ErinWaite http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/ Copyright 2007 Thu, 03 May 2007 19:11:11 -0500 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Peer Review Day: I throw this in my porfolio hey baby hey! The title was my idea of a song of joy that this hell is almost over but I don't think it will be a chart topper. haha. Anyhow, we are feeling so productive that we have managed to correct papers, talk to family members and make sure britney spears is still a nut all at the same time. I am very sad that Vanessa will not be here to watch the Gilmore Girls with me, so we've now completed the very important tasks that all English majors must conquer, learning how to interpret numbers. Okay, so we exchanged numbers, but at least we're multi-tasking. I am cheerfully pouring happiness and glitter into the gaps of Diana's paper and she tells her gum "Screw you." See, I've learned alliteration (glitter, gaps, and gum, oh, my!), but in all seriousness, I've gotten mad help on my paper. Vanessa working in the writing center has been an asset.
Here is what's happened:
1. My thesis is being re-worked
2. She's helped me on sentence placement and grammar
3. She's given me some ways of citing my sources properly
4. I'm getting more sources on Machiavelli and Shakespeare
5. I placed all of Diana's misplaced paragraphs in happy homes.
6. I fixed some minor grammar and verb confusion
7. We talked about ways to make our arguments stronger
I'm all better now, so I'm rippin this band-aid off and callin it quits. Peace out girl scouts!

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/peer_review_day.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/peer_review_day.html EL 312 Thu, 03 May 2007 19:11:11 -0500 Blog Portfolio: The Beginning of the End is Where I'll Be Portfolio III -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

Wow, kids! It's been an amazing year! I've never poured out so much heart and soul into blogging or gotten so many great comments from my classmates. Vanessa and Karissa were amazing help and Valerie's blogs were always so insightful. Jay answered any questions that confused me, and everyone just made me laugh and taught me alot. As I write this I realize that I am going to be a senior and have to learn to be much more succinct. Without further a do, I saved the best blogs for last so here's my "Boardwalk themed Blog Portfolio."

The Umbrella (coverage and timeliness): I was always on time and when it came to tag-teaming lit. critics on the Gilman issue I was no exception.
Maybe I don't deserve a prize. but that's the title of my entry that was also timely and covered alot about old Greenblatt.

The Deep Ocean (depth): I was snorkeling when I wrote about my presentation and explained intertextuality The Tempest was another good one. I also let out my true feelings and called for an Intervention

Lost my lunch at Boardwalk blog carnival: Don't know if my giant comment on Vanessa's blog carnival entry came on or even if my entry came up because I have no responses. Hence, my title.

Under the Boardwalk (interaction/discussions): It's all an allusion Garson got us talking. Karissa and Mitchell really helped out on my presentation blog.

Extra cheese with those fries (xenoblogging) Comment Primo: David Moio's blog Comment Grande: Jason's

Wet and wild (wildcard): Random poetry of summer 2007

Term Projects:
My term project
My Disorghanized Draft of Final Paper I didn't know if you wanted our term paper drafts, so I just put what we'd went over last class.
Freud's the Uncanny Oral Presentation
Vanessa and Karissa look like they have the right idea, I hope to view theirs tonight and blog on our peer workshop. Here's the slot for it.

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/blog_portfolio.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/blog_portfolio.html Thu, 03 May 2007 16:48:39 -0500 Rough Draft/ thesis ideas/ help?!
"From Prospero's viewpoint, Gonzalo's obedience to his master (even though it entailed Prospero's suffering and near-death) is praiseworthy because political obedience guarantees the stability of government (Yachnin 42)." While political obedience was a strong issue during Shakespeare's life, especially between the Jacobeans and the Elizabethans (going along with the government seemed to indicate going against one's own conscience, or even worse being labeled as an accomplice) I believe that Shakespeare's feelings of what justice should be is more prevalent throughout the play than just his feelings about the government and obedience alone.
From the beginning Prospero presents himself as the one who deserves to serve this brand of justice to Alonso and even his own brother. While Yachnin presents the idea that Gonzalo's obedience is "praiseworthy" because of stability to the government and is forgiving (or so it seems), he's less than forgiving to the other men who usurped him (at least in the beginning).
First, he uses Ariel to create the tempest. Then, as if that isn't quite enough, he punishes them by having dogs chase them, has Ariel's music get them lost, and all the while, he has Alonso's son (whom he was probably very worried about). It's understandable that he's being like any modern politician and trying to use Ferdinand to stabilize his political position, but the methods he uses to get the rest of his revenge seem rather like the old phrase "an eye for an eye."
While revenge is never a new concept, the thought of serving justice in this manner does seem to make the reader question how Shakespeare must have felt about how justice should have been served during his time. Furthermore, does this mean that he believed (as Yachnin suggested) that people who went along with the government were just as guilty and deserved whatever their punishment was?
To answer that question, by taking a formalist approach, the readers could look directly to the work and see various pieces of the puzzle that is indicative of such an interpretation. Prospero's thought of injustice shows that he is somewhat of a hypocrite in the fact that he's angry with his brother taking over, but he believes it's just to use Caliban and Ariel to carry out his deeds. When Ariel asks for his freedom that Prospero has promised for years, Prospero doesn't hesitate to remind Ariel of all he's done for him and keeps making him serve. This goes along with his idea of justice, but also exemplifies how Shakespeare may have seen the world himself. He also believes that Caliban owes him and thinks that because he gave him "human care (1:2, 349)" he is nothing but a savage who is lucky to receive whatever justice Prospero gives him.
On the other hand, Shakespeare also liked to show his audience a good time and give the audience a sense of relief, at least during some point of his plays, so the "happily ever after" ending does perhaps indicate that Prospero's justice did work for him. It could work in the way that he gave up some of his power and freed those he promised he would, thus not making his revenge seem so unfair. While this does show that Shakespeare may not have been favoring the "eye for an eye" method, but when Gonzalo grieves over the way he's treated people, it seems that justice is really served because he went against his conscience.
"Him that you term'd sir, "the good old Lord Gonzalo,"/ His tears run down his beard like winter's drops From eaves of reeds (Yachnin 44)." Whatever Shakespeare felt about politics is an open debate, but it is clear in the text that each member truly received some form of justice whether it be through losing a family member, surviving a storm, being enslaved, or simply feeling the burning of one's conscience. Shakespeare did make it clear that people would receive some type of justice and the same man who caused it all could easily relieve their pain, just as Queen Elizabeth was able to during his time.
Shakespeare's full intent can never be completely clear, because the audience can only view what's before them, but they can look at the government in modern society and see punishments such as the death penalty and look back to Elizabethan times and see the suffering in The Tempest and perhaps strengthen the belief that justice (no matter how one-sided) is still an issue and a representation of Shakespeare's intent to demonstrate justice that neither goes against or celebrates the "eye for an eye" method.


]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/rough_draft_the.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/rough_draft_the.html EL 312 Thu, 03 May 2007 16:36:42 -0500 Some random poetry I felt like busting out THE ETERNAL BLUE: SET 2

Sock puppets and holy jeans make for a mean afternoon of comedy and worship...

Blue jeans slung low
faded perfectly
cuffed below
To thee I shall protest
why ruin thy holy pants with such bad taste?

"I need a man like I need a hole in my...jeans"

I can take you
on and off
my body
drag you through the mud
and rip you
hard and fast
or...just wash you up
wear you casually
above or below
the waist
skin tight or loose
but I like you best
broken in
worn
from so much love.

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/some_random_poe.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/05/some_random_poe.html EL 312 Thu, 03 May 2007 16:31:28 -0500 Tag-teaming Lit. Critics--oh my! Dock, '''But One Expects That': Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and the Shifting Light of Scholarship'' -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)
"Once battles for recognition have been won, however, critical notions that have served as rallying cries need to shift." (480).

Each writer has a cause or motive they are rallying for and the authors show the various reviews that depict the intention of the author vs. the reactions from the audience. The norms shaped reactions and meanings were twisted and fluffed, but in the end, it's all up to the author.

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/tagteaming_lit.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/tagteaming_lit.html EL 312 Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:49:36 -0500 Show, don't tell Barker and Hulme, ''Nymphs and Reapers Heavily Vanish'' -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

"Instead of having meaning, statements should be seen as performative of meaning; not as possessing some portable and "universal" content..." (445)

I really liked David's presentation because Bono's lyrics don't just tell, but rather show. For instance, he may not talk directly about Christ, but he gives us a striking metaphor. To truly understand the metaphor it has to be apart of our culture and if not, we have to find a way to make it so. While I know this reading was on Shakespeare, it's message seems the same in that works are based on "natural language of the age." (445)

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/show_dont_tell.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/show_dont_tell.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:28:41 -0500 It's all an allusion...or is it? Belsey, ''Literature, History, Politics'' -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

"Illusion--the ordinary ideological experience of men--is the material on which the writer goes to work; but in working on it he transforms it into something different, lends it a shape and structure." (425)

I love that we get the chance to act as potter's at the wheel and take material we already have and put a new spin to it. It gives so much more hope than just settling for ideologies smushed into literature. We are tired of Gerber and want some real sustenance? Sure, so we re-vamp the old and while it's not always concrete images or a tasty treat, we get a chance to use the culture we already have to expand.

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/its_all_an_allu.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/its_all_an_allu.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:06:04 -0500 Garson goes for the girly (-ies or the maidens) Garson, 'Bodily Harm" Keats's Figures in the 'Ode on a Grecian Urn''' -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)
"A foster child , she is to be seen and not heard; a virginal bride, she is a metaphorical female body, complete, circular, intact." (457).
This seems to be more about rhetoric anf feminism then culture at first but I really enjoyed how Garson used the lines to suggest some type of "archaic sexual sense" within the poem. I wouldn't have thought about gang rape and the various parts of a woman, but at the same time, it is very steamy and for the time period that those on the urn lived, this would be rather brazen. I think that while she seems to jump on the tampon train with this one, I like the way she presented her argument and I think it relates to the time period on the urn rather than perh to Keat's own culture at the time. Do you agree or disagree?

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/garson_goes_for.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/garson_goes_for.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:44:49 -0500 Where's my prize? Greenblatt, ''Culture'' -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

"An awareness of culture as a complex whole can help us to recover that sense by leading us to reconstruct the boundaries upon whose existence the works were predicated." (437)
We are always tempted to apply our own motives and morals to interpreting a work and Greenblatt explains the importance of understanding the culture first, so that we know the limits and the norms of the culture. I liked the examples of "cool silence" and "glittering prizes" as the "disciplinarian techniques" of a culture. We determine what's acceptable or not just by making a certain gesture. In other cultures, that may not be understood or respected. Dane Cook once asked, who came up with the idea that the middle finger meant exploitave/deleted, did they try saying "suck my back" and realize it wasn't as cool? (something like that don't hold me to it) Thus, in cultural criticisms, we will be less inclined to really give the work a fighting chance when it is completely culturally obscure, but if we're good critics, we'll use Greensblatt's 6 questions and perhaps refrain from chucking the book from a moving car.

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/wheres_my_prize.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/wheres_my_prize.html Mon, 23 Apr 2007 12:33:15 -0500 Le Blog Formal: Component Academic Term Project -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)
*I am going to have people watch the video, do a worksheet and then look at the lyrics to see how quickly we pick up on intertextuality as a whole, so most of this will only make sense after the class.
According to Northop Frye’s reading of The Tempest, “If the adult completely loses this childlike response (to literature), he loses something very central to the dramatic experience.” (Keesey 299). Frye certainly inspired my ideas of intertextuality. I wanted us to realize that while intertextuality can be taught, it is something already ingrained in our brains. If we watch the “The Simpsons,” we may realize that Itchy and Scratchy are really just like Tom and Jerry or that in an episode called “The Shining,” when Homer watches Monty Burns’ house and realizes there is no T.V. or beer, “his rage is played out to parody the Stephen King novel and Stanley Kubrick film "The Shining.”(Horowitz 2). Even if you didn’t already know this, you knew that you’d seen something else in the media similar to what you are watching or reading somewhere before.
You can call this déjà vu, but what you really must come to terms with is acknowledging like a recovering alcoholic that “Yes, I’ve seen this before,” and “Yes, I know what it means.” If you are not just a couch potato, but a literary critic, you are already asking the right question: What did it all stem from?
What I like about Frye’s idea is that if we assume we already know who the killer is or what will happen since Santa Claus isn’t real (supposedly) , we lose the whole effect of our literary experience. For instance, if while reading The Tempest, we just said “magic doesn’t exist” and “punishing people by using horse piss is bullocks” then we would pull a David Moio (sorry, but you’ve said book-throwing is one of your hidden talents) and not even bother reading. Similarly, to understand “Lazy Sunday” is very simple, but if we were to sit back and say that this is just a song about people going to see a movie about centaurs, we might not see the real depth in it. As we read The Tempest along with Frye, he says that it’s “almost a comic parody of a revenge tragedy.” While “Lazy Sunday” may not be a direct parody, it uses many parts of our culture to make it so heavy with intertextuality that I’ll have you watch the video and see if you can pick up on all of the references to music, movies, actors, and even popular baked goods are made. These references are what give us the chance to be child-like and have a chuckle or make us question what kind of reader we are. Discussion question: What kind of reader are you and do you think the song lyrics can contribute to the definition of intertextuality or does it just mock the way we are as a society? Professor Daniel Chandler of the University of Wales explains this much better than I could. He says that “the semiotic notion of intertextuality introduced by Julia Kristeva is associated primarily with poststructuralist theorists. Kristeva referred to texts in terms of two axes: a horizontal axis connecting the author and reader of a text, and a vertical axis, which connects the text to other texts (Kristeva 1980, 69). Uniting these two axes are shared codes: every text and every reading depends on prior codes. Kristeva declared that 'every text is from the outset under the jurisdiction of other discourses which impose a universe on it'.” (Chandler 1). While my interpreting the lyrics that reference “dropping Hamiltons” loving cupcakes like “McAdams loves Gosling,” may not be as earth-shattering or intelligent, it allows us to see that how all of our text are interrelated. From Matt Groening using “The Raven” in “The Simpsons” to Frye doing an intertextual reading of The Tempest, we as readers are almost required to apply other forms of criticism to even find the jokes remotely funny. Discussion question: What other types of criticism do you think would have been helpful for you to pick up all the intertextual references of “Lazy Sunday?”
Overall, “Lazy Sunday” and The Tempest come from two very different time eras, but each require some degree of a suspension of disbelief, a knowledge or pop culture, but even more so, a willingness to look at any text with multiple lenses to interpret it. While I may not be a critic, I’ve realized some of the different criticisms that could be applied to “Lazy Sunday.” Here are some just for fun.
Historical- You need to know who Hamilton is to laugh.
Cultural- Google and Map quest can help with driving directions
Reader-Response- How you feel about The Chronicles of Narnia may affect your response to the lyrics
Post structural- As a class we will be breaking down the lyrics and putting them back together to see what they may mean as a whole.
I could go one forever, but to further compare my “Lazy Sunday” reading with Frye’s reading of The Tempest or to get a discussion going, check out one of my first Frye blogs or feel free to give me links to your blogs that you might feel helpful. As a class I think we’ve really all come to the conclusion: While it’s fun to incorporate our own lives to the text, it’s important to keep our opinions separate and look at the work as a whole before we past judgment, but what makes intertextuality so damn appealing is that we encouraged to apply our own experiences and that gives a more personal relationship with the text. Do you agree or disagree?


]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/le_blog_formal.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/le_blog_formal.html Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:03:33 -0500 Le Blog Informal: My Presentation Idea Term Project -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

If you are true SNL fans, you've probably heard of Chris Parnell and/orAndy Samberg. They recently did a funny skit called "Lazy Sunday" in which they rap about going to the movies to see The Chronicles of Narnia. It's a short and sweet video that you can watch on Youtube if you haven't already seen it, but I was hoping you'd wait for me to show it to you in class, which will be part of the fun. The lyrics are funny and include many references to history, movies, other rap songs, etc. I thought it would make a perfect example of intertextuality. I was thinking of discussion questions, perhaps listing the examples of intertextuality, and seeing how my definition relates to Keesey's. Because there are cupcakes mentioned in the song, there's some food involved for you too. Are there any suggestions as to how I can cover my topic? I'd love to hear them and I'll have the lyrics available for easy reading.
* If you've seen "Lazy Sunday," already, check out Andy and Justin Timberlake in a romantic song about a special gift for a special lady and have fun kids! I'm curious about what you'll think of that one ;)

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/le_blog_informa.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/le_blog_informa.html Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:03:58 -0500 Blog Port II: Three is Where I want to be! Portfolio II -- Jerz EL312 (Literary Criticism)

This time around, I'm keeping it short and sweet. My blogs have improved greatly in context and in depth. I really got alot of great discussions going and learned alot from my peers. Karissa, Vanessa, Jason, and Tiffany have remained faithful, but I've gotten even more of a variety in response this time. I had more fun this time and used my blogging voice to the max. I am so overwhelmed with everything else, so when we hit Portfolio Three and finally done for the semester, I'll be extremely happy.

Coverage
De Man
Eagleton
Miko

Context
Guetti
Feldstein
Depth
Keesey 7
Flanneled Friend
My Awesome Freud blog
href="http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/03/pale_fire_not_s.html">Longest blog on Pale Fire

\My Discussions were amazing!
Imitation
href="http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/03/swann_is_really.html#comments">Swann
Jason helps out
Keesey 7
De Man again!

Xenoblogging
Comment Primo I am the first to comment on all of Vanessa and Denamarie's blogs this week!
Comment Grande Tiffany and Kevin got a quite a few words from me!
Wildcard Drowning in the Forest
Blog Carnival/Link Gracious: I linked to Kevin's blog for the carnival and my link gracious to commend him for getting ahead of the game!

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/blog_port_ii_th.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/blog_port_ii_th.html Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:48:14 -0500 Kevin made an Awesome Carnival, If I could ever have a break, I'd go! Go have some hotdogs and meet the Tres Amigo's at Kevin's Carnival! I shall join for Portfolio 3, if that's cool with the Carnie!

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/kevin_made_an_a.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/kevin_made_an_a.html EL 236 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:44:03 -0500 Word Up to Murfin and Ray: Frusturated I have too many assignments to be worried about looking up a word in the dictionary. I wish I could post a picture of myself banging my head against the wall. That would define frusturated and that's not in Murfin and Ray and I don't give a shit :)

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/word_up_to_murf.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/word_up_to_murf.html EL 312 Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:07:23 -0500 Drowning in the Forest I'm drowning in a sea of works cited/is this MLA style/ Did I fall asleep in my sandwich at 3 a.m. again/can't find my flip flops/overwhelmed with the assignments that seem to try to outweigh all of the others. In other words I'm drowning in a sea of paper. How many trees do we need to kill to prove that we can think clearly and function as citizens in this country where you can push a broom or wear an orange vest and make more money than what we're making as college students and even as grads. Oh, Lord, I've slipped into self pity and venting as I always do when every professor decides to assign a 10-20 page paper with bibliographies we won't even use. Do they really want us to write half-assed papers at the last minute? I didn't think so, so why pile it on now? If they want us to succeed, how about thinking of a more modern assignment than writing a paper. I am going nuts, so there's my wildcard whining blog!

]]> http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/drowning_in_the.html http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ErinWaite/2007/04/drowning_in_the.html Blubbering Bloggage: for those who like long winded rambling Thu, 12 Apr 2007 16:58:52 -0500