The Finale

This is it! The last blog post of the semester! I kind of feel some pressure to make sure this ends pretty stinkin' amazing!

My top three favorite posts are the following:
A Glorified Fishing Trip
Here I think is where I began to think outside the box, and not be afraid to put it down on paper (or screen). I was intrigued and challenged to think with an open mind about the story, author, and main character. Also, it was one of the first pieces I found myself enjoying so much that I read it all in one sitting.

Harriet Monroe
This was my contextual presentation post. But a blog post is a blog post :) I just enjoyed researching about Monroe and the doors she opened up for future poets through Poetry Magazine. I do not enjoy research in the slightest; yet, as I dove deeper for information, I found that I wanted to know more about what she started and how it developed and is used today.

Robert Lowell
Lowell was one of the most interesting poets I read about. I didn't read the small biographies of all the authors, but he managed to be one of them. And after reading about him, I felt more connected to the poem I was reading, I actually understood some things that were happening and wanted to keep reading (contrary to the previous experiences where I've wanted to give up attempting to understand). He was one poet that inspired me to expose more of myself to poetry.

Why did you select these three posts? What makes them your best work of the semester?

I believe I had some breakthrough in my area of writing and reading. I attended this class with the purpose of learning about Literature, the history, and how to read it while matching the two. I believe I was able to achieve those throughout this semester. I think these posts reflect those things and five months ago I'd be overwhelmed at the thought of even trying.

Have your ideas about literature changed since the beginning of the semester? What can you say that you’ve learned from this course?


I have certainly learned how to read and write responses with an open mind. Sometimes there is a stance I take and I will not budge. But most of the time I just needed to learn how to read deeper and gain a greater understanding of the purposes and events behind the author and their writing. I believe I learned how to do that.

How would you evaluate your performance in class this semester? What are your strengths as a writer and thinker? What are your weaknesses?


Self evaluations are so hard to do. I'd rather go by someone else's standards than off my own, especially when I'm not sure what they might be. I do know that I set an expectation for myself at the beginning of the semester, and I have exceeded that expectation. And after doing so, there is so much more that I wish I could learn and test out right now. I definitely feel like I have a solid foundation in the line of Literature (the word doesn't scare me anymore). I've gone through enough life where I'm not afraid to say my opinion, or even say anything with the fear that it might be wrong. That's not how I learn anyway.

I believe a weakness I have is my stubbornness. When it comes to my morals and convictions, as you might have concurred in my posts, I won't budge. In fact, I kind of get adamant of how much I won't budge! I think I get on these rants/rolls and don't take the necessary time to read back over them. I wouldn't ever cop an attitude in class or start flame throwing ;) But I'll straight up tell anyone where I stand and if I'm not willing to budge to have an open mind, even just a little more.

On the flip side of stubbornness, I believe I have an intrapersonal strength. That might not come the most handy in Literature, so it would seem. But when one deals with words, one deals with the person who spoke or wrote those words. So when it comes to thinking and comprehending, I think more about the author and their life and who they were in contrast to the story they wrote and the elements involved. Both go hand in hand in any writing.
As a writer (and maybe as an emotional, young adult lady), I know that I am pretty efficient in communicating using appropriate and effective words, especially when it comes to writing. Papers were always my strongest part of any class, with the exception of the research paper. The researching is hard to find, identify, and reproduce; but once I've got that down, the writing seems to be like cake from there!

If you were to give yourself a grade for this class that is reflective of your performance, what grade do you think you’ve earned? Please explain.


Finally, the grade. Based on performance, I strongly believe I gave an "A" quality effort. I exceeded my goals set for myself, I grew in my reading and writing, I gave it all my best with a positive attitude. This was my favorite class and I'm glad I wasn't scared away again (I opted to not take this course a previous semester due to the word "Literature"). I know that I did not get all of my readings, blog posts, and some quizzes in. That can hinder one's performance for sure. But of the quality of what I did put forth and partake in, I can honestly say I am pleased and proud of myself for stretching to those limits.

The Crying of Lot 49 Part 1-response

I have a much clearer picture after Friday's discussion. I'm comforted knowing that I'm not the only one who's completely confused by the way Pynchon writes. I would not be someone who buys all of his books. This one is mountain enough for me right now!

I was so interested in the names however. After reading a few of them in the book, I knew they had some sort of connection or meaning. I didn't realize that so many books require background knowledge and context to fully appreciate the text. I have so much more respect and interest for authors now. Though, I am a little tiffed that I  have to be the one doing the research :) (I'm not a researcher)

That's one reason I wanted to take this class however, was to become more educated on how Literature played a part in history and vice versa. Seeing how the story of Oedipus played into The Crying of Lot 49 makes me want to go and read it--not necessarily to understand the book better. But something that was used for another text must have some significance to it. And it's a Greek story. Those are always packed full of info (and take so long for me to read!).

While part of me doesn't look forward to diving any more into the text  (most of me actually). I'm anxious to get to the end; I want to be done with it, but I also want to conquer this book having understood even a minimal part of it. That would be satisfying enough for me.

The Crying of Lot 49 Part 1

I am trying very hard to concentrate and flow with this book. But so far (3.5 chapters in) it's not happening. 

Maybe it's the elements of the story that bother me (cursing, stupid and ridiculous names, affairs--they bother me most). Honestly, there's not a bone in my body that wants to keep reading this story. So that could be a big portion of why I'm not "gellin'" with it. 

Also, the randomness is throwing me a new one. It might be the downloadable version that I have, but it's very hard to understand who is talking and what is being said. There are many fragmented sentences that make it hard for me to follow the characters' thoughts or conversations. I finally broke down and looked up a summary to help me get an understandable idea of what's going on---even though I'm only in the third chapter. 

That summary has helped me slightly. I'm hoping that our class discussion will be more helpful. I'm finding it hard to have an open mind and read so closely that I can pick up on special things. I'm struggling with the act of reading this story so much though that it's making it harder to break down and survey the parts that I've read so far.

I will continue reading and I really hope (and partly expect) to understand more of what's going on the more I read. I hope that train comes soon though.

Discussion Reflection

Preparation


Normally when I read the assignments for class, I'm not as worried about keeping an open mind because I'm not worried about having to discuss my thoughts at the beginning of class. There's time to hear what others think and mix their feedback with mine before I feel I need to come to a specific standing on any story or poem. Since I had to have my thoughts ready to go for the discussion, I had to pay much closer attention to how I reacted to the story, and what my thoughts and opinions were on the questions being discussed.

I am not much of a note taker when it comes to stories unless I need to specifically quote something or have a referencing page. I don't think taking notes would have changed the outcome of how I contributed to the discussion. I realized that some students dissected every question to the point that we could have spent the whole hour talking about that one topic. I don't function in that way. I can remember and express my thoughts easily without taking notes.

I am not against notes however; if a partner prefers we use notes, then notes it shall be. As long as I had enough time to go over each question and run it through the story in my mind, then I was prepared to answer any question needed. I was impressed at how students researched the tiniest parts of the story which aided in the context and symbolism of certain elements and key points. I am not a researcher in the slightest. I will debate and elaborate until pigs fly but don't ask me to go digging for specific information. Please :) It is definitely an area in which I have room to grow.

The Experience


I quite enjoyed the discussion. It's so refreshing to see the story through other's point of view. The theory in the making by Decker was possibly my favorite. I could possibly jump on that train if we went into the details more. Depending on the circumstances, I would have opened up my mouth and had a louder "voice" about certain ideas. But it was a discussion, not a debate; word-vomiting my opinions wasn't going to necessarily help the discussion along. I realized that in order to keep the time, we really needed to stick to our limit (one main response and two comments). There were over half of the questions that I could have camped out on for some time though.

Personally, I'm a fan of the discussions. It helps me process the story more thoroughly. I spend more time writing than I do reading, and about half of that is homework; I don't use the time I have to immerse myself in the wonders of literature, so other's comments and ideas help me keep an open mind. My reasoning isn't always the most accurate, and I'm sure life would be incredibly boring if I never got the chance to see things from another's perspective. It would probably be horrifying for everyone else, too! :)

In an English class I had a couple years ago, we often had these types of class discussions. It was a safe and trusting environment where we knew we could answer honestly and 1. not be shut down, but 2. actually develop our ideas as we were discussing them. And maybe it's a girl thing, but I would rather talk about my understanding or misunderstanding than write about it--or let alone read about it!

Overall, I really enjoyed this and now I'm going to race to get the book for Friday :)

Robert Lowell

Robert Lowell 

Memories of West Street and Lepke

First I must say something about Robert Lowell-- what a ridiculous life! He fights his dad for his wife; rejects and criticizes the president and war; he goes to jail ( what did he expect?) which helped make him even more famous. He leaves his second wife for his baby momma at the young age of 54. This guy never had a dull moment; although what bipolar person does?

I could have blogged about the guy's bio alone, but the most interesting poem to me is Memories of West Street and Lepke--mostly because of why it was written. 

If I knew why other poems and stories were written, as thoroughly as I know this poem's reason, I'm sure I would have a similar reaction.

He rejected and criticized The Man. When refusing to rake part in war He basically said "ya know, I'll pass actually because I think it's ridiculous"; he then later makes a statement to the President which says "I don't agree with you so no, I won't go out of my way for you". 

He was standing for a cause in Which he believed in. By come on--it's the president! I suppose after denying the government once, he wasn't so afraid of the repercussions; or at least he was planted in his purpose.

From his poem, the reader can tell that he though a lot about his life while in jail--the past, present, and future. He writes about some o this thought process starting in line 20 with "Given a year..." 
He continues with this writing until the last few lines he talked about a fellow inmate who was executed. I'm sure that got him thinking about a lot more.

I've always wondered what people think when they go through that kind of experience. Recently I helped a family member go through the same process (different situation). I have a lot more respect for those people and especially their families

Harriet Monroe

Harriet Monroe was born on December 23, 1860. Though she didn’t become famous until her later years in life, her childhood had an impact on where she would end up in the world. Her father was a lawyer and Harriet spent much of her time trying to fill her loneliness. Her father had a library, where Harriet began the journey of a poet. In her autobiography, A Poet’s Life: Seventy Years in a Changing World, Harriet writes,  "I started in early with Shakespeare, Byron, Shelley, with Dickens and Thackeray; and always the book-lined library gave me a friendly assurance of companionship with lively and interesting people, gave me friends of the spirit to ease my loneliness."

Monroe spent many years treading the waters of the poet, but most years in the ocean of minor poets. She faced the obstacles that countless other poets faced, mainly the limitations of unmet expectations of others. She had dreams of setting the fresh work of new poets loose in the wildlife of literature. She would not be boxed in my cookie cutter requirements and financial barricades. And she would soon release that freedom to the rest of the world.

Finally in 1912, Harriet Monroe started the shaping of the poetry renaissance; she founded Poetry: A Magazine of Verse, known as Poetry Magazine. This became a catalyst for Monroe’s fame and success. She was in the big leagues, and she became the door on which other poets’ opportunity would knock. This media let the new wave of poets expose themselves and their work to the world and watch is spread like a virus as the magazine, and the poets, grew in popularity.

She called this opportunity the “voice” of the poets. In the first issue of Poetry, Monroe makes these statements in her introductory essay The Motive of the Magazine:

“Poetry alone, of all the fine arts, has been left to shift for herself in a world unaware of its immediate and desperate need of her, a world whose great deeds, whose triumphs over matter, over the wilderness, over racial enmities and distances, require her ever-living voice to give them glory and glamour.

“Poetry has been left to herself and blamed for inefficiency, a process as unreasonable as blaming the desert for barrenness. This art, like every other, is not a miracle of direct creation, but a reciprocal relation between the artist and his public. The people must do their part if the poet is to tell the story to the future; they must cultivate and irrigate the soil if the desert is to blossom as the rose.”

She believed that the magazine would work as a voice for new poets; she explained how it’s a relationship (which involves two things being related) so there is responsibility on both ends of the relationship.

By the second issue, Monroe announced her policy, which was derived from her personal experience, hardships, and vision:  "Open Door will be the policy of this magazine—may the great poet we are looking for never find it shut, or half-shut, against his ample genius! To this end the editors . . . desire to print the best English verse which is being written today, regardless of where, by whom, or under what theory of art it is written."

Harriet Monroe continued to be a part of Poetry Magazine until her death in 1936, at the age of seventy-six. In those twenty-four years, famous poets including T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Amy Lowell, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Marianne Moor, Carl Sandburg and Wallace Stevens had their work featured in the magazine. 

Looking back, the poetry magazine successfully fulfilled Monroe's starting purpose to "give to poetry her own place, her own voice."

On The Train

I

THE lady in front of me in the car,
With little red coils close over her ears,
Is talking with her friend;
And the circle of ostrich foam around her hat,
Curving over like a wave,
Trembles with her little windy words.
What she is saying, I wonder,
That her feathers should tremble
And the soft fur of her coat should slip down over her shoulders?
Has her string of pearls been stolen,
Or maybe her husband?

          II

He is drunk, that man —
Drunk as a lord, a lord of the bibulous past.           
He shouts wittily from his end of the car to the man in the corner;
He bows to me with chivalrous apologies.
He philosophizes, plays with the wisdom of the ages,
Flings off his rags,
Displays his naked soul —
Athletic, beautiful, grotesque.
In the good time coming,
When men drink no more,
Shall we ever see a nude soul dancing
Stript and free
In the temple of his god?

          III

She comes smiling into the car
With irridescent bubbles of children.
She blooms in the close plush seats
Like a narcissus in a bowl of stones.
She croons to a baby in her lap —
The trees come swinging by to listen,
And the electric lights in the ceiling are stars.

References

http://allpoetry.com/poem/8532327-On_The_Train-by-Harriet_Monroe

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/390220/Harriet-Monroe

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/harriet-monroe

The Bedford Anthology of American Literature, Volume 2.

One Whom is Certainly Confused

This post is about Stein's story Picasso. I have one thing to say about it: certainly overwhelming.

I'm already a bit dyslexic so reading this was like watching a hamster running in one of those metal wheels. Though I already felt like I was reading one sentence over and over again, I literally have to reread certain sections to make sure that I read them correctly. But that feeling of trying to figure out the purpose of the seemingly random ideas is the same feeling I get when I look at work by Picasso, and other artists with the same theme in their artwork.

At the first approach, it's overwhelming to figure out cubism. I feel like I have to take a step back every time to find a new facet that's completely different than the last one. It might be because of the mental work involved, or it might be my unfamiliarity with cubism--but it's definitely over my head.

In the end, I still couldn't figure out the different facets of Picasso. Based on the title, I think Stein was writing about Picasso, his themes and ideas. I know that the placement of the words "certainly" and "completely" and "following" and "some" (I could go on and on) where strategically placed. I couldn't quite figure out that strategy. But I'm amazed at how well they are written. I've always been in awe of abstract art; and cubism takes it to another level. It's refreshing and educating to see things in completely different ways (like through a different lens).

A Glorfied Fishing Trip

This post is on Hemingway's "A Big Two-Hearted River".

What amazed me most (and yet, I should have seen it coming) was my view on fishing and even camping before and after reading this story. My approaching thought was Oh great, another fishing story. Booooooring! Yet I found that while reading, I started growing this desire to attempt fishing--not for the first time, I promise; although I'm not close to the Idahoan of the year award for outdoor adventures.

The way he writes it emphasizes all the satisfying (and a few disappointing) aspects of the long trek, the camp set up, and the fishing trip. What he doesn't write about is (I'm about to go all girly on you): the stupid side aches from hiking, the time it takes to make the bed and camp, the awful bugs that crawl on you and bother you (I mean, he's by the river!) and how uncomfortable no shower would be.

With that said though, I still have this random desire to set up a camp and fish--the hard core fisherman way. Will I ever do it? Probably not anytime soon if at all. But it amazed me how Nick's, the character, satisfaction of the entire journey could provoke such thoughts in me. I know it's "just a story" but words are incredibly powerful--spoken and on paper.

Some other questions I had about the story included this main one: "Why did he go to all that effort just to fish?" I don't know if it's a guy thing, but i couldn't understand it. There were little hints that he was possibly A) running away from something or someone, B) leaving his previous life and starting completely over, or C) he was just on his way somewhere and stopped for a week long fishing trip.

One thought I did have was that he really did go to ALL the troubles to get to that very spot, with every intention of returning to his home, wherever it may be. Regardless of all that, this story is a favorite--not by me, but by many. I wonder if people just want to mentally escape with Nick on this glorified fishing trip if that's just all they get.

Midterm Essay Topic

Midterms...Is it really in two weeks? I need to manage my time better. Okay, topic. My first choice of topic would be to Examine the role of identity in multiple texts. I feel like identity has such an extravagant makeup that it could possibly take (how long is this paper?)...five pages at least. However, I don't think I'm that good of a writer so I would like to pair along with this....wait for it...the development of American/societal values throughout history (and the history of the Literature we've read thus far).

This idea popped into my brain when we were talking about midterm topics in class. I don't know why it did so, but it seemed like a cool idea so I wrote it down. I think that the character's intended or unintended identity has some sort of foundation laid inside of the values of the character or story. So, this topic match-up might be a horrible idea but I'd like to give it a try, if there's hope that it will turn out good.

Thoughts?

Response to Ryan Yost's post

"Red Hot Cajun Love" I like it. I don't understand the last line of your post: "the confines of marriage shouldn't always come from the needs of the individual." My dyslexia could be keeping me from reading it in the way you meant it. I agree with you that this issue has been controversial from, basically, the beginning of time. I think that it is deemed acceptable and/or appropriate by more and more people for many reasons: culture changes, desensitization, media resources, etc.
Regarding the last line, I would agree that the "happiness" referred is probably the bliss ignorance of the spouses along with the satisfaction and relief from Alcee and Calixa. Unfortunately I don't have much to say about this essay--no relation to your response at all. I'm sure this won't be the first time I'll feel that way about a piece of literature though. : )

The Storm

Alright, here is my genuinely honest opinion of the story The Storm: I despised it.

Now, with that out of the way, I can proceed with the blog post!

The ending, to me, was unrealistic. I honestly don't think that there is a person who (no matter how awful or lacking the marriage) could have an affair and not be negatively affected by it in any way--but especially for the way the marriage was depicted in the story.

Personally, I believe that if this situation was real, there are far better ways to solve marital problems than adultery. And with the closing sentence, that seems to be the thought here: that this little fling is what she (or they) needed to go back to their spouse and love that person in a new and better way: to better appreciate their spouse.

I'm not naive in thinking that this type of situation doesn't happen. It happens too often, and my belief is that it's not OK or healthy. The author seems to create this story to say the opposite of that. And I emphasize "seems". I could be reading it in the wrong way. But that is my conclusion.

Getting Started

I have never taken a literature course in my life until now. Even the word literature overwhelms me a bit; that is probably because it is an unfamiliar topic. When someone mentions the word "science", "physics", "mechanics", or any three-syllable word in that genre, my brain usually checks out. But when I hear the word "literature", my thoughts go something like: "I have no knowledge in that area, but I'd like it if I did."

Just learning how literature has evolved from the Romantic period helps me wrap my brain around the concept. And I know I'm probably making it more confusing for myself. In reality, not many people like feeling like they're out of the loop. So, this is me jumping in the loop :)

Romanticism: My first thought about this style of writing was that it was either an escape, or the overly dramatic. I suppose it could be both. It makes sense that during war, the dreams of the people are what keep them going. Is this a trend? I know during traumatic times (even in the personal life), people cling to what is most important to them. Is that some of the essence of romantic writing?