This week I am deciding to blog about It was a dream by Lucille Clifton. I decided to blog about this poem because it was really interesting and a tad bit confusing, not gonna lie. However, i'm not scared to blog about my response to this poem so we're good. Aaaaanyways back to my blog. This was another poem that gave me really good imagery as I read it. I could see the wild woman with her crazy hair and wild eyes. I really understood this poem at the beginning, but at the end I was lost. Well particularly the This. This. This part made no sense to me. Also I didn't know what "gyre of rage" was. So i looked it up and it actually means: a swirling, spiral, vortex of anger. That's harsh, she was not a happy greater self apparently.
From this poem, I gathered (meaning wise) that this women (who was probably Clifton) had a dream in which her greater self (who I think was her image of what she wanted to be or her pure and good self) and her greater self was not happy with who she had become and what she had made of her self.
I feel like this poem is about Clifton reflecting on her life and what she had accomplished in it and the person that she was becoming.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Alone
This week I decided to do my blog on Alone by Edgar Allen Poe. Alone struck me as a typical Edgar Allen Poe because of it's dark and kind of sad nature. Just the title is a little sad because being alone is only alright for so long. I actually kind of connected to this poem. I have never really had a plethora of friends, I mean I always had friends just not a whole ton. I was always kind of on the outskirts of things, seeing things kind of different then everyone else.
Anyways, as I read this poem I read it out loud. At first I was rasping the meaning of the poem but as I got toward the end of the poem I could only focus on the rhyme scheme. It was more or less, an AA BB structure. When I finished reading it I had to go back and read it a few more times in my head so that I could focus on the words of the poem in it's entirety.
As Poe claims there was a "demon in his view". I saw this as what he felt was keeping him from being like everyone else. I believe that it was not a demon at all though. It would be absurd for everyone to see things in the same way. We need people who think different than everyone else, people who are not 'average'. Just look at Poe. He was by no means 'average' but created many great pieces of writing.
Anyways, as I read this poem I read it out loud. At first I was rasping the meaning of the poem but as I got toward the end of the poem I could only focus on the rhyme scheme. It was more or less, an AA BB structure. When I finished reading it I had to go back and read it a few more times in my head so that I could focus on the words of the poem in it's entirety.
As Poe claims there was a "demon in his view". I saw this as what he felt was keeping him from being like everyone else. I believe that it was not a demon at all though. It would be absurd for everyone to see things in the same way. We need people who think different than everyone else, people who are not 'average'. Just look at Poe. He was by no means 'average' but created many great pieces of writing.
Hamlet Act I Summary
In this Act, we left off with Cornelius allowing Laerties to return to France.
After that, Hamlet is left alone and his friends arrive and tell him about the ghost of his father that they saw in the graveyard. Hamlet is so excited by this news that he wants to see for himself and plans to meet his friends where they claim to have seen the ghost and try to speak with it.
After these plans are made the play turns focus to Laerties and Ophelia. Laerties warns Ophelia that Hamlet does not really love her and to be cautious around him instead of opening up and falling in love with him as well. Polonius, their father, enters and tells Laerties to go to France now and then asks Ophelia what her and Laerties were speaking about. Ophelia tells her father about Hamlet and Polonius tells Ophelia the same thing; to stay away from Hamlet. Ophelia obeys.
The play then switches focus back to Hamlet who is waiting to see his fathers ghost with his friends. His fathers ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to follow him but Hamlet's friends do not want Hamlet to follow the ghost and so they try to hold him back. Hamlet frees from their grip and follows after the ghost but his friends follow him as well. When Hamlet is alone with the ghost, the ghost tells him about how he is paying for his sins and has to walk the Earth at night because he is still troubled and seeking justice. Hamlet Sr. tells Hamlet how he really died and that he was murdered by his brother, the new King of Denmark. The ghost asks Hamlet to seek justice for what was done and Hamlet tells him he will.
Hamlet's friends catch up with him and ask about what happened but Hamlet just makes them swear not to say anything about what they had seen or heard of the ghost. As his friends are trying to swear, the ghost keeps saying "swear" and so Hamlet gets frustrated and finally just ignores the ghosts cries.
After that, Hamlet is left alone and his friends arrive and tell him about the ghost of his father that they saw in the graveyard. Hamlet is so excited by this news that he wants to see for himself and plans to meet his friends where they claim to have seen the ghost and try to speak with it.
After these plans are made the play turns focus to Laerties and Ophelia. Laerties warns Ophelia that Hamlet does not really love her and to be cautious around him instead of opening up and falling in love with him as well. Polonius, their father, enters and tells Laerties to go to France now and then asks Ophelia what her and Laerties were speaking about. Ophelia tells her father about Hamlet and Polonius tells Ophelia the same thing; to stay away from Hamlet. Ophelia obeys.
The play then switches focus back to Hamlet who is waiting to see his fathers ghost with his friends. His fathers ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to follow him but Hamlet's friends do not want Hamlet to follow the ghost and so they try to hold him back. Hamlet frees from their grip and follows after the ghost but his friends follow him as well. When Hamlet is alone with the ghost, the ghost tells him about how he is paying for his sins and has to walk the Earth at night because he is still troubled and seeking justice. Hamlet Sr. tells Hamlet how he really died and that he was murdered by his brother, the new King of Denmark. The ghost asks Hamlet to seek justice for what was done and Hamlet tells him he will.
Hamlet's friends catch up with him and ask about what happened but Hamlet just makes them swear not to say anything about what they had seen or heard of the ghost. As his friends are trying to swear, the ghost keeps saying "swear" and so Hamlet gets frustrated and finally just ignores the ghosts cries.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Untitled. With some side notes.
Okay, let me just start off by saying that in my most recent blog: a summary of Act II of Hamlet was wrong. I realized after I got to class the following day that we were supposed to summarize the rest of Act I, so that was uh my bad. In my defense, it was still a rather good summary. Now on to my poem blog.
I chose to do this blog on Untitled by Stephen Crane because I really enjoyed this poem. The first time that I read this poem was in class so I had a chance to hear what other people had to say and that helped make sense of it a little. While everyone talked about the poem in class I listened but I figured i'd think about it again later. I got home (actually I just re read it before I wrote this) and had another look at it. This poem is really cool. When I read this poem I didn't really visualize some beast with an abundance of hair all over it's body, I saw a small vulnerable creature. I saw something that looked like that little guy on The Ring, I can't recall his name. I just imagined this little thing eating a heart with blood everywhere but as I get closer I don't fear this creature but instead am intrigued.
Honestly, I was confused about why this creature was eating it's own heart if it liked it. What I gathered from this poem was that his heart was bitter, therefore he was bitter but he didn't mind because that was how HE was so he liked it anyways. The confusion comes in the form of a question: "If he liked his heart like he said, why did he eat it?" It may be reading too deeply into it or questioning unnecessary details about this poem but I still felt that it was a valid question.
Another thing is that after I read this poem I thought about myself, did I feel this way? DO I really like myself how I am, bitterness and all? Yes, I do like my heart "Because it is MY heart."
This poem just seemed like a unusual way of saying that you have to like yourself for who you are and the way you are because it is you, yes?
I chose to do this blog on Untitled by Stephen Crane because I really enjoyed this poem. The first time that I read this poem was in class so I had a chance to hear what other people had to say and that helped make sense of it a little. While everyone talked about the poem in class I listened but I figured i'd think about it again later. I got home (actually I just re read it before I wrote this) and had another look at it. This poem is really cool. When I read this poem I didn't really visualize some beast with an abundance of hair all over it's body, I saw a small vulnerable creature. I saw something that looked like that little guy on The Ring, I can't recall his name. I just imagined this little thing eating a heart with blood everywhere but as I get closer I don't fear this creature but instead am intrigued.
Honestly, I was confused about why this creature was eating it's own heart if it liked it. What I gathered from this poem was that his heart was bitter, therefore he was bitter but he didn't mind because that was how HE was so he liked it anyways. The confusion comes in the form of a question: "If he liked his heart like he said, why did he eat it?" It may be reading too deeply into it or questioning unnecessary details about this poem but I still felt that it was a valid question.
Another thing is that after I read this poem I thought about myself, did I feel this way? DO I really like myself how I am, bitterness and all? Yes, I do like my heart "Because it is MY heart."
This poem just seemed like a unusual way of saying that you have to like yourself for who you are and the way you are because it is you, yes?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Hamlet Act 2 Summary
This act had a couple different stories going on at once.
Basically, at the beginning Polonius is speaking with Reynaldo and telling him to go to Paris to find out if his son is doing what he is supposed to and not messing around.
After that, Polonius speaks with Ophelia about Hamlet's love for her and Polonius feels that Hamlet has gone crazy because of his love for Ophelia.
Meanwhile at the palace, the king and queen have summoned Hamlet's old friends and some actors to try to cheer up Hamlet and make him feel better.
\Polonius goes to the castle and tells the king and queen of his thoughts about Hamlet being crazy in love and the three of them plan on tricking Hamlet into admitting his love for Ophelia.
Polonius speaks with Hamlet but Hamlet does not realize that he is Ophelia's father and refers to him as old man.
When the actors arrive, Hamlet realizes that the king and queen have summoned them and they act a little for him.
At the end, Hamlet is left alone and he reflects his feelings about his father dying. He suspects that his uncle, the new king, killed his father in order to take the thrown and he plans on exposing his uncle's evil deed by having him watch a play that will supposedly prove whether he did kill his brother, the late king, or not.
The End.
Basically, at the beginning Polonius is speaking with Reynaldo and telling him to go to Paris to find out if his son is doing what he is supposed to and not messing around.
After that, Polonius speaks with Ophelia about Hamlet's love for her and Polonius feels that Hamlet has gone crazy because of his love for Ophelia.
Meanwhile at the palace, the king and queen have summoned Hamlet's old friends and some actors to try to cheer up Hamlet and make him feel better.
\Polonius goes to the castle and tells the king and queen of his thoughts about Hamlet being crazy in love and the three of them plan on tricking Hamlet into admitting his love for Ophelia.
Polonius speaks with Hamlet but Hamlet does not realize that he is Ophelia's father and refers to him as old man.
When the actors arrive, Hamlet realizes that the king and queen have summoned them and they act a little for him.
At the end, Hamlet is left alone and he reflects his feelings about his father dying. He suspects that his uncle, the new king, killed his father in order to take the thrown and he plans on exposing his uncle's evil deed by having him watch a play that will supposedly prove whether he did kill his brother, the late king, or not.
The End.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Heritage
Well. I forgot to blog this past weekend. This is going to be a very busy second semester, I can tell. Sorry i'm so late Mrs. White! Here's my blog for 1-9-11:
I'm writing this blog about the poem Heritage by James Still. First of all, let me just go over some background knowledge on Mr. Still himself. He was an amazing man. Mr. Still was born in 1906 in Lafayette, Alabama into a rather large, Appalachian, family. He was a man who, instead of being wrapped up in himself, cared about world causes and issues. He served in World War II as well as making it through graduate school. Still traveled to many countries around the world and studied the many different cultures it had to offer. Still cared very deeply about culture and heritage, it was a topic that was very near to his heart which explains a lot about his poem Heritage.
In the poem Heritage, Still mentions several times that he is unable to leave his place of birth. As if he were born in a small tribe in the mountains, at least that's what I pictured. It's funny because in reading this poem, I got a sense like even though he referred to this place as "prisoning" he didn't want to leave. His roots and past is in the place he says he cannot escape. I saw the reason for him not being able to leave as being figurative. He can leave whenever he wants, but he can't leave his heritage. His heritage is too important to him to leave behind.
I really like this poem, it is cool.
I'm writing this blog about the poem Heritage by James Still. First of all, let me just go over some background knowledge on Mr. Still himself. He was an amazing man. Mr. Still was born in 1906 in Lafayette, Alabama into a rather large, Appalachian, family. He was a man who, instead of being wrapped up in himself, cared about world causes and issues. He served in World War II as well as making it through graduate school. Still traveled to many countries around the world and studied the many different cultures it had to offer. Still cared very deeply about culture and heritage, it was a topic that was very near to his heart which explains a lot about his poem Heritage.
In the poem Heritage, Still mentions several times that he is unable to leave his place of birth. As if he were born in a small tribe in the mountains, at least that's what I pictured. It's funny because in reading this poem, I got a sense like even though he referred to this place as "prisoning" he didn't want to leave. His roots and past is in the place he says he cannot escape. I saw the reason for him not being able to leave as being figurative. He can leave whenever he wants, but he can't leave his heritage. His heritage is too important to him to leave behind.
I really like this poem, it is cool.
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