Friday, April 9, 2010
My 2nd essay preview
I think I am going to dive into the first prompt, that is the real skinny textbook debate. I think for the romantic period I am going to use Mark Twain's, "Letters From The Earth". I think I will be able to go through the listed objectives and show clearly why this author should be represented for the romantic period. Twain's obvious imagination clearly paints pictures that display the emotion he is trying to get out of the reader. He is clearly against the rules or customs that go along with the Catholic church that prevailed in his time period. In the modernist period I decided that I was going to go with Chandler's, "Red Wind". I will try to show you how Chandler breaks away from the morals of right and wrong and puts a light on a person of darker nature. In his time period he steps away from the rules of conduct and shows the reader that each one of us could and does to some degree have a darker side to ourselves. The way he uses film noir definitely was "outside" the box. Once again I will take you though the objectives and make a strong case for why he she be represented in the modernist period.
Short Lived Dreams
a song in the front yard pg 2412
I think the first line of the poem says a lot about not only her, but how a lot of people feel. Kids who do not want to make their parents upset at them tend to walk the so called "straight and narrow." They play by the rules 95% of the time but every once in a while thy turn around to look and be envious about what they think is freedom from everything that keeps them bound to their lifestyle. When your a bad boy or girl, it is expected that if you screw up, it is blamed on your characteristics. But when you strive to be good and do the right thing, you are a failure or there must be something not right in the head if you make a mistake. The straight and narrow people have enormous amounts of pressure resting on their shoulders. They scream deep inside their minds to just let it go!
In the first stanza, Brooks wants to go to the back yard were the weeds grow. The weeds are bad for a lawn, so the weeds represented in this poem are the immoral, tough, rough, and free people and they could be the children whose parents don't really care what their kids are doing or were they are at. These people are free from everyday obligations in life. Brooks is tired of doing the right thing. It is a lot to deal with when you are a child. "Do this", "Don't do that", "Go to your room", "Take out the garbage", "Clean the kitchen", and don't even think about talking back are some of the typical things most children hear during the course of a 24 hour period. Looking at this through an an adults eyes is easy to, you don't have to report to a butt hole boss everyday, you can just do what you want, when you want.
In the third stanza, Brooks makes it very clear that she is talking about a child's life or possibly her own. She tells her mother that the kids have some wonderful fun. They don't have to go to bed by nine and they do not report to anyone. Brooks is just admiring the freedom that the kids seem to have. She even takes it a step further in the fourth stanza to say that she wants to walk the streets with the black-lace stockings and put paint on her face. Through a child's eyes this might look appealing from the everyday routine that they go through but as children get older they realize that if they don't play by a set of rules, life can get really hard. I think it is safe to say that most kids go through this and grow out of it.
Can you tell that I have been here and thought of that? We all have short lived dreams.
I think the first line of the poem says a lot about not only her, but how a lot of people feel. Kids who do not want to make their parents upset at them tend to walk the so called "straight and narrow." They play by the rules 95% of the time but every once in a while thy turn around to look and be envious about what they think is freedom from everything that keeps them bound to their lifestyle. When your a bad boy or girl, it is expected that if you screw up, it is blamed on your characteristics. But when you strive to be good and do the right thing, you are a failure or there must be something not right in the head if you make a mistake. The straight and narrow people have enormous amounts of pressure resting on their shoulders. They scream deep inside their minds to just let it go!
In the first stanza, Brooks wants to go to the back yard were the weeds grow. The weeds are bad for a lawn, so the weeds represented in this poem are the immoral, tough, rough, and free people and they could be the children whose parents don't really care what their kids are doing or were they are at. These people are free from everyday obligations in life. Brooks is tired of doing the right thing. It is a lot to deal with when you are a child. "Do this", "Don't do that", "Go to your room", "Take out the garbage", "Clean the kitchen", and don't even think about talking back are some of the typical things most children hear during the course of a 24 hour period. Looking at this through an an adults eyes is easy to, you don't have to report to a butt hole boss everyday, you can just do what you want, when you want.
In the third stanza, Brooks makes it very clear that she is talking about a child's life or possibly her own. She tells her mother that the kids have some wonderful fun. They don't have to go to bed by nine and they do not report to anyone. Brooks is just admiring the freedom that the kids seem to have. She even takes it a step further in the fourth stanza to say that she wants to walk the streets with the black-lace stockings and put paint on her face. Through a child's eyes this might look appealing from the everyday routine that they go through but as children get older they realize that if they don't play by a set of rules, life can get really hard. I think it is safe to say that most kids go through this and grow out of it.
Can you tell that I have been here and thought of that? We all have short lived dreams.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Three mystifing WHAT????
Tradition and the individual Talent, pgs 1583-1584
Just when I think I can really critically think through an essay or a poem I get slammed with T.S. Eliot. What are they trying to do to my mind? This whole paragraph about emotion is mumbo-jumbo. How can anyone write about an emotion that they have never experienced? T.S. Eliot is basically saying that a good poet writes about the escape of his or her reality. Well, I might have wished upon a star to, but I live in the here and now! Someone needs to tell T.S Eliot to pull his head out of his you know what and realize that emotion and personality is what makes us individuals. If we as a society did not write or talk about or produce movies with emotion, we might as well kill ourselves because then we would all be robots programmed to just "Live". Stop and think about the last movie that you watched, the emotion of the individual was what made the movie progress forward. The old saying, "if there is an action, there is a re-action", is how the world is made.
The Waste Land
What and where is he going with this? I read T.S. Eliot's biography and understand that there is an underlying tone of religion to this poem, but why on earth did he make this so confusing to read. I now that poets don't have t make a point but you would think that if you were going to write more than, oh, lets say three stanza's, that you would be trying to say something to the reader. In A Game of Chess, Eliot jumps from one subject to another and does not tie them together. He paints this picture of a room that is burning up to a man coming home from the army wanting to have sex. I am so lost in this I need someone to make heads or tails of this poem.
Just when I think I can really critically think through an essay or a poem I get slammed with T.S. Eliot. What are they trying to do to my mind? This whole paragraph about emotion is mumbo-jumbo. How can anyone write about an emotion that they have never experienced? T.S. Eliot is basically saying that a good poet writes about the escape of his or her reality. Well, I might have wished upon a star to, but I live in the here and now! Someone needs to tell T.S Eliot to pull his head out of his you know what and realize that emotion and personality is what makes us individuals. If we as a society did not write or talk about or produce movies with emotion, we might as well kill ourselves because then we would all be robots programmed to just "Live". Stop and think about the last movie that you watched, the emotion of the individual was what made the movie progress forward. The old saying, "if there is an action, there is a re-action", is how the world is made.
The Waste Land
What and where is he going with this? I read T.S. Eliot's biography and understand that there is an underlying tone of religion to this poem, but why on earth did he make this so confusing to read. I now that poets don't have t make a point but you would think that if you were going to write more than, oh, lets say three stanza's, that you would be trying to say something to the reader. In A Game of Chess, Eliot jumps from one subject to another and does not tie them together. He paints this picture of a room that is burning up to a man coming home from the army wanting to have sex. I am so lost in this I need someone to make heads or tails of this poem.
Friday, March 5, 2010
"Dark Film"
Red Wind pgs 1541-1574
I would have to say that Chandler had quite a knack for keeping people in suspense. I found it interesting that he would dangle you like a fish on a hook just when you think you knew what was going on. Once I started to read this it was everything I could do to put the book down. Chandler does a fantastic job in every detail of the book. The whole drama took place in late afternoon all the way through the night into the next day. Chandler's use of descriptive detail makes the pictures in your head just come to life. When he describes the brunette in the beginning of the story, he gives you this image of a beautiful women. Chandler describes her as, "Tall, pretty, brown hair, in a print bolero jacket over a blue crepe silk dress. Wearing a wide brimmed straw hat with a velvet band". As you read, there is really no where in the book were he is not descriptive. When the man in the bar gets killed, he describes the shooter as "lightly" touching the bar door with his shoulder to give to give you the picture that the shooter was very cautious about his movements when he left the bar. Not only does Chandler paint in great detail his characters but he also paints the landscape for you. A great example of this would be on page 1563 when Dalmus meets Mr. Barsaly and has a discussion in Mr. Barsaly's home. Chandler describes the living room as having in it a fireplace, baby grand, Chinese screen, a tall Chinese lantern on a teakwood pedestal and gold net curtains on a lattice window. He also tells you that there is a tree outside with the trunk white washed, blowing in the hot breeze. Chandler paints this awesome picture that makes this book come to life. Chandler's use of shadows to make his characters mysterious is done with great care and perfect timing. A good example of this would be on page 1556 when John Dalmus gets back from the police station and tries to get into his apartment building and hears a low quiet voice say, "Please". Dalmus states that he knew the voice so he got into her car. This is perfect timing because you now have a picture in your head of this tall beautiful women who you thought you knew but now she is doing something out of the ordinary. You think you have her pinned down as a loose woman but this appearance makes you wonder what she is really up to. I think the way Chandler keeps you guessing, for instance when Dalmus is telling his lies, or the detective taking the credit for the shooter being caught even though he did not really catch him, or the way he keeps a dark shadow over all his characters, keeps the reader interested. I have to say that I really enjoyed this read!
I would have to say that Chandler had quite a knack for keeping people in suspense. I found it interesting that he would dangle you like a fish on a hook just when you think you knew what was going on. Once I started to read this it was everything I could do to put the book down. Chandler does a fantastic job in every detail of the book. The whole drama took place in late afternoon all the way through the night into the next day. Chandler's use of descriptive detail makes the pictures in your head just come to life. When he describes the brunette in the beginning of the story, he gives you this image of a beautiful women. Chandler describes her as, "Tall, pretty, brown hair, in a print bolero jacket over a blue crepe silk dress. Wearing a wide brimmed straw hat with a velvet band". As you read, there is really no where in the book were he is not descriptive. When the man in the bar gets killed, he describes the shooter as "lightly" touching the bar door with his shoulder to give to give you the picture that the shooter was very cautious about his movements when he left the bar. Not only does Chandler paint in great detail his characters but he also paints the landscape for you. A great example of this would be on page 1563 when Dalmus meets Mr. Barsaly and has a discussion in Mr. Barsaly's home. Chandler describes the living room as having in it a fireplace, baby grand, Chinese screen, a tall Chinese lantern on a teakwood pedestal and gold net curtains on a lattice window. He also tells you that there is a tree outside with the trunk white washed, blowing in the hot breeze. Chandler paints this awesome picture that makes this book come to life. Chandler's use of shadows to make his characters mysterious is done with great care and perfect timing. A good example of this would be on page 1556 when John Dalmus gets back from the police station and tries to get into his apartment building and hears a low quiet voice say, "Please". Dalmus states that he knew the voice so he got into her car. This is perfect timing because you now have a picture in your head of this tall beautiful women who you thought you knew but now she is doing something out of the ordinary. You think you have her pinned down as a loose woman but this appearance makes you wonder what she is really up to. I think the way Chandler keeps you guessing, for instance when Dalmus is telling his lies, or the detective taking the credit for the shooter being caught even though he did not really catch him, or the way he keeps a dark shadow over all his characters, keeps the reader interested. I have to say that I really enjoyed this read!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Death of Innocence!
Feminist Manifesto, pg 1502-1505
WOW!!! First of all you must understand the conditions that women were living in in the early 1900's. The old saying that women need to be "in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant" obviously came from this era. I had wished there was more to her small biography to explain and give a bigger and more vivid picture of her life. This woman was definitely a woman scorned. I believe that she must of had some kind of tragedy created by a man just by the way she emphasizes some of her words. Mina says on page 1503 that, "Leave off looking to men to find out what you are NOT" tells me that she is upset for giving so much of her life for what, her suppression by a man. Mina Loy was definitely "outside the box" per say because of the era that she wrote this in. That is probably why it was never published during her lifetime. She takes the time to let women know that just because you like sex does not make you a whore, women should embrace sex. She states this on page 1503 when she basically says that there is no division between the mistress and the mother. This point also comes full circle when she says on page 1504, that you have to get ride of your morale excellence. I believe that when Mina says that women need to have their virginity surgically removed, she was telling young women to express themselves through what God has givin them. Mina was upset because women in this era were to live like the Bible states. Unfortunately, the whole, women are sub-servant to men issue in the Bible was mis-interpreted. Both men and women are equal but have their special skills for life in general. What Mina stood for has come full circle because in this day and age, virginity is something that is "a bonus" when a man and a women get married. The sexual revolution has brought on abortion at an all time rate, not to mention all the std's that our teenagers now live with the rest of their lives. Mina was absolutely right in trying to break the suppression of women. I wonder, if she believed in this so much to write it down on paper, then why did she not try to get it published?
WOW!!! First of all you must understand the conditions that women were living in in the early 1900's. The old saying that women need to be "in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant" obviously came from this era. I had wished there was more to her small biography to explain and give a bigger and more vivid picture of her life. This woman was definitely a woman scorned. I believe that she must of had some kind of tragedy created by a man just by the way she emphasizes some of her words. Mina says on page 1503 that, "Leave off looking to men to find out what you are NOT" tells me that she is upset for giving so much of her life for what, her suppression by a man. Mina Loy was definitely "outside the box" per say because of the era that she wrote this in. That is probably why it was never published during her lifetime. She takes the time to let women know that just because you like sex does not make you a whore, women should embrace sex. She states this on page 1503 when she basically says that there is no division between the mistress and the mother. This point also comes full circle when she says on page 1504, that you have to get ride of your morale excellence. I believe that when Mina says that women need to have their virginity surgically removed, she was telling young women to express themselves through what God has givin them. Mina was upset because women in this era were to live like the Bible states. Unfortunately, the whole, women are sub-servant to men issue in the Bible was mis-interpreted. Both men and women are equal but have their special skills for life in general. What Mina stood for has come full circle because in this day and age, virginity is something that is "a bonus" when a man and a women get married. The sexual revolution has brought on abortion at an all time rate, not to mention all the std's that our teenagers now live with the rest of their lives. Mina was absolutely right in trying to break the suppression of women. I wonder, if she believed in this so much to write it down on paper, then why did she not try to get it published?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Life at mach speed!
Robert Frost, The Wood-Pile
Ah to live in such beautiful country and not desert! The imagery that Robert Frost portrays is amazing and peaceful. The first image that I get in my head is a walk in the forest to get some me time and taking in the awe and beauty that nature provides for free. At this point you could literally hear the flap of the wing of a bird it was so quiet. As he walks through this frozen swamp to put his mind at ease here comes a little piece of what he is trying to escape. LIFE. The bird, I believe is the general public that is always suspicious of everyone and everything. It says in his small biography at the beginning that he stays away from the cities and prefers the country. That tells me that he finds people at times to be repulsive. He despises some of what the city offers. As he walks in the swamp and meets and greets his friend, his eyes are drawn to the misplaced wood-pile that had been there for years. Here again this paints a picture in my head that the wood-pile represents how people get to caught up in life that they forget the simple things. I think this reflects again Roberts idea about city life.
Robert Frost, Neither Out Far, Nor In Deep
Robert was trying to show how people look abroad for answers to their problems in life but don't realize that they are right in front of them. The analogy of standing along the sand and watching the sea all day, tells me that people are trying to find the meaning of happenings in life. Then he goes on to sat that "But wherever the truth may be- The water comes ashore." This is saying that while you waste time looking abroad for answers, the answers are right in front of you. The water comes ashore. The tone in this piece is direct. In the first and second stanza, Robert basically points out that people are always pointing the blame, per say, to someone or something else. In the third stanza, Robert says that what you are looking for is right there in front of you. By the fourth stanza, Robert comes out and says that people can be so oblivious that they forget to look at themselves. This poem could tie in with The Wood-Pile because here again people need to slow down and smell the roses.
Ah to live in such beautiful country and not desert! The imagery that Robert Frost portrays is amazing and peaceful. The first image that I get in my head is a walk in the forest to get some me time and taking in the awe and beauty that nature provides for free. At this point you could literally hear the flap of the wing of a bird it was so quiet. As he walks through this frozen swamp to put his mind at ease here comes a little piece of what he is trying to escape. LIFE. The bird, I believe is the general public that is always suspicious of everyone and everything. It says in his small biography at the beginning that he stays away from the cities and prefers the country. That tells me that he finds people at times to be repulsive. He despises some of what the city offers. As he walks in the swamp and meets and greets his friend, his eyes are drawn to the misplaced wood-pile that had been there for years. Here again this paints a picture in my head that the wood-pile represents how people get to caught up in life that they forget the simple things. I think this reflects again Roberts idea about city life.
Robert Frost, Neither Out Far, Nor In Deep
Robert was trying to show how people look abroad for answers to their problems in life but don't realize that they are right in front of them. The analogy of standing along the sand and watching the sea all day, tells me that people are trying to find the meaning of happenings in life. Then he goes on to sat that "But wherever the truth may be- The water comes ashore." This is saying that while you waste time looking abroad for answers, the answers are right in front of you. The water comes ashore. The tone in this piece is direct. In the first and second stanza, Robert basically points out that people are always pointing the blame, per say, to someone or something else. In the third stanza, Robert says that what you are looking for is right there in front of you. By the fourth stanza, Robert comes out and says that people can be so oblivious that they forget to look at themselves. This poem could tie in with The Wood-Pile because here again people need to slow down and smell the roses.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Humble
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington, pgs 665-687
First of all I have to admit that I find his "humbleness" to be very intriguing. As I read through the different chapters, Booker had every right to be angry with the white race. From the beginning of his life he did not even know the basics like the day and year he was born. As an adult I still think birthdays are a very special day for the people involved. Here is a boy who slept on a pile of rags when they had them, lived in a fourteen by sixteen square foot, pure air filled cabin with two other siblings and his mom. His "white" dad stopped by once a year around Christmas time. Not only did Booker have lousy living conditions he also had to work because he was a slave. Here is a young child who has to ride on top of a corn bag three miles down the road to the mill to get the corn ground. It sounds like More often than not, that bag of heavy corn fell off the horse as he did as well. Waiting for a stranger in a strange land for a little child is fear in its animated form. With bad living conditions, no stable source of food except for what they raised on the plantation, and having to wear a "Flax" shirt, Booker, I believe, had a strong foundation in the Bible even though he never comes out and says it. On page 671, Booker states,
"When people ask me in these days how, in the midst of what sometimes seem hopelessly discouraging conditions, I can have such faith in the future of my race in this country, I remind them of the wilderness though which and out of which, a good Providence has already led us."
The influence that his mother had on him was absolutely profound. From his homespun cap, to his understanding of the value of money or lack there of, not going into debt, and just the fact that under no circumstances do you complain about what you don't have, but be thankful for what you have been given. On page 677, Booker states that, "The lesson that my mother taught me in this has always remained with me, and I have tried as best I could to teach it to others." He was saying to live within your means, don't let the burden of debt weigh you down because there is bigger issues in life than consuming yourself with work.
There is so much to say about Booker that it is hard to get it down on paper. As I look through and think about the excepts that I read, I think about how one man with his back against the wall, could accomplish so much. Teaching himself how to read while working a full time job, to giving the speech of his lifetime. Overcoming great odds with such a positive outlook on life established by his loving mother. Booker knew from the start that overcoming the boundaries of his color was going to be a long and time consuming challenge that he was hitting head on with education mixed with a love for humanity. Like Martin Luther King, Booker knew that to make progress with racial issues arising you have to try to do it through peaceful solutions. Booker was well aware that there were racial problems by his statement on page 687, "they should be made to apply with equal and exact justice for both races." In his speech he tells his audience that it is going to take blacks and whites getting there hands dirty to make a better place for us all.
AS more thoughts come flooding out, I will try to edit my post.
First of all I have to admit that I find his "humbleness" to be very intriguing. As I read through the different chapters, Booker had every right to be angry with the white race. From the beginning of his life he did not even know the basics like the day and year he was born. As an adult I still think birthdays are a very special day for the people involved. Here is a boy who slept on a pile of rags when they had them, lived in a fourteen by sixteen square foot, pure air filled cabin with two other siblings and his mom. His "white" dad stopped by once a year around Christmas time. Not only did Booker have lousy living conditions he also had to work because he was a slave. Here is a young child who has to ride on top of a corn bag three miles down the road to the mill to get the corn ground. It sounds like More often than not, that bag of heavy corn fell off the horse as he did as well. Waiting for a stranger in a strange land for a little child is fear in its animated form. With bad living conditions, no stable source of food except for what they raised on the plantation, and having to wear a "Flax" shirt, Booker, I believe, had a strong foundation in the Bible even though he never comes out and says it. On page 671, Booker states,
"When people ask me in these days how, in the midst of what sometimes seem hopelessly discouraging conditions, I can have such faith in the future of my race in this country, I remind them of the wilderness though which and out of which, a good Providence has already led us."
The influence that his mother had on him was absolutely profound. From his homespun cap, to his understanding of the value of money or lack there of, not going into debt, and just the fact that under no circumstances do you complain about what you don't have, but be thankful for what you have been given. On page 677, Booker states that, "The lesson that my mother taught me in this has always remained with me, and I have tried as best I could to teach it to others." He was saying to live within your means, don't let the burden of debt weigh you down because there is bigger issues in life than consuming yourself with work.
There is so much to say about Booker that it is hard to get it down on paper. As I look through and think about the excepts that I read, I think about how one man with his back against the wall, could accomplish so much. Teaching himself how to read while working a full time job, to giving the speech of his lifetime. Overcoming great odds with such a positive outlook on life established by his loving mother. Booker knew from the start that overcoming the boundaries of his color was going to be a long and time consuming challenge that he was hitting head on with education mixed with a love for humanity. Like Martin Luther King, Booker knew that to make progress with racial issues arising you have to try to do it through peaceful solutions. Booker was well aware that there were racial problems by his statement on page 687, "they should be made to apply with equal and exact justice for both races." In his speech he tells his audience that it is going to take blacks and whites getting there hands dirty to make a better place for us all.
AS more thoughts come flooding out, I will try to edit my post.
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