Literary Work / Author: “Adam’s Curse;” “The Second Coming;” “Sailing to Byzantium;” “Leda and the Swan” / William Butler Yeats
First Response: I like Yeats. I enjoyed reading his poetry, because of how he combined ancient mythology and Christianity. Though I do not agree with Yeat’s special religion, I do enjoy his creativity.
Theme / Topic: Look for evidence of the theme of isolation. What seems to be causing isolation in this poem?
Claim / Thesis: In Yeats poetry, there is a sense of isolation that stems from change in the speaker’s life. Depending upon the poem, the change is either personal or social.
Textual Support for the Thesis:
1. Text: “That it had all seemed happy, and yet we’d grown / As weary-hearted as that hollow moon.” (“Adam’s Curse;” p. 2028; lines 37-38)
Analysis: the effects of time and labor on the speaker made his heart hollow and empty. This made him feel as if he were all alone in the world. Although the speaker had loved the woman, he is unsure of how they currently feel for one another.
2. Text: “The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;” (“The Second Coming;” p. 2036; lines 2-3)
Analysis: the speaker sees the world is falling apart. Things are not going as society expected. He says everyone is alone in this world, even the falconer. because the falcon cannot hear, the falconer cannot call to the one creature that keeps him from being alone. This gives the reader the deep sense of isolation the speaker feels.
3. Text: “Leda and the Swan” (the entire poem; p. 2039)
Analysis: Throughout the entire poem, Yeats describes Leda as a powerless woman. She is the only one that Zeus has come to in such a way. This isolates Leda from the rest of society. Unlike the other poems, Leda’s union with the swan and her isolation brings about the changes in the known world.
4. Text: “Sailing to Byzantium” (the entire poem; p. 2040)
Analysis: Yeats portrays this old man as nothing. He is of no use to the younger generations, thus leaving him isolated from the rest of the world. His isolation comes from natural turning of time. He has aged, therefore, he has outlived his usefulness.
Comparison: Yeats is far different than the Romantic poets. Wordsworth believed that anything artificial could only exist in the real. his birds were natural and a connection to God. They were a way to immortality. For Yeats, he does not want to be a natural bird. Real birds die. They are not a connection to immortality. Yeats wants to be a golden mechanical bird. This will make Yeats immortal.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Culture, Crisis, and Death in American Bildungsroman
The American bildungsroman is the search for ones identity, and when a person comes of age. In the American bildungsroman there are three common characteristics. These are the pressures the culture of the protagonist has to endure, the crisis that comes from these pressures, and the death of someone the protagonist does or does not know. Through looking at The House on Mango Street, The Bell Jar, and The Bluest Eye, I will attempt to prove that the above-mentioned characteristics are some of the most prominent characteristics of the American bildungsroman.
In the American bildungsroman, the culture exerts extreme pressure on the protagonist. The culture of the protagonist normally acts as a character itself, an antagonist. It is the culture that places the obstacles in the path of the protagonist. These obstacles are the driving force of the protagonist. They are what compels the story to move forward, and they motivate the protagonist to work for something different. Through the pressures of the culture the protagonist is able to decide they want something more than what the culture offers them.
As seen in The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood wants something more out of life than offered to her by her patriarchal dominated society. Her culture expects her to either be a wife or be a career woman. Esther does not understand why she cannot have both. Dr. Gordon is representative of the patriarchal forces that work against Esther. He and the people she cares about question her sanity because she wants something more out of life than what she is offered. She does not want to be a wife, who dies slowly and is a slave. Furthermore, Esther does not want to be “the place the arrow shoots off from” as Buddy Willard’s mother is.
Similarly, Esperanza Cordero of The House on Mango Street does not want to be a wife either. In her Mexican-American culture, Esperanza is only given one choice, to be a wife. Esperanza lives in a patriarchal dominated society just as is the culture that Esther lives in. The men are the ones that make the rules, such as “the man,” Mamacita’s husband. He demands that his wife speak English and tells her that he will never take her home. Therefore, she sits in the window just as other women, such as Rafaela, on Mango Street do, longing for something more than what their culture has offered them. Esperanza, however longs for much more than that.
Pecola in The Bluest Eye also longs for much more than what she is offered. However, Pecola wants something she can never have, the bluest eyes in the world. In the culture that Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia live in, the idea that black is equated with ugliness and white is right is more than evident. Claudia, however, does not understand this. For instance, she does not want the white baby doll that she is given. For a matter of fact, she refuses to love the baby doll that was given to her for Christmas. Furthermore, Claudia despises the white girls in her neighborhood, Rosemary and Maureen. However, she still fears not being white, but she also does not want to be like Geraldine, who tries to act white. Also, Claudia also cannot understand why her mother offers so much love to her employer’s white child, but cannot seem to show that kind of love to her own children, her black children. It is also the whiteness on Pecola’s underside of her foot that drives Cholly to rape his daughter; and it is the whiteness that Pecola covets so much that she makes the wish to Soaphead Church to have the bluest eyes. The pressure to be white, which is put on the girls, is what causes the crisis in their lives.
In all of the novels, the culture drives the crisis. Therefore the crisis is the effect of the culture, which is the cause. As stated before, The Bluest Eye’s crisis is the rape of Pecola, which results in her pregnancy. Another crisis that occurs is Frieda being fondled by Mr. Washington. Not only does crisis drive The Bluest Eye, but crisis also drives The Bell Jar. For instance, crisis is an obstacle in Esther’s life that she must overcome. She is put under so much pressure by her culture, that Esther falls into a deep depression that she has difficulty conquering. Esther cannot do what she is expected of her, but she has difficulty doing what she should not do. For instance, she tries to be like Doreen and tries to get back at Buddy by sleeping with Constantine, but she is unsuccessful in her endeavors. Therefore, Esther seems to be at a standstill in her life and cannot seem to move forward throughout The Bell Jar. Some examples are when she is almost raped by Marco, and she becomes obsessed with suicide, which she attempts later. Furthermore, Esther is also put through electroshock therapy, which has an adverse effect and causes immense pain in the young woman. Another time the girl is in pain is when Esther has sex for the first time. Because she is a one-in-a-million case, Esther almost hemorrhages to death.
Likewise, Esperanza having sex for the first time is also a crisis point in The House on Mango Street. She is raped at the carnival in the novel, and becomes angry with Sally because of how traumatic the experience was and how Sally had said sex was wonderful. Sally, however, is also a person that experiences a great deal of crisis in the book. Her father beats her constantly, and Sally’s mother does not do anything to help her daughter, other than rub lard on her bruises to make the pain go away. Therefore to escape from her father’s angry hand, Sally marries at a very young age. Unfortunately, Sally is still being beaten. However, she seems to think it is okay because she has some freedom that she would not have if she were left in her father’s home. Sadly, this freedom is not a freedom to do what she pleases, for she, too, is locked away in her home as if she were a prisoner or a possession sealed away in a vault. To sum up, all of the American bildungsromans discussed in this paper have some sort of crisis, which is significant to the story. It often serves as a life-changing event.
Another life-changing event that can be seen in the American bildungsroman is death. All three of the stories mentioned have a death in them. For instance, Pecola’s baby dies and so do the marigolds in The Bluest Eye. This incident drives Pecola mad, and changes the life of Claudia forever. It is when she realizes that people like Pecola are often shut out of society, and she freely admits that she is also guilty of shutting the girl out of her life. The marigolds not growing represent the loss of innocence. Naively, Claudia believed that making a promise to God to be good and by planting the marigolds, she would be able to save Pecola’s unborn child since everyone had said the baby would not survive. When the marigolds die, Claudia must come to the understanding that not all wishes are granted; and there are some things in life that you just cannot do anything about.
Similarly, Esperanza realizes that there are things in life that she cannot do anything about as well. However, after the death of Rachel and Lucy’s baby sister, she knows that she can do something to help the women who “cannot out.” She learns from the three old women that she has a purpose, and it is not what society is offering her. This funeral is representative of the loss of Esperanza’s innocence and the end of her childhood.
In The Bell Jar, Esther also undergoes transformations when death is evident. For instance, in the first chapter of the book, Esther talks of the death of the Rosenbergs, who are executed around the time that she meets Doreen. Before Esther meets Doreen, she is just like all of the other girls that received the internship for the magazine. After she meets Doreen, Esther begins to want more freedom in her life than she is offered. Her old self, her false self dies. This, however, is not the only instance that death is mentioned in the novel. The Rosenbergs’ death is representative of the first change in her life, and it serves as the beginning of her depression, or metamorphosis. The second death in the novel serves as the emergence from Esther’s cocoon, and is when she is reborn. This death is the death of Joan Gilling, who hangs herself. When Esther goes to the funeral, she severs ties with her past; and with the body, Esther’s past is buried. She emerges from the world as a new person with new hopes and possibilities.
As proven, not only does Esther change from the deaths that occur in her life, but also all of the protagonists in the three novels change form the deaths in their lives. This is the point in their lives that signals a turning point and represents the finding of themselves and their identities. Esperanza learns that language will give her power and is her way out. She finally embraces part of her culture, but rejects the parts that oppress her. Claudia also accepts the part of her culture that keeps her oppressed, her blackness, but she is hopeful in the end that she will be able to rise above that oppression. From the pressures of their oppressive cultures, the crises that the girls in The House on Mango Street, The Bell Jar, and The Bluest Eye must endure, and the death that is evident in the three novels, Esther, Esperanza, and Claudia all have been able to redefine themselves and form a new identity separate from the identities expected of them.
In the American bildungsroman, the culture exerts extreme pressure on the protagonist. The culture of the protagonist normally acts as a character itself, an antagonist. It is the culture that places the obstacles in the path of the protagonist. These obstacles are the driving force of the protagonist. They are what compels the story to move forward, and they motivate the protagonist to work for something different. Through the pressures of the culture the protagonist is able to decide they want something more than what the culture offers them.
As seen in The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood wants something more out of life than offered to her by her patriarchal dominated society. Her culture expects her to either be a wife or be a career woman. Esther does not understand why she cannot have both. Dr. Gordon is representative of the patriarchal forces that work against Esther. He and the people she cares about question her sanity because she wants something more out of life than what she is offered. She does not want to be a wife, who dies slowly and is a slave. Furthermore, Esther does not want to be “the place the arrow shoots off from” as Buddy Willard’s mother is.
Similarly, Esperanza Cordero of The House on Mango Street does not want to be a wife either. In her Mexican-American culture, Esperanza is only given one choice, to be a wife. Esperanza lives in a patriarchal dominated society just as is the culture that Esther lives in. The men are the ones that make the rules, such as “the man,” Mamacita’s husband. He demands that his wife speak English and tells her that he will never take her home. Therefore, she sits in the window just as other women, such as Rafaela, on Mango Street do, longing for something more than what their culture has offered them. Esperanza, however longs for much more than that.
Pecola in The Bluest Eye also longs for much more than what she is offered. However, Pecola wants something she can never have, the bluest eyes in the world. In the culture that Pecola, Frieda, and Claudia live in, the idea that black is equated with ugliness and white is right is more than evident. Claudia, however, does not understand this. For instance, she does not want the white baby doll that she is given. For a matter of fact, she refuses to love the baby doll that was given to her for Christmas. Furthermore, Claudia despises the white girls in her neighborhood, Rosemary and Maureen. However, she still fears not being white, but she also does not want to be like Geraldine, who tries to act white. Also, Claudia also cannot understand why her mother offers so much love to her employer’s white child, but cannot seem to show that kind of love to her own children, her black children. It is also the whiteness on Pecola’s underside of her foot that drives Cholly to rape his daughter; and it is the whiteness that Pecola covets so much that she makes the wish to Soaphead Church to have the bluest eyes. The pressure to be white, which is put on the girls, is what causes the crisis in their lives.
In all of the novels, the culture drives the crisis. Therefore the crisis is the effect of the culture, which is the cause. As stated before, The Bluest Eye’s crisis is the rape of Pecola, which results in her pregnancy. Another crisis that occurs is Frieda being fondled by Mr. Washington. Not only does crisis drive The Bluest Eye, but crisis also drives The Bell Jar. For instance, crisis is an obstacle in Esther’s life that she must overcome. She is put under so much pressure by her culture, that Esther falls into a deep depression that she has difficulty conquering. Esther cannot do what she is expected of her, but she has difficulty doing what she should not do. For instance, she tries to be like Doreen and tries to get back at Buddy by sleeping with Constantine, but she is unsuccessful in her endeavors. Therefore, Esther seems to be at a standstill in her life and cannot seem to move forward throughout The Bell Jar. Some examples are when she is almost raped by Marco, and she becomes obsessed with suicide, which she attempts later. Furthermore, Esther is also put through electroshock therapy, which has an adverse effect and causes immense pain in the young woman. Another time the girl is in pain is when Esther has sex for the first time. Because she is a one-in-a-million case, Esther almost hemorrhages to death.
Likewise, Esperanza having sex for the first time is also a crisis point in The House on Mango Street. She is raped at the carnival in the novel, and becomes angry with Sally because of how traumatic the experience was and how Sally had said sex was wonderful. Sally, however, is also a person that experiences a great deal of crisis in the book. Her father beats her constantly, and Sally’s mother does not do anything to help her daughter, other than rub lard on her bruises to make the pain go away. Therefore to escape from her father’s angry hand, Sally marries at a very young age. Unfortunately, Sally is still being beaten. However, she seems to think it is okay because she has some freedom that she would not have if she were left in her father’s home. Sadly, this freedom is not a freedom to do what she pleases, for she, too, is locked away in her home as if she were a prisoner or a possession sealed away in a vault. To sum up, all of the American bildungsromans discussed in this paper have some sort of crisis, which is significant to the story. It often serves as a life-changing event.
Another life-changing event that can be seen in the American bildungsroman is death. All three of the stories mentioned have a death in them. For instance, Pecola’s baby dies and so do the marigolds in The Bluest Eye. This incident drives Pecola mad, and changes the life of Claudia forever. It is when she realizes that people like Pecola are often shut out of society, and she freely admits that she is also guilty of shutting the girl out of her life. The marigolds not growing represent the loss of innocence. Naively, Claudia believed that making a promise to God to be good and by planting the marigolds, she would be able to save Pecola’s unborn child since everyone had said the baby would not survive. When the marigolds die, Claudia must come to the understanding that not all wishes are granted; and there are some things in life that you just cannot do anything about.
Similarly, Esperanza realizes that there are things in life that she cannot do anything about as well. However, after the death of Rachel and Lucy’s baby sister, she knows that she can do something to help the women who “cannot out.” She learns from the three old women that she has a purpose, and it is not what society is offering her. This funeral is representative of the loss of Esperanza’s innocence and the end of her childhood.
In The Bell Jar, Esther also undergoes transformations when death is evident. For instance, in the first chapter of the book, Esther talks of the death of the Rosenbergs, who are executed around the time that she meets Doreen. Before Esther meets Doreen, she is just like all of the other girls that received the internship for the magazine. After she meets Doreen, Esther begins to want more freedom in her life than she is offered. Her old self, her false self dies. This, however, is not the only instance that death is mentioned in the novel. The Rosenbergs’ death is representative of the first change in her life, and it serves as the beginning of her depression, or metamorphosis. The second death in the novel serves as the emergence from Esther’s cocoon, and is when she is reborn. This death is the death of Joan Gilling, who hangs herself. When Esther goes to the funeral, she severs ties with her past; and with the body, Esther’s past is buried. She emerges from the world as a new person with new hopes and possibilities.
As proven, not only does Esther change from the deaths that occur in her life, but also all of the protagonists in the three novels change form the deaths in their lives. This is the point in their lives that signals a turning point and represents the finding of themselves and their identities. Esperanza learns that language will give her power and is her way out. She finally embraces part of her culture, but rejects the parts that oppress her. Claudia also accepts the part of her culture that keeps her oppressed, her blackness, but she is hopeful in the end that she will be able to rise above that oppression. From the pressures of their oppressive cultures, the crises that the girls in The House on Mango Street, The Bell Jar, and The Bluest Eye must endure, and the death that is evident in the three novels, Esther, Esperanza, and Claudia all have been able to redefine themselves and form a new identity separate from the identities expected of them.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Enlightened Spirituality & Skepticism
Music Lead In: “Celtic Tune 10.1”
Script:
Jane: “Hello and Welcome to London’s most acclaimed night show- The Frisky Fox. My name is Jane O’Riley - and I am overjoyed to welcome you into the studio tonight. We will be discussing the new frames of thought being pushed within our ever-enlightened society. First, we will talk with our handsome and intelligent group of new thinkers - who like to call themselves scientists and philosophers… Voltaire and Mr. Isaac Newton. Welcome gentlemen.
Voltaire and Newton: “So good to be here with you Jane.”
Jane: “Oh no, you both are too kind. Next, I want to welcome our feebler minded Londoner - Tomas Bunyan, who will be speaking on behalf of our ever-rising Baptist population. Welcome Sir.
Thomas: Pleased to be here Ma’am
Jane: I would also like to welcome Elijah Fox and his lovely wife Mary to the studio. They will be representing London’s Society of Friends.
Elijah & Mary: “Good to be here.”
Jane: Last but certainly never least, our Puritan comrade- Jacob Bates is joining us.
Bates: “May the Lord spare your souls.”
Jane: “Yes, well… Welcome all, we are overjoyed and very filled with anticipation for the coming discussion of progressive thought as well as London’s traditional views. And we will be back to the studio right after with friendly word from John Locke University.
Commercial Break 1 (background music – “Far From Home 30.1”):
Johnny: My life was changed when I was forced to come to this wonderful school. I was caught up in the ways of this world, and was headed towards damnation. At John Locke, we are whipped…literally… and are forced to accept the practices of the Lord. It was the best decision my parents made for me! Thanks mom and dad!
Announcer 1: There you go London; you heard it straight from the horses’ mouth. Come check out this god-fearing institution and your boy’s lives will never be the same!
Topic: Science vs. Deism
Jane: Sirs and ma’am would be so kind as to introduce yourselves to the general audience. Sir Isaac Newton, we will start with you.
Newton: Yes, ma’am. Honored to be here with you tonight. I am practicing physicist, a natural philosopher, a mathematician, an astronomer, and an alchemist (Isaac Newton).
Jane: Wow, well that is quite a mouthful! May I tell you that I am one of your most devout fans. Sir Newton, it has come to my attention that you have been working hard on your scientific discoveries… would you care to elaborate?
Newton: I have been examining something I like to call Universal gravitation, as well as the three laws of motion (Isaac Newton).
Jane: Fascinating!
Newton: Thank you. I have also been looking at the principles of conservation, the reflection of telescopes, and developing a mathematic technique which I think I will name Calculus (Isaac Newton).
Jane: I have heard talk of your GREAT vision. What exactly is this?
Newton: “If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Jane: I assume you are speaking about Descartes and Galileo?
Newton: Indeed, I am. I worry that people will exploit Galileo’s discovery that the Earth is not the center of the universe, as well as my laws of motion and gravity, which states that the universe is a mere machine, kind of like a clock, instead of a work of God (Isaac Newton). “This beautiful system could only proceed from the dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Jane: But, You, yourself have said that you reject the Church’s doctrine of the trinity…
Newton: Indeed, I have…but you should notice that I have written more texts on religion than on science. Most people see me as a mere scientist, but I do consider myself as a man of God (Isaac Newton). “God is the master creator whose face could not be denied in the face of the grandeur of all creation” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Jane: I do not understand how you can have so much duality in your beliefs… Do you not think your discoveries on gravity could demystify what we know of religion?
Newton: “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is and can be done” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Jane: Voltaire, you have been quite in this discussion. Would you care to shed some light on the issues at hand? Sir Newton and I are in much discourse about religion and science. What do you think?
Voltaire: “What is faith? Is it to believe that which is evident? No. it is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason”(Voltaire Quotes, The).
Jane: This is your definition of God?
Voltaire: “God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh” (Voltaire Quotes, Brainy).
Newton: (agitated) “He is the God of order and not of confusion!” (Isaac Newton Quotes). I am sure of this!
Voltaire: (arrogant) “All men are born with a nose and ten fingers, but no one was born with a knowledge of God. If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him” (Voltaire Quotes, Brainy).
Newton: (aggravated) “God is truth! Truth is to be found in simplicity, not in the multiplicity and confusion of things” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Voltaire: (smug) “I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom” (Voltaire Quotes, The).
Newton: (smug) “Oh, Diamond! Diamond! thou little knowest what mischief thou hast done!” (Isaac Newton Quotes).
Voltaire: Sir Newton, “A witty saying proves nothing” (Voltaire Quotes, Brainy).
Jane: “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit” (William). Are you an atheist?
Voltaire: PSHAW! No! I am a deist.
Jane: Is there a difference?
Voltaire: “The universe is based only on reason” (Voltaire Quotes, The), Sir Newton has proven it.
Newton: A pox on you!
Voltaire: “The Bible is an outdated legal and moral reference…a metaphor, but still teaches good lessons…and a work of MAN, not a divine gift” (Voltaire).
Newton: PSHAW!
(door slams)
Voltaire: God exists!!! The world is accessible to facilitate human reason and laws that govern behavior. He does not interfere with human life and the laws of the universe. He is the watchmaker and the watch keeper. God wants us to behave morally (Voltaire).
Jane: But you reject the Bible. In the Bible, God has set down the morals and the rules that he wants us to live by.
Voltaire: The Bible denies us pleasure. Pleasure is morality and morality is pleasure. Is not a virtuous man a moral man? If so, a moral man may experience pleasure. “God will reward moral behavior and punish immoral behavior” (Voltaire).
Jane: Intriguing thoughts Voltaire- we are now going to hear a word from our sponsors. Thank you for joining us here in the studio.
Commercial Break 2 (background music – “On the Way to Ireland 30.1”):
Tindal: “God designed all Mankind should at all time know, what he wills them to know, believe, profess, and practice; and has given them no other means for this, but the use of reason” (Deism).
Announcer 2: (fast) applications will be accepted at Lincoln College, Oxford… limited space available… so get your tickets now… restrictions may apply
Commercial Break 3 (background music – “Until the End of Time 30.1”):
Jane: We are back in the studio with our traditionalists. Thank you all for joining us. Lets get started. Thomas Bunyan, would you be so kind as to relay who you are to our dear Londoners listening tonight?
Thomas Bunyan: Ah yes ma’am I who you speak of. I am honored to represent my common man, the Baptists. I am the grandson of John Bunyan, the devout follower of Jesus, who preached unashamedly to the souls of our great country. You may be familiar with the fact that he was imprisonment for preaching because he lacked a preaching license. Grandfather wrote about the wonderful workings of the Grace of God in his book, which has become quite famous - The Pilgrims Progress.
Jane: Thank you Thomas. Now on to Elijah and his beautiful wife Mary. I am happy to have you here with us.
Elijah Fox & his wife Mary: Yes, don’t go anywhere without my wife, she’s like the oil that keeps me ticking. We do everything together.”
Jane: Elijah is the great grandson of George Fox, the man credited to starting the Religious Society of Friends or the “Quaker” movement, as you in the audience are probably more familiar with.
Elijah: “Pleased to be here ma’am.”
Mary: “Aye, that we are!”
Jane: Lastly, Mr. Bates, would you please make your introduction to the audience??
Mr. Bates: Why yes, Ms. O’Reily. I am Thomas Bates a humble servant of the Lord, and by His sovereignty I am here with you tonight. As Jane stated, I am a Puritan and ascribe to worship and doctrine that has been purified from worldly thought. The Lord Almighty and the Bible is our chief- not the church of England. I am happy to represent our ever growing Puritan population, by the grace of God.
Topic: Gender roles within society and the church
Elijah: “Well, I have always believed that the Lord created all people to be equals. This means that women, men, slaves, and masters are all on the same plane in the Lord’s eyes. That is how our community of Quakers sees the issue. My wife is here today with me because I believe that what she says is weighted just as much as my own opinion. What would you say Mary?”
Mary: That is right, we Quakers ascribe to 4 founding principles, and those are: the promotion of peace, Equality among people, Integrity, and simplicity. Women are seen as equals to all men. The Lord did not create us to be silent!!
Thomas: Just a bunch of crazy pacifists!
Jacob: That is a very interesting point Mary. I beg to differ, but the Bible specifically addresses the issue of Men and Women’s roles. Women are to take care of the home and children exclusively. They are to support their husbands and obey them in all things. Since they are sinful and decedents of Eve as seen in Genesis 3- their voice within society and specifically the Church should be much lower than that of a man’s. We men have to weigh their insights up to the Lord’s Word and Truth. The Bible backs up this claim exclusively. Do you dare go against the Word of God?!
Mary: I do not go against the Word of God, because that same word states gives honor and authority to women. Ester, Ruth, Mary Magdalene are just a several examples of women who were strong.
Jane: This brings up a very interesting point. What are your views lady and gentlemen about the sovereignty of the Bible?
Elijah: I do not dismiss the fact that the Bible was passed down from God to humans. But I believe that the Word of God is Christ, not the Bible.
Jacob: That is blasphemy!!
Elijah: Christ’s voice is stronger than any other authority.
Mary: We Quakers put precedence on listening and obeying the Spirit when He speaks. Our worship, our lives, our actions are dictated by “this Inner Light.” The inner Light creates personal insight. We do not have to have the Bible interpreted by a pastor or religious authority. Instead, God’s spirit resides within us and talks to each of us individually.
Elijah: My grandfather stated, “Christ has come to teach His people Himself” (George).
Jane: Thomas, do you agree?
Thomas: There is no doubt that the Bible is the Word of God, saying otherwise is blasphemy. I do agree with the Fox’s that one can interpret that Bible for himself - it does not have to be through a religious authority, like those crazy Catholics believe.
Jacob: May God spare their souls from the pits of hell!
Thomas: We Baptists encourage personal reflection and study of the Bible daily.
Jacob: We puritans also require fervent study of God’s word, on a personal basis as well as within the community. The Bible is central and is the supreme authority over humanity. This shows us that God is in utter control. The plight of Christians is to ascribe holistically to the Word of God, which is the Bible. We will never be able to do this fully because we are finite specks of dirt- in the Lord’s eyes. We will never measure up to his holiness.
Jane: Ok, moving on… let us talk now about the issue of authority. Do you believe in hierarchy of the church? Where does the power of the Church lie? Thomas, we will start with you.
Thomas: We Baptists like to avoid hierarchy within the church. There are no bishops or popes found within our church walls!! But, we do have a pastor and deacons. In terms of a central governing authority - we don’t have one!
Jane: What do you think of government’s role in relation to the church?
Thomas: I do not that outside authority should be telling my church what to do. The government should not have a say in what we do within our walls. Church and state should be separate!!
Jacob: I completely agree with you Thomas. The only Head of the Church is Christ. Government should not have a say in our affairs. I would ask you- where is the authority in your church - in the form of human accountability?? It seems very weak in my opinion. Puritans pride themselves in their strong central government. This group of godly men brings the Light of God into our lives through discipline. May the Lord be praised!!
Elijah: The Quakers have long since had dealing with the government. Our Lord said that we will be persecuted for His name! We rejoice in this. Our dear brothers and sisters have been put to death for their Quaker values.
Mary: We do not condone a hierarchy within our community. All men are created equal. In the eyes of the Lord, the monarch and my daughter are seen as equals. People are people. The government can give us regulations - but we follow the voice of Christ.
Jane: Thank you Mary. Folks, this has been a very invigorating discussion. Thank you for you insights! Unfortunately, we are about out of time. Stay tuned for tomorrow night’s continuation of this discussion.
Closing Music: “Celtic Tune 30.1”
Bibliography
Ellyatt, Lauren. "Enlightenment Explained." Helium, Where Knowledge Rules. 6 Sep 2007. Helium, Inc. <http://www.helium.com/tm/496460/understand-enlightenment-beneficial-influence>.
“Enlightenment, The.” Washington State University 6 Sep 2007. <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/enlightenment.htm>.
"Far From Home 30.1." Free Play Music. 26 Sep 2007. Freeplaymusic.com 2007 <http://freeplaymusic.com/>.
“Isaac Newton Quotes.” Michael Moncur. The Quotations Page. 16 Sep 2007. QuotationsPage.com. 2007 <http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Isaac_Newton/>.
"On the Way to Ireland 30.1." Free Play Music. 26 Sep 2007. Freeplaymusic.com 2007 <http://freeplaymusic.com/>.
“William Shakespeare Quotes.” Michael Moncur. The Quotations Page. 16 Sep 2007. QuotationsPage.com. 2007 <http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/William_Shakespeare/>.
"Until the End of Time 30.1." Free Play Music. 26 Sep 2007. Freeplaymusic.com 2007 <http://freeplaymusic.com/>.
“Voltaire Quotes.” Brainy Quotes. 16 Sep 2007. BrainyMedia.com. 2007 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/v/voltaire.html>.
“Voltaire Quotes.” Michael Moncur. The Quotations Page. 16 Sep 2007. QuotationsPage.com. 2007 <http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Voltaire>.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Reading and Spirituality
My mother and grandmother are responsible for teaching me to read. Soon after I learned to talk, Mom taught me my ABC’s by using the ABC song. Before I turned four, Mom says I learned to read Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik, which was my first book. I remember Mom and Grandma always had more than enough books for us to read, but that did not stop me for begging for a new book every time we visited the local five and dime. I remember Grandma and Mom reading to my sister and I with expression and different voices for each character. Grandma also bought us a monthly subscription to Highlights magazine, which I loved. Once she had personalized books made for us. Other personal library books that I owned were the Dr. Seuss books, a Bible stories book, and several Little Golden Books. However, my favorite books were the Disney books that came with a thirty-three inch vinyl record. They were read along books that would ding when it was time to turn the page. I also remember my sister and I watched quite a bit of “Sesame Street,” “The Electric Company,” and “Zoom,” because Mom always had the television tuned in to PBS (there was no cable back then).
When I first began school, everything I learned from watching “Sesame Street” was reinforced at school. Our teachers had oversized air-filled letter characters from the show. We would listen to songs and stories featuring the letter of the week. Then, we would be given a coloring sheet with the letter on it and would color it in class. It would go home with us, and we would use magazines and catalogues to cut out pictures of items and people, which began with the featured letter. These were pasted on the coloring sheet and returned to school. Once we arrived, we were called in front of the class to explain what items were on our sheets. As I progressed in elementary school, I remember singing and singing. We would sing of stories we read, sing about grammar rules, and sing tongue twisters. The first readers I used were the Dick, Jane, and Spot readers. I also remember the very first time I was asked to diagram a sentence was in the third grade. My teachers read to us in class, and had each student to take turns reading aloud. Throughout school, I had both oral and non-oral book reports due in class. When we had an oral report over an autobiography, the teacher would have us to dress up like the character we had read and written about. Off-hand, the only instructional strategy that I did not enjoy much was writing the vocabulary sentences five times each. Due to there always being twenty words, I was often up past bedtime working on the sentences. Overall, the teachers seemed to believe that the way to get a child in my elementary school to learn to read was to use a lot of repetition, as well as to reinforce what we may have seen elsewhere.
There was not much to do when the weather was bad so we read the same books over and over again. Some of the ones I enjoyed most were the illustrated Bible stories that filled our library. I grew up reading these books, which I feel gave me a good Christian foundation to build upon. Literacy further strengthened this foundation, because I was able to sing hymns that were lesser known to me. Singing has always been my outlet, and songs help me work through problems and emotions that I may face. Today, reading impacts my spiritual life by bringing me even closer to life as a Christian. Through reading I get more of a sense of what my role as a Christian is in the world. Furthermore, reading has given me more of an outlook on where we have been as a human race and how far we have come. It also gives me insight into how much farther we have to go as Christians in this mixed up world that we live in. I also enjoy reading books on Christianity and faith, such as Pilgrim Heart and Extravagant Grace. This, too, gives me more insight into God’s will for us as Christians.
Insight is what I get most from reading. Therefore, I love to read and encourage reading in my home. My children and I choose short stories, which we read to one another at least once a week. I read a variety of materials, such as magazine articles, research articles, novels, poetry, plays, scientific magazines, books on faith, non-fiction (mostly historical), and even children’s books. Yes, I did say children’s books; I like to know what my children are reading. I have found if we have read the same book, it can help foster many discussions. I am fairly secure with my ability to read a variety of texts that affect my daily life.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher’s novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is a riveting novel about the pains of growing up both in a dysfunctional home and as an outsider in the teen scene. This touching story is packed full of believable characters and believable situations. It is a novel that often is considered for censorship, but is also a novel that could teach a great deal to young adults. It is a novel that can change the worlds of so many people who may need compassion and a helping hand.
For many young adults, growing up is painful, and compassion is difficult to find. According to Childhelp, an organization dedicated to meet the various needs of abused children, over three million cases of child abuse are reported each year. However, “experts estimate that the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect is 3 times greater than reported” (Childhelp). This is a larger problem than many would like to admit, but Crutcher has done a great job bringing this issue to the forefront in this novel. Both Sarah Byrnes and Dale Thornton live with the problems, which arise from being raised in an abusive home. Sarah is a prankster who laughs at everything. Dale is a bully that passes on the abusive treatment he has received and learned from his father. They both have built up a wall between themselves and the world. Neither child has an adult they can trust, and they are both fully aware that telling what happens in their homes would only cause more trouble. As we learn more about Sarah’s father, it becomes quite clear why the child would fake a catatonic state.
Though it is hard for many people to understand why a child would rather spend time in a psychiatric hospital than their own home, people who have been in Sarah’s situation know when there is too much physical pain, a person will do almost anything to get away from it. Her situation is just as believable as every other situation in the book. Crutcher’s background as a therapist has served him well in writing this novel. Amazingly, Sarah does not pity herself the way she does the children who have the emotional and mental scarring inside; she does not believe she is like them. It is not until she writes the letter to Eric that she begins to realize that she acts tough and mean to hide her own pain. Sarah is not the only character whose true-to-life dysfunctional family is noticeable. Mark’s family, though not physically abusive, is just as dysfunctional than Sarah’s. Mark’s father pushes him so hard to be the perfect son that he makes bad decisions which leads to his suicide attempt. Though the father feels he is a good Christian man he has forgotten the words of his Messiah, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). The pressure from Mark’s father has deterred the young man from his Christian responsibility to uphold the rules set down in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, which basically says we should not fornicate. Sure Mark can spin a fine yarn as he stands upon his pulpit preaching about the sins of abortion; however, he does not seem to be able to practice what he preaches. Is this situation believable? Yes, it is common for people to fail to be able to refrain from the sins they preach against. This is seen every day in newspaper headlines across the country.
Another situation that makes the novel believable is the situation with Carver. He goes after Virgil Byrnes and ends up beating him in a questionable bout of self-defense. Many novels give the happy ending to the hero that caught the ‘bad guy,’ but Crutcher does not give the happy ending we are expecting; Carver does receive some jail time. Another unhappy ending component is that Sarah’s mom refuses to save her daughter from ongoing pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Mothers are found to be the neglectful parent in 72% of neglect cases.” All of the other situations in the novel are believable as well. According to Contemporary Authors Online Chris Crutcher has said, “It is a joy to write a tale that is believable, that is real.” Crutcher goes on to state, “Working in the mental health field provides me with some unique perspectives on the human drama – how people get stuck and how they grow” (Contemporary). Crutcher’s novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is unique because of this perspective that he feels so fortunate to have.
Although the characters are believable and the novel is unique, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is often considered for censorship. In 2005 a mother in Westmoreland, New York wanted the novel to be pulled from the high school curriculum due to its “graphic language.” Though she took her attempt to the school board the superintendent Toni Kulak stated, “We’re going to continue to use the book because we think it’s valuable to our students” (School, 20). Though the novel does have some strong language and the issues raised in the novel may make people a bit uncomfortable and on edge, the novel is a powerful novel about the hardships many young adults face. This novel can give a teacher of young adults many opportunities for class discussion. For instance, in a school with high pregnancy rates, a sexual education teacher could use the novel as an outlet for class discussion about the effects of unprotected sex and abortion. Similarly, in a school where bullying is an issue, the teacher can use the novel to spark discussion on how Sarah must have felt when she was called “Scarface” by her peers, or how Eric must have felt when people called him “Moby” or “Fatboy.” There are many other topics for potential discussion in the novel. Censoring a novel with so much potential for molding young minds into compassionate minds would be a critical mistake.
Though Crutcher’s novel is marketed as a novel for young adults, the novel is suitable for adults. This novel is packed full of believable situations that many people can relate to. It can be used to teach adults and young adults about the hardships of growing up in an environment that they may not have experienced. It can be a tool for young adults who are experiencing such living environments to realize they need to learn to trust other adults, and not all adults are bad. Furthermore, the book can be used as a valuable tool for every high school classroom. In conclusion, this novel is a powerful novel that can change the world of many adults, both young or old.
For many young adults, growing up is painful, and compassion is difficult to find. According to Childhelp, an organization dedicated to meet the various needs of abused children, over three million cases of child abuse are reported each year. However, “experts estimate that the actual number of incidents of abuse and neglect is 3 times greater than reported” (Childhelp). This is a larger problem than many would like to admit, but Crutcher has done a great job bringing this issue to the forefront in this novel. Both Sarah Byrnes and Dale Thornton live with the problems, which arise from being raised in an abusive home. Sarah is a prankster who laughs at everything. Dale is a bully that passes on the abusive treatment he has received and learned from his father. They both have built up a wall between themselves and the world. Neither child has an adult they can trust, and they are both fully aware that telling what happens in their homes would only cause more trouble. As we learn more about Sarah’s father, it becomes quite clear why the child would fake a catatonic state.
Though it is hard for many people to understand why a child would rather spend time in a psychiatric hospital than their own home, people who have been in Sarah’s situation know when there is too much physical pain, a person will do almost anything to get away from it. Her situation is just as believable as every other situation in the book. Crutcher’s background as a therapist has served him well in writing this novel. Amazingly, Sarah does not pity herself the way she does the children who have the emotional and mental scarring inside; she does not believe she is like them. It is not until she writes the letter to Eric that she begins to realize that she acts tough and mean to hide her own pain. Sarah is not the only character whose true-to-life dysfunctional family is noticeable. Mark’s family, though not physically abusive, is just as dysfunctional than Sarah’s. Mark’s father pushes him so hard to be the perfect son that he makes bad decisions which leads to his suicide attempt. Though the father feels he is a good Christian man he has forgotten the words of his Messiah, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14). The pressure from Mark’s father has deterred the young man from his Christian responsibility to uphold the rules set down in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, which basically says we should not fornicate. Sure Mark can spin a fine yarn as he stands upon his pulpit preaching about the sins of abortion; however, he does not seem to be able to practice what he preaches. Is this situation believable? Yes, it is common for people to fail to be able to refrain from the sins they preach against. This is seen every day in newspaper headlines across the country.
Another situation that makes the novel believable is the situation with Carver. He goes after Virgil Byrnes and ends up beating him in a questionable bout of self-defense. Many novels give the happy ending to the hero that caught the ‘bad guy,’ but Crutcher does not give the happy ending we are expecting; Carver does receive some jail time. Another unhappy ending component is that Sarah’s mom refuses to save her daughter from ongoing pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, “Mothers are found to be the neglectful parent in 72% of neglect cases.” All of the other situations in the novel are believable as well. According to Contemporary Authors Online Chris Crutcher has said, “It is a joy to write a tale that is believable, that is real.” Crutcher goes on to state, “Working in the mental health field provides me with some unique perspectives on the human drama – how people get stuck and how they grow” (Contemporary). Crutcher’s novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is unique because of this perspective that he feels so fortunate to have.
Although the characters are believable and the novel is unique, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is often considered for censorship. In 2005 a mother in Westmoreland, New York wanted the novel to be pulled from the high school curriculum due to its “graphic language.” Though she took her attempt to the school board the superintendent Toni Kulak stated, “We’re going to continue to use the book because we think it’s valuable to our students” (School, 20). Though the novel does have some strong language and the issues raised in the novel may make people a bit uncomfortable and on edge, the novel is a powerful novel about the hardships many young adults face. This novel can give a teacher of young adults many opportunities for class discussion. For instance, in a school with high pregnancy rates, a sexual education teacher could use the novel as an outlet for class discussion about the effects of unprotected sex and abortion. Similarly, in a school where bullying is an issue, the teacher can use the novel to spark discussion on how Sarah must have felt when she was called “Scarface” by her peers, or how Eric must have felt when people called him “Moby” or “Fatboy.” There are many other topics for potential discussion in the novel. Censoring a novel with so much potential for molding young minds into compassionate minds would be a critical mistake.
Though Crutcher’s novel is marketed as a novel for young adults, the novel is suitable for adults. This novel is packed full of believable situations that many people can relate to. It can be used to teach adults and young adults about the hardships of growing up in an environment that they may not have experienced. It can be a tool for young adults who are experiencing such living environments to realize they need to learn to trust other adults, and not all adults are bad. Furthermore, the book can be used as a valuable tool for every high school classroom. In conclusion, this novel is a powerful novel that can change the world of many adults, both young or old.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Isaac Newton in Gulliver’s Third Book
It is common knowledge that Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels falls in the satire genre. However, the true definition of satire means a more general critique than what can be seen in “Book III”. Throughout the book, Jonathan Swift consistently parodies everything about Isaac Newton. Not only does Swift specifically criticize Newton, but he also criticizes Newton’s discoveries, the Royal Society, which Newton was the president of at the time the book was written and published, and Newton’s views on religion. It seems as if Swift did not understand anything about Newton. He did not understand the purpose in Newton’s projects, and Newton’s personal life. One might say that Swift just did not care for all things Newtonian.
According to Michael White, a biographer of Isaac Newton, Swift had visited Newton’s home on numerous occasions; however, he never mentioned Newton in his various published letters. It is not surprising that Swift would have a dislike for the actual person. Robert Lacey reports, “Isaac Newton did not, in fact, get on very well with this illustrious fraternity [Royal Society]” (237). Swift’s portrayal of Newton and his colleagues is often absurd and amusing. This is common ground that authors to this day remain to stand on. Throughout literary history “the scientist has contributed to a still current subliterary cliché which represents the scientist as at best eccentric and faintly comic, often alien, often somehow “unsound,” and frequently positively evil” (Millhauser 288). Millhauser goes on to say about scientists in literature, “He was, rather, many unsavory things in one person: wizard, alchemist, atheist, vivisectionist, poisoner – not to mention that bumptious fellow who went in for the Other Discipline” (304). The utter contempt that must have been felt by Jonathan Swift toward Isaac Newton will become clear through careful observation of the text.
First, Newton’s discoveries brought a great deal of controversy into focus in the Eighteenth Century mind. Throughout “Book III,” Swift brings this controversy into view. Newton’s discoveries in optics were the first few noted. “He believed that white light was composite and not pure…” (Berlinski 78). In his composite light experiment Newton drilled a whole in his window shutters. The daylight from outside beamed in as a narrow stream of white light. In the path of the stream, Newton placed a prism, which broke the light into various colors. Furthermore, Newton worked the experiment backwards in order to return the colored light to its original form, white light. The experiment worked, and today we may be tempted to say that was an ingenious discovery; but the Eighteenth Century mind would question the purpose of this experiment. This experiment is much like those performed in the Academy of Projectors in Lagado. For instance, one projector was trying to extract sunbeams from cucumbers, one wanted to return human excrement to its original form, and one wanted to have spiders weave colorful webs. Though the projectors saw the utility in their work, it was difficult for others to see. Likewise, it was difficult for Swift to see any utility in Newton’s work, though Newton was certain utility existed. “It is proposed that Swift regarded the Newtonian science as not only useless, but, more importantly, as being essentially immoral in its consequences” (Kiernan 710).
Other discoveries of Newton include universal gravitation, laws of motion, principles of conservation, the reflection of telescopes, and developing a mathematical technique called calculus. One question spurred the fame of this philosopher, why should the apple fall straight down toward earth, not up, or diagonally, but down? This is where the idea of attraction entered the mind of Isaac Newton. From this precept, Newton worked out that the planets move in an ellipse, and the three laws of motion, “the second of these explaining the power of gravity and how it determined the motion of the planets and their moons, the movement of the tides, and apparently the eccentric behavior of comets” (Lacey 238). For the first time in history there was a mathematical formula to work out how and why the universe behaves the way it does. Again, Modern man would venture to say this is the greatest discovery of all time, but during the Eighteenth Century, this discovery had no utilitarian value. How was knowing how the planets are going to behave able to help with the problems that many people in the era face? This is the question that led Swift to parody such a great scientific mind as Newton. However, it should be noted that the argument that Swift made then still rings true today. With all of the pestilence, war, famine, and death consuming many modern nations, why do governments continue to spend billions of dollars to see what the other side of Mars looks like, or how other galaxies appear? To Swift the answer made just as little since as it does to us today. In “Book III,” Swift states, “They have likewise discovered two lesser Stars, or Satellites, which revolve about Mars, whereof the innermost is distant from the Center of the primary Planet exactly three of his Diamers…” (144). Swift, himself, seems to not give us the answer to the unstated question that he has posed.
Swift does, however, go on to critique Newton’s mathematics. To the most intelligent educated man, Isaac Newton’s Calculus was very hard to understand. In Robert Lacey’s book Great Tales from English History, Newton often lectured “to the walls” at Cambridge University. Lacey also states, “students often avoided his [Newton’s] lectures” (238). Swift parodies this when Gulliver:
…was at the Mathematical School, where the Master taught his Pupils after a Method scarce imaginable to us in Europe. The Proposition and Demonstration were fairly written on a thin Wafer, with ink composed of a Cephalick Tincture. This the Student was to swallow upon a fasting Stomach, and for three Days following eat nothing but Bread and Water. As the Wafer digested, the Tincture mounted to his Brain, bearing the Proposition along with it. But the Success hath not hitherto been answerable, partly by some Error in the Quantum or Composition, and partly by the Perverseness of Lads, to whom this Boluse is so nauseous, that they generally steal aside, and discharge it upwards before it can operate, neither have they been yet persuaded to use so long an Abstinence as the Prescription required” (158).
Similar to the students at Lagado, the students at Cambridge literally could not absorb the information that Newton was teaching them. Swift argues the inability to understand and absorb such theories is due to “error” in the computations. These elaborate calculations were used throughout Newton’s lifetime for the purpose of finding answers to man’s greatest questions. To Newton, everything could be explained through the use of mathematics. Edward Davis and Michael Winship state, “Galileo science must be applied only to knowledge that was absolutely certain – the kind that only mathematic and logic could provide” (123). If Davis and Winship were to stand before Newton in Glubbdubdrib while making that statement, they may have had an argument on their hands. Newton chose to use mathematics to prove the existence of many speculative notions. Constantly Newton searched through mathematical equations for the existence of God. Once he figured out that each planet traveled on a specific elliptical path, Newton realized that the planets were attracted to the Sun, which lead them to follow this path. Furthermore, he suggested that comets were God’s method of restarting the slowing universe. To Swift, questioning nature that we cannot control is irrelevant, and all scientific discoveries should benefit mankind.
The lack of utility in Eighteen Century Europe was a growing problem. Therefore, the problem that Swift had with Newton was not entirely scientific. Swift believed there was a lack of morality when it came to ‘philosophizing.’ Scientists in Laputa and Lagado were so focused on their discoveries and themselves that they were unaware of the world around them. This is similar to the science of Swift’s era. He felt that Newton’s science had a “tendency to lead men away from their moral fulfillment” (Kiernan 711). This cynicism could be due the widespread starvation of many of Swift’s fellow Irishmen. He felt that the money spent on these outrageous experiments could benefit his fellow countrymen. One particular section of the story echoes Swift’s frustration with the philosophers of his time:
In these Colleges, the Professors contrive new Rules and Methods of Agriculture and Building, and new Instruments and Tools for all Trades and Manufactures, whereby, as they undertake, one Man shall do the Work of Ten; a Palace may be built in a Week, of Materials so durable as to last for ever without repairing. All the Fruits of the Earth shall come to Maturity at whatever Season we think fit to chuse, and increase an Hundred Fold more than they do at present; with innumerable other happy Proposals. The only Inconvenience is, that none of these Projects are yet brought to Perfection; and in the mean time, the whole Country lies miserably waste, the Houses in Ruins, and the People without Food or Cloaths (150).
Furthermore, the constant “projecting” keeps the men from living their life to its fullest extent. This is reflected in the life of Isaac Newton. At the age of eighty-three, when Gulliver’s Travels, was written, Newton had never married. He never had seemed to have done anything to suggest that he had actually lived his life. Swift would argue that Newton’s quest was actually a quest for immortality, rather than that of reason.
To gain immortality in the Eighteenth century, one had to gain fame. From ancient history, men had discovered three tactics guaranteed fame: be in a position of power, be a notorious criminal, or make important discoveries. The latter being the tactic that Swift believed Newton was consumed with. “The tactic is applied in the episode of the Struldbruggs by turning the metaphorical immortality of those who have fame into literal immortality. Thus the lives of the Struldbruggs ironically parallel the lives of those who pursue fame in the real world” (Fitzgerald 492). For this reason, the Struldbruggs can be viewed as a direct parody on Newton. First, they do not seem to be able to relate or talk to their mortal neighbors. They come to a point when they can no longer enjoy the taste of food and drink. Therefore, the Struldbruggs, like Newton, do not enjoy the pleasures in life. Again, Swift leads us to believe that Newton is one of the people being parodied by speaking of how much they are hated by others. Swift states, “They were not only Opinionative, Peevish, Covetous, Morose, Vain, Talkative, but uncapable of Friendship…” (180). Furthermore, after eighty years old the minds of the Struldbruggs begin to deteriorate; therefore, they are removed from their employment, and property, which their heirs take over. As previously noted, at the time the novel was released, Isaac Newton was eighty-three years old. The removing of Struldbruggs from their place of employment could have been a hint to the members of the Royal Society that Newton had out lived his usefulness, and should be replaced.
Unexpectedly, Swift has Gulliver toy with the notion of living the life of those who wish to become immortal. This is a extremely tempting fantasy to Gulliver until he realizes in order to reach immortality, one has to give up much quality of life and one’s soul. For him, it would be horrid to be seconds from death for an eternity. Swift has Gulliver state, “The Reader will easily believe, that from what I had heard and seen, my keen Appetite for Perpetuity of Life was much abated. I grew heartily ashamed of the pleasing Visions I had formed, and thought no Tyrant could invent a Death into which I would not run with Pleasure from such a Life” (181). Therefore, to Swift, there comes a point in time that a person can no longer contribute to the betterment of mankind. When a person no longer is capable of discovering the smaller pleasures in life, such as companionship, they are no longer capable of bringing the future closer to utopia.
On the subject of utopia, Swift warns that a utopian society cannot exist unless all of mankind is freed from suffering. Because Swift did not see utility in the discoveries of Newton, Newton seemed to be the perfect target for “Book III.” “The story of Laputa made it possible to condemn Newtonian science because of its inhumanity, which is what Swift intended” (Kiernan 712). Newton’s intentions are arguable. On the one hand, he seems to have made a discovery that had a cascading effect, which has led to the comforts that we enjoy today. On the other hand, he felt that his discoveries were a way to prove the divinity of God. For this reason, Newton has been painted as a devout theologian. To Swift, a man cannot be both theologian and philosopher. In Laputa, Swift describes how incompatible science and mathematics were when Gulliver was fitted for a new suit of clothing. Swift stated, “He first took my Altitude by a Quadrant, and then with Rule and Compasses, described the Dimensions and Out-Lines of my whole Body, at which he entred upon Paper, and in Six Days brought my Cloths very ill made, and quite out of shape, by happening to mistake a figure in the Calculations” (136). The six days was representative of the creation story. In six days, God created the Heavens and Earth. In six days, Gulliver’s clothing was created with faulty calculations. During the Eighteenth Century, it was common knowledge that Newton was using mathematics “to compute when the Church of Rome would become the 11th Horn of the 4th beast in prophet Daniel’s vision” (Zacks 258). Furthermore, Newton’s work was to prove the existence of God. Instead, the discoveries lead to a new religion in which “the Breed of naked sheep” were led astray by Voltaire (Swift 154). In essence, the discoveries made by Newton unraveled the long withstanding work of the already fractured Church.
For the first time, it had been proven that “science contradicted Scripture” (Millhauser 302). The mystery and awe had been stolen away from the Christian faith. Swift felt that Newton and his astronomy colleagues “have great faith in judicial astrology, although they are ashamed to own it publickly” (138). Often Newton defended his position for discovery as the proof of the existence of God, who is still active in the world. However, his discoveries lead to the idea of an absent god. Swift warned that there was great danger in this way of thinking. He felt that the work of philosophers was being done in order to exalt themselves above God. Colin Kiernan paraphrases Swift as stating, “ Man should not magnify himself, nor demean God, to the point where he believes that, by his own powers, he can derive absolutes other than those given by God” (720). Newton, however, would argue that his discoveries prove the existence of God and do not debunk the Creator. In regards to Newton’s discoveries Richard Westfall quotes Newton as stating, “this most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being” (Westfall 155). It seems Newton and Swift would never see eye to eye on their ideas.
Newton felt that his discoveries could lead to a utopian society. However, Swift argued the failure to work for the betterment of mankind could bring no man closer to utopia or to God. There is, throughout “Book III,” a direct attack on Isaac Newton, his discoveries, the Royal Society, Newton’s religious beliefs, projects, and personal life. Though, in present day society, utility can be found from the discoveries that Newton made so long ago; the experiments he conducted in the Eighteenth Century made no sense to the modern gentleman. There was no way that Swift could have foreseen Newton’s impact on the world that we live in. It is important to understand that “Book III” was not solely a critique on Newton, although he was a leading, unseen character. Swift’s goal was to critique the various institutions that broke down he morality of all mankind and oppressed the masses. Though there may have been Gulliver’s Travels if Newton had never discovered a thing, in most probability, “Book III” may not have been as interesting.
Works Cited
Berlinski, David. Newton’s Gift. New York: Free Press, 2000.
Davis, Edward B. and Michael P. Winship. “Early Modern Protestation.” Science & Religion: A historical Introduction. Ed. Gary B. Ferngren. Maryland: Johns Hopkins U P, 2002. 117-129.
Fitzgerald, Robert P. “Swift’s Immortals: The Satiric Point.” Studies in English Literature. Vol. 24. Houston: Rice UP, 1984. 483-496.
Kiernan, Colin. “Swift and Science.” The Historical Journal 14.4 (1971): 709-722.
Lacey, Robert. Great Tales from English History. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2004.
Millhauser, Milton. “Dr. Newton and Mr. Hyde: Scientists in fiction from Swift to Stevenson.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 28.3 (1973): 287-304.
Swift, Jonathan. “Gulliver’s Travels.” Gulliver’s Travels: Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Albert J. Rivero. New York: W.W. Norton, 2002. 1-250.
Westfall, Richard S. “Isaac Newton.” Science & Religion: A historical Introduction. Ed. Gary B. Ferngren. Maryland: Johns Hopkins U P, 2002. 153-162.
White, Michael. Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. Great Britain: Fourth Estate, 1997.
Zacks, Richard. An Underground Education. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1997.
The Blind, the Deaf, and the Lame Summary
Yong, Amos. (2007). The Blind, The Deaf, and the Lame: Biblical and Historical Trajectories. Theology and Down Syndrome – Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity. Waco: Baylor University Press.
The author covers the references to the blind, deaf, and lame in order to gain an understanding of the historical beliefs as they pertain to people with disabilities. The Bible does not address mental disabilities. Amos Yong states dualistic beliefs in “Disability” in Ancient Israel. Yong feels the Bible draws connections between the sovereignty of God and disabilities, and people with disabilities are to be cared for just as others who are marginalized are to be cared for. In ancient Israel, people with disabilities were considered unholy and imperfect. They believed disabilities were the result of broken covenants with God, and people with disabilities were not whole and could not be included in the kingdom of Yhwh.
In the next section, “Disability” and the Early Church, the early Church believed in inclusion only after healing. They felt that Jesus’ healing of those with disabilities meant people with disabilities should be pitied, and their future is secured by God alone. Jesus’ healings also led people to believe there was a direct connection between disability and sin. Therefore, many people associated disabilities with evil. Those with disabilities were marginalized and dependent on the grace of God in the gospels. However, it can be assumed the disabilities were only metaphors for the sins of man.
The next section, “Disability” in the History of Christianity, covers how the biblical accounts affected disability. Before Christianity in ancient Greece and Rome, most people with disabilities were included. Disabilities were treated as a family/civic matter. Not much was written about mental retardation in ancient writings, possibly due to high mortality rates, and the inclusion of people with disability. The ancient god of fire, Hephaestus, was crippled, but had magical powers. Therefore, many Greeks believed people with disabilities were thought to have amazing abilities. They often believed deformities were due to sinful parents, or omens, such as broken covenants with the gods. Therefore, they believed infants with deformities belonged to the gods. However, many with disabilities were still scorned, and Aristotle said deformities were caused by uncompleted pregnancies.
In the section titled The Patristic and Medieval Periods, we learn people with mental disabilities were included. For instance, Nicholas Thaumaturgos protected the feeble minded. Zotikos cared for discarded children who were to be put to death. A few Christians opened homes and hospitals for those with disabilities. Augustine believed God made the creatures of the world diverse to “manifest his glory and power” (31). Saint Dymphna was martyred by her insane father. Because her grave was a place of pilgrimage for those with mental disabilities, her resting place, Gheel, became known for its “tradition of caring for the mentally ill” (31). Hildegard of Bingen endured physical pains led to lack of mental maturation, which led to inspiration and service. Margaret of Castello completely gave herself to god after being abandoned by her family due to her disabilities. She performed more than two hundred miracles. Teresa de Cartagena was deaf by fourteen, and saw herself as an “admirable work of God” (33). She believed disability helps develop patience and other virtues. During this period, people believed that God is the creator of all things, even disabilities, disabilities are necessary to promote holiness, and the Church should help those with disabilities.
During the reformation and the early modernity, views on disability once again changed. Luther believed that people with disabilities were “mass[es] of flesh without a soul…the devil is himself their soul” (34). Therefore he believed people should drown or suffocate infants and children with disabilities. During the Renaissance, many believed deformities were cause by demonic activity. However, Paracelsus believed fools are restored by Christ, and they are not fools in their souls, just their minds, which makes them more pure. Paracelsus also believed after salvation, there will be no disabilities. Ambroise Paré believed there were twelve causes of deformities:
1) resulting from God, intended for God’s glory,
2) emanating from the wrath of God,
3) emerging from too great a quantity of seed, or
4)too little a quantity of the same,
5) being misshapened b the imagination of the pregnant mother,
6) by the narrowness/smallness of the womb,
7) by a traumatic pregnancy, or
8) by the mother’s fall,
9) deriving from other hereditary mechanisms or accidental illnesses,
10) rotten or corrupt seed, or
11) the improper mingling/mixture of seed, and
12) being changelings of the devil (36).
2) emanating from the wrath of God,
3) emerging from too great a quantity of seed, or
4)too little a quantity of the same,
5) being misshapened b the imagination of the pregnant mother,
6) by the narrowness/smallness of the womb,
7) by a traumatic pregnancy, or
8) by the mother’s fall,
9) deriving from other hereditary mechanisms or accidental illnesses,
10) rotten or corrupt seed, or
11) the improper mingling/mixture of seed, and
12) being changelings of the devil (36).
Paulus Zacchias identified intellectual defects as slow learners, who can be held accountable and can marry, fools, who can marry with permission from judges, but have difficulty learning, and stupid/mindless, cannot marry and exempted from penalties. John Locke believed humans are rational creatures. Therefore, those with mental disabilities are not human and incapable of reason. They are immoral and soulless; therefore can be killed as infants.
The final section covers the three notions of disabilities according to theology:
1) disabilities occur for God’s purpose, God creates all men, and people with disabilities are here to reveal God’s glory;
2) people with disabilities must trust in God, because suffering leads to holiness;
3) the Church must care for people with disabilities through charity.
2) people with disabilities must trust in God, because suffering leads to holiness;
3) the Church must care for people with disabilities through charity.
The final section of Chapter 2 covers the new vision regarding theology and disabilities is required. Patty Burt, a person with mental retardation, has shown that through her disability, she was able to sort out what she learned from others and make up her own mind about religion. In religion, we are faced with a major dilemma. If we ignore conventional theology, we dismiss the views of people like Patty Burt. However, if we embrace conventional theology, we will be weighed down with ideas ingrained in historical tradition. Therefore, to move forward, we must reread biblical texts and look deeper for the positive representations of people with disabilities. Although the biblical stories are stereotypical, they also have a redemptive quality.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Social Change
I feel that the most important aspect of American Literature is how it reflects the social changes in America since its discovery. These changes include how religion, blacks, and women have been viewed throughout the years. Many of these social changes came about due to political changes in the United States.
First, I will cover the ever-changing views on religion throughout American History. Most of the first Americans were the pilgrims. Pilgrims came to this country to escape religious persecution. Shortly after their arrival in America, history shows that there was the Great Awakening. This is when many changes in religion began. Some of our earliest literature comes from preachers such as Johnathan Edwards. Through his sermons, he tried to help people as he saw their wrongs. Samson Occom also included wrongs such as drinking and cursing in his sermons. However, unlike Edwards, Occom did not use scripture in his sermons.
The Great Awakening also found many deists and Unitarians. Benjamin Franklin must have fallen under the deist category because in his writing, I found that he felt that all religious observances should be represented in this new country. Franklin was one of the few published people of his time that did not believe that religion was more important than the sciences.
During the Romantic Period of literature, people began to focus more on transcendentalism. Many of the writers in this time, such as Longfellow, Thoreau, and Emerson, believed that you could not depend on God and government to help you. They believed that you had to help yourself. They also believed that creativity did not come from God, but it came from an inner light.
Later, writers began using psychological realism. They believed that what truly motivated people was not God, but was the psyche. This is also when writers first heard of Darwinism, which is a belief that man evolved from ape and did not come from God. Between the wars writers such as Willa Cather believed that good old values were gone to some people. Because of the political unrest in the world, a lot of people quit believing in God and started trying to be God. As the years progressed, there were less sermons and pieces of literature that had to do with God.
Also as the years progressed, the world began to see more changes for Black Americans. When America was first discovered, slavery was prevalent throughout the world. Most slave trade accounts are based on Olauduah Equiano’s story. Around the same time that he was published, Phillis Wheatley, a black female poet, wrote religious and faith related poetry as well as political poetry. During the Romantic Period, Harriet Jacobs wrote one of the most detailed collections of narratives written by any slave. Another celebrated author of this period is Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Though it was badly written, it was successful in making a strong political statement against slavery. Because the book was published in twenty different languages, it brought light, throughout the world, how inhumanely slaves were treated during this time.
Also from the Romantic Period, Fredrick Douglass figured out as a child that what he was denied was what he needed the most, such as an education. After obtaining this education, Douglass ran an abolitionist newspaper and pushed for black rights.
After the civil war, there was a great deal of talented authors that were published. One of which is Charles W. Chestnutt, who wrote by using linguistic realism. His stories often told of the psychological difficulties of people from interracial relationships. This can also be found in Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby.”
During the same time period, Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois had the most impact on Civil Rights after the Civil War. Washington believed that blacks should learn to work within the system. He felt they should be non-violent, educated, and economically independent to get political power. However, Du Bois wanted to take down the system and supported the Black Zionists Movement. He felt that blacks should fight for what they should already have, Civil Rights.
Between the wars is when the Harlem Renaissance began. Claude McKay was accredited for beginning this literary movement of art, literature, music, and dance. In his poem “America” he states, “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” In-other-words, McKay is saying that he loves America, but racial discrimination is ruining this country.
Zora Neale Hurston also wrote about discrimination in “How It Feels to be Colored Me.” Unfortunately, a lot of other black authors thought that Hurston was not fighting for black rights. One author of this time that was not accused of such a thing was Langston Hughes. He wrote both prose and poetry about the oppression of blacks. “I Too” was Hughes’ answer to Whitman’s “I Sing America.” Hughes is basically stating, you may be American, but black men are too.
Unlike other Harlem Renaissance authors, Countee Cullen was a rarity of his time. He wanted to be a black person and be considered a poet without having to buy into any political movement. These positive social changes for blacks continued to develop throughout recent history and continue to develop today.
Along with the social changes for blacks due to the Civil Rights Movement, social changes for women have been an important aspect in American Literature. Ann Bradstreet was one of the first female American writers. She was more educated than most women of her time. Bradstreet was a poet that found comfort from the world around her, not from God.
Between the 1700 and 1820, Annis Boudinot Stockton was a key figure in changes that were to come for American women. She published most of her poetry under the names Mrs. A. S. or Mrs. S. Stockton probably did so because it was not popular for a woman during this time to be educated. She had radical ideas for her time. In “A Sarcasm against the ladies in a newspaper; An impromptu answer” in layman’s terms she says, you may not understand women. You may want to change women, but you cannot. You need us the way we are, because you need us to fulfill your pleasures and needs. This was the general mindset for the purpose of women in Stockton’s time. It was believed, though women may think, they are only able to do so in order to fulfill their husbands. Women are only put on this earth for men and procreation.
This reasoning began to change during the Romantic Period. This period shows a significant increase in female authors, which means a significant increase in educated women. This could perhaps also relate to the fact that the Romantic Era of Literature was known for emotion over reason and women tend to be more emotional. Many men did feel that women should be kept uneducated. However, they felt this way so that women would not be exposed to the type of literature written. Because a woman’s mind is so feeble, they will be more apt to be tempted by Satan if they read such things.
Fannie Fern was the most popular columnist of her time and chose very political subjects to write on. She was known for being a very sarcastic author. Another important female author is Margaret Fuller, who was thought to be well before her time. Fuller wanted and wrote about equal rights for women. Because of her radical ideas, most of her writings were suppressed up until recently.
Again, Kate Chopin can be accredited for aiding the Women’s Rights Movement. She wrote about the social inequalities of women compared to men, especially in the South. Chopin was raised by very strong women and wrote about very strong women. The women in her stories recognized that they had physical needs; therefore, she had a lot of sexual innuendo in these stories as well.
Like many female authors, Constance Fenimore Woolson had difficulty getting her readers to take her seriously. Literature between the great wars was when a lot of changes came about for women. Because women were given the right to vote and allowed to work in factories while men were overseas, women pretty much ran the country during this time. Had it not been for them, the economy surely would have failed.
Edna S. Vincent Millay wrote many political speeches and became the national symbol of the modern woman. “Her poems are more founded in the failure of love than in the joy of sex” (2109). Like Millay, Katherine Anne Porter did not live her life in a traditional way. She was not a political writer and did not try to build any connections between herself and any political movements.
However, because of how she lived her life, Porter was an important figure in women’s rights as well. In Susan Glasspell’s stories, what it is like to be a woman in her time period can be found. The waves that all of these women caused still ripple throughout American society today.
These many pieces of American Literature reflect all of the social changes in America throughout the ages. Whether it is from women or blacks being able to climb the social ladder or from how Americans view God, these changes are the most important aspects found in American Literature.
First, I will cover the ever-changing views on religion throughout American History. Most of the first Americans were the pilgrims. Pilgrims came to this country to escape religious persecution. Shortly after their arrival in America, history shows that there was the Great Awakening. This is when many changes in religion began. Some of our earliest literature comes from preachers such as Johnathan Edwards. Through his sermons, he tried to help people as he saw their wrongs. Samson Occom also included wrongs such as drinking and cursing in his sermons. However, unlike Edwards, Occom did not use scripture in his sermons.
The Great Awakening also found many deists and Unitarians. Benjamin Franklin must have fallen under the deist category because in his writing, I found that he felt that all religious observances should be represented in this new country. Franklin was one of the few published people of his time that did not believe that religion was more important than the sciences.
During the Romantic Period of literature, people began to focus more on transcendentalism. Many of the writers in this time, such as Longfellow, Thoreau, and Emerson, believed that you could not depend on God and government to help you. They believed that you had to help yourself. They also believed that creativity did not come from God, but it came from an inner light.
Later, writers began using psychological realism. They believed that what truly motivated people was not God, but was the psyche. This is also when writers first heard of Darwinism, which is a belief that man evolved from ape and did not come from God. Between the wars writers such as Willa Cather believed that good old values were gone to some people. Because of the political unrest in the world, a lot of people quit believing in God and started trying to be God. As the years progressed, there were less sermons and pieces of literature that had to do with God.
Also as the years progressed, the world began to see more changes for Black Americans. When America was first discovered, slavery was prevalent throughout the world. Most slave trade accounts are based on Olauduah Equiano’s story. Around the same time that he was published, Phillis Wheatley, a black female poet, wrote religious and faith related poetry as well as political poetry. During the Romantic Period, Harriet Jacobs wrote one of the most detailed collections of narratives written by any slave. Another celebrated author of this period is Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Though it was badly written, it was successful in making a strong political statement against slavery. Because the book was published in twenty different languages, it brought light, throughout the world, how inhumanely slaves were treated during this time.
Also from the Romantic Period, Fredrick Douglass figured out as a child that what he was denied was what he needed the most, such as an education. After obtaining this education, Douglass ran an abolitionist newspaper and pushed for black rights.
After the civil war, there was a great deal of talented authors that were published. One of which is Charles W. Chestnutt, who wrote by using linguistic realism. His stories often told of the psychological difficulties of people from interracial relationships. This can also be found in Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby.”
During the same time period, Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois had the most impact on Civil Rights after the Civil War. Washington believed that blacks should learn to work within the system. He felt they should be non-violent, educated, and economically independent to get political power. However, Du Bois wanted to take down the system and supported the Black Zionists Movement. He felt that blacks should fight for what they should already have, Civil Rights.
Between the wars is when the Harlem Renaissance began. Claude McKay was accredited for beginning this literary movement of art, literature, music, and dance. In his poem “America” he states, “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” In-other-words, McKay is saying that he loves America, but racial discrimination is ruining this country.
Zora Neale Hurston also wrote about discrimination in “How It Feels to be Colored Me.” Unfortunately, a lot of other black authors thought that Hurston was not fighting for black rights. One author of this time that was not accused of such a thing was Langston Hughes. He wrote both prose and poetry about the oppression of blacks. “I Too” was Hughes’ answer to Whitman’s “I Sing America.” Hughes is basically stating, you may be American, but black men are too.
Unlike other Harlem Renaissance authors, Countee Cullen was a rarity of his time. He wanted to be a black person and be considered a poet without having to buy into any political movement. These positive social changes for blacks continued to develop throughout recent history and continue to develop today.
Along with the social changes for blacks due to the Civil Rights Movement, social changes for women have been an important aspect in American Literature. Ann Bradstreet was one of the first female American writers. She was more educated than most women of her time. Bradstreet was a poet that found comfort from the world around her, not from God.
Between the 1700 and 1820, Annis Boudinot Stockton was a key figure in changes that were to come for American women. She published most of her poetry under the names Mrs. A. S. or Mrs. S. Stockton probably did so because it was not popular for a woman during this time to be educated. She had radical ideas for her time. In “A Sarcasm against the ladies in a newspaper; An impromptu answer” in layman’s terms she says, you may not understand women. You may want to change women, but you cannot. You need us the way we are, because you need us to fulfill your pleasures and needs. This was the general mindset for the purpose of women in Stockton’s time. It was believed, though women may think, they are only able to do so in order to fulfill their husbands. Women are only put on this earth for men and procreation.
This reasoning began to change during the Romantic Period. This period shows a significant increase in female authors, which means a significant increase in educated women. This could perhaps also relate to the fact that the Romantic Era of Literature was known for emotion over reason and women tend to be more emotional. Many men did feel that women should be kept uneducated. However, they felt this way so that women would not be exposed to the type of literature written. Because a woman’s mind is so feeble, they will be more apt to be tempted by Satan if they read such things.
Fannie Fern was the most popular columnist of her time and chose very political subjects to write on. She was known for being a very sarcastic author. Another important female author is Margaret Fuller, who was thought to be well before her time. Fuller wanted and wrote about equal rights for women. Because of her radical ideas, most of her writings were suppressed up until recently.
Again, Kate Chopin can be accredited for aiding the Women’s Rights Movement. She wrote about the social inequalities of women compared to men, especially in the South. Chopin was raised by very strong women and wrote about very strong women. The women in her stories recognized that they had physical needs; therefore, she had a lot of sexual innuendo in these stories as well.
Like many female authors, Constance Fenimore Woolson had difficulty getting her readers to take her seriously. Literature between the great wars was when a lot of changes came about for women. Because women were given the right to vote and allowed to work in factories while men were overseas, women pretty much ran the country during this time. Had it not been for them, the economy surely would have failed.
Edna S. Vincent Millay wrote many political speeches and became the national symbol of the modern woman. “Her poems are more founded in the failure of love than in the joy of sex” (2109). Like Millay, Katherine Anne Porter did not live her life in a traditional way. She was not a political writer and did not try to build any connections between herself and any political movements.
However, because of how she lived her life, Porter was an important figure in women’s rights as well. In Susan Glasspell’s stories, what it is like to be a woman in her time period can be found. The waves that all of these women caused still ripple throughout American society today.
These many pieces of American Literature reflect all of the social changes in America throughout the ages. Whether it is from women or blacks being able to climb the social ladder or from how Americans view God, these changes are the most important aspects found in American Literature.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
“I tried to show him things, but he didn't seem to study what I showed him. Usually, he just put whatever I handed him in his mouth. He would try to eat anything. I fed him Tabasco sauce and he yelled. Having a little brother helped me learn to relate to other people. Being a little brother, Snort learned to watch what he put in his mouth.”
~ John Elder Robison, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Standing Bear & Sitting Bull
In 1877, Standing Bear declared Indians are persons. He stated,
"my hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain. If you pierce your hand, you also feel pain. The blood that will flow from mine will be the same color as yours. I am a man. The same God made us both."Judge Dundy ruled,
"the question cannot be open to serious doubt. Webster describes a person as 'an individual of the human race.' This is comprehensive enough, it would seem to include even an Indian." And so it was at this time that Indians were finally considered "people."Sitting Bull replied,
"God has made me an Indian, but not a reservation Indian."
“Last summer, when he thought I wasn't looking, I observed Cubby telling one of the neighborhood six-year-olds that there were dragons living in the storm drains, under our street. 'We feed them meat...and then they don't get hungry and blow fire and roast us.' Little James listened closely, with a very serious expression on his face. Then he ran home to get some hot dogs from his mother.”
~ John Elder Robison, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
My Cousin, Shane Jessup's, Toy Signing
Shane Jessup – Lucky Cat Android Signing @ BAIT
If you like Lucky Cats, chances are good you’re eagerly awaiting the new Lucky Cat Androids designed by Shane Jessup for Andrew Bell’s Dyzplastic....
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I feel the theme of the novel is one of a yearning for freedom for all men.
Miss Watson was harder on Huck and more judgmental than her sister.
His mother is dead, and his dad is a drunk. He is beaten and mistreated. It causes the reader to feel compassion for Huck, and realize that he acts the way he does because he has never had a good family life. It is understandable why a person like Huck would not want to be part of a family.
The basic difference between Huck and Tom is that Tom doesn’t mind being settled or tied-down to a family. (They are both orphans, other than that, they are opposites.)
The book is full of satire. The Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons were supposed to be a couple of up-standing, noble families. However, they were in a feud that neither side could remember how it began. In chapter twenty-five the king mistakenly says orgies for obsequies. When he realizes his mistake, he explains that orgies is the word they use in England. Even the most educated towns person does not question it. When the king and duke get tarred and feathered, Huck speaks of how cruel the civilized townspeople were to the men. In the beginning of the book, Tom tells Huck that they are going to form a band of robbers. However, Huck must go back to the widow’s so that he can be respectable.
Three yarns Huck spins are as follows. Huck told Jim that Jim must have dreamed the separation of the two in the fog. It showed how much Jim trusted Huck and how bad it hurt Jim’s feelings that Huck would lie to him. He tells the sister with the hair lip, Joanna, that William IV goes to church with Huck. She does not buy it to start with, which shows that the younger people are not as gullible as their elders. It is not until the elder sister tells her that he must be telling the truth that the girl with the hair lip quiets down. He tells the woman that he is a girl so that he get some information. She quickly catches on that he is a boy. This shows that women ten to be more observant than men and cannot be fooled as easily as men.
Huck observes violence in several places in the book. Huck personally observes violence when his father continually beats him after getting him back home. The two men in the sinking steamboat with the other man is a time when Huck observes violence. Grangerford feud is a time that Huck observes violence. When Colonel Sherburn shoots Boggs is a time that Huck observes violence. Huck observes violence when the towns people tar and feather the king and duke.
I did not find any sexual overtones to the book. However, I decided to research it and found that a lot of people think that Huck’s love for Jim is a homosexual love instead of a brotherly love. I do not see it because they based this on Jim calling Huck “honey” or “chile.” Being from the south, it just sounded like normal language to me. Is it possible that his crush on the older sister, Mary Jane, could have something to do with sexual overtones?
Three scenes/speeches that satirized religious distortions. In Chapter 3 Huck tells us, “Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make a body's mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show with the widow's Providence, but if Miss Watson's got him there warn't no help for him any more.”
We read in Chapter 14, “"Well, but he WAS the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self."
"I doan k'yer what de widder say, he WARN'T no wise man nuther. He had some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two?"
"Yes, the widow told me all about it."
"WELL, den! Warn' dat de beatenes' notion in de worl'? You jes' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump, dah -- dat's one er de women; heah's you -- dat's de yuther one; I's Sollermun; en dish yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does I do? Does I shin aroun' mongs' de neighbors en fine out which un you de bill DO b'long to, en han' it over to de right one, all safe en soun', de way dat anybody dat had any gumption would? No; I take en whack de bill in TWO, en give half un it to you, en de yuther half to de yuther woman. Dat's de way Sollermun was gwyne to do wid de chile. Now I want to ast you: what's de use er dat half a bill? -- can't buy noth'n wid it. En what use is a half a chile? I wouldn' give a dern for a million un um."”
Furthermore Chapter 18 states, “Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.”
According to environmental determinism, the people decended from Greco-Roman ancestary are supposed to be the superior race. Therefore, Huck was raised believing that the white man had the God given right to rule over other races. In chapter thirty-one, Huck decided that since it was Miss Watson’s God given right to own Jim, it was Huck’s responsibility to let Miss Watson have her property back. However, when he decided not to send the letter to Miss Watson, he believed that he would be going to hell.
Huck is an existentialist because he struggles with right and wrong. He knows that he is supposed to support slavery, but he sees problems with supporting slavery. He decided that being a Christian was not right for him because he did not agree with what he thought Christianity was.
Though the language suggests, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel, this does not seem to be true. Though Jim spoke different, he had a more intellectual view on the world than a lot of the white characters. The story is a satire against slavery. Though Huck is told that slavery is okay, he cannot reconcile that viewpoint. The scene with the separation of the slave family in chapter twenty-seven critiques the cruel act of separating husbands from wives and children from parents, which was common practice during the time the novel was set.
Phelps’ plantation events are be considered a weakness for various reasons. It is hard to believe that Aunt Sally did not know her own nephew. It is also a tiring and boring part of the novel to read. It does not have much substance or meaning, and Tom seems to take over. Also, the fact that Tom knew Jim was free, but did not say anything until after he got himself shot was a pretty cruel notion.
The river symbolizes freedom from the constrictions of society.
Miss Watson was harder on Huck and more judgmental than her sister.
His mother is dead, and his dad is a drunk. He is beaten and mistreated. It causes the reader to feel compassion for Huck, and realize that he acts the way he does because he has never had a good family life. It is understandable why a person like Huck would not want to be part of a family.
The basic difference between Huck and Tom is that Tom doesn’t mind being settled or tied-down to a family. (They are both orphans, other than that, they are opposites.)
The book is full of satire. The Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons were supposed to be a couple of up-standing, noble families. However, they were in a feud that neither side could remember how it began. In chapter twenty-five the king mistakenly says orgies for obsequies. When he realizes his mistake, he explains that orgies is the word they use in England. Even the most educated towns person does not question it. When the king and duke get tarred and feathered, Huck speaks of how cruel the civilized townspeople were to the men. In the beginning of the book, Tom tells Huck that they are going to form a band of robbers. However, Huck must go back to the widow’s so that he can be respectable.
Three yarns Huck spins are as follows. Huck told Jim that Jim must have dreamed the separation of the two in the fog. It showed how much Jim trusted Huck and how bad it hurt Jim’s feelings that Huck would lie to him. He tells the sister with the hair lip, Joanna, that William IV goes to church with Huck. She does not buy it to start with, which shows that the younger people are not as gullible as their elders. It is not until the elder sister tells her that he must be telling the truth that the girl with the hair lip quiets down. He tells the woman that he is a girl so that he get some information. She quickly catches on that he is a boy. This shows that women ten to be more observant than men and cannot be fooled as easily as men.
Huck observes violence in several places in the book. Huck personally observes violence when his father continually beats him after getting him back home. The two men in the sinking steamboat with the other man is a time when Huck observes violence. Grangerford feud is a time that Huck observes violence. When Colonel Sherburn shoots Boggs is a time that Huck observes violence. Huck observes violence when the towns people tar and feather the king and duke.
I did not find any sexual overtones to the book. However, I decided to research it and found that a lot of people think that Huck’s love for Jim is a homosexual love instead of a brotherly love. I do not see it because they based this on Jim calling Huck “honey” or “chile.” Being from the south, it just sounded like normal language to me. Is it possible that his crush on the older sister, Mary Jane, could have something to do with sexual overtones?
Three scenes/speeches that satirized religious distortions. In Chapter 3 Huck tells us, “Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make a body's mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show with the widow's Providence, but if Miss Watson's got him there warn't no help for him any more.”
We read in Chapter 14, “"Well, but he WAS the wisest man, anyway; because the widow she told me so, her own self."
"I doan k'yer what de widder say, he WARN'T no wise man nuther. He had some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see. Does you know 'bout dat chile dat he 'uz gwyne to chop in two?"
"Yes, the widow told me all about it."
"WELL, den! Warn' dat de beatenes' notion in de worl'? You jes' take en look at it a minute. Dah's de stump, dah -- dat's one er de women; heah's you -- dat's de yuther one; I's Sollermun; en dish yer dollar bill's de chile. Bofe un you claims it. What does I do? Does I shin aroun' mongs' de neighbors en fine out which un you de bill DO b'long to, en han' it over to de right one, all safe en soun', de way dat anybody dat had any gumption would? No; I take en whack de bill in TWO, en give half un it to you, en de yuther half to de yuther woman. Dat's de way Sollermun was gwyne to do wid de chile. Now I want to ast you: what's de use er dat half a bill? -- can't buy noth'n wid it. En what use is a half a chile? I wouldn' give a dern for a million un um."”
Furthermore Chapter 18 states, “Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.”
According to environmental determinism, the people decended from Greco-Roman ancestary are supposed to be the superior race. Therefore, Huck was raised believing that the white man had the God given right to rule over other races. In chapter thirty-one, Huck decided that since it was Miss Watson’s God given right to own Jim, it was Huck’s responsibility to let Miss Watson have her property back. However, when he decided not to send the letter to Miss Watson, he believed that he would be going to hell.
Huck is an existentialist because he struggles with right and wrong. He knows that he is supposed to support slavery, but he sees problems with supporting slavery. He decided that being a Christian was not right for him because he did not agree with what he thought Christianity was.
Though the language suggests, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel, this does not seem to be true. Though Jim spoke different, he had a more intellectual view on the world than a lot of the white characters. The story is a satire against slavery. Though Huck is told that slavery is okay, he cannot reconcile that viewpoint. The scene with the separation of the slave family in chapter twenty-seven critiques the cruel act of separating husbands from wives and children from parents, which was common practice during the time the novel was set.
Phelps’ plantation events are be considered a weakness for various reasons. It is hard to believe that Aunt Sally did not know her own nephew. It is also a tiring and boring part of the novel to read. It does not have much substance or meaning, and Tom seems to take over. Also, the fact that Tom knew Jim was free, but did not say anything until after he got himself shot was a pretty cruel notion.
The river symbolizes freedom from the constrictions of society.
“Soon I was spending all my time in the basement, and I had moved from taking things apart to putting new things together. I began by building simple devices. Some, like my radios, were useful. Others were merely entertaining. For example, I discovered I could solder some stiff wires onto a capacitor and charge it up. For a few minutes, until the charge leaked away, I had a crude stun gun.
...So I decided to try it on my little brother. I charged the capacitor to a snappy but nonlethal level from a power supply I'd recently removed from our old Zenith television.
'Hey, let's play Jab a Varmint,' I said. I tried to smile disarmingly, keeping the capacitor behind my back and making sure I didn't ruin the effect by jabbing myself or some other object.
'What's that?' he asked, suspiciously.
Before he could escape, I stepped across the room and jabbed him. He jumped. Pretty high, too. Sometimes he would fight back, but this time he ran. The jab was totally unexpected and he didn't realize that I only had the one jab in my capacitor. It would be several years before I had the skill to make a multishot Varmint Jabber.”
~ John Elder Robison, Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Winds Which Stir Antonio
Though it does not play the most important role in Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, wind does play a significant part in the story. Throughout this coming of age story, important changes become predictable through the wind. This symbol is used as both a foreshadowing tool, as well as a metaphor. When Anaya, mentions “wind,” the reader can rest assured that the story’s protagonist, Antonio is about to experience an event that will leave an impression on his soul. The type of wind that Antonio speaks of can also predict the nature of such events. The winds that stir Antonio strip away his innocence and help him to realize that he is in control of his destiny. They lead to spiritual growth and understanding. These winds gave Antonio a deeper understanding and knowledge than his peers.
In the first chapter, Anaya refers to the wind on two different occasions. The first is during the birth of Antonio, when his parents’ families feuded over the future of the newborn. However, when Antonio first meets Ultima, Anaya uses the wind in a more significant manner. To Antonio, this meeting was the beginning of the changes that were to come. He says, “She took my hand, and I felt the power of a whirlwind sweep around me” [italics mine] (12). From this point on, Antonio began to see the world in a new and exciting way.
Unfortunately, the winds in Bless Me, Ultima do not always bring forth enjoyable changes for the young boy. Though the wind brings changes that cause positive spiritual growth, they tend to do so in a more ominous manner. In chapter six, Antonio describes the dark, evil power of the wind or dust devils. All of Antonio’s acquaintances know the unnatural, evil power of these vicious winds; therefore, they ward the devils off with “the sign of the cross.” Out of curiosity, Antonio purposely does not ward off the dust devil and says after he was struck by the wicked wind, “its evil was left imprinted on my soul” (55). Afterward, Antonio takes his first step toward losing his innocence. He now enters school where he begins his long, tumultuous quest of learning.
More innocence is lost as Antonio’s family learns of a curse that has been put on an uncle, Lucas. He had happened upon the Trementia sisters, known witches, celebrating their black mass. During this encounter, the wind was dreary and cold, which gives a sense of death. The winds are just as menacing as Pedro, Antonio, and Ultima travel to free Lucas from his curse. All around the trio, a brutal dust storm violently rips through the landscape. The skies are dark. This gives the reader with an impending sense of doom and wickedness. The events that followed signified an important turning point in Antonio’s life. This was when Antonio first began to question God and his faith. Antonio could not understand how Ultima had the power to free Lucas from his curse, but God did not. This moment caused a struggle between faith and magic that would follow Antonio throughout the book. Another important event that lead to significant change and reinforced the struggle between magic and faith was the death of Narciso. Before his death, Narciso challenged the blizzard, or, in order to warn his friend, Ultima, of Tenorio’s threat on her life. This cold, fierce, blinding north wind was symbolic for the death that was soon to follow. However the death that coincided with the blizzard was not only the death of Antonio’s friend, but also the symbolic death of his admiration of his older brother Andrew.
Though other winds blow throughout the book, the winds in the final chapter bring an end to this particular journey in Antonio’s life. The winds here bring forth peace and clarity. His father, for the first time, allows Antonio to be free to choose his future. He tells the young boy that he is descended from people “who held the wind as brother, because he is free” (247). His father goes on to tell him that his mother is from the earth and the two are often “at odds” with one another. Furthermore, the final winds in Bless Me, Ultima are mournful and serene, and they are even found in Ultima’s final words. She tells Antonio he will be able to find her in the gentle winds of the evening (261). This final change and final mention of the wind had brought Antonio closer to maturity than his peers. It left him stripped from his innocence and in control of his future.
Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central, 1972.
In the first chapter, Anaya refers to the wind on two different occasions. The first is during the birth of Antonio, when his parents’ families feuded over the future of the newborn. However, when Antonio first meets Ultima, Anaya uses the wind in a more significant manner. To Antonio, this meeting was the beginning of the changes that were to come. He says, “She took my hand, and I felt the power of a whirlwind sweep around me” [italics mine] (12). From this point on, Antonio began to see the world in a new and exciting way.
Unfortunately, the winds in Bless Me, Ultima do not always bring forth enjoyable changes for the young boy. Though the wind brings changes that cause positive spiritual growth, they tend to do so in a more ominous manner. In chapter six, Antonio describes the dark, evil power of the wind or dust devils. All of Antonio’s acquaintances know the unnatural, evil power of these vicious winds; therefore, they ward the devils off with “the sign of the cross.” Out of curiosity, Antonio purposely does not ward off the dust devil and says after he was struck by the wicked wind, “its evil was left imprinted on my soul” (55). Afterward, Antonio takes his first step toward losing his innocence. He now enters school where he begins his long, tumultuous quest of learning.
More innocence is lost as Antonio’s family learns of a curse that has been put on an uncle, Lucas. He had happened upon the Trementia sisters, known witches, celebrating their black mass. During this encounter, the wind was dreary and cold, which gives a sense of death. The winds are just as menacing as Pedro, Antonio, and Ultima travel to free Lucas from his curse. All around the trio, a brutal dust storm violently rips through the landscape. The skies are dark. This gives the reader with an impending sense of doom and wickedness. The events that followed signified an important turning point in Antonio’s life. This was when Antonio first began to question God and his faith. Antonio could not understand how Ultima had the power to free Lucas from his curse, but God did not. This moment caused a struggle between faith and magic that would follow Antonio throughout the book. Another important event that lead to significant change and reinforced the struggle between magic and faith was the death of Narciso. Before his death, Narciso challenged the blizzard, or, in order to warn his friend, Ultima, of Tenorio’s threat on her life. This cold, fierce, blinding north wind was symbolic for the death that was soon to follow. However the death that coincided with the blizzard was not only the death of Antonio’s friend, but also the symbolic death of his admiration of his older brother Andrew.
Though other winds blow throughout the book, the winds in the final chapter bring an end to this particular journey in Antonio’s life. The winds here bring forth peace and clarity. His father, for the first time, allows Antonio to be free to choose his future. He tells the young boy that he is descended from people “who held the wind as brother, because he is free” (247). His father goes on to tell him that his mother is from the earth and the two are often “at odds” with one another. Furthermore, the final winds in Bless Me, Ultima are mournful and serene, and they are even found in Ultima’s final words. She tells Antonio he will be able to find her in the gentle winds of the evening (261). This final change and final mention of the wind had brought Antonio closer to maturity than his peers. It left him stripped from his innocence and in control of his future.
Works Cited
Friday, March 15, 2013
"There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle,
'Twas St Patrick himself, sure, that set it;
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile,
And with dew from his eye often wet it.
It thrives through the bog, through the brake, and the mireland;
And he called it the dear little shamrock of Ireland..."
~ Andrew Cherry
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Eolian Harp
composed at clevedon, somersetshireMy pensive Sara! thy soft cheek reclinedThus on mine arm, most soothing sweet it isTo sit beside our Cot, our Cot o’ergrownWith white-flowered Jasmin, and the broad-leaved Myrtle,(Meet emblems they of Innocence and Love!)And watch the clouds, that late were rich with light,Slow saddening round, and mark the star of eveSerenely brilliant (such would Wisdom be)Shine opposite! How exquisite the scentsSnatched from yon bean-field! and the world so hushed!The stilly murmur of the distant SeaTells us of silence.And that simplest Lute,Placed length-ways in the clasping casement, hark!How by the desultory breeze caressed,Like some coy maid half yielding to her lover,It pours such sweet upbraiding, as must needsTempt to repeat the wrong! And now, its stringsBoldlier swept, the long sequacious notesOver delicious surges sink and rise,Such a soft floating witchery of soundAs twilight Elfins make, when they at eveVoyage on gentle gales from Fairy-Land,Where Melodies round honey-dropping flowers,Footless and wild, like birds of Paradise,Nor pause, nor perch, hovering on untamed wing!O! the one Life within us and abroad,Which meets all motion and becomes its soul,A light in sound, a sound-like power in light,Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere—Methinks, it should have been impossibleNot to love all things in a world so filled;Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still airIs Music slumbering on her instrument.And thus, my Love! as on the midway slopeOf yonder hill I stretch my limbs at noon,Whilst through my half-closed eyelids I beholdThe sunbeams dance, like diamonds, on the main,And tranquil muse upon tranquility:Full many a thought uncalled and undetained,And many idle flitting phantasies,Traverse my indolent and passive brain,As wild and various as the random galesThat swell and flutter on this subject Lute!And what if all of animated natureBe but organic Harps diversely framed,That tremble into thought, as o’er them sweepsPlastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,At once the Soul of each, and God of all?But thy more serious eye a mild reproofDarts, O beloved Woman! nor such thoughtsDim and unhallowed dost thou not reject,And biddest me walk humbly with my God.Meek Daughter in the family of Christ!Well hast thou said and holily dispraisedThese shapings of the unregenerate mind;Bubbles that glitter as they rise and breakOn vain Philosophy’s aye-babbling spring.For never guiltless may I speak of him,The Incomprehensible! save when with aweI praise him, and with Faith that inly feels;Who with his saving mercies healèd me,A sinful and most miserable man,Wildered and dark, and gave me to possessPeace, and this Cot, and thee, heart-honored Maid!Kubla Kahn
In Xanadu did Kubla KhanA stately pleasure-dome decree:Where Alph, the sacred river, ranThrough caverns measureless to manDown to a sunless sea.So twice five miles of fertile groundWith walls and towers were girdled round:And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;And here were forests ancient as the hills,Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slantedDown the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!A savage place! as holy and enchantedAs e'er beneath a waning moon was hauntedBy woman wailing for her demon-lover!And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,A mighty fountain momently was forced:Amid whose swift half-intermitted burstHuge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher's flail:And 'mid these dancing rocks at once and everIt flung up momently the sacred river.Five miles meandering with a mazy motionThrough wood and dale the sacred river ran,Then reached the caverns measureless to man,And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from farAncestral voices prophesying war!The shadow of the dome of pleasureFloated midway on the waves;Where was heard the mingled measureFrom the fountain and the caves.It was a miracle of rare device,A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!A damsel with a dulcimerIn a vision once I saw:It was an Abyssinian maid,And on her dulcimer she played,Singing of Mount Abora.Could I revive within meHer symphony and song,To such a deep delight 'twould win meThat with music loud and longI would build that dome in air,That sunny dome! those caves of ice!And all who heard should see them there,And all should cry, Beware! Beware!His flashing eyes, his floating hair!Weave a circle round him thrice,And close your eyes with holy dread,For he on honey-dew hath fedAnd drunk the milk of Paradise.
I have always enjoyed Coleridge’s poetry. I like the imagery that Coleridge used in these two poems. Coleridge paints a beautiful picture. There is a dark undertone to his poetry as well. From what I have read, all Romantics have that particular element.
Coleridge sees himself as a priest-like visionary with a connection to God. Coleridge feels it is his responsibility to share the vision of God to the people. Like Wordsworth, Coleridge’s vision of God comes from nature.
“And that simplest lute,….Is Music slumbering on her instrument.” (lines 13-33)
Coleridge sees the poet as the lute, and the breeze is his muse. She gives him songs of beauty and God. These songs were meant to uplift the soul of man. The poet must translate these songs for the rest of us to hear, so that we all see the light. If the poet does not translate the “Music” or the message, then the message will never be heard.
“And what if all of animated nature….At once the Soul of each, and God of All?” (lines 44-48)
If we all were poets, our words would mean little. The rational or “intellectual breeze,” would change the meaning of nature, the meaning of God.
“On vain Philosophy’s aye-babbling spring….Peace, and this cot, and the, heart-honored Maid!” (lines 57-64)
Coleridge tells us that while he is in nature, down by the spring, he is with God. Coleridge goes on to say that he was “a sinful and most miserable man,” but because he found peace in his God, he has peace and beauty in his life.
“A damsel with a dulcimer…That sunny dome! those caves of ice!” (lines 37-47)
The narrator saw a woman in a vision. She sang a song that filled him with peace and happiness. Her song told the narrator that he must help to rebuild a paradise. The paradise should be well balanced.
Unlike Blake, Coleridge sees himself as more of a translator or priest-like visionary than a god-like prophet. Blake says, “Hear the voice of the bard! Who Present, Past, & Future sees;…” In other words, Blake is saying, I am all knowing and all seeing. Coleridge is more subtle with his message. In “The Eolin Harp” he says, “And the simplest lute…” This can be translated as I am just a simple instrument which nature uses to spread her message.
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