February 26, 2005
Portfolio 1
Yep, it's that time again... time to dig the closets of my entries and post them on my portfolio entry! If you recall last semester, I had to blog for EL236, now I have to blog again for EL150.
Portfolio 1
This portfolio reflects my development in the study of literature for my Intro to Literary Study class.
- Blog entries that show a sense of coverage of assigned literature.
- Blog entries that show a sense of depth in understanding the text.
- Blog entries that sparked discussion.
- Blog entries that show interaction.
- Timely blog entries.
- Xenoblogging (work that inspires discussion or entries in other's weblogs).
- Wildcard (random entry that stands out in my mind).
Posted by EvanReynolds at 2:03 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
February 21, 2005
A Cause for Schizophrenia May Be Found
For ages, psychiatry has been struggling to pinpoint what exactly causes schizophrenia. Today, I ran across an article that described the findings of Australian researchers. In summary, the researchers took an MRI of a sample of 10 patients with early signs of schizophrenia while having them perform tasks involving cognitive processes.
They found that a type of grey matter thins as the patient deteriorates in the affected areas.
What is the significance of this finding? Well, since we now have a cause, researchers can now work to possibly find at least more effective and safe treatments.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 11:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Indulgence and the Tempest
The assigned article discussed the call for indulgence in Prospero's epilogue. The author also asserted that this could prove that Shakespeare may have been Catholic. For my agenda item, I will attempt to further pick apart the epilogue. Although I cannot go in the same depth and have not enough time to corroborate my labeling terms as Catholic, I will at least make a statement and open it for evaluation. I feel this epilogue is an appeal to the whole audience, but more specifically--and subtly--the Catholic audience.
The imagery of the entire verse seems to put a visual to indulgence. Prospero says to the audience, "Let me not,/ since I have my dukedom got/ and pardoned the deceiver, dwell/ in this bare island by your spell..." (V, i, 5-8). The island could symbolize purgatory. Dukedom, in this instance, seems like it could be replaced by salvation. And "pardoned the deceiver" is forgiving people who have trespassed against us.
"But release me from my bands/ with the help of your good hands" (V, i, 9-10)is a call for the audience to pray ("with the help of your good hands") to release him from his bonds that keep him in purgatory.
"Gentle breath of yours my sails/ must fill, or else my project fails" (V, i, 10-11) puts an image for the positive testimony of prayer. The breath and words from the prayer fills the sails to make the journey.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 10:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
February 20, 2005
A Mid-Semester's Day Nightmare
My ears are slowly losing their hearing
As my teacher takes a crack at singing!
He opens wide his mouth to sing a tune,
As sounds of slaughter spread across the room!
My ears cry out in pain at such torture,
But can't be heard because of all the noise!
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"
He lets loose from his rusty vocal chords.
I try to think of something smart to say,
But can't, for noise takes all the smarts away!
(Counts as Clever Blank Verse Entry) Thank you Dr. Jerz for having a good sense of humor! (I just can't think of anything else to write!)
Posted by EvanReynolds at 8:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Of Storms and Spirits
The Tempest was an interesting read, I must admit. (Anything with violent storms and fairies is a worthwhile read, but that is a discussion for a later date!). With similar characters to other Shakespearean plays (ie: dukes and kings) and a few more surprises, The Tempest was a delight to read...
And pick apart...
The rightful duke of Milan, Prospero, brings the king, his usurping brother and subjects to an island via a storm, where they all learn a lesson or two with all the conjuring Prospero does.
The plot starts to become more clear in Act I, scene ii, when Prospero talks to his daughter, Miranda, in which we learn that the king and his brother kicked him out of office. But, the direction that the story goes becomes more clear when he talks to his fairy servant, Ariel.
In Act III, the deformed servant, Caliban, plans a mutiny of his master, Prospero. For some sick and sadistic reason, I laughed when Caliban described his plot. "...Having first seized his books, or with a log/ Batter his skull, or paunch him with a stake..." I suppose I pictured an ugly, ogre-like character spit the words out (literally) as he talked.
The end was so "happily ever-after" and "everyone learns a lesson" it was sickening, but I liked it. Prospero decides "The rarer action is/ in virtue than in vengence" and decides to release everyone from this spell and bring them together, saying "I'll restore,/ and they shall be themselves."
Posted by EvanReynolds at 8:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 12, 2005
Donne and Shakespeare
Death, Be not Proud:
This sonnet by Donne shows the traditional English sonnet structure. But moreover, makes a powerful theological statement about death: death is not the end. Donne uses the first three quatrains to "set up" this statement. He focuses these lines on how "some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful," while citing examples of how death overtakes humans ("with poison, war, and sickness dwell"). Then at the brink of the shift, Donne asks death directly, "why swell'st thou then?" After which, the shift occurs when Donne tells Death, "...we wake eternally,/ And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."
Sonnet CXVI:
This Sonnet by Shakespeare suggests that love is not only static and accepts difference rather than seek to change them, but also an emotion that is not shaken. He says that "[Love] is an ever-fixed mark/ That looks on tempests and is never shaken," and "love is not love/ Which alters when it alteration finds."
And in Sonnet XVIII, Shakespeare compares his lover to an eternal summer, saying "but thy eternal summer shall not fade." Then, at the shift of the poem, Shakespeare states, "so long lives this, and this gives life to thee," suggesting that his lover will live forever (in his heart, perhaps?) and these thoughts will keep his lover alive.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 7:57 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
February 9, 2005
Another View of Death
I must make this point clear to all my readers: I am not the only dismal poet out there! Take Emily Dickenson's poem, Because I Could Not Stop for Death, for example. When you think of Dickenson, what comes to mind? For me, poems like: My River Runs to Thee and That I did Always Love. But poets are not always flowery and lovey-dovey (or anti-lovey-dovey). Death is the pervasive outcome of life. People have read my poetry and said: "God, Evan! Don't be so morbid!" Well, the response I should have given to these poor lost souls is: "Just because I mention death throughout the poem does not make me morbid." To which I will add, perhaps I am trying to communicate a little bit more. I have been described as a scary, dark, goth-person who needs to lighten up. Then, I remember our reading assignment for EL150: Dickinson's Because I Could not Stop for Death and thought, "I'm not the only one fascinated by death!"
What I like about Dickinson's poem is the imagery. Not only are the images conducive to death, but they are symbolic of the mystery of death and the journey itself. The way she describes death is, believe it or not, positive. She says death "kindly stopped for me," and later expresses death's "civility." The images of gossamer, tippet, and tulle all give a light white quality, almost transparentness and therefore, mystery. But she also expresses the certainty of death's journey by describing the path as going to "eternity" and the ride, taken with immortality.
There was a stanza where the images seemed, well, morbid as she describes the "swelling of the ground." I had the impression at first that this was heaven because of the obvious capitalization of the word "house," but quickly learned that this is most likely a grave. Hmm, sounds morbid if you only focus on that aspect of the poem.
Likewise I encourage readers to think about my poem, A View of Death. I may not view death as positive, but through this poem I want readers to see the warning and appreciate the beauty of diversity. Death, in this poem is a metaphor for intolerance. Of course a poem will be dark if it deals with one of the darkest parts of human nature. However, I want readers to see that there is more to dark poetry than death and destruction. I hope each reader sees more beauty in the world after reading a depressing poem. After all, when you see that things could be worse, you tend to get a sense of appreciation for what you have and that is the beauty I want each reader to see: the beauty of being human.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 5:36 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
February 7, 2005
Oops! He Did it Again!
In my EL150 class, my teacher, Dr. Jerz, makes many references to pop culture when giving examples. But, somehow the only examples he seems to come up with involve Britany Speares. Hmm... Is there something psychologically symbolic going on? After all, "a cigar is more than just a cigar." Perhaps Dr. Jerz longs to be popular, to sing to a roaring crowd. What do you think? All I can say is: "Don't quit your day job, Dr. Jerz! You know how we all love literature!"
Posted by EvanReynolds at 9:00 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
February 6, 2005
Black History Month--Week 2
Among the most prolific of jazz pianists, Elington became one of the most widely recognized faces in jazz. Ellington's music was widely publicized from the 1920's to even as late as the 1960's. His hits include: Take the 'A' Train, Satin Doll, Mood Indigo, Caravan, and Sophistocated Lady.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 5:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 4, 2005
Crafty Bastards
Most of the SHU blogosphere should know by now that Moira is hosting a "Crafty Bitches Day" on the 12th. I see how it is... let's have an exclusivistic club for crafty women only. q': Let's prove this stereotype of males wrong! Fellow (male) SHU bloggers, this is a call to hold a Crafty Bastards Day! Leave a comment if you have any interest or no freakin' clue what I'm talking about.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 7:43 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Stopping the Machine
The story, The Machine Stops struck me as a response to the sudden increase in media and argues many points in accordance to behaviorism, which was gaining popularity around that time. Themes such as the directly observable seem parallel to the concepts of behaviorism. There is much in the story about how a society can crumble without human contact and learning. It also seems to make strong theological statements, such as the destructiveness of letting the non-transcendant values take priority over the transcendant values.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 2:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
February 3, 2005
Athletes are People, Too
Let me first begin my entry by citing a blog discussion on the controversy of the football team (my opinion on the matter will come later).
10 Reasons Why SHU Doesn't Need a Football Team
Sorry to all the student athletes who thought I was addressing everyone. I was trying to illustrate the problem of the "bad apples." But seeing the harsh rhetoric from others, contrasted with the good, non-offensive argument of Chad, I can only conclude that such arguments against the team (that is, as a whole) are only based out of prejudice.
Let me commend Mike Rubino for expressing his opinion initially in a mostly objective manner on his post.
There are times in a discussion when people on the opposing side will make strong arguments. Chad in this discussion displays a good command of argument countering each point by pointing out the hasty generalizations and points out the unfairness of them. Working with emotional appeal by citing experiences in his own life, he shows that he is an exception to the stereotyping.
I will admit I reacted to the anonymous responder's reactions in a slightly destructive manner. I was appalled that the athletes responding were using such harsh rhetoric. However, Chad stood up and was not afraid to do so. Kudos to Chad. I realized quickly at the response Chad was given that this argument was going in the wrong direction.
My opinion: well, since no one can get rid of the football team at this point, I think it's time to stop fighting and name-calling like children, come on... we're adults. You're not going to get rid of the football team; so, the only thing you can do is release you're prejudices--that is, both sides--and learn to get along. But telling the entire team to "eat my ass" or "get fries with that" not only is unfair to the people who want to get along, but also useless in getting your point across.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 8:05 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
February 2, 2005
Teaching Tolerance
For some reason or another, there is an increasing uproar about a few select television shows that are focusing on teaching the value of diversity and the importance of acceptance and at the lowest level, tolerance. Conservatives argue that they see nothing wrong with teaching people to accept others, but should not "cross the line to teach homosexuality as acceptable."
Disclaimer: Before you read more, stop and open your mind to the possibility that the opinions presented after this point are nothing more than opinions. Recognize that Evan is a human being and Evan has to vent his frustrations as well. Though I am not attacking any single person, I am giving a call to rethink our narrow-minded and often hypocritical treatment of homosexuals.
I will start off by asking a series of questions to fuel the discussion:
1. Why is it unacceptable to be gay in America?
2. Who gets to decide what is "acceptable" in the domain of human relationships?
3. How is teaching children to embrace differences "brainwashing"? (as put by a minister opposing tolerance.)
4. Is homosexuality really wrong, or do we as an American society say this to ourselves as consolation for our hatred, fears, and bigotry?
5.What's wrong with ending harassment of anyone?
6. Is the removal of gays from the hate crimes list a good idea?
We as Americans value our traditions over our futures. We value division over union. We value prejudice over pride, hate over compassion, majority over concensus, and the defamation of character over the sustaining of human dignity.
We are all sinners in our own right and to condemn a person based on who he/she sleeps with is a superficial, egocentrical, hypocritical action. You will never get rid of gays, short of genocidal actions. Just because it doesn't look right to certain people, does not mean it is wrong. Kohlberg describes the greatest accepted stage in his theory of moral development as "principled conscience." At this stage, a person's morals are based on a "genuine concern for others." Let me ask you this: if you believe you are a moral person, are you in concordance with this definition? Does your morality reflect an appreciation for all people, not just yourself?
If you are a Christian, what did Jesus say about loving enemies? About judging others, about the plank that is protruding from your eye? Wake up, America, and see the injustice that goes on from refusing to admit your wrongs and refusing to move foreward.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 7:09 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
February 1, 2005
Can the Bush Administration 'Stand on its Own Two Feet?'
Allegations have been arising in the past two months that the Bush administration was hiring (via agents) political and social commentors and columnists to push the administration's agendas. Bush released a statement that his administration can "stand on its own two feet" as Bush fired a good number of his cabinet members.
Maggie Gallagher was a syndicated columnist that was hired by the government to promote its marriage initiative. Gallagher has testified before the Judiciary committee supporting the ban of same-sex marriage twice without disclosing her contract. She disclosed her contract with her readers on the 25th of January. There has been a 128% increase in public relations contracts from the government House minority leader Nancy Pelosi told USA Today. Senetors Edward Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg are encouraging the General Accountability Office to look further into the matter.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 8:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Celebrate our Differences--Black History Month
As you know, today marks the first day of Black History Month. So, every week on this blog, one famous African-American writer, scientist, musician, activist, etc. will be featured.
Week 1: Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, MO in 1902. He is among the most famous of American poets, and arguably, one of the most controversial. He received criticism from American idealists for his poem, "Let America Be America Again," a poem whose title was used as a campaign slogan for presidential candidate John Kerry. Among his most treasured works, Cross and Dream Deferred. Hughes painted a vivid picture of life as an African-American in a predominantly white America. Hughes is credited for contributing to the Harlem Renaissance. His immaculate understanding of his culture helped a nation to understand as well.
Posted by EvanReynolds at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)