Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Paradise Lost, Book 4
In book four of Paradise Lost, John Milton writes the story of Eve and Adam in the garden of Eden and how they lost their paradise, which is a result of Satan being thrown out of Heaven, hence the title. After getting kicked out of his paradise, he tries successfully to get Adam and Eve kicked out of theirs.
Milton describes Eden as a "delicious paradise," which anyone thinking about Eden, would think of as a lush garden full of trees, animals, goodness, and the delicious fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. "Our death the Tree of Knowledge grew fast by," is a reference to the fruit Eve and Adam took from the tree and caused the fall of Adam, which caused the first damnation of our species.
In the first couple of pages of book four, Satan declares "The hell within him, for within him Hell" and "Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell," meaning that who ever he tries to be, what ever he does, and wherever he goes, hell will follow him and be with him. He knows he can never repent and is eternally damned. He might as well try to bring others, such as Adam and Eve, down to his level.
Milton describes Eden as a "delicious paradise," which anyone thinking about Eden, would think of as a lush garden full of trees, animals, goodness, and the delicious fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. "Our death the Tree of Knowledge grew fast by," is a reference to the fruit Eve and Adam took from the tree and caused the fall of Adam, which caused the first damnation of our species.
In the first couple of pages of book four, Satan declares "The hell within him, for within him Hell" and "Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell," meaning that who ever he tries to be, what ever he does, and wherever he goes, hell will follow him and be with him. He knows he can never repent and is eternally damned. He might as well try to bring others, such as Adam and Eve, down to his level.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Millet and Bouguereau
William Bouguereau and Jean-Francois Millet were both French painters and they both studied classic subjects, but they had different perspectives and styles. Through their art, Bouguereau seemed to want to look for positive things in life, while Millet wanted to show the dark truths.
William Bouguereau seemed to beautify the human form, while Jean-Francois Millet was more critically acclaimed, because of his concentration on the "honest" depiction of the realistic and hardworking ways of life, making the nature that surrounded the figure the most important part of his work. As artists, Bouguereau was definitely a romanticist, while Millet was a realist.
"Newborn Lamb" by Millet and "Shepherdess" by Bouguereau are similarly themed concepts with each of their own styles thrown into it. Fronia Wissman compares them by writing, "Bouguereau's shepherdess shows how Bouguereau has citified, or, at the least, taken the country out of his version. Millet's peasant does not pose; she has work to do and walks sturdily along."
As an art lover, one can both appreciate Bouguereau's style and work while appreciating Millet's. Whether someone wants to dwell on optimism of life or the harsh reality, they can appreciate and learn from both artist's works for their skill, craft, themes, and the messages they are trying to convey.
William Bouguereau seemed to beautify the human form, while Jean-Francois Millet was more critically acclaimed, because of his concentration on the "honest" depiction of the realistic and hardworking ways of life, making the nature that surrounded the figure the most important part of his work. As artists, Bouguereau was definitely a romanticist, while Millet was a realist.
"Newborn Lamb" by Millet and "Shepherdess" by Bouguereau are similarly themed concepts with each of their own styles thrown into it. Fronia Wissman compares them by writing, "Bouguereau's shepherdess shows how Bouguereau has citified, or, at the least, taken the country out of his version. Millet's peasant does not pose; she has work to do and walks sturdily along."
As an art lover, one can both appreciate Bouguereau's style and work while appreciating Millet's. Whether someone wants to dwell on optimism of life or the harsh reality, they can appreciate and learn from both artist's works for their skill, craft, themes, and the messages they are trying to convey.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Elizabeth Tudor and James Stuart
The heroes of past and present are usually celebrities, athletes, comic book characters, community role models, and teachers. A hero can be anyone from a human to an alien like Superman, with a desire to change the world for the better. Heroes are people who others look up to and respect. They are noted as being people who have shown courage in unlikely circumstances, donated their time and money for a good cause, made a difference in someone else's lives, and impacted their community for the greater good.
Queen Elizabeth is a person in the 16th and 17th century who fits the definition of a heroine and who measures up to the heroes of the past and the present, because of the qualities she exemplifies in her actions, speeches, and writings. When comparing Elizabeth to her successor, King James, we ought to think Elizabeth fits the definition of a hero more than he does.
James and Elizabeth overcame childhood tragedies and rose above them. During Elizabeth's childhood, her mother Anne Boleyn was also executed for "adultery and treason," as ordered by Elizabeth's father King Henry VIII (Ruark). During James' childhood, his father was murdered and his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was ordered to execution for treason under the reign of Elizabeth.
To any child, the death of a parent would be traumatic, and James and Elizabeth had to grow up faster than other people, dealing with things they shouldn't have had to until they were much older. Even though Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII had taken away her mother when she was a child, Elizabeth took away James's mother in the very same way. We ought to think James was bitter towards Elizabeth because of this fact, but grateful Elizabeth had made James her heir, and it shaped his ruling being much more different than hers.
Elizabeth also had to deal the choices made by her father. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate but remained in the kingdom's hold. King Henry VIII's escapades with his many wives lead to England's "condemnation of the female sex" (Norton 662). Elizabeth would have to fight against sexism during her reign and change the society's mind about women. After her reign, James would lead in society that was less misogynistic because of Elizabeth's legacy.
While James was married and had heirs, Elizabeth sacrificed her own love life and happiness for the good of the country. Elizabeth was impacted deeply by the events of her childhood and she "began to understand how men held the powers in marriages" based on her parent's marriage, which is why she hesitated giving herself over to a man (Prebilic). She address her thoughts on marriage to her critics, in her speech "to Joint Delegation of Lords and Commons, November 5 1566." She told her critics, "I will marry as soon as I can conveniently, unless God take him away with who I mind to marry, or myself, or else some other great let happen." She wanted to make it know if she were to marry and have children, they wouldn't take the place of England in her heart.
Elizabeth thought if she were to marry, she would have to obey her husband and the kingdom would honor her husband's decisions over her own, and she would lose her own true identity and leadership powers. She seemed to waiver between getting married and being "only married to her country" (Norton 687). She argued her critic's " second point was the limitation of the succession of the crown, wherein was nothing said for my safety, but only for themselves," meaning the critics wanted to keep the Tudors in office, instead of the kingdom being lead by another family, because that's what they were used to and secure with. Just because there wasn't a direct heir, didn't mean there were any heirs. Elizabeth knew she would be replaced by one of her many half-sibling's children, such as James.
Elizabeth remained focus on the good of the country and wouldn't let the distraction of a male suitor or having children interrupt the work she was trying to achieve. "The other great that happened" which Elizabeth mentioned in her speech, was in fact Elizabeth's admirable ruling over England all on her own. Heroes live solitary lives and believe in sacrificing their own lives and happy ways of living for someone or something else.
James and Elizabeth were both scholars and both valued the knowledge that comes through having a strong education . Heroes are intelligent and are usually well educated in both book smarts and street smarts. They know how to handle situations with ease and come up with clever ways of outsmarting their enemies. Elizabeth, as a child "was one of the few Englishwomen to benefit from humanist support for the education of females" (Crane). We ought to think Elizabeth tried to pay it forward by becoming a powerful leader and inspiring other females.
"Elizabeth's education provided perhaps the one constant in her early life" and gave her experience and knowledge for which she would later use to benefit herself when ruling England (Crane). Elizabeth could speak five languages, which certainly came as an advantage when she became queen and had to deal with foreign policy (Norton 688). Knowledge is power and it was very useful to both James and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and James were both writers. Like Elizabeth, James also wrote about his beliefs in God, and was considered "the wisest fool in Christendom" (Weldon). Elizabeth's writing of her poetry, speeches, and letters proved "suffering produced great art" (Ruark). They both wrote about the trials in their own lives and their personal beliefs on how to solve them. Elizabeth was a strong queen and her writings shows us a female writer who was "neither silenced and marginalized nor oppositional" and her writing "shed important light on the cultural meanings of womanhood" (Summit). As a writer and a leader, Elizabeth fought against the oppression of woman, by becoming an example of a strong woman. Elizabeth like Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Cary, Aemilla Phillips, and Mary Wroth made vast improvements in the sexist writing society once known as a man's world, and made people think twice about underestimating women.
James and Elizabeth both made decisions during their reigns based on the examples of the rulers who came before them. Elizabeth honored her father, King Henry VIII's legacy and the impact he had on the kingdom in several of her speeches. She wrote "Though I be a woman, yet I have as good a courage, answerable to my place, as ever my father had," (Hibbert 149) showing the kingdom she was influenced by her father and she was her father's daughter. She grew up hearing how much her father wished she was a male heir and it inspired her to show him and the country of England, she could rule just as successfully being a woman. Despite how her father lived and the choices he made, Elizabeth had the best qualities from him and drew from the experiences to remain strong when facing difficulties.
Just because Elizabeth fought for women's rights, didn't mean she believed men were weaker than women. She believed a woman was equal to a man, and vice versa. Elizabeth claimed to the troops of Tilbury that she might have "the body of a weak and feeble woman," she also had "the heart and stomach of a king" (Crane). Elizabeth inspired men to write based on her actions and life, such as Edmund Spenser writing The Faerie Queene, with the Faerie Queene herself being based on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth didn't want men to feel like women were trying to take over. If Elizabeth thought men were weaker than women, she would have named a female successor instead of a male one. Elizabeth had faith that James could lead England as well as she did, otherwise she would have not named him as her heir on her deathbed.
James had a different ruling theory than Elizabeth. Elizabeth's godson John Harrington wrote, "We all loved her for she said she loved us," indicating that Elizabeth wanted to prove her love for her people and she wanted her people to love her in return (Norton 687). James had an huge ego and compared himself to Julius Caesar and King Arthur, two powerful rulers who demanded respect from their subjects (de Lisle). We ought to think James studied Caesar and Arthur and wanted to emulate their ruling stances. While Elizabeth talked about loving her subjects and hoping they loved her, James was all about "fear and subjection "(Norton 1235). We ought to think James should have followed Elizabeth's example and temperament, rather than trying to rule with his own style.
James and Elizabeth both had their critics. Elizabeth was criticized for not being married, being a woman, and being indecisive. When James was made king, the critics of Queen Elizabeth were thrilled, because he was married, had heirs, and they hoped "he would prove more decisive" than Elizabeth (Norton 1235). However, he was most successful through "canny inaction," just like Elizabeth. The decisions James made during his reign proved to the critics that Elizabeth made smart calculated moves even if they didn't believe so at the time.
Elizabeth and James both believed in something bigger than their selves and relied on a higher power to give them strength. Queen Elizabeth and King James both believed they got their power from God, which they both used for self-fashioning (Norton 1235). While King James used God's power to make his subjects fear him, Elizabeth used God's power as a way to let her subjects know she was the vessel of God. Elizabeth put her trust in God. She prayed to him in the tower of London, telling God he was the only one she could confine in and asked him to "suffer me not (I beseech thee) to build my foundation upon the sands, but open the rock, whereby all blasts of blustering weather may have no power against me, amen" (Ruark). We ought to think the prayer meant Elizabeth wanted God to make her a invincible leader and come off as strong force or moral compass for England.
Elizabeth based her decisions on God's power such as marriage, foreign policy, Mary's execution, and other threats to her leadership (Crane). Elizabeth was grateful to God for giving her the privilege of becoming queen and hoped to show her gratitude by being a great queen, by using the power she had to do good (Norton 701). Heroes need to have a clear set of values and morals, but also have to be able to see the grey ambivalence which exists in dark times.
James and Elizabeth were guides for their kingdom in times of peril. Heroes have to stay strong for themselves and the people they are fighting for. They have to know what they are doing, have conviction, and not waiver. Elizabeth and James treated their subjects in different ways. While Elizabeth was "charismatic" and accessible to the people, James showed little of his personality to his subjects (Norton 1236). She was open and approachable and took the time to communicate with her subjects, while he believed himself to be better than his subjects and didn't rely on their input. While Elizabeth had to earn her subject's respect with her actions and words, James thought he deserved "deferential awe," without working for it (Norton 1236). Either way or style they ruled, they needed to be a constant strength for people of their kingdom.
Elizabeth and James both exemplified determination to achieve peace. Heroes know when to pick their battles and when to make important moves. They use the powers they have for good and are peacemakers in times of adversity. As rulers, they both had their successes and failures. While James was successful in ending the Anglo–Spanish War, Elizabeth lead England for thirty years with "maintaining peace at home and abroad" (Crane).
James and Elizabeth both dealt well with foreign policy. Elizabeth was "in contrast to male predecessors she sought to avoid foreign wars" (Crane). If war was the only option, she would defend her country and people at all costs. "Her greatest triumph in warding off danger was the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588" (Crane). We ought to think Elizabeth fought to win and made sure her enemies knew she meant business. James and Elizabeth, like other heroes needs to show their enemies they take war very seriously.
James and Elizabeth believed in being cautious. Heroes are cautious in times of uncertainty, such as war. Elizabeth was determined to create peace within her country and to find a middle ground between "the radical Catholics and the extremist Puritans" (Thomas 88). Both James and Elizabeth agonized over this issue, knew the fighting between two religions would be an losing battle, and hoped it would clear up on its own. James was determined to "unify" Scotland and England "as a single nation," but failed to do so (Norton 1236). They were both determined to do something, saw it was going to be too hard, and backed off.
James and Elizabeth had different opinions on running England's economy. While Elizabeth was thrifty with her spending and took the advise of her advisors, James was reckless with his funds. During James' reign, England had financial difficulties, because his court was "disorderly and wasteful," mainly because he did not agree with Parliament (Norton 1237). He felt as being king, he didn't need anyone telling him how to rule. If the critics thought Elizabeth was making poor decisions, then James must have been a bigger disappointment.
Elizabeth and James weren't afraid to die. Heroes are martyrs and not afraid of death brings, because they will live on, in one way or another. Elizabeth wrote, "And for you sakes it is that I desire to live, to keep you from worse. For as for me, I assure you I find no great cause I should be fond to live; I take no pleasure in it that I should much wish it, nor conceive such terror in death that I should greatly fear it" (Roark).
Heroes like Elizabeth and James never give up. After ruling England for 30 years like Elizabeth and 22 years like James while trying to balance everything and maintaining peace, it would be hard not be to able to hand over the reign to someone else and give up. They weren't able to give up and they had to remain strong for their country for all those years. Through her writings, "Elizabeth turns the value of male heroism around: Dying is easy, living is hard" (Ruark). We ought to thinking that it is the living and fighting for England every day that is hard to a ruler, death should look like a vacation in the eyes of Elizabeth and James.
James and Elizabeth leave a long legacy of inspiration and example, through their writings and histories. Heroes will live on after their physical death, through their stories of their lives, good and bad deeds, and examples of their souls, because parents will use their experiences as a teaching tool for raising their children. While James is known best in today's society for his name dedication of the King James version of the Holy Bible. If we study the thoughts Elizabeth left in her letters and speeches, we should read them as a testimony of her soul and the imprint she left on the world. That way her legacy lives on and goes on to next generation of women and others who could use an example.
When comparing Elizabeth to James, they both had their strengths and flaws. They both made decisions changing and securing England for the future. If we had to pick who was more of a hero out of the two, we should pick Queen Elizabeth, because she had to fight harder on every level. Queen Elizabeth I had all the best qualities of the past and present heroes or heroines. Elizabeth was one of the greatest queens England has ever had, because she sacrificed her own life to make good decisions for her kingdom, because she loved England, and she is the type of ruler any kingdom needs.
Works Cited
Crane, Mary Thomas. "Elizabeth I." Sixteenth-Century British Non-dramatic Writers: Second Series. Ed. David A. Richardson. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 136. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009.
de Lisle, Leanda. After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England. Ballantine Books 2007
Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius Of The Golden Age. Da Capo Press 1992
Knowles, Sarah. "Elizabeth." Film & History. 33.2 (July 2003): p78. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume B: The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. W.W. Norton & Co.; 8th edition 2005
Prebilic, Michelle. "Critical Essay on Elizabeth the Great." Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009.
Ruark, Jennifer K. "Good Queen Bess, Powerful Sovereign and an Author, Too." Chronicle of Higher Education. 47.4 (22 Sept. 2000): A24-A26. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 118. Detroit: Gale, 2005. A24-A26. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 23 Oct. 2009.
Summit, Jennifer. "'The Arte of a Ladies Penne': Elizabeth I and the Poetics of Queenship." English Literary Renaissance. 26.3 (Autumn 1996): 395-422. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 118. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 395-422. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 23 Oct. 2009.
Thomas, Jane Resh. Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth. Clarion Books 1998
Weldon, Anthony. The Court And Character Of King James. Kessinger Publishing 1817
Queen Elizabeth is a person in the 16th and 17th century who fits the definition of a heroine and who measures up to the heroes of the past and the present, because of the qualities she exemplifies in her actions, speeches, and writings. When comparing Elizabeth to her successor, King James, we ought to think Elizabeth fits the definition of a hero more than he does.
James and Elizabeth overcame childhood tragedies and rose above them. During Elizabeth's childhood, her mother Anne Boleyn was also executed for "adultery and treason," as ordered by Elizabeth's father King Henry VIII (Ruark). During James' childhood, his father was murdered and his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, was ordered to execution for treason under the reign of Elizabeth.
To any child, the death of a parent would be traumatic, and James and Elizabeth had to grow up faster than other people, dealing with things they shouldn't have had to until they were much older. Even though Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII had taken away her mother when she was a child, Elizabeth took away James's mother in the very same way. We ought to think James was bitter towards Elizabeth because of this fact, but grateful Elizabeth had made James her heir, and it shaped his ruling being much more different than hers.
Elizabeth also had to deal the choices made by her father. Elizabeth was declared illegitimate but remained in the kingdom's hold. King Henry VIII's escapades with his many wives lead to England's "condemnation of the female sex" (Norton 662). Elizabeth would have to fight against sexism during her reign and change the society's mind about women. After her reign, James would lead in society that was less misogynistic because of Elizabeth's legacy.
While James was married and had heirs, Elizabeth sacrificed her own love life and happiness for the good of the country. Elizabeth was impacted deeply by the events of her childhood and she "began to understand how men held the powers in marriages" based on her parent's marriage, which is why she hesitated giving herself over to a man (Prebilic). She address her thoughts on marriage to her critics, in her speech "to Joint Delegation of Lords and Commons, November 5 1566." She told her critics, "I will marry as soon as I can conveniently, unless God take him away with who I mind to marry, or myself, or else some other great let happen." She wanted to make it know if she were to marry and have children, they wouldn't take the place of England in her heart.
Elizabeth thought if she were to marry, she would have to obey her husband and the kingdom would honor her husband's decisions over her own, and she would lose her own true identity and leadership powers. She seemed to waiver between getting married and being "only married to her country" (Norton 687). She argued her critic's " second point was the limitation of the succession of the crown, wherein was nothing said for my safety, but only for themselves," meaning the critics wanted to keep the Tudors in office, instead of the kingdom being lead by another family, because that's what they were used to and secure with. Just because there wasn't a direct heir, didn't mean there were any heirs. Elizabeth knew she would be replaced by one of her many half-sibling's children, such as James.
Elizabeth remained focus on the good of the country and wouldn't let the distraction of a male suitor or having children interrupt the work she was trying to achieve. "The other great that happened" which Elizabeth mentioned in her speech, was in fact Elizabeth's admirable ruling over England all on her own. Heroes live solitary lives and believe in sacrificing their own lives and happy ways of living for someone or something else.
James and Elizabeth were both scholars and both valued the knowledge that comes through having a strong education . Heroes are intelligent and are usually well educated in both book smarts and street smarts. They know how to handle situations with ease and come up with clever ways of outsmarting their enemies. Elizabeth, as a child "was one of the few Englishwomen to benefit from humanist support for the education of females" (Crane). We ought to think Elizabeth tried to pay it forward by becoming a powerful leader and inspiring other females.
"Elizabeth's education provided perhaps the one constant in her early life" and gave her experience and knowledge for which she would later use to benefit herself when ruling England (Crane). Elizabeth could speak five languages, which certainly came as an advantage when she became queen and had to deal with foreign policy (Norton 688). Knowledge is power and it was very useful to both James and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and James were both writers. Like Elizabeth, James also wrote about his beliefs in God, and was considered "the wisest fool in Christendom" (Weldon). Elizabeth's writing of her poetry, speeches, and letters proved "suffering produced great art" (Ruark). They both wrote about the trials in their own lives and their personal beliefs on how to solve them. Elizabeth was a strong queen and her writings shows us a female writer who was "neither silenced and marginalized nor oppositional" and her writing "shed important light on the cultural meanings of womanhood" (Summit). As a writer and a leader, Elizabeth fought against the oppression of woman, by becoming an example of a strong woman. Elizabeth like Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Cary, Aemilla Phillips, and Mary Wroth made vast improvements in the sexist writing society once known as a man's world, and made people think twice about underestimating women.
James and Elizabeth both made decisions during their reigns based on the examples of the rulers who came before them. Elizabeth honored her father, King Henry VIII's legacy and the impact he had on the kingdom in several of her speeches. She wrote "Though I be a woman, yet I have as good a courage, answerable to my place, as ever my father had," (Hibbert 149) showing the kingdom she was influenced by her father and she was her father's daughter. She grew up hearing how much her father wished she was a male heir and it inspired her to show him and the country of England, she could rule just as successfully being a woman. Despite how her father lived and the choices he made, Elizabeth had the best qualities from him and drew from the experiences to remain strong when facing difficulties.
Just because Elizabeth fought for women's rights, didn't mean she believed men were weaker than women. She believed a woman was equal to a man, and vice versa. Elizabeth claimed to the troops of Tilbury that she might have "the body of a weak and feeble woman," she also had "the heart and stomach of a king" (Crane). Elizabeth inspired men to write based on her actions and life, such as Edmund Spenser writing The Faerie Queene, with the Faerie Queene herself being based on Elizabeth.
Elizabeth didn't want men to feel like women were trying to take over. If Elizabeth thought men were weaker than women, she would have named a female successor instead of a male one. Elizabeth had faith that James could lead England as well as she did, otherwise she would have not named him as her heir on her deathbed.
James had a different ruling theory than Elizabeth. Elizabeth's godson John Harrington wrote, "We all loved her for she said she loved us," indicating that Elizabeth wanted to prove her love for her people and she wanted her people to love her in return (Norton 687). James had an huge ego and compared himself to Julius Caesar and King Arthur, two powerful rulers who demanded respect from their subjects (de Lisle). We ought to think James studied Caesar and Arthur and wanted to emulate their ruling stances. While Elizabeth talked about loving her subjects and hoping they loved her, James was all about "fear and subjection "(Norton 1235). We ought to think James should have followed Elizabeth's example and temperament, rather than trying to rule with his own style.
James and Elizabeth both had their critics. Elizabeth was criticized for not being married, being a woman, and being indecisive. When James was made king, the critics of Queen Elizabeth were thrilled, because he was married, had heirs, and they hoped "he would prove more decisive" than Elizabeth (Norton 1235). However, he was most successful through "canny inaction," just like Elizabeth. The decisions James made during his reign proved to the critics that Elizabeth made smart calculated moves even if they didn't believe so at the time.
Elizabeth and James both believed in something bigger than their selves and relied on a higher power to give them strength. Queen Elizabeth and King James both believed they got their power from God, which they both used for self-fashioning (Norton 1235). While King James used God's power to make his subjects fear him, Elizabeth used God's power as a way to let her subjects know she was the vessel of God. Elizabeth put her trust in God. She prayed to him in the tower of London, telling God he was the only one she could confine in and asked him to "suffer me not (I beseech thee) to build my foundation upon the sands, but open the rock, whereby all blasts of blustering weather may have no power against me, amen" (Ruark). We ought to think the prayer meant Elizabeth wanted God to make her a invincible leader and come off as strong force or moral compass for England.
Elizabeth based her decisions on God's power such as marriage, foreign policy, Mary's execution, and other threats to her leadership (Crane). Elizabeth was grateful to God for giving her the privilege of becoming queen and hoped to show her gratitude by being a great queen, by using the power she had to do good (Norton 701). Heroes need to have a clear set of values and morals, but also have to be able to see the grey ambivalence which exists in dark times.
James and Elizabeth were guides for their kingdom in times of peril. Heroes have to stay strong for themselves and the people they are fighting for. They have to know what they are doing, have conviction, and not waiver. Elizabeth and James treated their subjects in different ways. While Elizabeth was "charismatic" and accessible to the people, James showed little of his personality to his subjects (Norton 1236). She was open and approachable and took the time to communicate with her subjects, while he believed himself to be better than his subjects and didn't rely on their input. While Elizabeth had to earn her subject's respect with her actions and words, James thought he deserved "deferential awe," without working for it (Norton 1236). Either way or style they ruled, they needed to be a constant strength for people of their kingdom.
Elizabeth and James both exemplified determination to achieve peace. Heroes know when to pick their battles and when to make important moves. They use the powers they have for good and are peacemakers in times of adversity. As rulers, they both had their successes and failures. While James was successful in ending the Anglo–Spanish War, Elizabeth lead England for thirty years with "maintaining peace at home and abroad" (Crane).
James and Elizabeth both dealt well with foreign policy. Elizabeth was "in contrast to male predecessors she sought to avoid foreign wars" (Crane). If war was the only option, she would defend her country and people at all costs. "Her greatest triumph in warding off danger was the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588" (Crane). We ought to think Elizabeth fought to win and made sure her enemies knew she meant business. James and Elizabeth, like other heroes needs to show their enemies they take war very seriously.
James and Elizabeth believed in being cautious. Heroes are cautious in times of uncertainty, such as war. Elizabeth was determined to create peace within her country and to find a middle ground between "the radical Catholics and the extremist Puritans" (Thomas 88). Both James and Elizabeth agonized over this issue, knew the fighting between two religions would be an losing battle, and hoped it would clear up on its own. James was determined to "unify" Scotland and England "as a single nation," but failed to do so (Norton 1236). They were both determined to do something, saw it was going to be too hard, and backed off.
James and Elizabeth had different opinions on running England's economy. While Elizabeth was thrifty with her spending and took the advise of her advisors, James was reckless with his funds. During James' reign, England had financial difficulties, because his court was "disorderly and wasteful," mainly because he did not agree with Parliament (Norton 1237). He felt as being king, he didn't need anyone telling him how to rule. If the critics thought Elizabeth was making poor decisions, then James must have been a bigger disappointment.
Elizabeth and James weren't afraid to die. Heroes are martyrs and not afraid of death brings, because they will live on, in one way or another. Elizabeth wrote, "And for you sakes it is that I desire to live, to keep you from worse. For as for me, I assure you I find no great cause I should be fond to live; I take no pleasure in it that I should much wish it, nor conceive such terror in death that I should greatly fear it" (Roark).
Heroes like Elizabeth and James never give up. After ruling England for 30 years like Elizabeth and 22 years like James while trying to balance everything and maintaining peace, it would be hard not be to able to hand over the reign to someone else and give up. They weren't able to give up and they had to remain strong for their country for all those years. Through her writings, "Elizabeth turns the value of male heroism around: Dying is easy, living is hard" (Ruark). We ought to thinking that it is the living and fighting for England every day that is hard to a ruler, death should look like a vacation in the eyes of Elizabeth and James.
James and Elizabeth leave a long legacy of inspiration and example, through their writings and histories. Heroes will live on after their physical death, through their stories of their lives, good and bad deeds, and examples of their souls, because parents will use their experiences as a teaching tool for raising their children. While James is known best in today's society for his name dedication of the King James version of the Holy Bible. If we study the thoughts Elizabeth left in her letters and speeches, we should read them as a testimony of her soul and the imprint she left on the world. That way her legacy lives on and goes on to next generation of women and others who could use an example.
When comparing Elizabeth to James, they both had their strengths and flaws. They both made decisions changing and securing England for the future. If we had to pick who was more of a hero out of the two, we should pick Queen Elizabeth, because she had to fight harder on every level. Queen Elizabeth I had all the best qualities of the past and present heroes or heroines. Elizabeth was one of the greatest queens England has ever had, because she sacrificed her own life to make good decisions for her kingdom, because she loved England, and she is the type of ruler any kingdom needs.
Works Cited
Crane, Mary Thomas. "Elizabeth I." Sixteenth-Century British Non-dramatic Writers: Second Series. Ed. David A. Richardson. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 136. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009
de Lisle, Leanda. After Elizabeth: The Rise of James of Scotland and the Struggle for the Throne of England. Ballantine Books 2007
Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius Of The Golden Age. Da Capo Press 1992
Knowles, Sarah. "Elizabeth." Film & History. 33.2 (July 2003): p78. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume B: The Sixteenth Century/The Early Seventeenth Century. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. W.W. Norton & Co.; 8th edition 2005
Prebilic, Michelle. "Critical Essay on Elizabeth the Great." Nonfiction Classics for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Nonfiction Works. Ed. David M. Galens, Jennifer Smith, and Elizabeth Thomason. Detroit: Gale, 2002. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 24 Oct. 2009
Ruark, Jennifer K. "Good Queen Bess, Powerful Sovereign and an Author, Too." Chronicle of Higher Education. 47.4 (22 Sept. 2000): A24-A26. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 118. Detroit: Gale, 2005. A24-A26. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 23 Oct. 2009
Summit, Jennifer. "'The Arte of a Ladies Penne': Elizabeth I and the Poetics of Queenship." English Literary Renaissance. 26.3 (Autumn 1996): 395-422. Rpt. in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 118. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 395-422. Literature Resource Center. Gale. UALC Weber State University. 23 Oct. 2009
Thomas, Jane Resh. Behind the Mask: The Life of Queen Elizabeth. Clarion Books 1998
Weldon, Anthony. The Court And Character Of King James. Kessinger Publishing 1817
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Windows
In George Herbert's poem, "The Windows," the narrator asks many questions about God's action. Herbert wonders how any man can "preach the eternal word" when "he is a brittle crazy glass." He wonders how can men teach the word of God, when they are destructive of their own righteousness.
Herbert wonders why God would let imperfect beings teach and enter into his temples. The temple is "a window through thy grace," which is symbolic of what God wants to reveal to us mere mortals. If God shines his light onto us, he will make the knowledge of him "shine within" us. Herbert wonders if through church God's light "reverend grows" or if it goes bleak and thin." He wonders if a person has to go to a church or temple to feel God or can they be spiritual on their own.
"Doctrine and life, colors and lights, in one" is Herbert's way of saying, people can live with the doctrine of God, as well as have their own truth about the world. It's like the religious saying, "Be in the world, but not of the world."
When Herbert writes, " . . .but speech alone doth vanish like a flaring thing," he is wondering if people can truly remain faithful through hearing others speak of God's truth. He believes people need to discover the truth on their own, and have evidence for themselves. "And in the ear, not conscience, ring" is a reference to the narrator wanting God to speak to him and other people directly, so they will have proof and know if God really exists or not.
Herbert wonders why God would let imperfect beings teach and enter into his temples. The temple is "a window through thy grace," which is symbolic of what God wants to reveal to us mere mortals. If God shines his light onto us, he will make the knowledge of him "shine within" us. Herbert wonders if through church God's light "reverend grows" or if it goes bleak and thin." He wonders if a person has to go to a church or temple to feel God or can they be spiritual on their own.
"Doctrine and life, colors and lights, in one" is Herbert's way of saying, people can live with the doctrine of God, as well as have their own truth about the world. It's like the religious saying, "Be in the world, but not of the world."
When Herbert writes, " . . .but speech alone doth vanish like a flaring thing," he is wondering if people can truly remain faithful through hearing others speak of God's truth. He believes people need to discover the truth on their own, and have evidence for themselves. "And in the ear, not conscience, ring" is a reference to the narrator wanting God to speak to him and other people directly, so they will have proof and know if God really exists or not.
Heaven, Fashion, and the Future
For American Lit, I am still reading O Pioneers by Willa Cather. I also read Cather's "Neighbor Rosicky," Robert Frost's "In Neglect," Langston Hughes's "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Hughes's "I Too," and Hughes's "Mulatto."
For British Lit, I read Lanyer, Wroth, Herbert, Crashaw, and Bacon.
For Espanol, we are learning weather terms, months, present progressives, and seasons in Spanish.
For Drawing, I had to draw what I though heaven would be like. I drew a picture I had of Maui with a whale, a beach, and trees. I also had to draw a fashion illustration.
I registered for Spring semester this morning. I am taking Design 2D, Biographical Writing, First Year Spanish II, and American Civilizations.
For British Lit, I read Lanyer, Wroth, Herbert, Crashaw, and Bacon.
For Espanol, we are learning weather terms, months, present progressives, and seasons in Spanish.
For Drawing, I had to draw what I though heaven would be like. I drew a picture I had of Maui with a whale, a beach, and trees. I also had to draw a fashion illustration.
I registered for Spring semester this morning. I am taking Design 2D, Biographical Writing, First Year Spanish II, and American Civilizations.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
O Pioneers!
I first read My Antonia by Willa Cather before I was scheduled to read O Pioneers! This romantic and mythic novel deals with the immigration of Swedes to Nebraska, Cather's home state. Most of her writing themes were cause/effect, English common law, Christianity, and democracy of property. Her protagonist, Alexandra can be viewed as an Amazon goddess.
The characters talk about ideas and belief such as Druidism (Nature worship). This novel deals with the concepts of "Seeing the elephant," which means pioneers going bust on the frontier and having to return to their native land, and "Rain follows the plough." What I found fascinating was the tragic Emil and Marie love story.
The characters talk about ideas and belief such as Druidism (Nature worship). This novel deals with the concepts of "Seeing the elephant," which means pioneers going bust on the frontier and having to return to their native land, and "Rain follows the plough." What I found fascinating was the tragic Emil and Marie love story.
How Roses Came Red
Robert Herrick is a poet with very graphic images and metaphors of sexuality in his poetry. In his poem "How Roses Came Red," Herrick uses the roses as symbols for women and souls in general. "The roses at first were white," meaning they were pure, virtuous, and had virginity.
The color white is used as a symbol for virtue, goodness, godliness, and light. The roses lost their virginity and sense of virtue and became more worldly. There is also "till they could not agree or they more white should be," which could be a reference to clashing churches deciding if the roses in their congregation are more good than the other bushes.
After the roses were pure anymore, they "first came red." Red roses are also a symbol for love and red is also the color of blood, making love and pain the same color. They have lost their innocence. Whenever there is a reference to roses becoming red, it reminds me of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, catching her card soldiers painting her roses red and ordering "Off with their heads." Parents would probably order the same execution if they caught someone being a bad influence and contaminating their white young roses.
The color white is used as a symbol for virtue, goodness, godliness, and light. The roses lost their virginity and sense of virtue and became more worldly. There is also "till they could not agree or they more white should be," which could be a reference to clashing churches deciding if the roses in their congregation are more good than the other bushes.
After the roses were pure anymore, they "first came red." Red roses are also a symbol for love and red is also the color of blood, making love and pain the same color. They have lost their innocence. Whenever there is a reference to roses becoming red, it reminds me of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, catching her card soldiers painting her roses red and ordering "Off with their heads." Parents would probably order the same execution if they caught someone being a bad influence and contaminating their white young roses.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Cannery Row
John Steinbeck's Cannery Row is a comedy about the American Dream. Steinbeck uses a picaresque narrative with old, old storytelling. "Our father who art in nature" is a significant quote from the story. The character of Henri the Painter is used as a way for Steinbeck to make fun of modern art. The characters have a reverse work ethic. I found the part when Doc orders a beer milk shake and the excuses he comes up with for ordering one hilarious.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Benjamin Franklin, Models, and Rough Drafts
For American Literature, I finished reading Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, some Frost poems, and a Eudora Welty story. We talked a lot about Benjamin Franklin and the American Dream in class.
For British Literature, I had to read Love Melancholy and Hobbes. I also had to write a rough draft for my ten page paper on Queen Elizabeth I.
For drawing, we had two students from the class pose for us while we drew them with charcoals and pencils in class. I also had to draw a raven with a pumpkin.
For espanol, we learned the terms for household items and daily routines.
For British Literature, I had to read Love Melancholy and Hobbes. I also had to write a rough draft for my ten page paper on Queen Elizabeth I.
For drawing, we had two students from the class pose for us while we drew them with charcoals and pencils in class. I also had to draw a raven with a pumpkin.
For espanol, we learned the terms for household items and daily routines.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Steinbeck, British Plays, and Pointilism
For American Literature, I read Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.
For art, I had to draw my lipgloss bottle using ink and only drawing dots. A fellow student in the class posed for us with his guitar on Thursday and we had to draw him.
For British Literature, I read the plays: The Duchess of Malfi by Webster and Volpone by Ben Jonson.
For Spanish, I had to memorize the days of the week and clothes I wear to church, the beach, and to school.
For art, I had to draw my lipgloss bottle using ink and only drawing dots. A fellow student in the class posed for us with his guitar on Thursday and we had to draw him.
For British Literature, I read the plays: The Duchess of Malfi by Webster and Volpone by Ben Jonson.
For Spanish, I had to memorize the days of the week and clothes I wear to church, the beach, and to school.
Volpone
In Ben Jonson's comedy Volpone, he writes in the prologue, "Here is rhyme not empty of reason. in all his poems still hath been measure, to mix profit with your pleasure," which goes along with The Defense of Poesy and could sum of the life and work of every poet. They write for their voices to be heard, to leave a legacy and make an impact on the world, to sometimes make a fortune, and "to teach and delight."
This comedy is about greedy people and how low they will go to be the benefactor of Volpone's fortune, hoping he will die at the hands of his illness sooner rather than later. They bring him gifts, including a married woman named Celia to tempt him into signing over his fortune. Volpone is onto their schemes and describes this encounter as "The vulture's gone, and the old raven's come."
There are a lot of references to Greek and the Romans. Mosca says "Let's die like Romans, Since we have lived like Grecians." Volpone says, "But angry Cupid, bolting from her eyes, Hath shot himself into me like a flame," about his lust for Corvino's wife Celia. Corvino and Mosca send her into to entice Volpone, using her female persuasion, while Mosca places Bonaro to watch from the background. Celia would rather "take down poison" than be dragged into their schemes. When Volpone tries to rape Celia, Bonaro jumps out and says "Lady, let's quit the place. It is the den of villainy." It certainly seems that way.
This comedy is about greedy people and how low they will go to be the benefactor of Volpone's fortune, hoping he will die at the hands of his illness sooner rather than later. They bring him gifts, including a married woman named Celia to tempt him into signing over his fortune. Volpone is onto their schemes and describes this encounter as "The vulture's gone, and the old raven's come."
There are a lot of references to Greek and the Romans. Mosca says "Let's die like Romans, Since we have lived like Grecians." Volpone says, "But angry Cupid, bolting from her eyes, Hath shot himself into me like a flame," about his lust for Corvino's wife Celia. Corvino and Mosca send her into to entice Volpone, using her female persuasion, while Mosca places Bonaro to watch from the background. Celia would rather "take down poison" than be dragged into their schemes. When Volpone tries to rape Celia, Bonaro jumps out and says "Lady, let's quit the place. It is the den of villainy." It certainly seems that way.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Great Gatsby
I first read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, when I was in high school and got the opportunity to read it again for my American Lit: Modern class. Nick Carroway describes himself as open an uncritical to experiences. Tom is viewed as a brute and Daisy is viewed as complicated, wearing a happy face with grief behind it. Fitzgerald makes notes of a green light hanging from Daisy's dock. Gatsby is an "American Adam," with the chance to start life all over again. Gatsby keeps a schedule similar to the one in Benjamin Franklin's biography. Gatsby believes in the American dream and dreams of possessing everything. Nick Carroway tells us that Gatsby turned all right in the end.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fall Break, Midterms, and The Great Gatsby
For American Lit, I read The Great Gatsby, and poems by Frost and Jeffers.
For Art, I had to draw a teddy bear in color pastel and draw something from one of my heritages. I chose Scottish because of my Grandma Wayment.
For British Lit, I took my midterm exam which included 2 essays, 15 matching, and 10 lines where I had to name the title of the poem and author. It was brutal. I also read a play by Elizabeth Cary and the history of King James and King Charles.
For Espanol, I had to memorize sentences with breakers, the names for clothes, and numbers 10- 1,000,000.
On Monday night, my parents and I went and saw Couples Retreat. It was alright. It was kind of dirty.
Yesterday was fall break, which I was grateful for. I spent the morning shopping with Mom and going out to lunch.
For Art, I had to draw a teddy bear in color pastel and draw something from one of my heritages. I chose Scottish because of my Grandma Wayment.
For British Lit, I took my midterm exam which included 2 essays, 15 matching, and 10 lines where I had to name the title of the poem and author. It was brutal. I also read a play by Elizabeth Cary and the history of King James and King Charles.
For Espanol, I had to memorize sentences with breakers, the names for clothes, and numbers 10- 1,000,000.
On Monday night, my parents and I went and saw Couples Retreat. It was alright. It was kind of dirty.
Yesterday was fall break, which I was grateful for. I spent the morning shopping with Mom and going out to lunch.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Member of the Wedding
Frankie has problems with discovering her true self and establishing her identity. "The reflection in the glass was warped and crooked, but Frankie knew what she looked like" (2). She doesn't like the way she looks and she believes that if she was shorter, her legs were smaller, her hair longer, and her shoulders wider, she would be truly happy (2). She is afraid of the dark and decides she will "not let things make her sad and she would not care" (24). She feels her "heart is divided like two wings" (42).
Frankie is lonely, because her best friend Evelyn has moved away, her father is always working at his jewelry store, and her foster brother Honey only appears briefly (23). Her only confidantes are her cook, Berenice and her six year old cousin, John Henry. "The three of them sat at the kitchen table, saying the same things over and over, so that by August the words began to rhyme with each other and sound strange" (1). She gets tired of talking to and having to entertain John Henry, but she won't let him leave when he wants to, for fear of not having anyone else to talk to (7). If her mother had survived giving birth to her, Frankie would have adapted better to her surroundings much better, because she could ask her mom for advice about how she dealt with being a teenage girl.
Frankie is desperate for attention, even mailing her older brother candy while he was in Alaska, just for the chance that he will write her a thank-you note (5). Frankie is jealous that her older brother is getting married and is able to leave their small town while she is stuck there (2). She believes her brother and his betrothed "have a good time every minute of every day" (3). She wants to run away with them and not "return after the wedding" (5). Berenice tells Frankie, "You're going crazy. That's where you going" (34).
Frankie lives in what she feels, is the most boring town on the planet and she believes "The world seem to die each afternoon and nothing moved any longer" (1). She starts getting anxiety and claustrophobia, and tells Berenice and John Henry "the world is certainly a (small) sudden place"(4). She points out "The irony of fate," because the butterflies want to be near her windows on her house, instead of "flying anywhere" (11-12). She doesn't see any value in her own surroundings. She wishes she "could tear down the whole town" (23).
Frankie needs an adventure. She talks of going to exotic places and having new experiences, she wouldn't have if she stayed in her hometown (21). She is jealous that John Henry has seen snow, when she hasn't (7). She once saw a freak show at the fair and feels like she could fit in with that group (17). Like many kids her age, her boredom leads her to look for entertainment and excitement. She tries shoplifting, shooting guns at still objects, and a fascination with holding, throwing, and thinking of mutilating her feet with sharp kitchen knives (23-26). She recognizes that there is a restless "feeling in her" (38). When she gets that feeling, she hits "herself on the head with her fist" (41).
Frankie doesn't like her name. She is "sick and tired of being Frankie" (20). She changes her name to F. Jasmine, to be like her brother Jarvis and his bride Janice (15). She was mad at her father all summer, because he wouldn't let her share his bed anymore when she got scared at night, but now with her new personality and name, she is not mad at him anymore (46-47). Berenice tries to tell her the importance of having a good reputation based on her name, but she refuses to listen, and thinks everything associated with her name is meaningless (108).
F. Jasmine does things the old Frankie would never do, like hanging out and drinking beer at an adult bar called the Blue Moon and talking to men who are way older than she is, even making a date with one soldier (64-66). She insists that she isn't pretending and she "wanted only to be recognized for her true self" (56). She even imagines what people will say when they see her doing something in her new life (60).
Like her old self, F. Jasmine has severe emotional problems. She is overly dramatic, emotionally unstable, and obsessed with the wedding. F. Jasmine claims to be not afraid of dark anymore and she threatens to kill herself if the escape at the wedding doesn't go exactly as she plans (75). When Uncle Charles dies the day before the wedding, she worries about how his death will affect the wedding (71).
F. Jasmine seems fascinated with other people's lives while on the verge of destroying her own. She wants to know "everybody in the world," (110), probably to get their stories and pass them off as a part of her new identity. She wants her freedom and thinks if she has nothing to worry about, she will be free. Berenice tries to let her know that "We go around trying one thing or another, but we caught anyhow" (114). When she later tries to run away, she writes, "Please Papa don't try to capture me," (141) in her note.
Ultimately, when anyone's life doesn't go the way they plan or they get let down in some way, they feel a certain degree of hopelessness and depression. When it happens to F. Jasmine, she again adopts a new personality in which she calls Frances, which is probably is her given name at birth. This personality is very bitter, wanting "the whole world to die" (135) and "hates everyone and wants only to spite and shame" (136).
Frances pushes away all the people she cares about and tells them "All I wish in the world is for no human being ever to speak to me so long as I live" (140). I'm sure that many teenagers have utter that exact phrase to their parents somewhere in the world, after such an event. Berenice assures Frances she will overcome her despair, find new friends, keep her dreams until the right time, and move on with her life (140), like everyone else in the world.
Whether her name is Frankie, F. Jasmine, or Frances, she is still a relatable character for people who have gone through the troubled teenaged years and have survived. Carson McCullers writes the development of the protagonist's personality in this book as realistic. The tone of the town and the main characters are set like people who could be living in the same town and having some of the similar experiences as John Singer and Mick Kelly in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. In this novel, McCullers gives us more stream of consciousness and we are able to tell more of what the character is feeling on the inside and how her brain breaks down, making Frankie more relatable.
Source
McCullers, Carson. The Member of the Wedding. Houghton Mifflin: Boston. 1946.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is a romantic and mythic story, which I also read while I was in high school. I liked it better the second time, because I appreciate the writing more than I did back then. It is important to note that Santiago is viewed as a Christ figure.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Shakespeare's Sonnet # 138
As someone who usually has a hard time understanding what William Shakespeare wants to reveal and the moral lesson he wants to take away from the words he writes, it is interesting how the sonnets seem to connect with me than his tragedies or comedies. Sonnet #138 is the perfect example of true love.
"When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies" reminds me of a man who knows his lover is imperfect, but loves her in spite of her flaws. It was interesting that footnotes talk about "the obvious sexual pun," makes me think this man knows his lover is not a virgin, but she is trying to pass herself off as pure and a naive girl. Sometimes in thinking one thing about a line and then reading the footnotes, makes me ponder the line in different direction.
"That she might think me some untutored youth, unlearned in the world's false subtleties" is a declaration from the man to let us know he is on to her schemes and to not underestimate him. He has got her figured out and knows what she is capable of. Shakespeare gives the impression that the couple both believe they are the cat and the other one is the mouse.
"Therefore I lie with her and she with me, and in our faults by lies we flattered be" is a sign of a couple who enjoy being together in spite of what they pretend to be. They are trying to keep the excitement going in their relationship. If they keeping playing games with each other, then their relationship won't go stale.
"When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies" reminds me of a man who knows his lover is imperfect, but loves her in spite of her flaws. It was interesting that footnotes talk about "the obvious sexual pun," makes me think this man knows his lover is not a virgin, but she is trying to pass herself off as pure and a naive girl. Sometimes in thinking one thing about a line and then reading the footnotes, makes me ponder the line in different direction.
"That she might think me some untutored youth, unlearned in the world's false subtleties" is a declaration from the man to let us know he is on to her schemes and to not underestimate him. He has got her figured out and knows what she is capable of. Shakespeare gives the impression that the couple both believe they are the cat and the other one is the mouse.
"Therefore I lie with her and she with me, and in our faults by lies we flattered be" is a sign of a couple who enjoy being together in spite of what they pretend to be. They are trying to keep the excitement going in their relationship. If they keeping playing games with each other, then their relationship won't go stale.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying is a comedy about a group of people moving a dead woman's body to where she wants to be buried, when misadventures keep happening to them.
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Faerie Queene
Having watched the new Merlin series over the summer and seen a bunch of movies about King Arthur, the Hollywood images of knights in the medieval time period were fresh in my mind and helpful to imagine while reading The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. Spenser's version of the classic story about knights rescuing damsels in distress and fighting dragons, give a great twist to the story, because he compares it to other mythologies, like stories from the Bible and the Greek & Roman Gods.
Canto 12 of book one of The Faerie Queene picks up right after the Knight defeats the dragon, and the Knight and Una head to a celebration feast. There is a reference to heaven's gate in Stanza 3, "which long time had bene shut, and out of hond." After the Knight defeats Satan (aka the dragon), there is "proclaymed joy and peace through all his state; for the dead now was their foe, which them forrayed late" in heaven.
In stanza 10, they are cautious of "touching the dragon" and "his nest of many dragonets, his fruitfull seed." Just because the evil souls left behind don't have Satan as their leader anymore, doesn't mean they still can't do evil deeds in his honor. After all some people believe Lilith is still out there, seeing as she was the first evil. In stanza 23, it is interesting to see Una being compared to "the lamb's wife" in the passages from Revelations, almost as reference to Jesus and his relationship with Mary Magdalene.
Canto 12 of book two of The Faerie Queene contains many Greek and Roman mythology references, such as "Argo" more than Bible references. Since it has been awhile since I have studied the mythologies, the footnotes are a great background to the references and allegories.
Canto 12 of book one of The Faerie Queene picks up right after the Knight defeats the dragon, and the Knight and Una head to a celebration feast. There is a reference to heaven's gate in Stanza 3, "which long time had bene shut, and out of hond." After the Knight defeats Satan (aka the dragon), there is "proclaymed joy and peace through all his state; for the dead now was their foe, which them forrayed late" in heaven.
In stanza 10, they are cautious of "touching the dragon" and "his nest of many dragonets, his fruitfull seed." Just because the evil souls left behind don't have Satan as their leader anymore, doesn't mean they still can't do evil deeds in his honor. After all some people believe Lilith is still out there, seeing as she was the first evil. In stanza 23, it is interesting to see Una being compared to "the lamb's wife" in the passages from Revelations, almost as reference to Jesus and his relationship with Mary Magdalene.
Canto 12 of book two of The Faerie Queene contains many Greek and Roman mythology references, such as "Argo" more than Bible references. Since it has been awhile since I have studied the mythologies, the footnotes are a great background to the references and allegories.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Burning Babe
The Burning Babe by Robert Southwell is a very symbolic poem about the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Southwell has an interesting biography in which he was "executed as a traitor in the usual grisly manner" for being a Roman Catholic. He was a brave soul who "minister to English Catholics" on a "dangerous mission" and was a martyr for his faith. Knowing the background of Southwell's life, makes the spirit poem better, because he truly believed in Jesus and wanted to share his faith with the world.
In his poem, he uses a lot of words such as heat, fire, scorched, flames, warm, fuel, smoke, coals, furnace, glow, and ashes, which could be a representation of hell, Jesus' warm heart, or his passion for his fellow man. He also uses tears, melt, snow, and winter to show that Jesus came into a cold world and made it warm, while using water as metaphor for his blood and baptism.
"So I will melt into a bath to wash them to my blood" is a reference to Christ being baptized by John the Baptist and his crucifixion. The line "With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away" is a reference to how many people have forgotten Christ and often take him out of the equation when celebrating Christmas
In his poem, he uses a lot of words such as heat, fire, scorched, flames, warm, fuel, smoke, coals, furnace, glow, and ashes, which could be a representation of hell, Jesus' warm heart, or his passion for his fellow man. He also uses tears, melt, snow, and winter to show that Jesus came into a cold world and made it warm, while using water as metaphor for his blood and baptism.
"So I will melt into a bath to wash them to my blood" is a reference to Christ being baptized by John the Baptist and his crucifixion. The line "With this he vanished out of sight and swiftly shrunk away" is a reference to how many people have forgotten Christ and often take him out of the equation when celebrating Christmas
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCuller's The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is about a group of people living and feeling alienate in a southern town. Most of the character confide their secrets to a deaf and suicidal man named John Singer.
Two of the characters are androgynous. Biff is a bartender. He has an Oedipus complex, wants to be a mother, and wears his mother's wedding ring on his pinky finger. When his wife dies, he decorates their apartment.
Mick is the female protagonist. She is a tomboy at first, but then grows up. Mick is an artist and musician. She has transcendent experiences while writing or listening to music. One of the themes of this novel is "The Death of the Artist."
Mick's boyfriend Harry is Jewish, but not tradition. He is a Pantheist who hates fascism.
Jake Blout is the town drunk who makes Marxist rants and speeches while he is drunk. He runs an amusement ride.
Dr. Copeland is an African-American doctor who has Marxist names for children and is all about black power.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Me Gusta, Queen Elizabeth I, and Self Portraits
For Spanish, I had to describe two things I like and one thing I don't like. I also had to name classroom objects and describe a person I know.
For American Lit Modern, I finished reading A Heart is Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I read Robert Frost's "Departmemtal" and "Design." I read T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." I also read William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" for the fourth time.
For British Lit Renaissance, I had to read Bible translations and John Calvin's "The Institution of the Christian Religion." I also read Sidney's "The Defense of Poesy" and "Astrophil and Stella" as well a Queen Elizabeth I's speeches and letters.
For Drawing I, I had to copy a John Sargeant piece, draw a drape over a stool, and do a self portrait.
For American Lit Modern, I finished reading A Heart is Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I read Robert Frost's "Departmemtal" and "Design." I read T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." I also read William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" for the fourth time.
For British Lit Renaissance, I had to read Bible translations and John Calvin's "The Institution of the Christian Religion." I also read Sidney's "The Defense of Poesy" and "Astrophil and Stella" as well a Queen Elizabeth I's speeches and letters.
For Drawing I, I had to copy a John Sargeant piece, draw a drape over a stool, and do a self portrait.
Queen Elizabeth I
In Elizabeth's speech "A Speech to Joint Delegation of Lords and Commons, November 5, 1566," Queen Elizabeth I addresses her critics on the issues of her not being married and not having a heir to the throne. She says to them "I will marry as soon as I can conveniently. if God take him away with who I mind to marry, or myself, or else some other great let happen." She wanted to make it known if she were to marry and have children, they wouldn't take the place of England in her heart. "The other great" which Elizabeth mentioned, was in fact Elizabeth's admirable ruling over England all on her own. Elizabeth is a historical role model for present day women, showing us that you don't have to be married or have a man at your side to be successful monarch or leader.
Elizabeth argues her critic's "second point was the limitation of the succession of the crown, wherein was nothing said for my safety, but only for themselves." If the critics wanted a direct heir, it was because they admired Elizabeth as a ruler and wanted her to teach her children how to run the kingdom just like her. Just because there wasn't a direct heir, doesn't mean there was any heirs. Elizabeth knew she would be replaced by one of her many half-sibling's children.
Queen Elizabeth I is one of the greatest queens England has ever had, because she sacrificed her own life to make good decisions for her kingdom, because she loved England, and she is the type of ruler any kingdom needs. Having seen the Elizabeth films that came out in the last few years or so, it's hard not to picture Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, when reading her speeches and letters.
Elizabeth argues her critic's "second point was the limitation of the succession of the crown, wherein was nothing said for my safety, but only for themselves." If the critics wanted a direct heir, it was because they admired Elizabeth as a ruler and wanted her to teach her children how to run the kingdom just like her. Just because there wasn't a direct heir, doesn't mean there was any heirs. Elizabeth knew she would be replaced by one of her many half-sibling's children.
Queen Elizabeth I is one of the greatest queens England has ever had, because she sacrificed her own life to make good decisions for her kingdom, because she loved England, and she is the type of ruler any kingdom needs. Having seen the Elizabeth films that came out in the last few years or so, it's hard not to picture Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, when reading her speeches and letters.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Utopia
Reading Thomas More's Utopia reminded me of Utopia & Dystopia themed stories like The Giver by Lois Lowry, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and Feed by M.T. Anderson. Each of these stories involve seemingly perfect worlds with a couple of major flaws, such as the extermination of children and adults who are flawed and don't have the same work abilities as the others inThe Giver, The governing businesses deciding if a person can have the computer chip in their heads fixed or letting the person die in Feed, and making everyone have cosmetic surgery to be made gorgeous while lowering their brain cells in Uglies.
In each world, there are good and bad consequences which affect the lives of their citizens. Utopian societies don't quite work as a perfect world, because not all the people are considered equal, such as "the slaves" or "the weaker sex" mentioned in Thomas More's version. More power is given to chosen people and the whole point of a world where everyone is considered equal is to give everyone the same exact rights and responsibilities.
With all its flaws, this utopian society has a couple of good qualities, like allowing their citizens to "withdraw their time and energy from the service of the body and devote themselves to the freedom and culture of the mind" and "the second rule of nature is to lead a life as free of anxiety and as full of joy as possible, and to help all one's fellow men toward that end." However, can anyone have peace when someone is always watching them in order to make sure they are following all the society rules?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
1 Week Down, 14 to Go
I started school on Monday. I usually get up at 5 am, because the bus comes at 6:04 am, and then have free time till my class starts at 7:30 am. My classes usually get out at 10:20 or 11:15 am, so I'm usually home by noon.
I have an Espanol 1010 class Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So far we have learned the alphabet, how to write the date (Hoy es el 29 de agosto de 2009) how to say our name (Me llamo Stephanie), how to ask someone their name (Como te llamas?), basic greetings and responses (Como estas?, Que hay de nuevo?, Buenos dias, Buena noches, Buenas tardes, Que tal?, Muy Buen, Nos Vernos, Y tu? and Hasta Manana, Mucho gusto, igualmente, De Donde eres?, De Nada) and some phrases (A mi me mima mi mama).
I have an American Lit: Modern class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We're reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers for the next 3 weeks. It's pretty good so far. My professor also assigned us to read The Egg by Sherwood Anderson and some Robert Frost poems.
I have a British Lit: Renaissance class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We read The Courtier by Castiglione and some history of the Tudors and Stuarts. In class, we have had small group discussions about the pages we have read.
I having a Drawing class Tuesday and Thursday for 3 hours. So far, my professor has sent us to the library and made us find pictures on the internet and draw them to the best of our ability.
I have an Espanol 1010 class Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So far we have learned the alphabet, how to write the date (Hoy es el 29 de agosto de 2009) how to say our name (Me llamo Stephanie), how to ask someone their name (Como te llamas?), basic greetings and responses (Como estas?, Que hay de nuevo?, Buenos dias, Buena noches, Buenas tardes, Que tal?, Muy Buen, Nos Vernos, Y tu? and Hasta Manana, Mucho gusto, igualmente, De Donde eres?, De Nada) and some phrases (A mi me mima mi mama).
I have an American Lit: Modern class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We're reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers for the next 3 weeks. It's pretty good so far. My professor also assigned us to read The Egg by Sherwood Anderson and some Robert Frost poems.
I have a British Lit: Renaissance class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We read The Courtier by Castiglione and some history of the Tudors and Stuarts. In class, we have had small group discussions about the pages we have read.
I having a Drawing class Tuesday and Thursday for 3 hours. So far, my professor has sent us to the library and made us find pictures on the internet and draw them to the best of our ability.
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Courtier
Their discussion reminds me of the song "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful" from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical, Cinderella. The prince sings to Cinderella, after seeing her at the ball, "Do I love you because you're beautiful or are you beautiful because I love you?" Like the men in this story, the Prince had seen Cinderella, when she was in her work clothes with smudges on her face and didn't give her a second glance till she put on a dress and got dolled up by her fairy Godmother.
In the same song, Cinderella's prince also sings, "Are you really as wonderful as you seem?" which goes along with M. Morello's argument: "Looks and words may be, and oftentimes are, false witnesses." Peter Bembo's statement of "I say beauty cometh of God and is like a circle, the goodness whereof is the center," meaning if beauty is on the outside, then surely it is on the inside. Haven't some of the world's most gruesome serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer also been good looking and charming?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
British Literature: Renaissance
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spencer
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Utopia by Thomas More
The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spencer
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Utopia by Thomas More
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Modern American Reading List
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
My Antonia by Willa Cather
O Pioneers by Willa Cather
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulknmer
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
My Antonia by Willa Cather
O Pioneers by Willa Cather
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulknmer
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Las Vegas
On Monday July 6th, We drove to Vegas. We stayed at the Desert Rose Resort in a condo. When we got there, we went to Panda Express and the Disney Outlet at the Belz Factory Outlet Mall.
On Tuesday July 7th, Mom and I went to the Town Square mall, which is an outdoor mall, while Dad was in his IRS conference. We tried Yogurtland. We got the strawberry and cheesecake yogurt with strawberries, cheesecake bites, and white chocolate chips as toppings. For dinner we went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, which is like California Pizza Kitchen. After dinner, we walked around Fremont Street, where we tried a Deep Fried Twinkie at a casino called Mermaids. It was pretty messy, and had chocolate sprinkles and powder sugar on top of it.
On Wednesday July 8th, Mom and I went to the Meadows Mall. For dinner we went to this Mexican restaurant called Macayo Vegas and it was good. Then we checked out the Palazzo hotel, which is the newest on the strip, and connected to the Venetian.
On Thursday July 9th, Mom and I went to the Fashion Show Mall, which is on the strip. We also went to Target, Ross, and other stores on Blue Diamond road. For dinner, we went to Memphis Championship Barbecue, which had really good smoked Turkey.
Today, we drove home.
On Tuesday July 7th, Mom and I went to the Town Square mall, which is an outdoor mall, while Dad was in his IRS conference. We tried Yogurtland. We got the strawberry and cheesecake yogurt with strawberries, cheesecake bites, and white chocolate chips as toppings. For dinner we went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, which is like California Pizza Kitchen. After dinner, we walked around Fremont Street, where we tried a Deep Fried Twinkie at a casino called Mermaids. It was pretty messy, and had chocolate sprinkles and powder sugar on top of it.
On Wednesday July 8th, Mom and I went to the Meadows Mall. For dinner we went to this Mexican restaurant called Macayo Vegas and it was good. Then we checked out the Palazzo hotel, which is the newest on the strip, and connected to the Venetian.
On Thursday July 9th, Mom and I went to the Fashion Show Mall, which is on the strip. We also went to Target, Ross, and other stores on Blue Diamond road. For dinner, we went to Memphis Championship Barbecue, which had really good smoked Turkey.
Today, we drove home.
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