easter basket as a child. Children often attempt to create their own language as was shown in the Norton, second book page 568. This is another example of the humor in which More wrote Utopia. Unfortunately, More did act separately from the moral code he describes in Utopia in which Utopians are tolerant of all other religious practices. This proves my point earlier that More was educated and realized that this type of world is not possible, that does not excuse the reformation; however, it does shed more light on his motives for writing Utopia as a creative work not necessarily a political ideology.

My Letter

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:39:06 -0400

So when I saw the assignment to write a letter I thought it was the world telling me to be a better friend . A friend of mine has a girlfriend in France who sent him a post card saying “Here’s your f*cking post card” because she had been sending them to her other male friends whom he lives with which hurt him a little. So being a friend, I used this assignment to write a letter telling him I didn’t think he deserved to be treated that way considering the fact that he is a genuinely nice guy. It was interesting because I got nervous to use poor handwriting and I even made a draft for a letter I was sending to someone who I text every day. It seemed much more personal to use my own cursive and put my name on the return address. I took much more pride in the words and look of the letter especially when I know my iphone wasn’t going to read my mind and write the words for me. I loved the project, might write people more often now.

Brit Lit 205: Holy Sentence, Batman!

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 21:46:02 -0400

Brit Lit 205: Holy Sentence, Batman!:

chelsealoveslit:

Rumination 5

Edit, people! I don’t know if it was just the writing style of the time or genre, but almost every sentence written in Sir Walter Ralegh’s and George Best’s respective “Discovery…of Guiana” and “Passage to Cathay by the Northwest” was an interminable stream of words which…

Mistress Reading

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:42:21 -0400

I am not ruminating this week, I just wanted to say a bit about the Donne reading this week. I really enjoyed it, it was rather sweet in comparison to the earlier readings assigned from Donne. I enjoyed the sentiment and if you didn’t read it you should, it is lovely.

Happy Easter!

Rumination 3: He's joking, right?

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:08:06 -0400

In the poem “The Indifference” John Donne is a bit of a jokester, or was he?

From this week’s Podcast and Norton Anthology it is known that Donne was a bit of a flake when it came to his religious practices. Additionally, a lot of his works within “Songs and Sonnets” had a mocking and satirical tone, this is far from the persona a religious man such as Donne should have. It would be farfetched to believe the author of “The Indifference” would later write religious sermons; however, it is true.

The poem “The Indifference” describes a man who loves all women, and thinks everyone should be free to engage in lustrous relationships with as many partners as they choose; the narrator even convinces Venus that his philosophy on multiple intimate physical relationships is the correct one. The tone of the narrator is cocky and boastful in this sense. He sounds a bit like one of the boys from MTV’s the Jersey Shore. The reader is supposed to find humor in the slight crudeness of this work.

After thinking about Donne’s religious indifference, I wondered, is he really kidding around? Donne was well versed in religious practices, both Catholic and Protestant, but he was also indifferent in his writing. Donne supplies a variety of theme and tone in is writing, almost as if he is several different authors. As the Norton anthology states “It is possible that he added to Songs and Sonnets after he entered the church.” I think religion and biblical references are powerful and alluring which is why he may have chosen to write about them; however, Donne’s writing was clearly provocative and I believe this provocative tone was just a reflection of his own nature. The poem “The Indifference” may have been written to be satirical or could have been a fun way to playfully disguise and confess his own lusty personality. The old adage comes to mind “it takes one to know one.”

Sonnet 138

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:16:06 -0400

Lines 7 and 8 both talk about the suppression of a tongue holding back secrets. As if to say “hold your tongue.” This is interesting when put into a poem about love. Shakespeare says that he is older in age and that his mistress is a liar. This poem needs to be read a few times for the reader to realize that the lying mistress does so out of love. People who love eachother are possibly liars to their partner because they don’t always tell them the truth. The age old joke of a woman asking a man “Does this look good?” comes to mind when reading this poem because out of love a man does not always tell the truth. The tongue is also a seductive symbol, which does not seem to imply an unhappy tone. It is more flirtatious which, again speaks to the happy and sweet meaning of the poem.

John Mayer Continuum Album

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:58:11 -0500

I selected the John Mayer album “Continuum” as my wild card assignment topic. The song “Gravity” discusses the feeling of life getting you down. The lyrics in gravity tell the story of a man wanting more in life and being unable to sustain the lifestyle he has created. The term “Gravity” seems to be symbolic of life’s stresses. In this song he says “Oh Gravity is working against me/ And gravity wants to bring me down/ Oh twice as much ain’t twice as good/ And can’t sustain like a one half could/ It’s wanting more/ That’s gonna send me to my knees/ Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me/
And gravity has taken better men than me (now how can that be?)/Just keep me where the light is. This is the beginning of his story about life’s struggles.

He continues the commentary on life’s hardships in the song “Stop This Train” which describes the feeling of life moving too fast, or feeling out of control. I think this song was added to further the emotional story of someone struggling to maintain in a fast moving world and not having time to consider how you are living. This song also brings to light a change in the way he is thinking in the lines about a conversation with his father. He begins to think more positively.

Finally the song, “The Heart of Life” finishes the story he is telling about life by discussing the fact that life might be difficult but overall it is a gift and joyous. “Pain throws your heart to the ground/ Love turns the whole thing around/ No, it won’t all go the way it should/ But I know the heart of life is good.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErQbwHHh_w

Time and a Taskmaster

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:24:30 -0500

John Milton’s “How Soon Hath Time” struck me the most out of the readings this week. I read it several times and noticed that the words “Time” and “Taskmaster” are capitalized outside of the standard grammatical norms. Milton refers to the taskmaster from the biblical parable, Matthew: 20.1- 16. The taskmaster of the vineyard in this parable offers several unemployed workers to come to his vineyard for employment; he offers them a standard wage for their work regardless of starting in the morning or afternoon. When the men leave and collect their pay some of them are outraged because the men who had been working since the morning made the same amount as the men who had begun working in the afternoon. The parable makes us consider the concept of time.

Milton also wants to express his thoughts about himself during this specific time in his life. He explains that he is a little over the age of twenty-three and while he appears to be a man, he doesn’t feel that he is fully matured mentally or emotionally. “Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth/ That I to manhood am arrived so near/ And inward ripeness doth much less appear” It is possible that Milton is also thinking a lot about what direction his life will take him in, as most people are during that age.

Milton’s apprehension about his life’s course is supplemented by the story of the taskmaster and equating the taskmaster to God. He had faith that his course is planned for him and that with time he will get to where he needs to be. “Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven.” Milton is not insecure about his unknown course because his faith will lead him to the proper course in time.

Modern Day Old English

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:09:34 -0500

While reading The first two assigned reading for week two, “The Wanderer” and “The Wife’s Lament” I was interested in how I was able to relate to the two works. They were written in a time so distant from today that I assumed, without realizing it, that I wouldn’t relate to them on a personal level. As I read “The Wanderer” some of the lines required decoding, as the Norton Anthology explained there would be, but there were also lines that stuck out to me as being much more universal. The first line that I highlighted was “He who has experienced it knows how cruel a companion sorrow is to the man who has no beloved protectors.” I highlighted this immediately because I realized that human emotion is timeless and while the setting may be very foreign to me the feelings being portrayed are not. This isn’t a very complicated concept; however, I often find myself getting lost in the historical criticism of works such as this, and am unable to enjoy their general teaching. The second quote from “The Wanderer” that I highlighted to further my concept of timeless human morality and emotion was “The wise man must be patient, must never be too hot-hearted, nor too hasty of speech, nor too fearful, nor too glad, nor too greedy for wealth, nor too eager to boast before he has thought clearly.” I felt like this quote was really fantastic because of how well it spoke to the personification of our current social codes. Sometimes I too feel like I am always making sure I adhere to all of those restrictions, this was such a delight for me as the reader because I had expected not to relate to the narrators of these poems.

Next I read “The Wife’s Lament” and after applying the previous works to myself and the concept of timeless teachings, I found myself thinking of several women who would be able to relate to the woman in this poem. It is a sad love story, a theme that several novels, poems, and movies have been created to portray. As the Norton Anthology informs us, it is not explicitly explained how or why the two lovers are separated; however, it is obviously the reason that the female narrator is so distraught. The closing line is “Woe is the one who, languishing, waits for a lover.” As I said before, I think there are many readers who could relate to a missed love one, who for whatever reason is separated from them. Again, these qualities are what has made these works an important addition to the anthology and in defining and describing a timeless an universal emotion both works were very successful.

The Wander

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:31:55 -0500

I really liked this so I am posting quickly as I read “he who has experienced it knows how cruel a companion sorrow is to the man who has no beloved protectors”

Early Lyrical

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:25:21 -0500

Is everyone else getting the Podcast? I am not, but I will be starting the reading tonight. I am excited to dive into a new read and look forward to the week ahead!

Last Night of Beowulf

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:03:24 -0500

So as Josh stated, it is finally Sunday which is my favorite night to settle down with some english work and reflect. I did not submit a rumination for this weeks reading; however, I have spent some time ruminating as I read, especially after reading all the ruminations submitted to help get my mind to move in different directions with my thoughts on the poem.

I just listened to this weeks podcast again as a reminder to make sure I did everything I was supposed to for class and thankfully I have. I am considering the quiz but am a little scared, has anyone tried it yet? Anyway, I listened to the podcast and in my typical anxiety ridden state I forgot to wish you all a Happy Valentines Day! It gets such a bad rap for being a lame holiday but it really is the one day that most people expect to be forgotten or let down, so even the smallest kind gesture can mean a lot.

Reading Beowulf always brings me back to High School and my hippie english teacher who wore flip flops basically all winter lol. Reading Beowulf this time I felt the poem talking to me about morals and character. Beowulf is so idealized and heroic and I know I’m supposed to like him but sometimes I felt myself hurting for Grendle and his Mother. The character foils really spoke to me this time around more than ever. Remembering that this is an oral tale really enforces to me how important those foils are when emotional drama needs to be created along with the action and pace to keep an orated tale interesting. Just some thoughts…

Beowulf

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:34:38 -0500

I have read the ruminations listed on the Ruminations page. I am really interested in what some people are saying, especially the comment on Grendel being Cain which is juxtaposed by his being born from the only emotional character, Grendel’s mother. Mothers can be an interesting symbol in that regard in their relationship to Christianity. That led me to think about a section from something I have read before that relates Grendel and Beowulf as brothers, but this might just be from the book “Grendel” and I am just getting myself confused trying to make a connection about who exactly would be Abel if Grendel is Cain? Or is there even an Abel?

A lot of people are posting quotes that point to different morals and lessons which I think is really interesting. We all find different things to be moving, but in the end they are all equally important. Typically I try take something different away from something I have read several times and this might be obvious or a huge stretch, but it seems like I am thinking more about Beowulf as a tale about humanity or a criticism of it more than I ever have before.

Beowulf

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:40:05 -0500

This is the sixth time I have read Beowulf in the past four years, not including the two times I read it in high school. I am not the biggest fan of Beowulf; however, I do realize the relevence of the tale to the creation of an epic and so on. I am always brought back to high school during this section “Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.” My high school teacher always reminded us that this was really the most important thing to remember from the reading because it is a powerful message about the ability of ones character to embody many.

Additionally, when I read Beowulf I think of the lame movie that came out several Thanksgivings ago which was so far from the actual story it was sad and annoying, even to someone who doesn’t completely love Beowulf.

Here is my required second post, of my cats… Annastasia

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:02:08 -0500

Here is my required second post, of my cats…

Annastasia

Why is this so hard for me?

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:00:31 -0500

I do not use facebook, or twitter, or anything other than email (which is sometimes hard for me) or my iphone for texting. Hopefully I have done all of this the right way. I am only twenty-two so I should know how to do these things but sadly I don’t. Thankfully, my younger sister helped me out!

Annastasia