September 2009 Archives

Although this chapter was so short, I actually found it pretty helpful. I sometimes struggle with organizing a persuasive essay in a way that is not too confusing for the reader. The sample essay demonstrated the strategy of discussing an objecting viewpoint and then showing why that point is not good enough. I sometimes use this method; however, lately I have just been writing alternate views throughout my papers and then shutting down the opposing views throughout the body paragraphs. I am starting to wonder which method is better or if both are fine, or if one is less confusing than the other.

            If I remember correctly, my junior high school teachers used to have us write persuasive essays in the form of a compare contrast essay. For instance, one paragraph would be about one point of view, then the next paragraph would be about the second point o view. Also, I think the concluding paragraph was usually which point of view you thought was better and why. I know at least one of my teachers had us do that. I am really not sure how I feel about that method. It may be an effective way to introduce students to writing persuasive pieces; however, I think it should only be use for beginners if at all.

            I am also having difficulty remembering how my high school teachers had us write persuasively; however, I think one teacher in particular had a more sophisticated approach. She would take us to the library and we would find sources that supported our claim as well as some opposing views. The only difference was that we had to write a thesis before we did the research.

            I know this chapter was only about problems and writing persuasive essays, but I got more out of it than just that. I have a problem of writing too formally. Dr. Jerz once said that I like to talk a lot through writing. Ever since, I have been trying to write more casually, but it's hard to change a habit that I have had for the past 5 or 6 years. Anyway, I love how Roberts includes illustrative essays in each chapter because I am seeing examples of how to write less formally and get straight to the point. I have to admit though, I usually skip reading the sample essays, but I saw that Dr. Jerz said to pay attention to the example so I read it. For now on, I will probably read the sample essays and maybe even go back over ones from previous chapters. Well, maybe I won't become that ambitious.

I admit that I do not know much about postmodernism and romanticism to do a thorough analysis; however, Dr. Jerz said to write about it in our blogs so here it goes. I recognize the mores simplistic form of writing in Wordsworth and Yeat's poems as the description of Wordsworth states. For instance, Wordsworth gets straight to the point in "The Tables Turned" when he says, "Up! Up! my Friend, and quit your books"(1). I can only imagine how Shakespeare would get the same point across in his writing. Besides the simplistic form, Yeat's poem, "Leda and the Swan" caught my attention most out of all the poems as being the most different. This poem describes a woman being raped by a swan. Is this poem a sonnet? If so, sonnets seem to be common in all eras; however, I would assume writing about this topic was a new and rare occurrence until the postmodern time.

I will be either updating or rewriting this entry after class today because I know it is terrible so far being that I do not completely understand postmodernism.  

I cannot even remember how we got onto the discussion of Disney princesses in class today, but I'm glad we did. I found a website that lists 168 of Hans Christian Hendersen's pieces. The first link is to the main page and the second takes you directly to "The Little Mermaid".

http://hca.gilead.org.il/

http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html

            Jess pointed out something in class today that caught my attention as well while reading "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)". That is the fact that MacDonald eases us into Shakespearean language through Constance. Originally, she speaks quite modernly responding with quotes like, "I'm a vegetarian" (29). However, as Constance begins to find herself, her language becomes much more Shakespearean. For instance, she says, "No. I refuse to say that I felt love/ for someone who did grind my mind to pulp/ and lined a gilded bird-cage with the dust" (70). As I said in my previous blog entry, I really loved this play. The way MacDonald eases us into Shakepearean language with modern phrases and a comedic twist was so much easier to follow. I usually have to close read every line of Shakespeare's writing and even then I usually can only grasp a general meaning. MacDonald has actually inspired me to want to give Shakespeare another chance. Yes, the heavens have opened and I can hear the angels singing as I write this line. It's a miracle. I really want to read Othello to see how MacDonald embellished and poked fun at the characters. Also, I want to follow Carissa's advice and look up Shakespeare's jokes so I can pick them out when rereading some of his pieces.  I also might even have to invest in one of the English club's tshirts.

Coverage:

    All Entries:

·         Ahh A Brainstorming Handbook-Sweet Relief (Roberts, Ch 1)

--In response to Roberts Ch. 1, I reflect on the use of outlining.

·         Poor or Average? (Maupassant, "The Necklace")

--Here, I discuss my theory that Mathilde in Maupassant's "The Necklace" is not as poor as she claims to be.

·         Jealousy is no Virtue (Twain, "Luck")

--In this entry, I discuss a crime we have all committed, jealousy, in response to Mark Twain's "Luck".

·         It is What It is (Hardy, "The Man He Killed")

--This entry is a response to Hardy's "The Man He Killed". I explain my opinion that it is written from the point of view of an out of body experience.

·         How to read? Yes... How to Summarize? Yes... How to Analyze? Not so much (Roberts, Ch2)--Here, I react to Roberts Ch. 2 with a bit of a pessimistic attitude regarding the review of literary basics.

·         Who Am I? (Roberts, Ch 3)

--In my reaction to Roberts Ch. 3, I imagine what kind of a protagonist I would be if I was a character in my own story.

·         Clouded Judgment (Glaspell, "Trifles")

--Here, I react to Glaspell's "Trifles".  While I pity her for suffering for 30 years, she had other options besides murdering her husband.

·         Life Costs Money. People Die. Parents Get Divorced. (Poetry)

--This entry is in response to "On Turning Twenty". I reflect on how I as well as most other people seem to experience this state of depression during childhood.

·         Tick. Tock.. Tick... Tock....Tick..... Tock...... Tick........ (Bierce, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge")

--In my response to Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", I analyze the significance of time.

·         24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (Roberts, Ch 4)

--Here, I contradict a quote from Roberts Ch. 4 on the relation of point of view to life.

·         The Grim Reaper!...Could it be??? (Hardy, "The Three Strangers")

--This is my quirky response to Hardy's "The Three Strangers" where I think one of the characters could be the Grim Reaper.

·         Remember the Good Times Not the Heartache (Shakespeare, "Sonnet 73")

--I may be reaching here, but in this entry I question whether Shakespeare's "Sonnet 73" is about loss of innocence.

·         Those Sticky Pearls Just Won't Come Off! (Plath)

--One of my favorite entries. Here, I discuss the possible reasoning behind Plath's reference to the age 10 in both "Lady Lazarus" and "Daddy" and her hatred for the people who tried to "fix" her. I also did my own background research on the life of Sylvia Plath, a woman who ended her own life at 30.

·         What's the Point (Roberts Ch 5)

--This is a short entry on my opinion of Roberts Ch. 5.

·         Goodnight Juliet, Good Morning Homosexuality(MacDonald, "Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet")

--Here, I laugh at the exaggerations MacDonald's emphasizes in "Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet", specifically, Romeo's homosexuality and the young couple's obsession over love and death.

Timeliness:

·         Clouded Judgment

·         Those Sticky Pearls Just Won't Come Off!

·         Goodnight Juliet, Good Morning Homosexuality

Depth:

·         Remember the Good Times Not the Heartache

·         Those Sticky Pearls Just Won't Come Off!

·         Tick. Tock.. Tick... Tock....Tick..... Tock...... Tick........

·         24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year

Discussion:

·         Those Sticky Pearls Just Won't Come Off!

·         How to read? Yes... How to Summarize? Yes... How to Anaylze? Not so much

·         Goodnight Juliet, Good Morning Homosexuality

·         Life Costs Money. People Die. Parents Get Divorced.

Interaction:

·         How many sylablles are in "Perceiv'st"?- David Wilbanks

--Dave and I discuss how we analyzed Shakespeare's "Sonnet 73". We disagree on the significance of meaning in the poem.

·         Ch. 2: Close Reading: More Planning Equals Less Panic...- Carissa Altizer

--Carissa and I discuss the basics of Robert's Ch2. I later returned to this blog to respond to Dr. Jerz's comment because with time, I understood what he meant.

·         The Perils of Lying About Losing Other People's Fake Jewelry- David Wilbanks
--Carissa, Dave, and I analyze the significance of appearance in "The Necklace".

·         On Turning Twenty- Jessica Orlowski

--Here I provided my opinion on Jess's entry about the poem "On Turning Ten".

·         If You Know It, You Should Show It!-Karyssa Blair

--I analyzed Karyssa's entry and provided my own opinion.

·         Fire and Rebirth- Jessica Orlowski

--I responded to a question Jess posted in her entry. This blog now has 18 comments.

·         Iocane comes from Australia,as everyone knows.And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals.And criminals are used to having people not trust them,as you are not trusted by me,so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.~Vizini,Princess Bride- Ashley Pascoe

--Ashley and I debate a topic in Mark Twain's "Luck".

·         "OK...Right...Whoa, what?"- Josie Rush

--I participated in a discussion on Josie's blog entry.

·         Question: What the Heck is This Supposed to Be?--Kayla Lesko

--I participated in a discussion on Kayla's blog.

Xenoblogging:

·         How many sylablles are in "Perceiv'st"?--David Wilbanks

--I sparked a conversation With David Wilbanks by being the first to comment on his blog and by asking him how he interpreted "Sonnet 73".

·         Fire and Rebirth--Jessica Orlowski

--Jess posted a question about what the last few lines in "Lady Lazarus" meant and I was the first to respond with my opinion. This blog entry now has 18 comments.

·         Ch. 2: Close Reading: More Planning Equals Less Panic...--Carissa Altizer

--I was the first to comment on Carissa's blog. I agreed with her opinion and provided further opinion. I also responded to a comment made by Dr. Jerz on this entry.

Wildcard:

·         Those Sticky Pearls Just Won't Come Off!

            Okay once again this chapter was basically another review for me. However, I do appreciate the review and having the information clumped together in one little book. I don't really see the importance of using the picture on page 102 to show the plot of "Miss Brill". I am a visual learner so im surprised I don't get it. Maybe I just need to read the story.

"Indeed, of all the aspects of literature, point of view is the most complex because it is so much like life itself" (79).

            When I first read this quote I found myself contradicting it in my head until I finished reading the chapter and saw just how complex point of view really is. I can never remember the difference between first, second, third, limited, limited omniscient, etc. Therefore, I am really glad the definitions are summarized in the book on pages 84-85 (I know I will be visiting those pages again).

            Although I agree that point of view is probably one of the most complex aspects of literature, many other aspects relate to life as well. For instance, fiction writers try to relate their characters to real life people and circumstances; otherwise, the characters would be unbelievable and not realistic. Also, setting relates to life. We could be in our dorm rooms, at the zoo, at the park, anywhere. Wherever we are, that is our setting; therefore, that aspect is also like life. Similarly, our lives all consist of climaxes, problems, conclusions, in other words, a plot. When we die, our lives conclude and one could map out the events of our life just like the events of a story. Being that life is so complex, would not plot be more complex than point of view? I mean there are 24 hours in every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and some of us live to be over a hundred. With all that time would not the events of our life be more complex than the point of view telling our story? This is where I have to disagree with the text. I simply cannot see how point of view could be more complex or more like real life than the events we experience.

After reading "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" I could not help but realize the significance of time in the short story. Obviously, Bierce overly describes the scene's sounds, imagery, and pain, but he also almost indistinctly describes the pacing of time. Us living can only imagine the feelings one would experience before a hanging. Would we keep our eyes open to observe our surroundings or keep them shut to see our loved ones faces one last time? Would we say a prayer? Speak aloud? Curse our enemies? Cry? Scream? Plan an escape?... Remember the common phrase time flies when you're having fun. The hours before a speech or a difficult test usually seem to drag on and on because we are anxious, nervous, and scared; therefore, would not death also seem long and dragged out?

            Bierce's lengthy descriptions add time to the hanging. As we wait to see whether Farquhar will live or die, Bierce is describing the soldiers' hand and gun positions. Likewise, just as we think the story should end at "...the captain nodded to the sergeant. The sergeant stepped aside" (318), Bierce walks us through a flash back of Farquhar's life. Once again his death is put off and we as readers become more and more anxious to see whether or not he will die. As Bierce returns us to the present, we are once again overwhelmed with descriptions. Whether Farquhar is dead already or merely lost in a subconscious black out, the essence of time is prolonged. Farquhar seems to have almost spider man like senses as he hears the rush of a fish's "body parting the water" (320) and "the humming of the gnats" (320). Usually an action scene is described in a fast paced manner to parallel the reality of how fast an action scene would occur, which is a sign that Farquhar is not actually escaping. It is no coincidence that as Farquhar waits to be hung "the intervals of silence grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening...What he heard was the ticking of his watch" (318). During Farquhar's dreamlike travel he seems to have walked all night, which tricks the reader into believing he must be escaping for this to go on for so long. However, a dream has no sense of time and we are quickly taken back to reality as we discover Farquhar is still at the bridge, only now he is dead.

I absolutely loved this play. At first I was worried because I struggle trying to understand Shakespeare's writing; however, MacDonald saved the day with her comedic expressions and mix of modern day writing with Shakespearean verse. I wish I would have read Othello before reading this so I could see how MacDonald changed the events and characters. I would have done so if the play did not have to be read by Monday;)

             I laughed out loud over the exaggeration of Romeo and Juliet's obsession over love and death. As most know, Romeo and Juliet's love lasted three days before they committed suicide, which is exaggerated by MacDonald when she has Romeo and Juliet both fall in love with Constance at first sight. I love how MacDonald exaggerates Romeo's obsession with love so far to the point that he is homosexual. Likewise, Juliet pulls out her dagger willingly trying to kill herself along with Constance who she just met the same day all to preserve the love, "I twice did nearly slay myself today/ for love of her whom thou didst seek to kill" (MacDonald 85). It is also quite hilarious to see Tybalt and Mercutio embrace each other after Constance bears the news of Romeo and Juliet's marriage just before Tybalt is to kill Mercutio. This seems to make a joke out of the ridiculousness of two families fighting each other over a hatred that was between their ancestors. Simply by hearing "Tybalt, Romeo is your cousin now" (MacDonald 50) the three lower their swords and head off to the bath together practically skipping with joy.            

            I found it difficult watching Claude and Constance's students walk all over her in the beginning of the play. Now that Constance has found herself, I imagine her failing her student's week late assignment claiming if the student would have told the truth the result may have been different. Also, when five years from now she bumps into Claude and Ramona on the street corner, I imagine her dressed for success with a doctorate under her belt on her way to an awards ceremony for an amazing piece of writing worthy of a celebration.

"Unwritten thought is incomplete thought" (29)

            I found pages 13-34 the most helpful in chapter 1. I am quite new to outlining; therefore, I really took note of the advice in Roberts Ch. 1. Generally, I would just start writing my first draft after I had decided on a thesis statement and completely skip the outlining process. However, after having Dr. Jerz for STW last year, I discovered how outlining is actually really helpful and not busy work. Unfortunately, I had to wait a few weeks into the semester for my book to come in the mail so I just now had a chance to go back and read this chapter. I wish I would have read it before writing my paper 1 rough draft because I struggled with finding a topic to write about. I am going to try to use the star graph for my next few readings to see if this brainstorming process helps me with writing my essays. Dr. Jerz always said last year that the outlining (presubmission report) was the most difficult part of the writing process; however, once you had a good outline the other steps flowed much nicer. I found that to be true in STW and now I will see if the same applies in a literature course. (I'm quite sure it will).

            I noticed that in both "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus", Plath refers to age 10. In "Daddy" she writes, "I was ten when they buried you" (57) and in "Lady Lazarus" she discusses dying at age 10, "The first time it happened I was ten/ It was an accident" (35-36). I decided to do some digging to find out what may have happened when Plath was 10 that was so remarkable or traumatic she decided to refer to that number twice. I realize she may have simply used this number in order to carry out her theory that a part of her died after each decade of her life in "Lady Lazarus"; however, events in her life may also have contributed.

 (The website I found the information from is at the bottom of the page)

            Sylvia lived in Winthrop, Massachusetts from the age of 4 to the age of 10. She loved living there because she was intrigued by the Atlantic Ocean. However, at the age of 10 her family moved away from Winthrop. Perhaps Plath felt as though a part of her was left behind in Winthrop; meaning that a piece of her that had to move on was dead. Notice how Plath writes "when they buried you" (57) in the above quote from "Daddy".  Perhaps "they" refers to her family and "you" refers to the ocean and/or the piece of her left behind. Also, she claims her first death was accidental. Maybe she thought this because she did not inflict this death upon herself, outside forces did.  

            I have to say I enjoyed "Lady Lazarus" most out of the three poems. I know that the description says this poem is not confessional; however, it is very personal. This woman was so troubled to the point that she attempted suicide at age 20 then succeeded in the act at 30. After the stanza in "Lady Lazarus" that discusses her failed suicide attempt, she goes on to say "As a seashell/ they had to call and call/ and pick the worms off me like sticky pearls" (40-42). I interpreted this as the people who saved her from death this time around tried to peel apart the fragments of her being that were troubled in order to fix her so to speak. Don't quote me on this but I heard Plath suffered bipolar disorder; however, if not that, she definitely had some sort of mental disorder because she committed suicide. Perhaps people--doctors, family members, friends, etc--attempted to understand her disease in order to help her and this was no easy task as they did fail. Perhaps Plath could not take this life of depression and people attempting to understand her that ended her life at 3 rather than 9 lives.

http://library.thinkquest.org/27864/data/plath/spbio.html.

"That on the ashes of his youth doth lie/ As the death-bed whereon it must expire" (10-11).

            It seems as though the narrator is depressed and wallowing in self pity over a time when he feels he lost his innocence and purity. Perhaps this loss of innocence was sexual or more along the lines of Colin's "On Turning Ten" where his eyes were simply open to the hardships of life.  The narrator seems to be watching this stage occur in a boy's life as he says, "In me thou seest the twilight of such day/ As after sunset fadeth in the West, Which by and by black night doth take away" (5-7). He sees the glimmer of childhood leaving this young man's life day in and day out as he matures and grows into adulthood. The narrator seems to speak with a pessimistic tone as he remembers how he left his childhood and is now watching it occur in someone else's life.

            This is what I interpreted from the poem the first time I read it; however, the last two lines question my analysis. "This thou perceiv'st, which makes thy love more strong/ To love that well, which thou must leave ere long" (13-14). Perhaps the narrator did lose his innocence when he engaged in a relationship with a woman and is recalling the love he felt. Perhaps the relationship did not work out; therefore, he looks at the young man with pity because he thinks he will be hurt by a woman as well. However, the couplet strikes a new tone. The narrator seems to be remembering the good times he shared with the woman despite the unhappy ending. Rather than continuing to wallow in self pity, he seems grateful for the good times.

Perhaps the reverend sees Scoresby's actions as blunders because he would not have chosen the same route; and who is he to decide the quality of Scoresby's actions when he himself has no major honors in the military besides being a military instructor. When a person helps another progress, they seem to take credit for every success that stems from their one good deed; however, the reverend only helped Scoresby pass a test, the rest of Scoresby's accomplishments need only be accredited to Scoresby himself. People who want to credit themselves with another's accomplishments are selfish in that they regret ever helping the person because they are jealous that the person who once needed a hand has now passed them up in achievement.  It is no coincidence that Scoresby "has been a shining soldier in all our wars for half a generation" (362) for he is simply a man worthy of respect for his accomplishments.

"It seems only yesterday I used to believe/ there was nothing under my skin but light./ If you cut me I would shine" (77).

            There is a turning point in our lives when we realize life is not as magical as it seems. Life costs money. People die. Parents get divorced. However, this turning point occurs at different times in every child's life. I remember feeling depressed in sixth grade when I found out my friend was having sex, my classmates were dropping the f bomb, and someone stole my eraser. Of course not all my classmates were this disturbed, but it was the fact that some of my classmates were actually acting this way that was so upsetting. I guess you could say that was the turning point in my life, but it was even worse when one of my closest family members died. Children who have abusive parents realize life is not simple and are introduced to the reality that life is hard at an early age. Orphans and children growing up in poverty also learn young.

            Perhaps this poem explains the angst of teenage years. We don't want to be told what to do anymore, but at the same time we want to be kids. We miss the days when everyone seemed to get along. If you scraped your knee, someone was there to kiss the booboo and make it better. Homework took an hour tops to complete and then all there was to worry about was what to play next. We could run around outside, splash in the mud, sink our bare toes in the sand box, and not worry about having to shower in time to be at work. I remember my dad telling me not to rush my childhood because those would be some of the best days of my life. Perhaps teens hate to admit it, but we are simply sad over the fact that the best years of our life are over. However, now that I am an adult, I realize that what my dad really meant was to enjoy the most simplistic days of my life. I look forward to getting married and having kids someday. I just cannot see how that time of my life could be any better than being a child.

I feel slightly sympathetic for Mrs. Wright because of the power her husband exerted over her and the happiness he stripped away from her; however, murder is unacceptable. It is gut wrenching that she felt so desperate to the point that eliminating a life was the only way to better her own. But at the same time I wish I could slap her into reality; all she had to do was leave! She could have walked out any number of days that her husband was at work. Yes, it would have been challenging and terrifying; however, this escape route had the potential of leading her to a whole new and brighter life. Unfortunately, Mrs. Wright's eyes were clouded by the tears of fear and solitude which lead her to only see the light through the eyes of her dead husband. However, if she would have looked a little further past those dead eyes, she would have seen that this route would only lock her into a larger cage.

Mrs. Wright may have chosen this route due to the nature of survival. Mrs. Wright's husband stripped every ounce of happiness away from her and locked her in her home or cage through fear. In other words, she was being held hostage in her own home. Before Mr. Wright came into the picture, (no pun intended), "she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively" (396). Maybe her mind was so distorted by years of this torture that she began to believe she was physically rather than just mentally locked inside. It is apparent that the author wants the readers to see a connection between Mrs. Wright and the bird. Maybe Mrs. Wright saw this connection as well and feared her husband would dispose of her like he did of the bird if she annoyed him; therefore, she chose to beat him to the punch.