“…she would tear the envelopes to little bits and tie the letters together and lock the cabinet drawer in her determination to conceal what she did not wish to be known” (page 1226). I feel that this phrase describes so many individuals. We all have a past or something going on in our lives that we wish to conceal from others. I also feel that “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection” told part of Virginia’s life. She lived a pretty swell life in the eyes of others, but no one knew what went on behind closed doors. Her relationship with Vita Sackville-West was unknown and she drowned herself.
Throughout “The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection,” I was overtaken by the way she incorporated the letters to tell Isabella Tyson’s life. On page 1226, it describes her letters as “…one would find traces of many agitations, of appointments to meet, of upbraidings for not having met, long letters of intimacy and affection, violent letters of jealousy and reproach, terrible final words of parting…” When reading this part, I thought on my journal entries that I try to write on a daily basis. My journal entries depend on my emotional state of mind at that time. Some of them are depressing. Some of them are happy. Others are spiritual. Some of them just allow me to vent from a long day at work! I know some of you can relate to that. A reflection in the mirror means to me that you take a second look at yourself. When evaluating yourself you may go deeper to find that true person. Sometimes you need that place of peace to dig in deep. On page 1227, I felt that is what Virginia was stating, “She was so far off at first…She came lingering and pausing, here straightening a rose,…but she never stopped; and all the time she became larger and larger in the looking-glass, more and more completely the person into whose mind one had been trying to penetrate.” I feel that when you evaluate what is going on in your life, you begin to see the bigger picture. I feel that once you have vented and gotten everything out in the open then your load seems a little bit lighter. As Isabella ran through the garden, she began to drop things off, “Everything dropped from her—clouds, dress, basket, diamond…” on page 1227. As things dropped, she realized that she had nothing. She was empty with no thoughts or friends. And the sad part was finding out that her letters were bills as she approached the mirror closer.
Some times we live a life that we get overloaded by the desires and material things that we long for until we are empty. I would hate to be Isabella as I age in life. As I mentioned earlier, I do have a journal. It helps me to journalize my feelings instead of venting to a person. I think that sometimes we should evaluate our self first before lashing out at others. On the other hand, you need to talk to someone if you are sad, lonely, or depressed because you could end up with nothing.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns Eliot better known as T.S. Eliot was the man. His family background was full of wealth. His family lineage consisted of a Harvard University president, three U.S. Presidents, and a reverend. I think I was most impressed that he was one of the jurors during the witch trials. Fascinating!
I was most impressed with T.S. Eliot’s use of the bible. I guess this is where the religious criticism comes in. For starters he talks about fasting and praying on page 1196, “But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,” Within this poem, he felt that he was up against an obstacle of losing his greatness. I fast quite a bit and a pray on a regular basis, but I fast more often when I know I am up against an obstacle that is too hard for me to fight. He also results to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in his poem “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”. It states on Page 1196 starting at line 94, “To say: I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all” When Lazarus rose from the dead that was a story to be told!
I also caught the religious text in “Journey of the Magi”. I was impressed with the fact that he took a biblical story about the three wise men and turned it into poetry. He mentions the long journey, camels, traveling all night until they found the place. In the end, Eliot is questioning birth or death. On page 1216, “This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt.” If he found birth just as the three wise men found Jesus, then he found a new beginning and a wonderful thing!
Personally, I do not see any harm in using biblical themes and stories to relate it to poetry. To me, it is no different than when I am talking to my co-workers about situations that I am going through and I relate them to the bible. For instance, we talk about David and Goliath and how some of our personal obstacles seem like Goliath but we have to be like David and not have fear and face that obstacle. Normally if you keep the faith you can defeat your Goliath.
I give a high five to poets such as T. S. Eliot because they are bold enough to incorporate biblical messages into their poems. Some people are afraid to step out of the norm and be bold. I enjoyed his poetry!
I was most impressed with T.S. Eliot’s use of the bible. I guess this is where the religious criticism comes in. For starters he talks about fasting and praying on page 1196, “But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,” Within this poem, he felt that he was up against an obstacle of losing his greatness. I fast quite a bit and a pray on a regular basis, but I fast more often when I know I am up against an obstacle that is too hard for me to fight. He also results to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead in his poem “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”. It states on Page 1196 starting at line 94, “To say: I am Lazarus, come from the dead, Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all” When Lazarus rose from the dead that was a story to be told!
I also caught the religious text in “Journey of the Magi”. I was impressed with the fact that he took a biblical story about the three wise men and turned it into poetry. He mentions the long journey, camels, traveling all night until they found the place. In the end, Eliot is questioning birth or death. On page 1216, “This: were we led all that way for Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly, We had evidence and no doubt.” If he found birth just as the three wise men found Jesus, then he found a new beginning and a wonderful thing!
Personally, I do not see any harm in using biblical themes and stories to relate it to poetry. To me, it is no different than when I am talking to my co-workers about situations that I am going through and I relate them to the bible. For instance, we talk about David and Goliath and how some of our personal obstacles seem like Goliath but we have to be like David and not have fear and face that obstacle. Normally if you keep the faith you can defeat your Goliath.
I give a high five to poets such as T. S. Eliot because they are bold enough to incorporate biblical messages into their poems. Some people are afraid to step out of the norm and be bold. I enjoyed his poetry!
William Butler Yeats
As stated by critic, M.L. Rosenthal, on page 1115, “virtually every poem celebrating a woman’s beauty or addressing a beloved woman has to do with her.” I gained this perspective in his poem, “A Prayer for my Daughter” Yeats states on page 1123, “And for an hour I have walked and prayed Because of the great gloom that is in my mind.” All kids are special but I feel that mothers and fathers tend to want to protect little girls more than boys. I can support this with my own personal experience. I have two girls and one boy. My little boy tends to take care of himself, but I have to watch over my girls more than him. Let me justify the fact that I pray for all of them on a daily basis. I was guess that the “great gloom” involved the little girl dating and finding a mate. Well I haven’t gotten to the point just yet but I can only imagine!
Yeats proceeds on Line 17 talking about the daughter’s beauty. “May she be granted beauty and yet not Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught” In the 1900s, Yeats like any loving father or parent wanted his daughter to have the best. He wanted her to find the best man that would take care of his daughter. He surely did not want her to end up like Helen. I found a little humor in Line 25 when he spoke of Helen because I do the same thing with my 11 year old daughter. I constantly tell her that I do not want her to end up like another child that is going down the wrong road. I like Yeats want the best for my children.
When ending this poem, Yeats talks about marriage. On page 1124 starting at line 73, “And may her bridegroom bring her to a house Where all’s accustomed, ceremonious; …Ceremony’s a name for the rich horn, And custom for the spreading laurel tree.” Within this section of the poem, he is clearly stating that he wants his daughter to have the best. He wants his daughter to be with the “Joneses”. A laurel tree is an evergreen shrub or tree with shiny, fragrant leaves. Laurel also means honor. Therefore he wanted his daughter to prosper and what parent would not want that for their daughter or son. My philosophy is that I want my children to have more than I did. I want them to prosper spiritually, financially, educationally, and in every area of their life!
I know that Yeats had a painful childhood, but maybe the pain helped to motivate his writings. I know that when I am going through pain, it helps me to write my expressions and feelings in my journal. I am far from a poet, but I do keep a daily journal to reflect my life’s journey. My poetry, journal entries, will be read by my kids and their kids and maybe generations to follow!
Yeats proceeds on Line 17 talking about the daughter’s beauty. “May she be granted beauty and yet not Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught” In the 1900s, Yeats like any loving father or parent wanted his daughter to have the best. He wanted her to find the best man that would take care of his daughter. He surely did not want her to end up like Helen. I found a little humor in Line 25 when he spoke of Helen because I do the same thing with my 11 year old daughter. I constantly tell her that I do not want her to end up like another child that is going down the wrong road. I like Yeats want the best for my children.
When ending this poem, Yeats talks about marriage. On page 1124 starting at line 73, “And may her bridegroom bring her to a house Where all’s accustomed, ceremonious; …Ceremony’s a name for the rich horn, And custom for the spreading laurel tree.” Within this section of the poem, he is clearly stating that he wants his daughter to have the best. He wants his daughter to be with the “Joneses”. A laurel tree is an evergreen shrub or tree with shiny, fragrant leaves. Laurel also means honor. Therefore he wanted his daughter to prosper and what parent would not want that for their daughter or son. My philosophy is that I want my children to have more than I did. I want them to prosper spiritually, financially, educationally, and in every area of their life!
I know that Yeats had a painful childhood, but maybe the pain helped to motivate his writings. I know that when I am going through pain, it helps me to write my expressions and feelings in my journal. I am far from a poet, but I do keep a daily journal to reflect my life’s journey. My poetry, journal entries, will be read by my kids and their kids and maybe generations to follow!
WWI/ Wilfred Owen
The Great War: Confronting the Modern takes us into another dimension of art. It brings out “war poets”. These set of poets were writing on a different level to me. These selections were not about distinguishing the social classes. These writers were reflecting on their experiences throughout the war. I was most impressed with Wilfred Owen. Looking at his poetry, I felt I was back in the Romantic period but he kept my interest by writing about the war.
Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting” was one of a kind. Where was the meeting place? Hell. Page 1101, “And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.” Hell is a strange place to meet but there are always two sides to a story. Soldiers are faced with a tough job. They are all in the battles to fight for their countries and the fellow citizens in them. The unfortunate part is that some of them have to die and others move on. A similar thought is on page 1101, “The pity of war, the pity war distilled. Now men will go content with what we spoiled, Or discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled”. The enemy considered him a friend in spite of the situation on page 1102, “I am the enemy you killed, my friend…Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.” In this case, at the end of the war whether friend or foe you could end up in the same place.
“Dulce Et Decorum Est” was also another war poem about death by Wilfred Owen. I felt that this poem gave me a more realistic picture of what was going on. It almost reminded me of the war scene in Forest Gump. “Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin: If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,” These few lines put tears in my eyes because I couldn’t imagine seeing one of my soldiers dying right in front of my eyes. But the title of this poem is “Dulce Et Decorum Est” which means “sweet and fitting it is to die for your fatherland” page 1102 footnote 1. I feel that most soldiers understand that they have a mission to fulfill and it must be sweet and satisfying to them to die for their country.
In closing, I can not relate to soldiers personally, but I can only imagine what a loved one go through knowing that you will not see that person for a while due to war. In Owen’s case I interpreted the message as you reap what you sow. The solider had killed the enemy the day before and the next day he was killed. When I view the war on the news, I constantly wonder what is not being told. You never know what our soldiers are doing to the enemies and vice versa. I just feel like it is a continuing circle that keeps going round and round.
Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting” was one of a kind. Where was the meeting place? Hell. Page 1101, “And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall, By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.” Hell is a strange place to meet but there are always two sides to a story. Soldiers are faced with a tough job. They are all in the battles to fight for their countries and the fellow citizens in them. The unfortunate part is that some of them have to die and others move on. A similar thought is on page 1101, “The pity of war, the pity war distilled. Now men will go content with what we spoiled, Or discontent, boil bloody, and be spilled”. The enemy considered him a friend in spite of the situation on page 1102, “I am the enemy you killed, my friend…Yesterday through me as you jabbed and killed.” In this case, at the end of the war whether friend or foe you could end up in the same place.
“Dulce Et Decorum Est” was also another war poem about death by Wilfred Owen. I felt that this poem gave me a more realistic picture of what was going on. It almost reminded me of the war scene in Forest Gump. “Behind the wagon that we flung him in, And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin: If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,” These few lines put tears in my eyes because I couldn’t imagine seeing one of my soldiers dying right in front of my eyes. But the title of this poem is “Dulce Et Decorum Est” which means “sweet and fitting it is to die for your fatherland” page 1102 footnote 1. I feel that most soldiers understand that they have a mission to fulfill and it must be sweet and satisfying to them to die for their country.
In closing, I can not relate to soldiers personally, but I can only imagine what a loved one go through knowing that you will not see that person for a while due to war. In Owen’s case I interpreted the message as you reap what you sow. The solider had killed the enemy the day before and the next day he was killed. When I view the war on the news, I constantly wonder what is not being told. You never know what our soldiers are doing to the enemies and vice versa. I just feel like it is a continuing circle that keeps going round and round.
Monday, June 18, 2007
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw used the same approach as Oscar Wilde, playwrights. In contrast to Oscar Wilde, Shaw’s playwrights had more drama. Another contrast between Wilde and Shaw is that Shaw incorporated more characters in one scene than Wilde did. Both writers did an outstanding job in their playwrights distinguishing the different social classes. In stating that, I want to focus on Pygmalion, Act 1.
Drama! Drama! Drama! Having all those characters was the drama. Just think back to the last drama in your life and think about whom all was involved! One drama was the mother and daughter demanding that the son go back into the pouring rain to find a cab then after the rain calms down, they go and get on the train! He returns with a cab and no women to pick up. Drama! The flower girl constantly crying at the portico, drama! The note taker in everyone’s conversation, drama!
Pygmalion, Act 1 was quite a piece of work. I really felt as if I was at the theatre looking at the play take place. You could clearly see the different social classes and I feel that was one of Shaw’s main purposes in his playwrights. Within this act, you had a daughter, mother, flower girl, gentleman (captain), bystanders, note taker, and more! You could clearly see that the mother, daughter, and Freddy were of the upper class. They were all nicely dressed. They also had money as showed on page 1009, “ The Daughter: Do nothing of the sort, mother. The idea! The Mother: Please allow me, Clara. Have you any pennies? The Daughter: No. I’ve nothing smaller than sixpence.” Sixpence sounds like me saying that I have nothing smaller than a twenty or hundred (very seldom that I have Benjamin in my hands)! The flower girl was the example of the lower class. She was out selling flowers to get by. The description of her home on page 1015 was enough to know that she was in the lower state of living. “[She picks up the basket and trudges up the alley…a small room with very old wall paper…A broken pane in the window is mended with paper…a wretched bed heaped with all sorts of coverings…Rent: four shillings a week.”
Another perspective I took from Pygmalion, Act 1 was the language. I understand that Shaw was trying to bring out the language and the different interpretations of writing it down on paper. I compared these languages with ebonics. Some people have a hard time understanding ebonics and likewise I had a hard time understanding some of the passages in Pygmalion, Act 1. For instance on page 1010, “The Note Taker: …”Cheer ap, Keptin; n’ baw ya flahr orf a pore gel.” Personally, I had to read this line 3 or 4 time to figure out that it was saying, “Cheer up, Captain; and buy a flower off a poor girl.” The first passage from the Flower Girl on page 1009, I can not translate. I only understood bits and pieces of it, “….better to spoil a poor girl’s flowers than ran away…Will you pay me for them?” That is all I could get from that. Shaw did an awesome job incorporating these passages into his playwright. I really wish I could have seen the play just to see if I could understand passages such as that on page 1009 as well as to see the drama!
Drama! Drama! Drama! Having all those characters was the drama. Just think back to the last drama in your life and think about whom all was involved! One drama was the mother and daughter demanding that the son go back into the pouring rain to find a cab then after the rain calms down, they go and get on the train! He returns with a cab and no women to pick up. Drama! The flower girl constantly crying at the portico, drama! The note taker in everyone’s conversation, drama!
Pygmalion, Act 1 was quite a piece of work. I really felt as if I was at the theatre looking at the play take place. You could clearly see the different social classes and I feel that was one of Shaw’s main purposes in his playwrights. Within this act, you had a daughter, mother, flower girl, gentleman (captain), bystanders, note taker, and more! You could clearly see that the mother, daughter, and Freddy were of the upper class. They were all nicely dressed. They also had money as showed on page 1009, “ The Daughter: Do nothing of the sort, mother. The idea! The Mother: Please allow me, Clara. Have you any pennies? The Daughter: No. I’ve nothing smaller than sixpence.” Sixpence sounds like me saying that I have nothing smaller than a twenty or hundred (very seldom that I have Benjamin in my hands)! The flower girl was the example of the lower class. She was out selling flowers to get by. The description of her home on page 1015 was enough to know that she was in the lower state of living. “[She picks up the basket and trudges up the alley…a small room with very old wall paper…A broken pane in the window is mended with paper…a wretched bed heaped with all sorts of coverings…Rent: four shillings a week.”
Another perspective I took from Pygmalion, Act 1 was the language. I understand that Shaw was trying to bring out the language and the different interpretations of writing it down on paper. I compared these languages with ebonics. Some people have a hard time understanding ebonics and likewise I had a hard time understanding some of the passages in Pygmalion, Act 1. For instance on page 1010, “The Note Taker: …”Cheer ap, Keptin; n’ baw ya flahr orf a pore gel.” Personally, I had to read this line 3 or 4 time to figure out that it was saying, “Cheer up, Captain; and buy a flower off a poor girl.” The first passage from the Flower Girl on page 1009, I can not translate. I only understood bits and pieces of it, “….better to spoil a poor girl’s flowers than ran away…Will you pay me for them?” That is all I could get from that. Shaw did an awesome job incorporating these passages into his playwright. I really wish I could have seen the play just to see if I could understand passages such as that on page 1009 as well as to see the drama!
Gerard Manley Hopkins
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;” page 774, God’s Grandeur. Gerard Manley Hopkins did something different with poetry. He incorporated God into his style of work. I loved the way he intertwined God with nature.
I was most impressed with “God’s Grandeur”. On page 774, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;” The first two lines automatically connect God with nature. My interpretation of these lines is that God is in control of the world. He sees all and knows all. The flame represents fire which represents part of nature. And the foil is a leaf. The world will shine just as the leaf because God is in charge. On page 775, “Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;” First I thought about my own family and I interpreted this as generations grow, have grown, and have grown. On the contrary “trod” means walking; therefore Hopkins could have been thinking about walking on nature trails. Another passage on page 775, “…the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.” I put emphasis on the “soil” because I looked at it from two perspectives. First I thought of the soul, my soul. Then I interpreted just as it is the soil that is on the ground. Whether you look at it from soul or soil, they both can be bare at some point in life. And it takes nourishment (water, food, friends, and family, spiritual life) to revive both. “Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.” I interpreted these last few lines as the Holy Ghost being a shield around us with wings for extra protection. Of course the Holy Ghost is related to God and the wings represent birds. When a bird is in a storm it takes advantage of the wind to uplift it and to carry it through the storm.
It states in Hopkins’ introduction on page 773, “But his struggle to maintain religious faith, his respect for conventional verse forms, and his quest to find proof of God’s work in nature…” I can not speak for his critics, but in my opinion he proved God’s work in nature. “God’s Grandeur” and “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” are two pieces of his work that supported that God works in nature. “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” made me think of the 23 Psalms. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” All of that relates to nature. Some of us may not think of God working with nature, but I believe God to be in all things!
I was most impressed with “God’s Grandeur”. On page 774, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;” The first two lines automatically connect God with nature. My interpretation of these lines is that God is in control of the world. He sees all and knows all. The flame represents fire which represents part of nature. And the foil is a leaf. The world will shine just as the leaf because God is in charge. On page 775, “Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;” First I thought about my own family and I interpreted this as generations grow, have grown, and have grown. On the contrary “trod” means walking; therefore Hopkins could have been thinking about walking on nature trails. Another passage on page 775, “…the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.” I put emphasis on the “soil” because I looked at it from two perspectives. First I thought of the soul, my soul. Then I interpreted just as it is the soil that is on the ground. Whether you look at it from soul or soil, they both can be bare at some point in life. And it takes nourishment (water, food, friends, and family, spiritual life) to revive both. “Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! Bright wings.” I interpreted these last few lines as the Holy Ghost being a shield around us with wings for extra protection. Of course the Holy Ghost is related to God and the wings represent birds. When a bird is in a storm it takes advantage of the wind to uplift it and to carry it through the storm.
It states in Hopkins’ introduction on page 773, “But his struggle to maintain religious faith, his respect for conventional verse forms, and his quest to find proof of God’s work in nature…” I can not speak for his critics, but in my opinion he proved God’s work in nature. “God’s Grandeur” and “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” are two pieces of his work that supported that God works in nature. “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord” made me think of the 23 Psalms. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” All of that relates to nature. Some of us may not think of God working with nature, but I believe God to be in all things!
Oscar Wilde
I loved Oscar Wilde’s approach to his writings. It’s finally at a point where I can understand wholeheartedly who is saying what. I never thought that playwrights would catch my attention, but Oscar Wilde changed my perspective. It’s even at a point where I can find a little humor in the selected readings.
I really enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde did a wonderful job of distinguishing the social class and their standing. You could clearly see the difference between rich and middle class and servants. For instance, there was a conversation between Algernon and Lane, the servant. Page 848, “Algernon: Good Heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that? Lane: I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir…That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person. Algernon: I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.” This ticked me off with Algernon. It upset me because from this point, I could see that Algernon only cared about self. Later in the text, good old Lane came to his rescue with those cucumbers sandwiches for his Aunt Augusta. Lane had to lie! Anyway, Algernon’s relationship with Lane clearly gives the reader a sense of reality between the servant and his master. Another factor of social class standing is when Lady Bracknell tells Ernest (Jack) that he is not capable of marrying her daughter. True love never dies and I feel sorry for individuals that never get the opportunity to pick the love of their lives. This happens quite a bit in the elite king and queen families. On this level, I am glad to be considered a low-middle class citizen.
Now as I stated earlier, I did find some comic relief. Algernon was one of those characters that you hated to love. I hated him on the one end of how he treated Lane, but he gave life to the playwright. He was making a big deal to Ernest (Jack) telling him that he could not eat the cucumber sandwiches. Well lo and behold when Lady Bracknell gets there and ask for a sandwich, they are all gone! Page 853, “Algernon [picking up empty plate in horror]: Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially.” I laughed hysterically because he knew that he had eaten all the sandwiches. Then he just didn’t stop there. After Lady Bracknell knocks Ernest (Jack) about two levels to let him know that he wasn’t good enough for her daughter, Algernon adds more comical relief. On page 858, “Jack: Good morning! [Algernon, from the other room, strikes up the Wedding March, Jack looks perfectly furious, and goes to the door.]….[The music stops, and Algernon enters cheerily.]” I could only imagine one of my friends doing such a thing! Algernon was most definitely the cast clown not the class clown.
I truly enjoyed the playwright style of writing. Oscar Wilde gave things a new twist. Actually, Algernon and Jack reminded me of Victor Newman and Jack Abbott on the Young and the Restless (soap opera). They were both always bickering back and forth trying to manipulate the other with their fake identities!
I really enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde did a wonderful job of distinguishing the social class and their standing. You could clearly see the difference between rich and middle class and servants. For instance, there was a conversation between Algernon and Lane, the servant. Page 848, “Algernon: Good Heavens! Is marriage so demoralizing as that? Lane: I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir…That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person. Algernon: I don’t know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane.” This ticked me off with Algernon. It upset me because from this point, I could see that Algernon only cared about self. Later in the text, good old Lane came to his rescue with those cucumbers sandwiches for his Aunt Augusta. Lane had to lie! Anyway, Algernon’s relationship with Lane clearly gives the reader a sense of reality between the servant and his master. Another factor of social class standing is when Lady Bracknell tells Ernest (Jack) that he is not capable of marrying her daughter. True love never dies and I feel sorry for individuals that never get the opportunity to pick the love of their lives. This happens quite a bit in the elite king and queen families. On this level, I am glad to be considered a low-middle class citizen.
Now as I stated earlier, I did find some comic relief. Algernon was one of those characters that you hated to love. I hated him on the one end of how he treated Lane, but he gave life to the playwright. He was making a big deal to Ernest (Jack) telling him that he could not eat the cucumber sandwiches. Well lo and behold when Lady Bracknell gets there and ask for a sandwich, they are all gone! Page 853, “Algernon [picking up empty plate in horror]: Good heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber sandwiches? I ordered them specially.” I laughed hysterically because he knew that he had eaten all the sandwiches. Then he just didn’t stop there. After Lady Bracknell knocks Ernest (Jack) about two levels to let him know that he wasn’t good enough for her daughter, Algernon adds more comical relief. On page 858, “Jack: Good morning! [Algernon, from the other room, strikes up the Wedding March, Jack looks perfectly furious, and goes to the door.]….[The music stops, and Algernon enters cheerily.]” I could only imagine one of my friends doing such a thing! Algernon was most definitely the cast clown not the class clown.
I truly enjoyed the playwright style of writing. Oscar Wilde gave things a new twist. Actually, Algernon and Jack reminded me of Victor Newman and Jack Abbott on the Young and the Restless (soap opera). They were both always bickering back and forth trying to manipulate the other with their fake identities!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen
“The man, in his rough work in the open world, must encounter all peril and trial…often he must be wounded, or subdued, often misled; and always hardened. But he guards the woman from all this; within his house, as ruled by her…need enter no danger, no temptation, no cause of error or offense.” (Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen page 555). I support the fact that a man wants to be the head of his house and protect his wife and children. I want a man to treat me like a princess but at the same time treat me as an equal. A woman being treated as equals was not only reflected in the Victorian age. I truly feel that in the Victorian period, the women were stepping up to the plate and trying to gain some respect in the working and political distinctions of society.
Caroline Norton’s “A Letter to the Queen” is an example of a woman trying to fight for what she felt was owed to a woman. How can a man just take sole custody of the kids during a divorce just because he is a man? The answer is simply because a wife did not exist. I was really bothered by the “cannots” within this selection. On page 565, “An English wife cannot make a will.” Luckily she could leave belongings to benefit her children if she had them. On page 565, “An English wife cannot legally claim her own earnings.” Let me just say that if I get up every morning at 6:00am to go to work, you best believe that my earnings would be my earnings unless he wants to give up his pay too. In our society today, any woman that is giving up her paycheck and she is not retrieving anything from it then she is a good one! On page 565, “An English Wife may not leave her husband’s house.” In our society today, taking a woman by force and keeping refuge over her is considered abuse and or rape. These laws and guidelines were outrageous. And to think that the husband could sleep and lay with whomever he wanted to and not be penalized. The woman could never divorce the rascal even if she wanted to. That is ridiculous. As I have stated in one of my earlier blogs, I am not married, but if I had to live in the 1800s under these “can’t” guidelines, I would be dead or in jail or he would have had to kill me! Thankfully in 1882, the Married Women’s Property Act was passed, but poor little Caroline was dead already.
I am glad that Caroline Norton wrote this letter. The unfortunate part of it is that she had to go through it personally. I am thankful that she showed women like me how good we have it in today’s world compared to the 1800s. This Victorian age has lit a fire under me. I have really enjoyed these readings more than the Romantics.
Caroline Norton’s “A Letter to the Queen” is an example of a woman trying to fight for what she felt was owed to a woman. How can a man just take sole custody of the kids during a divorce just because he is a man? The answer is simply because a wife did not exist. I was really bothered by the “cannots” within this selection. On page 565, “An English wife cannot make a will.” Luckily she could leave belongings to benefit her children if she had them. On page 565, “An English wife cannot legally claim her own earnings.” Let me just say that if I get up every morning at 6:00am to go to work, you best believe that my earnings would be my earnings unless he wants to give up his pay too. In our society today, any woman that is giving up her paycheck and she is not retrieving anything from it then she is a good one! On page 565, “An English Wife may not leave her husband’s house.” In our society today, taking a woman by force and keeping refuge over her is considered abuse and or rape. These laws and guidelines were outrageous. And to think that the husband could sleep and lay with whomever he wanted to and not be penalized. The woman could never divorce the rascal even if she wanted to. That is ridiculous. As I have stated in one of my earlier blogs, I am not married, but if I had to live in the 1800s under these “can’t” guidelines, I would be dead or in jail or he would have had to kill me! Thankfully in 1882, the Married Women’s Property Act was passed, but poor little Caroline was dead already.
I am glad that Caroline Norton wrote this letter. The unfortunate part of it is that she had to go through it personally. I am thankful that she showed women like me how good we have it in today’s world compared to the 1800s. This Victorian age has lit a fire under me. I have really enjoyed these readings more than the Romantics.
The Subjection of Women vs A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
“And this desire making mere animals of them, when they marry they act as such children may be expected to act: -- they dress; they paint, and nickname God’s creatures” (Wollstonecraft page 154). This statement alone lets the reader know that Mary Wollstonecraft had issues with women being treated differently than men. It amazes me A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft and The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mills are preaching the same topic, “equality”. Wollstonecraft compared the way women were being treated to weakness. Mills’ version of weakness was “natural”. He wanted to see the society go into an unnatural state and lean towards equality.
Wollstonecraft brought another perspective to the plate. She mentioned on page 153, “…the education of the rich tends to render them vain and helpless, and the unfolding mind is not strengthened by the practice of those duties which dignify the human character.” My interpretation is that the upper class women did not know what it meant to clean, cook, and tend to the children. Therefore they were missing out on the true human character. It’s like the Paris Hilton story; if you are given everything without having to work for it then you miss out on the true meaning of life. I feel that you have to go through something in order to grow yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Mill put a little twist on the perspective of education. On page 527, “They never should have been allowed to receive a literary education. Women who read, much more women who write, are, in the existing constitution of things,…” I interpreted this as Mill stating that women are powerful beyond their measure in spite of what man or the rest of the society may say or think. A woman’s education power was not as strong in the 1800s as it is in our society today. We still have some issues on the pay scales when a woman is petitioning for the same position as a man.
In supporting both Wollstonecraft and Mill’s stand on education, I can see it from both points. Without an education, life is more of a challenge but you learn the values of family, love, and life. With an education, you are always striving and reaching for the best to achieve more in life. If you find a perfect balance between the two, you can’t help but be the best you there is to be whether man or woman.
Wollstonecraft brought another perspective to the plate. She mentioned on page 153, “…the education of the rich tends to render them vain and helpless, and the unfolding mind is not strengthened by the practice of those duties which dignify the human character.” My interpretation is that the upper class women did not know what it meant to clean, cook, and tend to the children. Therefore they were missing out on the true human character. It’s like the Paris Hilton story; if you are given everything without having to work for it then you miss out on the true meaning of life. I feel that you have to go through something in order to grow yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Mill put a little twist on the perspective of education. On page 527, “They never should have been allowed to receive a literary education. Women who read, much more women who write, are, in the existing constitution of things,…” I interpreted this as Mill stating that women are powerful beyond their measure in spite of what man or the rest of the society may say or think. A woman’s education power was not as strong in the 1800s as it is in our society today. We still have some issues on the pay scales when a woman is petitioning for the same position as a man.
In supporting both Wollstonecraft and Mill’s stand on education, I can see it from both points. Without an education, life is more of a challenge but you learn the values of family, love, and life. With an education, you are always striving and reaching for the best to achieve more in life. If you find a perfect balance between the two, you can’t help but be the best you there is to be whether man or woman.
John Stuart Mill
“…true poetry expresses the passionate, solitary meditations of the author; it is not so much heard as “overheard”. (page 514). This was a point made in John Stuart Mill’s What is Poetry?. I truly feel that his writings expressed his thoughts and views from a personal stand point instead of that of others. Mill’s writings made you think about the society as a whole. He made you think about what is truly right and wrong. He pointed out things he thought needed improvement whether you hated his idea or not.
I really enjoyed reading “The Subjection of Women”. He made some valid points that in today’s society we are still wrestling with. One point that caught my eye was the fact that he went to jail for distributing information on birth control at the age of seventeen! Let me just say that I have three beautiful children and I do not desire to have another one at the current moment. Birth control is working for me! The problem today is not retrieving the information but getting young females to take advantage of the information. Another point he made was on page 522, “It arose simply from the fact that from the very earliest twilight of human society, every woman…was found in a state of bondage to some man.” In the 1800s, it was “natural” for women to do the housework and the men go to work. It was natural for them to have dinner ready and cook and clean before their husbands came home. Well in this time period, that is not the case. We may still do housework but we are also known to work too. So my future husband to be might as well get ready to have McDonald’s and Wendy’s a couple of nights for dinner! I feel that Mill’s strongest point was “equality”. He was a strong believer that men and women should be treated evenly among all things. He also used “equality” in reference to the masters and their slaves. I loved the way he took and intertwined slaves to masters and women to men to illustrate the “unnatural”. For a woman to vote and work outside the house was unnatural to the society. For a slave to be free and work on the same level as a master was unnatural. Mill’s made his readers think and he probably ticked off a few people as well.
To show his strong support of equality he wrote, “Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands”. I thought this was neat. “And in the event of marriage between Mrs. Taylor and me I declare it to be my will and intention …that she retains in all respects whatever the same absolute freedom of action, and freedom of disposal of herself…” It was as if he were bowing down to his future wife to be to assure her that she was just as equal as he was.
I really enjoyed John Stuart Mill’s boldness to stand up to society to inform them that man and woman and masters and slaves are all equal. I loved the way he made them realize that the unnatural needed to take place.
I really enjoyed reading “The Subjection of Women”. He made some valid points that in today’s society we are still wrestling with. One point that caught my eye was the fact that he went to jail for distributing information on birth control at the age of seventeen! Let me just say that I have three beautiful children and I do not desire to have another one at the current moment. Birth control is working for me! The problem today is not retrieving the information but getting young females to take advantage of the information. Another point he made was on page 522, “It arose simply from the fact that from the very earliest twilight of human society, every woman…was found in a state of bondage to some man.” In the 1800s, it was “natural” for women to do the housework and the men go to work. It was natural for them to have dinner ready and cook and clean before their husbands came home. Well in this time period, that is not the case. We may still do housework but we are also known to work too. So my future husband to be might as well get ready to have McDonald’s and Wendy’s a couple of nights for dinner! I feel that Mill’s strongest point was “equality”. He was a strong believer that men and women should be treated evenly among all things. He also used “equality” in reference to the masters and their slaves. I loved the way he took and intertwined slaves to masters and women to men to illustrate the “unnatural”. For a woman to vote and work outside the house was unnatural to the society. For a slave to be free and work on the same level as a master was unnatural. Mill’s made his readers think and he probably ticked off a few people as well.
To show his strong support of equality he wrote, “Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands”. I thought this was neat. “And in the event of marriage between Mrs. Taylor and me I declare it to be my will and intention …that she retains in all respects whatever the same absolute freedom of action, and freedom of disposal of herself…” It was as if he were bowing down to his future wife to be to assure her that she was just as equal as he was.
I really enjoyed John Stuart Mill’s boldness to stand up to society to inform them that man and woman and masters and slaves are all equal. I loved the way he made them realize that the unnatural needed to take place.
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was one of a kind. He was spoiled and rich and lovable. Elizabeth had the right pick for a husband. He was a well rounded individual. He had dance, boxing, and music lessons. So why would he not want to be known in his writings. I didn’t understand that part of his life. If I was in the line of the rich and famous, I would want to be known along with my work.
After reading some of Mr. Browning works, I can see why he wanted to be the unknown author. I went into his readings comparing them to Elizabeth’s. After reading through his poetry, I found out that his style of writing was different. Robert’s poetry kept your eyes glued to the book to see what the end was going to be. Elizabeth’s poetry was truly around the theme of love.
Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess are two pieces of Robert’s work that caught my attention. Both of these poems kept me in suspense to see what the end was going to be. I was really amazed at the unforeseen endings of both poems. My main attraction to both poems was passion. I felt that they both started off with passion for a woman in which a man had fallen in love with. In My Last Duchess, I felt he was yearning for her love and beauty. I interpreted infatuation and death with these two pieces of writings. In Porphyria’s Lover, she was killed by having her hair wrapped around her neck. The real question in this story is, did she commit suicide or did her lover kill her? I don’t think she committed suicide. It was like a fatal attraction movie. In My Last Duchess he wrote this poem based on a real duchess where poisoning was suspected of killing her. My Last Duchess was about an older man pursuing a younger woman. I don’t have a problem with older/younger relationships, but in the 1800s they were popular for dating teenagers. In our society now, you will go to jail for such a relationship and I do have a problem with relationships of this nature in our society now.
Another interpretation I retrieved from these two poems was the outer beauty of the two women. I felt that Robert included beautiful women in his writings to portray the kind of woman that he had. In Porphyria’s Lover, I interpreted a beautiful woman that was among the common population. Page 662 gave me a visual understanding of my statement, “She shut the cold out and the storm, …Blaze up, and all the cottage warm; … and laid her soiled gloves by, untied Her hat and let the damp hair fall.” My Last Duchess speaks for itself. A Duchess is known to be of the elite class and they are beautiful women as well. Whenever the Duchess of York is on TV, she is always beautiful.
In closing, I enjoyed both readings. Once again the lower class was knocked out of the running. This was the Industrial period and the lower class was able to work factory jobs but they still suffered. Even in our society today, you still see the same difference. The lower class suffers more than the upper class. And people are still prospering from the new inventions that keep the world running.
After reading some of Mr. Browning works, I can see why he wanted to be the unknown author. I went into his readings comparing them to Elizabeth’s. After reading through his poetry, I found out that his style of writing was different. Robert’s poetry kept your eyes glued to the book to see what the end was going to be. Elizabeth’s poetry was truly around the theme of love.
Porphyria’s Lover and My Last Duchess are two pieces of Robert’s work that caught my attention. Both of these poems kept me in suspense to see what the end was going to be. I was really amazed at the unforeseen endings of both poems. My main attraction to both poems was passion. I felt that they both started off with passion for a woman in which a man had fallen in love with. In My Last Duchess, I felt he was yearning for her love and beauty. I interpreted infatuation and death with these two pieces of writings. In Porphyria’s Lover, she was killed by having her hair wrapped around her neck. The real question in this story is, did she commit suicide or did her lover kill her? I don’t think she committed suicide. It was like a fatal attraction movie. In My Last Duchess he wrote this poem based on a real duchess where poisoning was suspected of killing her. My Last Duchess was about an older man pursuing a younger woman. I don’t have a problem with older/younger relationships, but in the 1800s they were popular for dating teenagers. In our society now, you will go to jail for such a relationship and I do have a problem with relationships of this nature in our society now.
Another interpretation I retrieved from these two poems was the outer beauty of the two women. I felt that Robert included beautiful women in his writings to portray the kind of woman that he had. In Porphyria’s Lover, I interpreted a beautiful woman that was among the common population. Page 662 gave me a visual understanding of my statement, “She shut the cold out and the storm, …Blaze up, and all the cottage warm; … and laid her soiled gloves by, untied Her hat and let the damp hair fall.” My Last Duchess speaks for itself. A Duchess is known to be of the elite class and they are beautiful women as well. Whenever the Duchess of York is on TV, she is always beautiful.
In closing, I enjoyed both readings. Once again the lower class was knocked out of the running. This was the Industrial period and the lower class was able to work factory jobs but they still suffered. Even in our society today, you still see the same difference. The lower class suffers more than the upper class. And people are still prospering from the new inventions that keep the world running.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens’ works on “Dombey and Son” and “Hard Times” gives you a sense of reality concerning the Industrial Revolution. Both these pieces portrayed a point on moving out of the old and going into the new. The question is who did the “new” benefit?
In Dombey and Son, I liked the way Dickens gave a visual picture of what had happened. On page 496, “The first shock of a great earthquake….Houses were knocked down; streets broken through…enormous heaps of earth and clay thrown up….buildings that were undermined and shaking,” I know this is concerning an earthquake but after reading these first few lines, I thought about Hurricane Katrina. I thought about how the visual aftermath of Hurricane Katrina affected me. It was sad and depressing. Yet in the turmoil of mess, the city continued on with the progress of their own agenda, building railroads. During Hurricane Katrina, some were quick to come to the aid of the people in need. Others and part of our government were a little slow in the aid of the people affected by the hurricane. In Dombey and Son, the builders of the tavern and eating shops were going to prosper regardless of the mess that the earthquake had created.
In Hard Times, Dickens used a similar effect of visuals to me. He provided a lot of details that gave you a true sense of what was really going on in those cities. On page 497, he wrote about the red brick being black, “…as matter stood it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage.” In contrast to the red brick, Coketown had a main attraction just like the railroads in Dombey and Son; it was the New Church. The New Church was an exception to Coketown’s blackness. Also, you had your prosperous individuals just as you did in Dombey and Son. In Hard Times, it mentioned two individuals by the names of Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby. Both these individuals only desired to have the best. On page 498 it emphasized their elite standings, “…they lived upon the best, and bought fresh butter, and insisted on Mocha coffee, and rejected all but prime parts of meat,” Well let me just say, they were much like the individuals that built the tavern and eating shops in Dombey and Son.
In closing, I enjoyed both readings. Once again the lower class was knocked out of the running. This was the Industrial period and the lower class was able to work factory jobs but they still suffered. Even in our society today, you still see the same difference. The lower class suffers more than the upper class. And people are still prospering from the new inventions that keep the world running.
In Dombey and Son, I liked the way Dickens gave a visual picture of what had happened. On page 496, “The first shock of a great earthquake….Houses were knocked down; streets broken through…enormous heaps of earth and clay thrown up….buildings that were undermined and shaking,” I know this is concerning an earthquake but after reading these first few lines, I thought about Hurricane Katrina. I thought about how the visual aftermath of Hurricane Katrina affected me. It was sad and depressing. Yet in the turmoil of mess, the city continued on with the progress of their own agenda, building railroads. During Hurricane Katrina, some were quick to come to the aid of the people in need. Others and part of our government were a little slow in the aid of the people affected by the hurricane. In Dombey and Son, the builders of the tavern and eating shops were going to prosper regardless of the mess that the earthquake had created.
In Hard Times, Dickens used a similar effect of visuals to me. He provided a lot of details that gave you a true sense of what was really going on in those cities. On page 497, he wrote about the red brick being black, “…as matter stood it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage.” In contrast to the red brick, Coketown had a main attraction just like the railroads in Dombey and Son; it was the New Church. The New Church was an exception to Coketown’s blackness. Also, you had your prosperous individuals just as you did in Dombey and Son. In Hard Times, it mentioned two individuals by the names of Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby. Both these individuals only desired to have the best. On page 498 it emphasized their elite standings, “…they lived upon the best, and bought fresh butter, and insisted on Mocha coffee, and rejected all but prime parts of meat,” Well let me just say, they were much like the individuals that built the tavern and eating shops in Dombey and Son.
In closing, I enjoyed both readings. Once again the lower class was knocked out of the running. This was the Industrial period and the lower class was able to work factory jobs but they still suffered. Even in our society today, you still see the same difference. The lower class suffers more than the upper class. And people are still prospering from the new inventions that keep the world running.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Elizabeth Browning
I get excited when I read about a woman playing her part in the poetry world! Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of a kind in the Victorian Age. She was one of the stronger female poets. Elizabeth was raised in a very upscale environment. She had both a father and mother who supported her in whatever she was doing. She was the oldest of eleven children. I view the eldest child as being the example for the rest of the family. She was able to receive an outstanding education due to her family’s wealth.
Elizabeth’s poetry started early in her life due to her imagination strengths. I feel that her illness contributed to strengthen her imagination. Her strength during her illness is what inspired me most about Mrs. Browning. She thought she was almost at the end of her rope until the love of her life came along, Mr. Richard Browning.
I am all about happy endings! I hated the fact that her father disowned her but she was happy and she expressed this in Sonnets from the Portuguese. She felt she was dying until Richard came along as she states on page 530, “Guess now who holds thee?” – “Death,” I said. But, there, The silver answer rang, -- “Not Death, but Love.” Richard gave her hope. When she spoke of him stating that he loved her she referenced it to a “cuckoo-song”. I thought of birds singing and how peaceful and uplifting. Also on page 530 she wrote about Spring and its color of green. “Comes the fresh Spring in all her green completed. Beloved, I , amid the darkness greeted…” Richard was her Spring that took her out of the darkness. When you think about coming out of the Winter season and going into the Spring season, it does brighten your day. I believe we all look forward to Spring after a cold and dark Winter. On page 531, “When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher,….Can the earth do to us, that we should not long Be here contented?” I referred to this as them coming together as husband and wife and once they are united there will be nothing and no one that can come between them. I felt this included her dad as well. At the end of this poem she states, “With my lost saints, -- I love with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.” To me, she was saying that she loved him with all of her heart and soul and you can’t get any better than that.
In closing, I am happy that Richard came along to bring life back to Elizabeth. I am also glad to see a powerful woman in the Victorian Age that rose to the obstacle of being a great writer!
Elizabeth’s poetry started early in her life due to her imagination strengths. I feel that her illness contributed to strengthen her imagination. Her strength during her illness is what inspired me most about Mrs. Browning. She thought she was almost at the end of her rope until the love of her life came along, Mr. Richard Browning.
I am all about happy endings! I hated the fact that her father disowned her but she was happy and she expressed this in Sonnets from the Portuguese. She felt she was dying until Richard came along as she states on page 530, “Guess now who holds thee?” – “Death,” I said. But, there, The silver answer rang, -- “Not Death, but Love.” Richard gave her hope. When she spoke of him stating that he loved her she referenced it to a “cuckoo-song”. I thought of birds singing and how peaceful and uplifting. Also on page 530 she wrote about Spring and its color of green. “Comes the fresh Spring in all her green completed. Beloved, I , amid the darkness greeted…” Richard was her Spring that took her out of the darkness. When you think about coming out of the Winter season and going into the Spring season, it does brighten your day. I believe we all look forward to Spring after a cold and dark Winter. On page 531, “When our two souls stand up erect and strong, Face to face, silent, drawing nigh and nigher,….Can the earth do to us, that we should not long Be here contented?” I referred to this as them coming together as husband and wife and once they are united there will be nothing and no one that can come between them. I felt this included her dad as well. At the end of this poem she states, “With my lost saints, -- I love with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! – and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.” To me, she was saying that she loved him with all of her heart and soul and you can’t get any better than that.
In closing, I am happy that Richard came along to bring life back to Elizabeth. I am also glad to see a powerful woman in the Victorian Age that rose to the obstacle of being a great writer!
Thomas Carlyle
I really enjoyed reading about Thomas Carlyle and reading his work. Thomas had strict parents. I believe his parents was his foundation for contributing to him being a hard worker. He valued the thought of hard work. He had a good education by attending the University of Edinburgh. Therefore, he had the foundation to be an extraordinary writer.
Out of all the poetry I have read thus far, Carlyle work has been easier for me to understand. All poetry has a meaning in one way or the other, but Carlyle’s work kept my interest throughout. Two of his writings kept my attention throughout and I could understand them fully; Labour (Know Thy Work) and Gospel of Mammonism.
Labour (Know Thy Work) on page 481, “It has been written, “an endless significance lies in Work”; a man perfects himself by working.” I felt this was an evaluation of his life personally as well as speaking for the majority. Carlyle found hope and love in being a hard worker at whatever he set out to do. His parents were the backbones to him believing in being a hard worker. I also say this was a general statement to the readers because if you find something you love you will work hard at perfecting it. According to Carlyle if one has work then he needs no other blessings; he has found his purpose (see page 482). I do not totally agree with that statement because an individual may be multi-talented and can proceed in working hard in many areas. I feel that if you love what you do then you will put your heart and soul in it.
The second work of Carlyle that I enjoyed was from Gospel of Mammonism (The Irish Woman). My first thought when I read Gospel of Mammonism was social services in our society today. Here we have a widowed woman with three children and she is poor. She goes to the Charitable Establishment where she was refused help. Her rejection did not just stop there it continued on. Imagine being poor without anything and being rejected until all of your resources are depleted. You may ask how I can compare this with our social services today. When I was down and out, I had to jump through hoops to get the system to help me out. I had just lost my job and I had two children. Luckily for me, I had my family and my church home. In the Gospel of Mammonism, she did not have any one to lean on. “Behold I am sinking, bare of help: ye must help me! I am your sister, bone of your bone; one God made us: ye must help me!” (page 480-481). Once again, the people answered no to her cry. This story touched my heart because it was a little personal. Thankfully I did not have to go through the struggles that the Irish Woman did.
In closing, I enjoyed both of Carlyle’s works because they spoke on things that I could truly relate to. One was working hard and the other was being rejected in a time of need.
Out of all the poetry I have read thus far, Carlyle work has been easier for me to understand. All poetry has a meaning in one way or the other, but Carlyle’s work kept my interest throughout. Two of his writings kept my attention throughout and I could understand them fully; Labour (Know Thy Work) and Gospel of Mammonism.
Labour (Know Thy Work) on page 481, “It has been written, “an endless significance lies in Work”; a man perfects himself by working.” I felt this was an evaluation of his life personally as well as speaking for the majority. Carlyle found hope and love in being a hard worker at whatever he set out to do. His parents were the backbones to him believing in being a hard worker. I also say this was a general statement to the readers because if you find something you love you will work hard at perfecting it. According to Carlyle if one has work then he needs no other blessings; he has found his purpose (see page 482). I do not totally agree with that statement because an individual may be multi-talented and can proceed in working hard in many areas. I feel that if you love what you do then you will put your heart and soul in it.
The second work of Carlyle that I enjoyed was from Gospel of Mammonism (The Irish Woman). My first thought when I read Gospel of Mammonism was social services in our society today. Here we have a widowed woman with three children and she is poor. She goes to the Charitable Establishment where she was refused help. Her rejection did not just stop there it continued on. Imagine being poor without anything and being rejected until all of your resources are depleted. You may ask how I can compare this with our social services today. When I was down and out, I had to jump through hoops to get the system to help me out. I had just lost my job and I had two children. Luckily for me, I had my family and my church home. In the Gospel of Mammonism, she did not have any one to lean on. “Behold I am sinking, bare of help: ye must help me! I am your sister, bone of your bone; one God made us: ye must help me!” (page 480-481). Once again, the people answered no to her cry. This story touched my heart because it was a little personal. Thankfully I did not have to go through the struggles that the Irish Woman did.
In closing, I enjoyed both of Carlyle’s works because they spoke on things that I could truly relate to. One was working hard and the other was being rejected in a time of need.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Felicia Hemans
Felicia Hemans’ poetry from a woman’s point of view
I was taken when I first read over Felicia Hemans’ introduction. Here was a woman in the 1800s taken up for the woman’s point of view. Of course, you would have a man such as Lord Bryon who thought it was out of the ordinary for a woman to write poetry. On page 404 he stated, “…preferred women in their place, not his.” He also preferred that she knit blue stockings instead of wearing them. What do bluestockings have to do with a woman having a passion to write poetry? Whatever Bryon???
Also throughout the introduction, I could understand why some of her writings were heroic yet gruesome. She had five children, deserted by her husband, and had to go back home to mom. What woman wouldn’t be torn by such an act? I must say I am a single mother myself living with my mom and it can be upsetting. I have never been married, but it is tuff being a single mom raising children. I only have three, Felicia had five!
While reading, The Wife of Asdrubal, I felt Hemans’ rage. I felt her rage towards her husband. I could not understand how she could result to killing her children and herself. That part of the selection did not make sense to me. I guess she felt that she wanted him to hurt just as bad as she was hurting. In the reading it references her to a warrior. On page 407, “The stormy grandeur of a proud despair; … The dark profusion of her locks unbound, Waves like a warrior’s floating plumage round; ….she seems th’ avenging goddess of the scene.” Maybe she was being heroic in bringing to her husband’s attention that she was hurting; however the rage should have never been brought on the children. This is where I do not find the wife as heroic. How can one look at crying children and stab them and dump them into burning flames? I can’t fathom killing children for any reason! My heart sunk when reading on page 407, “Are those her infants, with suppliant-cry Cling round her, shrinking as the flame draws nigh, Clasp with their feeble hands her gorgeous vest….” I do not see the heroism in that.
I enjoyed Hemans’ poetry. When reading it, I had mixed emotions. Maybe this is why I found her readings interesting. Also, when viewing Hemans’ personal background, I guess she used her personal life to inspire her writings. She took her hurt, pain, rage and fears and used it to write poetry, especially in The Wife of Asdrubal. The bottom line is there is no heroism in seeking revenge in any way.
I was taken when I first read over Felicia Hemans’ introduction. Here was a woman in the 1800s taken up for the woman’s point of view. Of course, you would have a man such as Lord Bryon who thought it was out of the ordinary for a woman to write poetry. On page 404 he stated, “…preferred women in their place, not his.” He also preferred that she knit blue stockings instead of wearing them. What do bluestockings have to do with a woman having a passion to write poetry? Whatever Bryon???
Also throughout the introduction, I could understand why some of her writings were heroic yet gruesome. She had five children, deserted by her husband, and had to go back home to mom. What woman wouldn’t be torn by such an act? I must say I am a single mother myself living with my mom and it can be upsetting. I have never been married, but it is tuff being a single mom raising children. I only have three, Felicia had five!
While reading, The Wife of Asdrubal, I felt Hemans’ rage. I felt her rage towards her husband. I could not understand how she could result to killing her children and herself. That part of the selection did not make sense to me. I guess she felt that she wanted him to hurt just as bad as she was hurting. In the reading it references her to a warrior. On page 407, “The stormy grandeur of a proud despair; … The dark profusion of her locks unbound, Waves like a warrior’s floating plumage round; ….she seems th’ avenging goddess of the scene.” Maybe she was being heroic in bringing to her husband’s attention that she was hurting; however the rage should have never been brought on the children. This is where I do not find the wife as heroic. How can one look at crying children and stab them and dump them into burning flames? I can’t fathom killing children for any reason! My heart sunk when reading on page 407, “Are those her infants, with suppliant-cry Cling round her, shrinking as the flame draws nigh, Clasp with their feeble hands her gorgeous vest….” I do not see the heroism in that.
I enjoyed Hemans’ poetry. When reading it, I had mixed emotions. Maybe this is why I found her readings interesting. Also, when viewing Hemans’ personal background, I guess she used her personal life to inspire her writings. She took her hurt, pain, rage and fears and used it to write poetry, especially in The Wife of Asdrubal. The bottom line is there is no heroism in seeking revenge in any way.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
1st generation vs. 2nd generation
1st generation vs. 2nd generation of writers (poets)
Everything we do in life, there is a phase or generation assigned to it. Even in the 1800s you had a generation of writers. The first generation consisted of William Blake, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge. The second generation consisted of Lord Bryon, Percy Shelley, and Keats. In this blog, I want to focus on differences and similarities between the 1st generation and 2nd generation.
What ideas inspired these generations? The first generation’s writings were inspired by the Battle of Bastille and the French Revolution. Their writings were based on liberty and equality. Their writings were based around the ruling of the citizens by kings and queens and the elite ones running the government. The second generation’s writings were inspired by more modern day issues such as politics. The second generation writings were more straight forward and easier for me to relate to. The writings of the second generation were more social driven as well as writing about changing the government.
What approaches did each generation take to inspire their writings? Blake used evil verses good. Wordsworth and Coleridge used imagination which involved the mind. They both used nature as a way to portray happiness as well. Bryon used storytelling. He used social issues as his approach to his writings. An example would be his use of his failed marriage to inspire some of the entries in his writing Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Shelley also used a similar approach. Keats’ approach involved morals and social issues as well.
What values did each generation take into account in his writing? I truly feel that the values of both generations were very similar. The differences were few. I feel that both generations made valid points about the upper class compared to the lower class. Of course the emphases on these values were portrayed more in the 1st generation writings compared to the 2nd generation. I feel that the 2nd generations values were based more along family lines, but I must say the failed marriages in the 1800s shocked me. It’s hard for me to say that they valued marriages, but they valued love. Also, I sensed the value of money in the 2nd generation. It seems that in the introductory readings on the writers lead me to believe that money was more important in the 2nd generation. They traveled more in the 2nd generation which gave them more insights into other parts of the world to write their poetry on.
No matter what generation you side with, they both had valid ideas, approaches, and values. Each generation had a different way of approaching their writing. Either way, I am thankful that I am able to read their writings today to see things as there were in the 1800s. Reading through the works of both generations has given me a different perspective of what romantic literature is all about. I would have never thought in a million years that I would be telling my co-workers that romantic literature is interesting. Go figure!
Everything we do in life, there is a phase or generation assigned to it. Even in the 1800s you had a generation of writers. The first generation consisted of William Blake, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge. The second generation consisted of Lord Bryon, Percy Shelley, and Keats. In this blog, I want to focus on differences and similarities between the 1st generation and 2nd generation.
What ideas inspired these generations? The first generation’s writings were inspired by the Battle of Bastille and the French Revolution. Their writings were based on liberty and equality. Their writings were based around the ruling of the citizens by kings and queens and the elite ones running the government. The second generation’s writings were inspired by more modern day issues such as politics. The second generation writings were more straight forward and easier for me to relate to. The writings of the second generation were more social driven as well as writing about changing the government.
What approaches did each generation take to inspire their writings? Blake used evil verses good. Wordsworth and Coleridge used imagination which involved the mind. They both used nature as a way to portray happiness as well. Bryon used storytelling. He used social issues as his approach to his writings. An example would be his use of his failed marriage to inspire some of the entries in his writing Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Shelley also used a similar approach. Keats’ approach involved morals and social issues as well.
What values did each generation take into account in his writing? I truly feel that the values of both generations were very similar. The differences were few. I feel that both generations made valid points about the upper class compared to the lower class. Of course the emphases on these values were portrayed more in the 1st generation writings compared to the 2nd generation. I feel that the 2nd generations values were based more along family lines, but I must say the failed marriages in the 1800s shocked me. It’s hard for me to say that they valued marriages, but they valued love. Also, I sensed the value of money in the 2nd generation. It seems that in the introductory readings on the writers lead me to believe that money was more important in the 2nd generation. They traveled more in the 2nd generation which gave them more insights into other parts of the world to write their poetry on.
No matter what generation you side with, they both had valid ideas, approaches, and values. Each generation had a different way of approaching their writing. Either way, I am thankful that I am able to read their writings today to see things as there were in the 1800s. Reading through the works of both generations has given me a different perspective of what romantic literature is all about. I would have never thought in a million years that I would be telling my co-workers that romantic literature is interesting. Go figure!
Samuel Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge use of imagination
Samuel Coleridge was an inspiring writer. I feel that his challenges in life lead him to be a great writer. For starters, he started off in college but veered off to enlist in the army. How many of us today start off as a college student and get off the path to try other things? Or better yet wait four or five years and try college again for a second time like me. Samuel was also challenged with failed marriages and drug abuse. I would have never thought that in the 1800s, individuals were faced with drug problems. To me, I view these as challenges. I feel that challenges lead individuals to be more than conquerors in whatever those are set out to be. Coleridge had the challenges to lead him to be an inspiring writer with full of imagination.
Some of Coleridge’s writings helped me to better understand the definition of romantics. Romantics can be defined as imagination. Well Coleridge took it and ran with it. On page 326 in the footnotes, Burnet states, “I can easily believe that there are more invisible creatures in the universe than visible ones.” When reading Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I sensed a lot of imagination. At times the story was had to follow. I couldn’t figure out if the mariner was a sheriff, a ghost, a boat or an old man.
When I read The Rime of Ancient Mariner, I focused on Part the First and Part the Seventh. I wanted to see how the beginning and the end compared to one another. Part the First started off as a real wedding would. It stated the guests, feasts, groom and bride. Then a storm was mentioned. My first inkling was a guest had interrupted the wedding. Within Part the First it also mentioned an ancient man and a ship. When I reviewed Part the Seventh, it seemed happier to me. There were citizens from other countries. On page 340, it talks about the bride and bridesmaids singing. On page 341, it spoke of the Mariner with bright eyes and a beard and turning away at the bridegroom’s door. This made me think of the Mariner as an older man, maybe a grandfather at the wedding. To me having a grandfather or great grandfather at a wedding smiling and bidding farewell to the bride and groom is a wonderful thing. With me comparing the Part the First and Part the Seventh put my mind into a world of imagination!
We all imagine at some point in our lives. Some of us imagine daily while others seconds and minutes. Some of us use our imagination to view a situation from a different perspective whether it is for the better or worse. I feel that if we allow the mind to get stuck in a mediocre state then we are limiting ourselves. So why not reposition your mind and spirit and life. I believe that this is what Samuel’s writings portrayed. It lead the minds to view things differently in a way to reposition an individual’s thoughts.
Samuel Coleridge was an inspiring writer. I feel that his challenges in life lead him to be a great writer. For starters, he started off in college but veered off to enlist in the army. How many of us today start off as a college student and get off the path to try other things? Or better yet wait four or five years and try college again for a second time like me. Samuel was also challenged with failed marriages and drug abuse. I would have never thought that in the 1800s, individuals were faced with drug problems. To me, I view these as challenges. I feel that challenges lead individuals to be more than conquerors in whatever those are set out to be. Coleridge had the challenges to lead him to be an inspiring writer with full of imagination.
Some of Coleridge’s writings helped me to better understand the definition of romantics. Romantics can be defined as imagination. Well Coleridge took it and ran with it. On page 326 in the footnotes, Burnet states, “I can easily believe that there are more invisible creatures in the universe than visible ones.” When reading Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I sensed a lot of imagination. At times the story was had to follow. I couldn’t figure out if the mariner was a sheriff, a ghost, a boat or an old man.
When I read The Rime of Ancient Mariner, I focused on Part the First and Part the Seventh. I wanted to see how the beginning and the end compared to one another. Part the First started off as a real wedding would. It stated the guests, feasts, groom and bride. Then a storm was mentioned. My first inkling was a guest had interrupted the wedding. Within Part the First it also mentioned an ancient man and a ship. When I reviewed Part the Seventh, it seemed happier to me. There were citizens from other countries. On page 340, it talks about the bride and bridesmaids singing. On page 341, it spoke of the Mariner with bright eyes and a beard and turning away at the bridegroom’s door. This made me think of the Mariner as an older man, maybe a grandfather at the wedding. To me having a grandfather or great grandfather at a wedding smiling and bidding farewell to the bride and groom is a wonderful thing. With me comparing the Part the First and Part the Seventh put my mind into a world of imagination!
We all imagine at some point in our lives. Some of us imagine daily while others seconds and minutes. Some of us use our imagination to view a situation from a different perspective whether it is for the better or worse. I feel that if we allow the mind to get stuck in a mediocre state then we are limiting ourselves. So why not reposition your mind and spirit and life. I believe that this is what Samuel’s writings portrayed. It lead the minds to view things differently in a way to reposition an individual’s thoughts.
Friday, May 25, 2007
William Wordsworth
Williams Wordsworth
William Wordsworth started off with a pretty good life until his mother died. After his mother’s death, his family slipped into the middle-class way of life. It was stated in the readings that Wordsworth poetry was not meant for the upper-class. Out of all the readings thus far, I must say that Wordsworth reading has been more difficult for me to understand. However I was moved by his writing on Simon Lee and We Are Seven. These writings brought out messages to me that I could relate to. Simon Lee showed generosity and genuine support between younger generations to older generation. We Are Seven supported family.
Who was “Simon Lee?” Simon Lee was a young man that was a hunter who was well known and full of energy. Simon Lee was also an old man that grew to be slow and swollen and poor. This poem goes back and forth concerning a man that was full of energy and zeal to an older man. Simon Lee went from being a well-off man to a poor man. He had no children, so that meant he had no help being an old man. Within this poem, Simon Lee receives help from someone as mentioned on page 199, “You’re overtasked, good Simon Lee, Give me your tool…” This showed genuine support of the lower class by a neighbor or passerby. Now in the wealthy society, they would never have to worry about help because they had maids. So even if they were sick or just getting old or healthy; they always had a helping hand. I enjoyed this poem. I liked the way Wordsworth went back and forth from old to young within this poem, it kept my attention. We will all grow older at some point in our life. Some of us will lose our energy and zeal sooner than others but it will come upon us all.
“We Are Seven” on page 200 also supports the introduction of Wordsworth writings not being pleasing to the upper-class. Wealthy families tend to fight and bicker over material things and power. The poor families base their foundations off of loving and supporting one another. “We Are Seven” represented a family of love and support. I say that because on page 201 it states, {“How many are you then,” said I, “If they two are in Heaven?”… “O Master! We are seven.”}. Even with the two dead and two at sea, the family still spoke of the family consisting of seven.
The main point that I gathered from Wordsworth writing was his reflections of the poor families. He spoke of happiness and joy in spite of the situation. He even used nature to help reflect happiness in his poem “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.”. If you are poor, you don’t have money to buy material things to keep you happy; therefore meditating on nature should give you a sense of peace and happiness.
William Wordsworth started off with a pretty good life until his mother died. After his mother’s death, his family slipped into the middle-class way of life. It was stated in the readings that Wordsworth poetry was not meant for the upper-class. Out of all the readings thus far, I must say that Wordsworth reading has been more difficult for me to understand. However I was moved by his writing on Simon Lee and We Are Seven. These writings brought out messages to me that I could relate to. Simon Lee showed generosity and genuine support between younger generations to older generation. We Are Seven supported family.
Who was “Simon Lee?” Simon Lee was a young man that was a hunter who was well known and full of energy. Simon Lee was also an old man that grew to be slow and swollen and poor. This poem goes back and forth concerning a man that was full of energy and zeal to an older man. Simon Lee went from being a well-off man to a poor man. He had no children, so that meant he had no help being an old man. Within this poem, Simon Lee receives help from someone as mentioned on page 199, “You’re overtasked, good Simon Lee, Give me your tool…” This showed genuine support of the lower class by a neighbor or passerby. Now in the wealthy society, they would never have to worry about help because they had maids. So even if they were sick or just getting old or healthy; they always had a helping hand. I enjoyed this poem. I liked the way Wordsworth went back and forth from old to young within this poem, it kept my attention. We will all grow older at some point in our life. Some of us will lose our energy and zeal sooner than others but it will come upon us all.
“We Are Seven” on page 200 also supports the introduction of Wordsworth writings not being pleasing to the upper-class. Wealthy families tend to fight and bicker over material things and power. The poor families base their foundations off of loving and supporting one another. “We Are Seven” represented a family of love and support. I say that because on page 201 it states, {“How many are you then,” said I, “If they two are in Heaven?”… “O Master! We are seven.”}. Even with the two dead and two at sea, the family still spoke of the family consisting of seven.
The main point that I gathered from Wordsworth writing was his reflections of the poor families. He spoke of happiness and joy in spite of the situation. He even used nature to help reflect happiness in his poem “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.”. If you are poor, you don’t have money to buy material things to keep you happy; therefore meditating on nature should give you a sense of peace and happiness.
William Blake
William Blake
William Blake and his family had hardships. I first admired him when I read that his father could not afford tuition for him to receive a proper education. William Blake had the zeal to be an engraver, sketcher, painter and writer! William Blake was a great writer. I loved the way he used the terminology “innocence” and “experience” to relate “peace” and “darkness”. He uses the same technique when he wrote the Chimney Sweeper and his writings on infants.
Using “peace” and “darkness” are my words of describing what I felt when I read through his poems. Milton’s words were “Paradise” and the “Fall”. I must first say that when I read the “innocence” poems I really felt the peace and happiness. When you think on the word “innocence” you do think of children. Children are filled with innocence and happiness and peace when they enter into the world. Parents are supposed to nurture them to keep them happy. On the counterpart, some adults and certain situations robbed children from innocence, happiness, and peace. On page 77, it states, “...childhood is a time and a state of protected “innocence,” but it is qualified innocence, not immune to the fallen world or its institutions.”
In Blake’s poem, “The Lamb,” I felt a sense of security for the children. When looking at the painting on page 80, I saw the twining branches as a fence of protection around the child. Since the Lamb represents God, I can totally relate to this poem because he gives life, provides food, clothes, and shelter.
I admired the Chimney Sweeper because Blake went at this poem from both angles. The “innocence” version on page 81, gave a sense of hope to the children. This version spoke on the unpleasant effects of cleaning chimneys by children. Imagine a child sleeping in soot and having to shave his or her hair off just to get rid of the soot. He gave a sense of peace by talking of an Angel setting them (the children) free from coffins. The “experience” version on page 89, gave a sense of sadness for a child. There was a child crying for his or her mother and father. This child sang and danced to try to block out the sadness. Blake also did the same thing with “Infant Joy” on page 83 and “Infant Sorrow” on page 92. “Infant Joy” you had a happy and joyful baby by the name of Joy. “Infant Sorrow” there was weeping and signs of striving to survive and struggling. It was amazing to me to the way Blake wrote on the two topics such as chimney sweeping and infants in two different but similar works of literature!
William Blake and his family had hardships. I first admired him when I read that his father could not afford tuition for him to receive a proper education. William Blake had the zeal to be an engraver, sketcher, painter and writer! William Blake was a great writer. I loved the way he used the terminology “innocence” and “experience” to relate “peace” and “darkness”. He uses the same technique when he wrote the Chimney Sweeper and his writings on infants.
Using “peace” and “darkness” are my words of describing what I felt when I read through his poems. Milton’s words were “Paradise” and the “Fall”. I must first say that when I read the “innocence” poems I really felt the peace and happiness. When you think on the word “innocence” you do think of children. Children are filled with innocence and happiness and peace when they enter into the world. Parents are supposed to nurture them to keep them happy. On the counterpart, some adults and certain situations robbed children from innocence, happiness, and peace. On page 77, it states, “...childhood is a time and a state of protected “innocence,” but it is qualified innocence, not immune to the fallen world or its institutions.”
In Blake’s poem, “The Lamb,” I felt a sense of security for the children. When looking at the painting on page 80, I saw the twining branches as a fence of protection around the child. Since the Lamb represents God, I can totally relate to this poem because he gives life, provides food, clothes, and shelter.
I admired the Chimney Sweeper because Blake went at this poem from both angles. The “innocence” version on page 81, gave a sense of hope to the children. This version spoke on the unpleasant effects of cleaning chimneys by children. Imagine a child sleeping in soot and having to shave his or her hair off just to get rid of the soot. He gave a sense of peace by talking of an Angel setting them (the children) free from coffins. The “experience” version on page 89, gave a sense of sadness for a child. There was a child crying for his or her mother and father. This child sang and danced to try to block out the sadness. Blake also did the same thing with “Infant Joy” on page 83 and “Infant Sorrow” on page 92. “Infant Joy” you had a happy and joyful baby by the name of Joy. “Infant Sorrow” there was weeping and signs of striving to survive and struggling. It was amazing to me to the way Blake wrote on the two topics such as chimney sweeping and infants in two different but similar works of literature!
Burke, Wollstonecraft, and Paine
Views of Burke, Wollstonecraft, & Paine
France in the 18th century dealt with the social imbalance. The lower class was in the social standing that the elite people thought they should be. The lower class consisted of peasants, serfs, and industrial workers. The lower class was taxed more and earned the lesser income. In the 18th century, who was the society lead by? The elite kings and queens and the throne was known to be passed down through generations. In stating this, it brings me to viewing the different views brought about from Edmond Burke, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Thomas Paine.
Each of the above individuals had different but similar points of view. First I will start off with Edmond Burke. Burke to me was a confusing writer because he was wealthy and he believed that the government needed changing but not necessarily the power taken from the elite.In the text when Burke is writing on the state on page 49, he makes a strong point about “happy effect of following nature”. Well I agree that you can not improve a society or a country without some type of improvement in the government. In our society today, things are forever changing and just think if we kept doing things in the norm. The same applies for the 18th century, how things can improve if you keep passing the power down from generation to generation in the elite society, speaking on the kings and queens as well as Burke’s family line. Are all men created equal? Well according to Burke, men were created equal in some areas but not in partnerships. I believe that if the men could share the power and authority of managing the government then why wasn’t the same weight carried over for the partnerships. I believe in being fair and all men should have been treated equal. Burke was very descriptive in describing the king and queen’s deaths. I couldn’t quite figure out if he was being comical or serious on this matter. I agree with Burke on yes society is a contract, because in the 18th century it was clear that if you were in an elite family then you were in the right contract.
Mary Wollstonecraft and Thomas Paine did not agree with Edmond Burke. Both believed in the fact that the lower class individuals needed to be treated with better respect. Wollstonecraft thought that it was unfair to keep the power in the hands of the elite ones. On page 62, Wollstonecraft states, “…if the poor are in distress…they will confer obligations, but not do justice.” The poor deserves to enjoy a pleasant life just as the rich. Thomas Paine makes a point that each generation should rule for itself. At every age and every season things change. Why not have new generations to think higher and better than the previous generations?
I will close this writing by stating that I truly side with Wollstonecraft and Paine because things should be done in a fair manner no matter the class standing!
France in the 18th century dealt with the social imbalance. The lower class was in the social standing that the elite people thought they should be. The lower class consisted of peasants, serfs, and industrial workers. The lower class was taxed more and earned the lesser income. In the 18th century, who was the society lead by? The elite kings and queens and the throne was known to be passed down through generations. In stating this, it brings me to viewing the different views brought about from Edmond Burke, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Thomas Paine.
Each of the above individuals had different but similar points of view. First I will start off with Edmond Burke. Burke to me was a confusing writer because he was wealthy and he believed that the government needed changing but not necessarily the power taken from the elite.In the text when Burke is writing on the state on page 49, he makes a strong point about “happy effect of following nature”. Well I agree that you can not improve a society or a country without some type of improvement in the government. In our society today, things are forever changing and just think if we kept doing things in the norm. The same applies for the 18th century, how things can improve if you keep passing the power down from generation to generation in the elite society, speaking on the kings and queens as well as Burke’s family line. Are all men created equal? Well according to Burke, men were created equal in some areas but not in partnerships. I believe that if the men could share the power and authority of managing the government then why wasn’t the same weight carried over for the partnerships. I believe in being fair and all men should have been treated equal. Burke was very descriptive in describing the king and queen’s deaths. I couldn’t quite figure out if he was being comical or serious on this matter. I agree with Burke on yes society is a contract, because in the 18th century it was clear that if you were in an elite family then you were in the right contract.
Mary Wollstonecraft and Thomas Paine did not agree with Edmond Burke. Both believed in the fact that the lower class individuals needed to be treated with better respect. Wollstonecraft thought that it was unfair to keep the power in the hands of the elite ones. On page 62, Wollstonecraft states, “…if the poor are in distress…they will confer obligations, but not do justice.” The poor deserves to enjoy a pleasant life just as the rich. Thomas Paine makes a point that each generation should rule for itself. At every age and every season things change. Why not have new generations to think higher and better than the previous generations?
I will close this writing by stating that I truly side with Wollstonecraft and Paine because things should be done in a fair manner no matter the class standing!
Monday, May 21, 2007
ENG264 Summer Online Introduction
Hello, my name is Mignon Clark. This is my 2nd semester at Mercer University. My area of study is business adminstration. I have 3 wonderful children ages 11 (girl), 4 (boy) , & 2 (girl). I am taking this online course because I have to satisfy an upper level English for my credits. I am also taking this online course because I took online courses at Dekalb Technical College and I love online courses. I expect to leave this course with a better understanding of english literature dealing with modern romantics. I really don't know if I have any anxieties concerning this course other than praying and hoping that my blog page will post to Professor Glance and my other classmates in this course. I look forward to having a great time in taking this course!
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