Final Thoughts While Hanging Out on a Bridge
"I'd Perfer Not To...Nevermore"
In Response To Your Letter
Poetry In-No-Motion
Above Average Joes or Ralphs and Henrys
"I am slowly going crazy."
Our assignment on Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau descibed two men who were outcasts for their time. Their thinking patterns and ideas were so far beyond what the average man was thinking of during the 1800s. The felt that society should all be the same and normal. Also, that man should be one with himself before anything else in life. Stephan Puff made very good and interesting points in his oral presentation on Emerson. He made people go beyond their way of think almost the same way Emerson and Thoreau did. One question that got asked was what is normal? Because what is normal to me does not mean that it is normal to you. Also, can all people be the same or normal? This was about brought up about people who are handicapped is some way, shape, or form. Tiffany Brattina had many good points in class on this topic. I feel that handicapped people can learn and function in a normal society. However, if that person is fully dependant on someone else no they cannot because they are not functioning themselves; someone else is functioning for them. I felt that is was a generally a good discussion and it allowed people to understand their own opinions on the topics.
As I sit here, 2:30 in the morning, I realize that I am going crazy. Writing all of these blogs is not worth losing your sanity. My friend, Zack, is sitting next to me and is supposed to be helping me with this stuff because I do not understand exactly what the objectives of this assignment are. However, he is not. He is picking out random animal crackers and making corny puns with them; corny but funny. For example, he held up a sheep and said, " You are a baaaaaa'd narrator!" and after holding up an owl said, "Who is a bad narrator?". This is not helping me. It is taking all of my energy not to quit and join him in the fun. I guess I turn to comedy and making people laugh when I am trying to procrastinate and not having fun with my work. I just want to say my blogs are my blogs and if they get me a C then that is that. But this is not my style. I strive for my As and Bs and hate getting those dreadful Cs. I am trying to understand why Dr. Jerz is making us to this assignment and what we can learn from it. I also have to say that this class is pushing me way beyond my limits. I do not like to write my opinions out and express my feelings; I mean I did not even keep a diary as a child. I know that his intentions are good, but I just do not like doing things that I normally do not do. On a positive note, I am going to finish the assignment and I am trying my best at it. I am going to try and see his class and assignments in a different light and hope that the rest of the semester goes more smoothly than it has be going. If anyone has any suggestions to help me get through this class please let me know ASAP!
After completing the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I realized that it was very interesting book. I did enjoy most of it. I could sympathize with Hester because we all have made mistakes that we have had to live up to. She was very brave and took so much criticism from everyone. I receive criticism from so many people and I too would like to just run away and leave my past behind me. I liked how Hawthorne took historically correct situations and placed them with his idea of this story. However, I did not like his writing style with the extremly long and borning descriptions of certain people, places, and emotions. The book made very good points and gave very good examples of what the characters were going through. For example, in Chapter 23 Mr. Dimmsdale finally annouces that he is Pearl's father and that he should had made this known in the beginning. After he gets this huge secret off of his chest he dies because he free from the hell he was living for years and is now at peace with himself and God. Hawthorne makes some of these emotions so real that you feel like you are going through the emotion also. This book was better than expected and I would refer it to anyone interested with revealing a secret, or living in colonial times.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is about what a person goes through right before they. It is very detailed with description on the feelings, emotions, and actions that Peyton Farquhar thinks right before the action. It describes the thoughts of seeing his family at his house and seeing a light. I agree with this because during very emotional situations the first thought is a person's favorite possession and then your mind just goes blank. Also, the second section describes why he is being hanged. It tells us why, but it lets us think why would he do it; what actions where worth death? I like to believe that he does not want the Yanks to gain a bigger advancment and would rather die then let them take over. He feels that his country and way of life should not change and his loyalty is to himself and his opinions. It was very interesting to read and refelct on. I just wonder what anyone else thinks on what made him do the action that killed him.
The poems that I chose for the Poerty Slam were by Emily Dickinson. They were Poor Little Heart and There is a Word. I chose these poems because to me they had the feeling of trying to belong and be loved. Also, the feeling of not being forgotten by the ones that you do love. I have an understanding with what she describes because I try so hard to be liked, or in this case to be loved by everyone. They reminded me of the the book I read in high school, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It reminded me of Pony trying so hard to fit in with the socs and trying to be loved by his brother Dary. The response to the poem was almost negative because no one felt that I read them correctly to their own emotions. I did not have any motions to the poem because I really did not know exactly what the person would have be doing while going through these emotions. Also, I am not very theactrically inclined so in my opinion everyone is lucky I went up there and did not pass out from fear. Ok well now I'm getting off track. I personally enjoy all of Dickinson's poems and it was very hard to choose which I wanted to do. She writes with such emotion and lets you feel like she is standing right in front of you saying it to you. I feel that the poetry slam was a good experience and it pused me to my limits. I now know what I can and cannot do, and what I can do to improve for next time.
Having just joined American Lit, I had no idea what types of readings we would be getting involved in as a class. However, I was definately excited about the class and could not wait to get started. My first required readings were The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe and Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville. I enjoyed The Raven greatly because I had never read the entire poem before. I feel like we all have a Raven that reminds us of things once forgotten or things we are trying to forget. It helps us get over the past and move on towards the future but it allows us to remember because our past is apart of ourselves that we can never change. On the other hand, Bartelby was confusing, boring, and I did not grasp the point of the story. I did not understand why he always said, "I'd perfer not to" when he was asked to do work. The other employees by the names of Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut (I loved these names) were tired of doing his work too that they felt he should be fired. So the employer was going to fire him, but found out that he lived at the office and took pity on him. What this story was about I do not know? I think it was to show that people are not always who they seem to be. Also, to be a bigger person by helping out people when they need it no matter what they have done to you in the past. I did not really enjoy this story and would not recommend it unless they enjoy Melville's writing style.