In class essay (4-30-13)

The compulsion of desire is indeed a fundamental facet of human nature. In works of literature, poetry, desire for wealth, desire for fame, desire in innumerable permutations propels individuals towards some ultimate ambition, wants. Sir Phillip Sydney's poem Thou Blind Man's Mark engenders the authors own perspicacity on the subject of desire. Employing various poetic devices such as repetition of key words, couplets, to emphasize central ideas, or imaginative but thematically relevant metaphors, Sydney conveys his respective perspective, attitudes towards desire: do not absorb, mindlessly enthrall yourself within self-desires lest you will lose yourself, your desires become you.

"Desire, desire!" Utilizing strategic repetition of choice diction, like in the preceding quotation, rapidly establishes Sydney's stance on desires ensconced in the poetic work. When he repeats with "too, too long" he brings attention to how for too long he has been wrapped in the self serving thralls of his own desires, his compulsion to achieve his desires overriding any and all other aspects more so crucial when he says "who should my mind to higher things prepare." Directly referencing higher more noble causes he simply ignores due to careless wants. "In vain, in vain" in vain, Sydney again uses repetition to emphasize how all of his actions to accomplish his desires have been in vain. "In vain thou maddest me to things aspire" the compulsion of desire as Sydney connotes only caused him grief madness as he could only obsess about those things that he "aspire(s)" or in other words desires. "In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire" here thy smoky fire connotes yet again how selfish desire ultimately bears no fruit, kindles only smoke no fire or results, his actions in vain. Thru repetition Sydney reveals the follies of mindless pursuit of desires, emphasizing his own attitudes by way of repeating diction, emphasizing how actions towards only the seizure of self desire are ultimately all "in vain".

"Band of all evils, cradle of careless care" With this metaphor Sydney makes use of the poetic device to clearly and cleverly convey his attitudes towards desire. "band of all evils" or desire, as Sydney furthers, is the root of all dilemma, metaphorical "band of all evils". The later half of the excerpt " cradle of careless care" again conveys Sydney's perception of desire as the conception point birthing recklessness as well as careless self-obsession, forgetting anything and anyone not relevant to his mad lust of desire. "Thou web of will whose end is never wrought" is another notable example Sydney's use of metaphor, the author likening desire as an inextricable web trapping all "will" except those relevant, again, to the pursuit of desires. Never ending, "never wrought" Sydney implements the device of metaphor to convey his attitudes, his seemingly endless torment, despair unable to rest without accomplishing selfish-avarice, his desires never ending, "never wrought".

Ambition is hailed in American culture, utter dedication to achieving a goal, aggressively acquiring our wants, obtaining our desires no matter the cost, perceived as a positive societal trait. Sir Phillip Sydney's Thou Blind Man's Mark warns against such recklessly selfish pursuits of avarice, warns against the blinding mark of desire. Whether it be strategic use of the device of repetition to emphasize the vain of self-vanity, or the instrumentation of metaphors to identify the "web" of inextricable trappings that is desire, binding and blinding all will other than wants, Sydney clearly conveys his perspective, attitudes towards desire. The mark of ignorance, a " blind man" is one who forgets any and all things not relevant to himself, the stigmata of a "blind man" one who forgets, allows his wants, his desires to become him, forgets, forgoes and loses his self in the process.

In class essay (4-29-13)

In Barbara kingsolvers The poisonwood bible, there is a cast of characters widely varied but all experiencing some measure of change prompted by there environment, surroundings, no more so than Leah Price. At first and foremost the daughter of a priest an, following her fathers zealous religious footsteps, Leah's experiences in the african congo amongst the native populace makes an indelible impact on her character. Maturing mentally, intellectually, Leah by novels end becomes enlightened, empathetic towards the differing values, cultural beliefs of the African tribe she came to "purge" the surrounding culture shaping her development as well as helping shed light, illuminating the ultimate meaning of the work.

Arriving in the African Congo the prices are a god fearing family. Led by their zealous father Nathan price, the family is on a mission delivered unto by Christianity, god to purge the native paganism of the local tribes. Indeed Leah Price is at the outset of Poisonwood bible the paradigm of daddy little girl following in her fathers footsteps blinded by his misguided idealism, ignorance, she so to wishing to purge the locals of there fundamental faith. Yet her time in the Congo, observing and interacting with the locals soon comes to change her. When she begins "educating" the locals on ger Christian values early in the novel, Leah soon learns the culture and customs of the indigenous rapidly realizing her faith to be to excluding and too out of touch out if place for the Congolese. Effectually falling in love with not only Africa but the locals beliefs, she marries a local boy named Anatole so to effectively marrying the ideals of Africa rather than that of her fathers blind, ignorance unaccepting of others perspicacity. Leah is shaped by her surroundings, her developmental odyssey, sojourn from being blind and ignorant attempting to purge and force her own ideals to eventually understanding, empathizing and embracing the congolese views, her conversions ultimately illuminating the most prominent overarching theme, meaning vested in the work: tolerance for others beliefs and culture.

Within Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible we witness the effects, indelible impact of surroundings upon a character. Leah price begins as daddy's little girl following the religious zealous ideals of her upbringing lacking at first any and all understanding, tolerance for others cultures, beliefs. Initially arriving to purge the paganism of the Congolese, Leah's time in Africa, her interactions with the local denizens, her surroundings quickly shape her, engender new beliefs. It is she who is educated when attempting to educate and exterminate the culture of the locals she learning only what they could teach: acceptance of others, tolerance. When she marries the congo tribesman Anatole she symbolically marries Kimgsolvers ultimate theme, her surroundings marrying her to the very meaning of the work: tolerance, acceptance of others culture, beliefs.

Party like it's 1999

AT LEAST TWO MORE (PROSE & OPEN) ESSAYS

·      Prose Essay

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A master of the written craft, Cormac McCarthy employs a plethora of literary techniques, rhetorical strategies within his vast catalog of works. In his novel The Crossing, McCarthy’s particular utilization of grave similes as well as pastoral, solemn imagery plays to the dramatic impact of the given traumatic event upon the title’s primary character, indirect characterization so to ultimately revealing his sorrow.

            “His trousers were stiff with blood. He cradled the wolf in his arms and lowered her to the ground…” McCarthy opens in the passage of above with the introduction of the unnamed protagonist traveling with a notably bleeding, injured wolf. The specific diction of “cradled” is a device that instantly and indirectly characterizes the protagonist’s nurturing nature towards the wolf, his actions characterizing the protagonist’s peculiar tenderness for the wolf as if cradling gently a napping babe. Further on the following quote furthers McCarthy’s aims of conveying the protagonist’s intimate sense of despair, loss, ultimate sorrow towards the dying wolf. “He fell asleep with his hands palm up before him like some dozing penitent” With this marked simile “like some dozing penitent” McCarthy likens the character to a “penitent” or an individual shamed and sorrowful for committing  a wrongdoing, subsequently the author sheds light upon the internal sorrow, the impact of the wolf’s petering hours of perish upon our character in question. “He squatted over the wolf and touched her fur. He touched the cold and perfect teeth. The eye turned to the fire and gave back no light and he closed it with his thumb and sat by her and put his hand upon her bloodied forehead and closed his own eyes that he could see her running in the mountains, running in the starlight where the grass was wet and the sun’s coming as yet had not undone the rich matrix of creatures passed in the night before her.” This passage excerpt conclusively reveals the impact of the wolf’s death upon McCarthy’s primary character. McCarthy employs yet again indirect characterization to deliver the impact of the event with the first half of this excerpt when “He [the protagonist] squatted over the wolf and touched her fur. He touched the cold and perfect teeth. The eye turned to the fire and gave back no light and he closed it with his thumb and sat by her and put his hand upon her bloodied forehead and closed his own eyes”  the protagonist laments the death of the wolf sorrowfully combing thru her fur, “touched the cold and perfect teeth” closing her eyes and his own to paint a pastoral, romanticized reflection, imagery of the wolf alive where “he could see her running in the mountains, running in the starlight where the grass was wet and the sun’s coming as yet had not undone the rich matrix of creatures passed in the night before her.” This pastoral imagery on part of McCarthy further connoting his deep seated loss, sorrow.

          Indeed, Cormac McCarthy is an undeniable master of the written craft he utilizing a menagerie of literary techniques, rhetorical strategies in his works such as The Crossing to further plot as well as the development of his characters. Making use of grave similes likening the unnamed protagonist as a “penitent”, the protagonist is unequivocally perturbed, impacted if not personally shamed, sorrowed by the loss of the wolf. Gently “cradling” the wolf like that of a human babe, McCarthy indirectly characterizes the character thru his tenderness and peculiarly intimate actions as he brushes the wolfs fur, as he  closes her lightless eyes and his own to romantically recreate, imagine the wolf alive and running in  vivid pastoral imagery. Unquestioningly a master, Cormac McCarthy in all of his works develops not only his plot but so to his characters, The Crossing in particular depicting the impact of a character’s character, his loss, revealing his sorrow all via the use of literary techniques, rhetorical strategies.

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·       Open Essay

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"Nobody, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strengths, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time." – Laurence Sterne

Conflicting ideals, wants, ambitions, indeed these are the seeds of action, driving force of myriads of characters throughout literature. In William Shakespeare’s legendary gothic tale Macbeth, the eponymous title character, Macbeth, experiences an internal struggle as two competing  desires, Lady Macbeth’s power lust  and his own guilty conscious, not only characterize the character but so to the ultimate meaning of the work as a whole.  

           

“Fair is foul and foul is fair.” The three witches of the deity Hectate serve as both the prophesiers and proponents propelling Macbeth towards his ultimate destiny: to kill his king and become king. Yet, throughout the play Macbeth struggles internally and externally with his own ideals as his wife, Lady Macbeth has her own desires, racks against his own hesitation essentially forcing Macbeth’s hand. When Lady Macbeth hears word of Macbeth’s potential usurp of more power, potential crowning as the new king, she wastes no time, has no hesitation in what she must do. She goads and manipulates Macbeth against his own desires and guilt so that she may achieve her own agenda: more power. She forces him to kill the King, Duncan, even whilst Macbeth himself questions why, has differing competing desires. Why would he kill a kind and magnanimous ruler? Why would he kill his King when he has already praised and promoted Macbeth to even higher royal rank, social stature? Why would he kill his own King, intermediary of his God? Indeed Shakespeare prompts Macbeth’s struggle between his own desires and Lady Macbeth’s lust for power. In the eponymous play Macbeth eventually gives in to his hesitation, his own lack of desires for that of Lady Macbeth’s and ultimately killed himself by the play’s climax subsequently Macbeth is a symbol of ambition. Macbeth’s corruption of his morality, his desires for that of Lady Macbeth’s, killing a king a high sin of treason and god fearing faith in an Elizabethan age, fulfills the works ultimate theme, purpose: a cautionary tale warning against excessive, selfish, ambitions.

“A little water clears us of this deed.” Lady Macbeth’s desires of power ironically lead to her own as well as Macbeth’s demise. Although Macbeth had his own desires, or at least saw little need to kill his king he eventually, after an internal struggle, gave in to Lady Macbeth’s agenda, lust for power. These two competing desires deliberately employed by Shakespeare to fulfill the ultimate theme of Macbeth: a testament, a cautionary tale warning against excessive, selfish ambitions.

AT LEAST TWO (poetry) ESSAYS

AT LEAST TWO (poetry) ESSAYS

• Prompt: [1994] Poems: “To Helen” (Edgar Allan Poe) and “Helen” (H.D.). The following two poems are about Helen of Troy. Renowned in the ancient world for her beauty, Helen was the wife of Menelaus, a Greek King. She was carried off to Troy by the Trojan prince Paris, and her abduction was the immediate cause of the Trojan War. Read the two poems carefully. Considering such elements as speaker, diction, imagery, form, and tone, write a well-organized essay in which you contrast the speakers’ views of Helen.

 

GROUPTHINK

My group was comprised of Torre Reddick and Dylan Samarasena. After thorough individual analysis on the three selected poems of our choosing (Hope by Emily Dickinson, Life by Charlotte Bronte, The Poison tree by William Blake, etc.) we indeed gleaned a few beneficial new insights with our group thinking collaboration. As a group "tank" we collectively discussed our own interpretations of the various thematical elements of say the poison tree as a metaphorical symbol for festering anger/wrath for example. When transitioning to Emily Dickinson's hope our group conversation yielded personal clarification on the identification of the poems structural components (at first Dylan believed it to be a sonnet before Torre and myself clarified that a sonnet requires 14 lines unlike hope amongst other features the poem in question lacked). Charles Bronte's "Life" was universally comprehended by our group but, thanks to multiple minds, we as collectively dissected subtle connotative details like that of the use of the specific word/diction "sages" in our interpretation connotes commentators/philosophizers of life's various adversities, for one example.
All in all I would dub this group thinking activity as both insightful as well as beneficial in preparing for the ultimate ap exam as it aided in my group as well as my own personal comprehension of the selected poetry's superficial structural composition/ connotative "critical thinking" analytical details.

GRIDLOCK (TPCASTT template)

NOTE: I used the TPCASTT template method to analyze the poems below :)

Life by Charlotte Bronte

LIFE, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall ?

Rapidly, merrily,
Life's sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly !

What though Death at times steps in
And calls our Best away ?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O'er hope, a heavy sway ?
Yet hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair !

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Title: "Life". Will undoubtedly reflect upon the meaning of some crucial aspect of life.

Paraphrase: begins with the allegorical likening of life to a storm. With the rain, the "bad" always temporary as long as you have hope, the storm and clouds eventually go away for the sun to have its stay.

Connotation: the word use of "Sages" connotes philosophers/commentators on life's dark difficulties. The use of a storm is a metaphor in and of itself ( see above)

Attitude: somber and melancholic initially, Charlotte Bronte's attitude seems to always shift from dark to light, ultimately hopeful sentiments thus following her overarching theme of hope.

Shift: the shift is visible in the first stanza blatantly with the lines "oft a little rain foretells a pleasant day" from this line to the proceeding stanzas a pattern forms wherein Bronte shifts from identifying a negative, dark perspective to then shift to a positive silver lining perspicacity after the proceeding darker line(s).

Title revisited: my initial suspicions where accurate Charlotte Brontes poem "Life" indeed endeavors to convey a crucial idea, perspective on existence, as I will explain in theme below.

Theme: Hope in life no matter the darkness the "bad", as long as we maintain a positive perspicacity, endeavor to change our situations, as long as we have hope the clouds, the storm, the rains of misfortune will eventually wash away.


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Hope by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

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Title: "Hope". I suspect this poem to focus upon the ideas of hope and its role/necessity.

Paraphrase: the entire poem likens a feathered "thing" (a bird) as a symbol embodying hope. Various metaphors and imagery (ex. prompting the bird to sing in the most destructive gales of storms) is deliberately created by Dickinson to convey her perspective on hope.

Connotation: the bird is a symbol of the vitality, resiliency of hope even in the darkest of days "sore"-ing in the storms "singing a tune" even in the "coldest" lands hope, the bird still brings warmth ( positivity of hope) without "asking for a crumb" the crumb essentially connoting the priceless, selfless quality of hope.

Attitude: Emily Dickinson's attitude tone sprung only light and bright imagery of a bird flying thru even the worst of storms subsequently the attitude of the poem can expectedly be described as hopeful.

Shift: Unlike Charlotte Bronte's lengthier poem "Life", Dickinson's "Hope" has little if any shifts, the shifts subtle if at all present, the poem tensing consistent in tone and structure as well as figurative language throughout.

Title revisited: My initial suspicions were correct. Emily Dickinson's poem connoted the authors respective perspective on hope, it's vitality, resiliency even in the worst of times.

Theme: Funny how so many works of human product emphasize the essential, arguably most human trait of mankind: hope. Indeed like Charlotte Bronte's preceding poem "Life", Emily Dickinson's composition "Hope" is a love letter to the vitality, resiliency, the life of hope. For even in the darkest days, the worst of times, even in a storm like a feathered "thing" hope can and always shall survive, soar.


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A Poison Tree by William Blake

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

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Title: (Before reading) Will possibly focus on a fictional poisonous tree? Taken literally. Maybe the tree's poison is a metaphor for some theme to be highlighted after I read the poem....

Paraphrase: Recounts a tale of anger festering like a poison, a toxic tree if you will, in the narrator as his "wrath" his anger bottled up until finally releasing upon his "foe". 

Connotation:William Blake utilizes the imagery of a poisonous tree as a connotative symbol of the growing rage/anger, "wrath" he felt towards an individual referred to as his "foe" until the poisonous tree "bore an apple" (another symbol that the narrators wrath became to great thus....) where then the foe "beheld it shine" the next day waking to see "My foe outstretched beneath the tree." thus the narrator killed the "foe".

Attitude: William Blake's tone can only be described as terse hostility, as I read i could feel the mounting, festering "wrath" growing ever more intense from line to line, very effective stylistically speaking.

Shift: A visible shift occurs directly in the first stanza as the narrator explains how he assuaged, mollified when discusing his anger healthily with a friend "I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end." . From there on the poem transitions to ever mounting wrath/ intensity until the "foe" takes a bite of the apple.... 

Title revisited: Well, lesson to self: don't take things as literal as they may seem. No there wasn't a literal "poison tree", but I was correct in my suspicion that it played into the poem's overall theme (that will be elaborated below), who'd have guessed. O and the title refers to the poison of rage/wrath but I'll explain below.

Theme: The poison tree is a metaphor for the anger that can slowly, if not rapidly, grow within us, our wrath eventually (without proper, healthy emotional  release/maintenance, such as talking with a friend for example) bearing even more toxic fruit (like the "apple"). I.E. rage often times if not always violently released, with even more violent consequences. Thus the theme of the work can be argued as a cautionary tale of healthy emotional balance, to not let your anger fester until the poison spreads, creeps and corrupts your very being. (even if the end seems a bit sadistic if not justified by the narrator seeing as though there is no visible evidence of emotional remorse nor consequences for the murder of the foe peculiarly....)

SEVENTH READING

Life by Charlotte Brontë

LIFE, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall ?

Rapidly, merrily,
Life's sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly !

What though Death at times steps in
And calls our Best away ?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O'er hope, a heavy sway ?
Yet hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair !

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Nothing is achieved without sacrifice.

There is no triumph without sacrifice.

In order to rise we must first fall.

Live. Learn. Hope.

 

Above are some of my own personal adages, aphorisms I try to live by everyday. Is it possible to distill the meaning of life in what is (however much we kid our-self important selves) ultimately, utterly limited scope of the written word? I don't think we have, or ever really will, can discover a universal, singular, end all be all "meaning of life" anyhow, in the first place. Yet, after repeated readings of Charlotte Bronte's poem "Life", I cant help but feel we've already realized this "meaning", if not known it all along. But enough with my preachings, I'll try not to be a "sage". First off, from a completely (lifeless) analytical perspective, my seven readings of Bronte's work assisted me in the thorough digestion of the poems various structural components. I was instantly able to identify the rhyming scheme (consecutive rhyming of last word with following odd line (rhyming couplets proceeding after first line.) 

 EX.

 So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.

/;

 Rapidly, merrily,
Life's sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly !

The rhyming couplets coupled with relatively simpler diction however betrays the connotative depth of Bronte's work. In the first line above, for example,  the word "Sages" can be inferred as a reference to those who often philosophize on the nature of life, the role of humanity, human condition ecetera and so forth philosophers, wise men ad infinitum, nauseum.  In fact the beginning stanza conveys the ultimate, overarching theme of Bronte's entire composition. I'll give my two cents from the top.

  

LIFE, believe, is not a dream  

• (allusion to folk song, yes. connotes life as not a fluffy, perpetually bright and sunny dream.)

So dark as sages say;  

• (sages can be inferred as philosophers and the likewise commentators of life's "dark" adversities etc.)

Oft a little morning rain  

Foretells a pleasant day.   

Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,

• (My interpretation: "the rain clouds will eventually go away, the rain will stop for the sun to have it's  rightful stay" ; Translation: storm is an allegory for life. even if life is bad right now, like rain, the bad  will fade, wash away eventually (with hope, positive perspicacity-but I'm getting ahead of myself :)

But these are transient all; 

• (transient directly equates to temporary thus, again, these bad things that occur throughout life are all temporary, passing things that may be severe now, but will, eventually, "wash away")

If the shower will make the roses bloom,

•  (deliberates on perspicacity, respective perspectives, positive or negative. Argues a little rain, cloudy gloom is-)
  

O why lament its fall ? 

• (-a sacrifice, hardships necessary for success/any and all achievements in life, for life in general to go on. To live, something is always sacrificed, good or bad)
  

Indeed from this first stanza, as well as repeated readings of the poem in its entirety, we can endeavor to describe Bronte's intended primary theme, purpose: Life is hard, Life can be seemingly fated against you, Life will have many hardships, Life is, undeniably ugly. Yet so to can life be beautiful, a beautiful paradox, life will never stop being hard, but life can, always has the capacity to get better,  with a little positivity, effort, hope, we can get thru the bad times, wade thru the gloomy storms, for even in the worst of times... 

The rain clouds will go away, 

The sun still have it's day.

For even when we cannot cope,

We must always, hope.