tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39753827126567829872023-11-15T06:12:51.761-08:00AshleyAshley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-82855874215530075012009-05-20T22:18:00.000-07:002009-05-20T22:34:03.603-07:00PortfolioReflection Paper<br /><br /> Throughout this school year, a tremendous amount of time and effort was invested into the numerous essays and projects assigned. Now that everything is accomplished, I feel as if there are many areas I have made improvements in while there are still many areas that I need to continue to improve. The assignments included in the portfolio exemplify in some form, many of these criteria. <br /><br /> In terms of reading, I have made improvements in analyzing and being able to evaluate various pieces of literature and connect them to different parts of the text. For instance, Shakespearean texts have always been a great challenge for me because I find them difficult to completely understand the language and to find the symbolic and metaphorical meanings to his words. However, I chose the dialectical journal entry, titled “Notebook Entry-Hamlet,” which was written on the play Hamlet because I feel as if this entry captured various elements and strengthened ideas I developed about previous portions of the text which I was not sure about. This entry focuses on lines spoken by Queen Gertrude in Act I Scene V of the play, in which she directly informs the king and Laertes about the death of Ophelia. As she stands over Ophelia’s grave she says, “Sweets to the sweet, farewell!” (Shakespeare 229) and I immediately took note of the queen’s tone, and wrote in my notebook that an “exclamation point is not fitting for someone who is saying goodbye to a dead person because it implies an elated and joyful tone of voice.” With that, I reread the passage and noticed the stage direction and it too implied that the queen did not care too much about the situation because she was aimlessly throwing the flowers over the grave. After evaluating Queen Gertrude’s words and her actions, I combined them with previous evidence in the text, such as the detailed account she gave about the actual act of Ophelia’s death, and determined that the queen killed Ophelia and was covering the grave to uphold her appearance. This dialectical journal entry shows that I am able to analyze information better by using multiple methods; however, this entry also shows areas that need much improvement. Such as, in developing a stronger thesis, one that captures in great depth my ideas about the passage and is followed by concrete supporting details to give a proper summation of my theory.<br /><br /> Proper analysis of any texts affects my ability to develop a well written essay. A major flaw that I find in my writing many times is a result of improper analysis. Such errors can be seen in a literary analysis, titled “Setting” on the short story, “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon. This essay focuses on Weldon’s use of setting to convey his ideas. This essay was written in the earlier part of the year and I remember that it was difficult to interpret, which affected the essay because I was unable to create an introduction that immediately grabbed the attention of the readers. For instance, I began my paper by writing, “ ‘IND AFF’ by Fay Weldon is a short story that uses its setting to convey the most significant ideas of the story.” Over the years, I have found that I greatly struggle with introductions and if I was able to better analyze the text, I think I would have been able to give a stronger lead into my thesis, rather than an opening line that was quite repetitive. At the same time, I noticed in this paper that the weak opening lines lead to an interesting thesis, one that incorporated information from the story and prior historical knowledge. After rereading this essay, I still feel as if I need to improve my analyzing skills in order to create intriguing opening lines; however, I think that in the end I was able create a surprisingly strong piece based on the information I felt confident in and fully understood.<br /><br /> A strength that I discovered in writing the essay on “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon was that I am able to incorporate textual evidence into the paper with ease. For example I wrote, “Although the student felt as if she was ‘…winning hands down…’(Weldon 202) the unpredicted rain fall leads to a symbolic cleansing idea because Peter’s wife is a swimming coach and although she was nearly half way around the world, it was ‘…raining on his wife, too…’ (202)” This sentence was quite complex with the ideas and evidence I tried to provide, but I think one strength in my writing comes from being able to pick out more than a few pieces of good textual evidence to intertwine with my own words and attempt to present a strong argument.<br /> <br /> I also noticed my ability to integrate quotes and textual evident in my research paper on sculptor Antony Gormley, titled “Antony Gormley: Unifying Art and the Human Body.” Gormley’s work is quite complex but I desired to introduce this talented artist in an interesting manner, so I was prompted to integrate a quote that I had seen on numerous occasions into my introduction. The essay began as such: “Contemporary artist, Antony Gormley has redefined the correlation between art and the human body within the last 25 years as he ‘…revitalized the human image in sculpture through a radical investigation of the body as a place of memory and transformation’ (Gormley, A. “Antony Gormley”).” I found this quote interesting and a perfect starting point into his background because it expressed his impact on the art community over a broad span of time. I also feel that the quote flows easily with the part of the sentence I composed because they collectively introduce the readers to a new art theory and the quote is so powerful that it could be difficult to understand without short summation of the idea. Integrating quotes and interpreting their meanings are skills that I continued to exemplify as I wrote, “In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley stated ‘I am interested in discovering principles… I think that underlying my return to the human body is an idea of re-linking art with human survival’ (Hutchinson). Since human survival comes in various forms, everyone will have their own unique interpretation. By leaving every sculpture essentially as a blank canvas, individuals can connect their personal survival stories with any sculpture they are viewing.” (Antony Gormley: Unifying Art) I feel that I evaluated this quote well because I completely saw Gormley’s philosophy play out in several of his pieces so I was able to visualize his sculptures simply as a guide for people to use as a way to understanding their own experiences. <br /><br />I have also grown tremendously in my abilities to understand literature and apply it in a way that allows me to compose an original creative piece. I wrote a poem based on the book, “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and this assignment was unique because the book was difficult to understand, however, I wrote the poem based on a particular theme or character in each of the three sections of the book. The first section, titled “Hunters of Darkness”, captures the overall scene of the book in the lines: “The sea of Thames, was the beginning, of emptiness. Deadly danger, the possibility, of a sudden onslaught, was of sight, somewhere in Africa.” These lines show my attention to detail and an arrangement of words and phrases from multiple pages that collectively express a clear idea. The second section titled “Civilized Man” focuses on the main character Marlow and his growth throughout the journey, which is captured in the lines “Marlow…prejudice, no doubt…but [he] had passion, for exploration…[he] admits [his] behaviour, was inexcusable.” I commend myself for arranging the entire poem so that it showed the growth Marlow under went from his original drastic beliefs to appreciating the journey because it gave him the opportunity to learn to accept others, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. <br />This year has been full of various assignments and it is difficult to evaluate my progress, but I think I have made major improvements in both areas of reading and writing. My biggest improvement has come about in being more aware as to how certain elements of a novel relate to the overarching themes of the book. This leads to better essay writing because I am able to create stronger assertions and provide concrete evidence. Still, although I feel that I have shown growth throughout the year, there are still areas that I need to improve upon in order to strengthen my future reading and writing abilities. <br /><br />Creative Piece<br /><br />Hunters of Darkness <br /><br />Ogni uomo é il suo capo nemico. Anacharsis<br /><br />The air was dark. <br />Peculiar blackness.<br />The sea of Thames, was <br />the beginning, of emptiness. <br />Deadly danger and<br /> a sudden onslaught,<br />was of sight<br />somewhere, in Africa. <br />Death in the air, of this region, <br />of subtle horror. We were man enough, <br />to face the darkness. <br /><br />Civilized Man <br /><br />Imparare il significato di quanto lei dice, e poi prendere la parola. Epictetus<br /><br />Marlow was not typical. <br />Prejudice, no doubt. <br />Resenting the sight of, dark–faced,<br />red-eyed devils. <br />Unwholesome simple people, <br />chain-gang pilgrims, and <br />something ominous in the atmosphere. <br />Marlow was uneasy. <br />The whites, of course <br />greatly discomposed, by the savage. <br />But, I had a passion, for exploration,<br />and other places. I admit my behaviour,<br /> was inexcusable.<br /><br />Powers of Darkness <br /><br /> Speranza di malati guadagno è l'inizio della perdita. Democritus <br /><br />He had the power, <br />to charm rudimentary souls.<br />Envy and devotion, to Kurtz<br /> was endless.<br />An audience, his ability to talk, <br />and sense of real presence.<br />But the darkly menacing, Ivory hunt, <br />and many powers, of darkness, <br />claimed him, for their own.<br />Through two illnesses,<br />Kurtz is dead. <br />He won’t be forgotten.<br /><br />Research Paper<br /><br />Antony Gormley: Unifying Art and the Human Body<br /><br /> Contemporary artist, Antony Gormley, has redefined the correlation between art and the human body within the last 25 years as he “…revitalized the human image in sculpture through a radical investigation of the body as a place of memory and transformation” (Gormley, A. “Antony Gormley”). Born on August 30, 1950 in London, England, Gormley was raised in a wealthy household as one of six children. He has always been an academically driven student with initial schooling at Ampleforth College and continuing to Trinity College, where he received a degree in Archaeology, Anthropology and the History of Art during the years of 1968 and 1971. Gormley’s true passion for art initiated after spending three years traveling around India and Sri Lanka where he had the pleasure of studying the ancient teachings of Buddhism. With his new found love for art, he returned to London and attended Central School of Art and Goldsmith's College. He then transferred to Slade School of Art where he completed a postgraduate course in Sculpture between the years of 1977 and 1979.<br /> Art historians believe his work “has revivified the way in which the human form is appropriated” since numerous pieces of his artwork are molds taken of his own body form (Gormley, A. “Antony Gormley”). Many critics, such as Susan Hubbard were skeptical of his views when he first entered the art industry because she thought he was an unserious artist while others thought his desires to only use his body as the center of his creations would cause his sculptures to be unrelatable. Gormley stood by his beliefs and felt that since“…the closest experience of matter that [he] will ever have and the only part of the material world that [he] [lives] inside” is his own body; he felt his beliefs were more than adequate (“Antony Gormley Biography”). Gormley strongly feels that because his sculptures lack any trace of physical identity, such as facial expressions, viewers are able to gain a profound connection between themselves and the sculptures by envisioning themselves in the mind of the sculpture and in turn becoming the person enduring the struggles or actions of the sculpture. In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley stated “I am interested in discovering principles… I think that underlying my return to the human body is an idea of re-linking art with human survival” (Hutchinson). Since human survival comes in all different forms and depending on the viewer, everyone will have a different interpretation. By leaving every sculpture essentially as a blank canvas, individuals are able to connect their personal survival stories with any sculpture they are viewing. <br />With Gormley’s inspiration originating from modernist theories and non - western religious studies, he has been able to use his fascination with the Buddhism religion to formulate the idea of “body-as-space” and “space-as-mass” to understand the central belief of unifying body, mind, and space (Gregory). Gormley touches upon all of those beliefs with the creation of five phenomenal pieces: Waste Man, Event Horizon, Quantum Cloud, Still Falling, and Present Time. With these pieces and numerous others, Gormley has not only transformed England but the modern views of an artist. By placing his artwork in specific areas around London, his sculptures have progressively become a part of the natural environment. His desire to use his body as the basis of his sculptures has resultantly given viewers the freedom to envision themselves as a part of the artwork because the sculptures do not physically identify with any particular individual. With his ambitions of gathering a community together in order to create his pieces, he has highlighted his aspirations of revamping and strengthening the unity within a community and individuals with their body, mind, and space. <br /> The first piece titled “Waste Man” boldly embodied many of Antony Gormley’s theories. The sculpture was built during the summer of 2006 and it stood approximately 63 feet tall, 15.09 feet in length and 8.86 feet in width on the rocky surface of Margate, UK. Although “Waste Man” was built in a poorer section of Margate, the site alone brings many of the locals an abundance of joy because it was built near a well known area called, Funfair a place that reminded many of the locals of an exciting time during their childhood. The joyful memories from this site possibly prompted Gormley to gather the locals to build the artwork but he essentially expanded upon that idea by convincing the members of the community to donate materials from their homes to build “Waste Man.” He also encouraged a disposal service company called Thante, to aid in the entire construction process. In total, they were able to collect thirty tons of waste and they eagerly began this massive project. <br /> The beginning stages of the six week project involved the entire base of the sculpture to be built out of what appeared to be long wooden planks. They were generally constructed vertically or horizontally, especially in the hip area, which apparently needed to be extremely sturdy because it is the only portion of the body that has consecutive rows of wooden boards aligned horizontally. The boards are arranged with large gaps in between one another to accommodate for the later installation of the household appliances. Cranes lifted the construction workers to the upper half of the body in order to construct the abdomen, head, and neck. The only round structure on the body was the head, which was supported by an arrangement of a few tiny boards that later resembled the neck. The shoulders and arms were shaped in the form of cylinders and interestingly enough, one arm was raised in the air as if the sculpture was waving to the people below (Spicer). The palms of the hands appear rectangular shaped and to be made of a flat object, possible a picture frame and the fingers are made of long, pole like objects. There are four fingers and there does not appear to be a thumb on either hand. Continuing down the body, one would find a huge rectangular shaped opening in the middle of the body, and in relation to a human body; this area would be close to the heart and the upper portion of the abdomen. After laying down the frame of the body, the workers went back and filled all of the previous spaces between the boards with thousands of various colorful household appliances, such as pink toilet seats, picture frames, chairs, ladders, and even wooden doors.<br /> After “Waste Man” was constructed, some referred to it as the Penny Woolcock’s Margate Exodus, a retelling of the biblical story of the enslavement of Jewish people. Penny Woolcock felt the piece represented the image of a burning bush that gave Mosses his mission to free the slaves, many locals thought it symbolized those “…who had been dispossessed or refused a place, standing up defiantly to be recognized” (Kittelmann, U. “Total Strangers.” Antony Gormley). By creating this piece, Gormley was able to visually convey the message that everyone deserved to have a voice in their community, regardless of their financial status. Not too long after these revelations were made, hundreds of people from the town gathered to watch the burning of “Waste Man.” As this slow process started, black smoke first engulfed the body as yellow and orange colored flames crept up the body’s sides. Many of the household materials began to fly off of the body, leaving behind gaping holes and the original wooden planks. The head and neck were the first of the major body parts to completely burn of, followed by both arms dwindling down to the body’s sides and the legs appearing to be extremely skinny because the outer planks had fallen off. The rectangular opening near the heart was the second to last remaining part of the body before that too burned off and the only visible structure left was the framework of the legs. After thirty-two minutes, “Waste Man” was completely demolished and as the locals stood in awe, it became apparent that “Waste Man” was a perfect representation of that section of Margate because it showed that even through the most strenuous obstacles, the core of any community – the people – are able to withstand anything as long as they are united. <br /> The second piece from this collection that made a lasting impact on a particular community is called “Event Horizon” and it drastically changed the city of London after it was unveiled during May of 2007. This piece became notorious for its magnitude and the fact that it was not simply one sculpture but thirty-one life-sized bronze male figures placed in strategic locations around the city. To the amazement of many Londoners, they saw numerous sculptures placed on the roof tops of some of the most prominent buildings in London, all overlooking the city’s horizon. Gormley’s motives in the creation of this piece, was to promote his upcoming exhibit, “Blind Light,” he also wanted to make a major impact on the locals and with all of the sculptures placed in areas ranging from the Shell Centre to King’s College, he made sure all of the sculptures were pointing in the direction of the exhibit’s location, the Hayward Gallery (Vidler and Mitchell). Seeing as how the majority of Gormley’s sculptures are modeled off of his own body and they strongly uphold Gormley’s philosophies of stripping away any trace of physical identity, the locations of these thirty-one sculptures holds the true significance behind the artwork.<br /> One of these places includes the Waterloo Bridge and the sculpture stands at the northern tip of the bridge. The bridge is important because it was the first bridge ever constructed at this site and it was given its name after the British were victorious in the Battle of Waterloo during 1815. Numerous photographs taken of the sculpture portray it standing on the corner of the Waterloo Bridge amidst fast movements represented by an array of flashing colors from the abundance of cars and people that pass by the bridge on a daily basis. This effect is crucial to Gormley’s reasonings as to why he chose to place the sculpture at this particular bridge because the rapid movements emphasize how people constantly move from one place to another and fail to take the time to appreciate the historical importance of the bridge. Gormley believes that if something noticeable is placed near the bridge, people would eventually stop to appreciate such subtle important aspects of the bridge. This goal was accomplished because many tourists are currently seen either taking pictures with the sculpture or simply viewing the magnificent creations. <br /> Another sculpture is placed on the rooftop of a building that is close in proximity to the London Eye. Being the biggest Ferris Wheel in all of Europe, it has become one of London’s most popular tourist attractions with nearly three million people visiting the site each year. Gormley’s decision to place the statue on top of a building close to this attraction was a key move because the people on the ride are given the opportunity to see the entire city. The significance of this site is similar to that of the Waterloo Bridge in the sense that such an unusual statue stands in an unlikely place, which causes people at the very least to take note of such abnormalities, however, this site is also unique because unlike the bridge, people do not have the ability to move at their own fast pace. The wheel moves at a slow pace so that everyone can have the opportunity to notice everything the city has to offer. Both of these locations and the twenty-nine others, allow the viewers to understand Gormley’s of a sculpture being “…a direct way of allowing the mind to dwell in matter” because without displaying these sculptures, many would never decide to slow down and genuinely consider the subtle and historical beauties of London (Crags 156). Although once Gormley’s exhibit of “Blind Light” ended all of the sculptures had to be removed, Gormley’s courageous initiative of adding something unique and creative to the city by placing unordinary sculptures in unusual locations resultantly broaden the horizons of many because they finally enjoyed and fully appreciated the finer aspects of the city.<br /> The third piece in this collection introduces one of Gormley’s most highly valued beliefs in the ancient teachings of Buddhism. After traveling to India and Sri Lanka during the early 1970’s to study Buddhism, many of those teachings can be seen throughout much of his work. Such as in the piece titled, “Quantum Cloud”, which was erected in 1999 just in time for the opening of the Millennium Dome. This is Gormley’s tallest piece of art, standing approximately 98.43 feet tall on a platform stationed on the Thames River. Gormley comments on how he “…purposefully left the decision of whether this piece is abstract or the representational” up to the viewers (Vidler, and Mitchell 270). With that, the viewers can see that the piece stands at the center of the plank, and if they look closely enough, they can see a human figure standing up straight, with its arms and hands tight at their sides, in the middle of the cloud. The figure can be seen because this portion of the cloud is a lot darker and the metal nails are closer in proximity. The surrounding cloud is formed by steel nails that are 1.5 meters in length and as one moves farther away from the center of the cloud, the nails become more scattered and almost appear to form the shape of daggers. The base of the cloud is rounded, which allows the statue to firmly stand on the plank. The cloud appears to be a silver color, while the figure is a darker gray color. <br /> When trying to understand the complex meaning of this particular sculpture, it is necessary to understand Gormley’s strong beliefs in Buddhism, which originated from a man known as Buddha who investigated his mind and eventually obtained a spiritual awakening, which is the understanding of one’s real nature. In Buddhism, it is commonly believed that human beings are unhappy because they do not understand their own real identity or potential because from birth, people are taught who they are, how to act, and what to think (“Antony Gormley.” Double Take). In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley said, “I hope that my art tries to deal with big questions like who are we... where are we going…” and he is able to do just that through many of his pieces because he constantly challenges the viewers to question their existence by giving them the freedom to interpret his work in a way that will be most significant to that particular individual (Hutchinson 240). In terms of “Quantum Cloud,” Gormley would most likely interpret this piece based on the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, which originated from India and is the location in which he studied Buddhism. Also, this specific practice heavily focuses on meditation and the idea of body, mind, and space uniting as one.<br /> Gormley desires to “…make concrete the life that goes on within the head” and to prevent the mind and body from becoming detached ( Brenson). This can be accomplished through the first practice of meditation, which is concentration. Concentration involves visualizing certain processes in the body, and in terms of “Quantum Cloud,” this process would involve the flow of energy. Gormley focuses on the body and its interaction with the surrounding space by showing the outer steel rods surrounding the body in a scattered motion, which represents all of the chaos surrounding the figure. Gormley also expresses how the figure can easily become consumed with the surrounding chaos, however, through mediation the figure is able to find peace within itself and is able to stay calm, which is indicated by the figure’s still posture. Just as the figure is at the center of the cloud and the chaos, the figure was able to center itself and find inner tranquility that would block out the outer commotion. <br /> The second practice of achieving complete meditation is mindfulness, which occurs when the mind observes itself conducting some sort of activity and takes note of the outer occurrences; however, the person does not allow himself to become distracted by the outer influences. In terms of “Quantum Cloud,” the figure’s activity would be viewed as standing in meditation and metaphorically the outer influences are represented by the scattered nails surrounding the figure. Based on the body’s still form, it is clear that the figure is meditating and has centered its mind enough so that the outer commotion does not affect him. The sculpture is also surrounded mainly by water and the quiet surroundings allude to the idea that Gormley chose this setting so that the sculpture’s mind has something to concentrate all of its thoughts on, which will make it even more difficult to become distracted by the outer most nails. Gormley emphasizes focusing on something serene such as water in order to bring about peaceful, calming thoughts. In an interview with Udo Kittelmann, Gormley said he wanted to recognize “…the internal condition of this space …and in some possible way to expose that space…” and in effect, he is trying to view the space within the body and portray it to the world through his sculptures by depicting the interactions of the inner body’s space with outer space, such as daily occurrences (Kittelmann, U.“Total Strangers.” Extracts from interview). Simultaneously, he wants to emphasize how the body is able to properly cope with various forms of frustration by centering the body and mind with mediation. <br /> The fourth piece in this collection is titled, “Still Falling” and it is one of Gormley’s earlier pieces of artwork that was constructed during 1983. This piece is significant for many difference reasons, one of which begins with the piece’s location, Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. This park is unique because it was specially created for artists and sculptors to design their innovative pieces on the walls, which eventually changed the city of London by improving the city’s physical appearance. Gormley’s ideas for this piece, keeping in mind his passion for Buddhist theories, thrived by the fact that the park itself was created by both man and nature. The park was formed through natural processes but was eventually revamped through the aid of mankind and numerous sculptors like Gormley who wanted to improve the perception of London. <br /> From afar, one may look at this piece and only see brown and white colored granite and a hilly, rocky cliff. However, if one were to continue looking at the cliff, one would begin to notice the figure of a human body descending down the side of the cliff. The figure is falling head first and it appears as if the figure is facing towards the cliff rather than towards the open air. Gormley was able to avoid the addition of facial features, a technique that he used throughout many creations of his artwork. The figure seems to be gliding rather than falling down the cliff because its hands are gently placed at its sides. The feeling of being at peace with this downward motion is represented by the arms’ stillness instead of frantic flares because the figure is falling into rocky areas (Gormley, A. Malmo Konsthall). The Tibetan Buddhist ideals seem to be relevant in this piece as well because the figure is mindful of its surroundings, and at the same time, submerged in meditation that has allowed the figure to focus on the beautiful surrounding green leaves and trees rather than the rocky and sharp pit below. Gormley seems to express how the figure is allowing its body to gently become a part of nature and seeing as how the area in which the piece is carved into appears deeper than the surrounding area, this implies that nature is graciously welcoming the figure into its new surroundings. The figure is so small and the arms are so close to the body that it almost looks like an angel or some other serene figure. The area is lighter around the figure and this could symbolize a light of acceptance shining on the figure and the blossoming purple flowers indicate a peaceful environment. Although the viewers know realistically the figure will not hit the bottom of the cliff, the beautiful setting, the deep mediation the figure has fallen into and the title of the piece, forces the viewers to feel as if the figure will never hit rock bottom because nature continues to welcome all. By concentrating on nature and by maintaining mindfulness, the figure will not allow itself to become consumed with the idea of hitting the bottom and will forever freely fall into nature. <br /> “Still Falling,” also strongly embodies Gormley’s overwhelming desires to gather together a community of people in order to construct his artwork because this difficult piece definitely required tremendous efforts on the behalf of an entire team of workers to complete the task. The initial chiseling of the cliff was a laborious task because the men did not use any form of advanced technology. They used blocks and wedges. Gormley understands the great lengths the workers went to in order to finish the project and yet, he strongly feels that situations such as those bring community members together and force them to work through any differences they may have, while creating something that is bigger than each individual. Gormley’s team and teachings also shows that when approaching such a gigantic task, one has to “…consider the material as part of the place; as part of the earth. The joy of this project at Tout is that this very special place provides the inspiration, the material, the studio and the exhibition space” (“Antony Gormley- Still Falling”). Gormley calls attention to the fact that nature is a blank canvas waiting for people to work with it rather than against it, with the intensions of molding it into something that is original, and portrays a positively impacting display for everyone in the community to view. <br /> The fifth and final piece of this collection is titled, “Present Time,” which was constructed during 1986 to 1989. Unlike many of Gormley’s pieces that are on display in an open area of either London or any of its neighboring cities, “Present Time” is visually impacting and the full meaning behind this piece leads to an even greater appreciation for the artwork. Located in the National Galleries of Scotland in the city of London, this sculpture stands 11.15 feet tall 6.33 feet in length and 1.15 feet in width. It is composed of medium lead fiber glass plaster and air. The light brown coloring and a hint of gray are just the subtle factors that cause this piece to be eye-catching. Most noticeably, there are two figures, both representing the shape of a human body, placed on top of one another. The upper half of the body is upside down with its legs outstretched, spread apart from one another and its feet flat. There is a vertical yellow line that extends down the midline of the upper body and continues to run downward toward the feet of the lower body. This line is horizontally bisected by two arms that are outstretched, with one yellow line extending from the left hand and stretching across the figure’s chest to conclude at the right hand. The figure’s palms are slightly cuffed and its fingers and thumbs are all tightly joined. Continuing down the figure, it is clear that the two bodies are adjoined at the neck and the lower half is planted firmly on the floor. The body seems to be shaped in the form of a mummy with its arms and hands stiffly by its sides and legs close together. There is no separation between the arms and the sides of the body and there is no separation between the legs. There are also yellow lines that run horizontally from the right side of the body to the left side and these lines are only seen on the lower half of the figure (Jay). <br /> At first glance, this piece is clearly striking and intriguing; however, a viewer needs to understand how Gormley connects Tibetan Buddhists beliefs to his artwork, in order to truly understand this particular piece. On the surface, a viewer can see how the lower half expresses the idea of being confined judging by the body’s tightly wrapped form and its body parts clenched together. The lower half also evokes feelings of imprisonment. With the upper half portrayed with both legs and arms outstretched, the viewers understand the belief that this portion is free. The Buddhist religious values play a crucial role as one sees how the upper half is concentrated on the figure’s spiritual or mental state, while the lower half represents the body’s physical state. Ironically, both of these states are connected but yet divided (Jay). The upper half of the figure allows itself to connect with its surrounding space by spreading its arms and legs, by feeling what space and air are like. The lower half, however, appears to be timid and even afraid of interacting with its surroundings and resultantly is secluded from the rest of the world. The yellow lines are also important to the figure’s meaning because they divide the body so that the viewers are able to see how the figure is affected when it is confided in comparison to when it is free. The lines on the upper half of the figure are more outstretched and farther apart, as if they have room to do things that are specific to each one. Whereas the lines on the lower half are closer together and as the viewer’s eyes descend down the body, the lines become smaller as if there is less room to explore the surrounding space. The figure portrays the idea that although one may try to unify their body, mind, and space, it can continue to be divided and essentially trapped from true freedom and expression if one does not completely and fully submit to the teachings of mediation, concentration, and mindfulness. <br />“…The body is the place where emotions are most directly registered..” says Gormley, which lead Courtesy Jay to see Gormley’s work of “Present Time” as the upper half representing the mind and the lower half representing the physical (Kittelmann, U. “Total Strangers.” Extracts from interview). This widely believed concept lead to speculation that a person genuinely has to succumb to mediation and the acceptance of oneself becoming connected with nature and space both mentally and physically if he truly desires to find his center amongst daily chaos. If a person chooses otherwise, he will end up like the sculpture of “Present Time,” where he mentally believes in such practices but continues to physically restrict himself from everlasting unity. <br />In an article by Michael Brenson, he comments on how “Gormley purposefully does not add facial expressions or emotions to the statues because it would take away from the one, unifying emotion or movement Gormley tries to capture in the statute” and Gormley does uphold this value because his body is the only body form he knows best and is most comfortable portraying (Brenson). By Gormley never trying to display his own identity through his sculptures, he powerfully wanted to portray the idea that everyone can find a center between matter and their own body, simply through their personal experiences. The use of his body is “…not [for] self-expression” but rather a way to teach those who have not had the opportunity to have a firsthand experience with Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka to receive the information he learned (Hutchinson 234). Through research of the early teachings of Buddhism, the master Gautama Sakyamuni, was represented by an empty throne while he spread his beliefs to many, and Gormley does just that because although he uses his body shape to present these beliefs, he uses it as a way to guide his viewers through their enlightening experience. In addition to emphasizing his strong beliefs in unifying the human body with space, he also values the importance in bringing together a community through the introduction of a new art form. His sculptures have evolved into a lively addition of numerous communities’ natural environment and he strongly believes that without meditation and the expression of Tibetan Buddhist practices in many of his sculpture, people would allow their body and mind to become disconnected from the serenity of nature and hinder the process of obtaining a united solid body form. <br /><br />Notebook Entry<br /><br /><br />Queen: [Scattering flowers.] Sweets to the sweet, farewell! I hop’d thou shoudst have been my Hamlet’s wife. I thought thy bridebed to have decked sweet maid, and not have strew’d thy grave. <br /><br />The queen has proven thus far to be a very suspicious character. This passage reiterates my original thought that the queen killed Ophelia because of her nonchalant attitude in these few lines. For instance, the queen begins by saying she thought she would be putting flowers outside for Hamlet and Ophelia’s wedding, but due to recent occurrences, Gertrude notes (in a joking tone) that she is instead throwing flowers on Ophelia’s grave. To me, this is not the type of comment she would make if she was truly sad about the loss of Ophelia, her son’s supposed true lover. In addition, Gertrude says “farewell!” and an exclamation point is not fitting for someone who is saying goodbye to a dead person because it implies an elated and joyful tone of voice. I also noticed the stage direction of “[scattering flowers]” and it indicates that she was carelessly throwing the flowers on her grave rather than taking the initiative to gently place them down. In all, I feel that Shakespeare would have used more descriptive words to express the queen’s emotions of genuine sorrow for her son’s loss if she would truly upset, such as he did when the queen presented Hamlet with intricate details of the site where Ophelia’s dead body laid. In fact, the queen’s words were so descriptive; I feel that she could have only given such a detailed account if she was at the site where Ophelia died, possible while Ophelia was dying. <br /><br />Literary Analysis<br /><br />Setting<br /><br /> “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon, is a short story that uses its setting, to convey the most significant ideas of the story. Throughout the text, the historical events of the assignation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are intertwined with the events of the story in order to establish a basis for why the narrator and her lover should no longer continue to pursue their untraditional relationship. The narration is told from a women’s perspective that adds to the significance of the story because during mid 1900’s, a woman’s thoughts, ideas, and presence were not valued as equally as that of a man’s, which prevails as the readers are constantly reminded that the archduchess was also included in the gruesome events of the summer of 1914 and that she should not be forgotten. As the narrator embarks on this journey, she ultimately gains a better understanding of herself and more importantly the actions of her consequences, especially when her true motivations to pursue this relationship did not blossom out of pure love.<br /> The story begins during an unexpectedly rainy and miserable day in Sarajevo. The city once used to be a ‘…pretty town, Balkan style, mountain-rimmed…” (201) alluding to the idea that the town of Sarajevo is enclosed and protected by its surroundings. Once the rain began to fall, the people were “…sheltered from the rain in an ancient mosque in Serbian Belgrade; … now …[they]… spent a couple of days in Sarajevo beneath other people’s umbrellas,” (202) however, the readers come to discover that the rainfall is not one that just holds value for being a change in climate, but an idea that connects to the overarching conflict of the story. Professor Peter and his student, embark on this journey to explore a different area and spend time together, however, it later becomes apparent that Professor Peter’s sole ambitions for this trip was to decide “…between his wife and …[his mistress]… as his permanent life partner” (202) Although the student felt as if she was “…winning hands down…” (202) the unpredicted rain fall, lead to a symbolic cleansing idea because Peter’s wife, is a swimming coach and although she was nearly half way around the world, it was “…raining on his wife, too…” (202) The affects of the rain on Peter, his lover, and his wife leads to an idea of a cleansing process because Peter’s lover begins to believe that their relationship may not be as worthwhile as she thought once before. As the rain continues to fall, the narrator comments on how she smells chlorine on Peters forehead after she kisses him and this “… may have come from thinking about his wife so much…” (206) and the idea that the memory of Peter’s wife will always stay with him, even if he chooses in the end to have a relationship with the narrator. The readers begin to understand that there will always be this eerie sense of rain or dampness in their relationship if Peter chooses to stay with his lover. <br /> All throughout the text, the narrator and Peter discuss the assignation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, because this event took place in the town of which Peter and his lover were vacationing in at the time. However, on numerous occasions, the readers are reminded not to forget “…his wife…” (202) and that “…everyone forgets his wife, the archduchess,” (202) but this constant reminder of the archduchess leads to the idea of not forgetting about Peter’s wife either and regardless of how pleasant Peter and his lover’s relationship may appear, for the time being, he is still married. Although they felt this “…inordinate affection…” (204) for one another, Peter comments on how “… your Ind Aff is my wife’s sorrow…” (204) and if he chooses to stay with his lover, they will be ending a marriage of over twenty years. The idea of not forgetting one’s wife is also important because it forces them to think not only of themselves, but of Peter’s wife and three kids, and how his new relationship will ruin his family. <br /> Due to the continued rainfall, Peter and his lover are stricken to eating in a restaurant, opposed to a private area where they usually ate and enjoyed other things. While they were waiting to be served, two waiters stood off in the distance and one of the waiters caught the narrator’s attention. One waiter was “…young and handsome…[with] … luxuriant black hair…” (206) and the second waiter, a visibly older man, looked upon the narrator with a pensively because “in a world which for once, after centuries of savagery, was finally full of young men, unslaughtered, what was …[she]…doing with this man with thinning hair.” (206) Once again, it appears that the narrator is having a revelation and she know realizes that she has many opportunities to be in a relationship with a younger, more attractive man, but yet, she is stuck in an “…old professor-student romance…” (202) This situation that the narrator now finds herself in, is interesting because it appears to connect with an earlier occasion in the story that dealt with Princip, Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassin. Although Princip had tried on two previous occasions to murder the duke, before actually killing him, it was not until after his second attempt that he was jailed, but for many years, people wondered why he had attempted on various occasions to kill the duke. It was not until after he died that the only explanation people gave was that Princip, “…[died]… for the love of a country” (204) However, it is wondered if Princip made the right decision in dying at such as young age, just for his country. With that idea, the narrator begins to see herself and wonder if being with a man who is forty six and her, twenty five, as a worthwhile relationship. Especially since she has the opportunity to be with younger men and her confusion of a “…mere passing academic ambition with love,…” (206) while trying to “…outdo …[her]… sister Clare.” (206) With that idea in mind, the narrator gets up from the table, and heads home, leaving Peter behind. <br /> Many events, in the short story “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon, such as the rain fall, the surrounding environment, and historical events lead the narrator to believe that the mere idea of academic ambitions and her desire to succeed beyond the limits of her sister were the driving forces behind her ambitions to purse a relationship with a married man. Resultantly, it appears that the narrator realizes this was all a “…silly sad thing to do…” (206) and by the narrator relating her ambitions to that of Princip, she embodied that of an assassin. All along, she was trying to create a war between Peter and his wife that would destroy their marriage, but one should “…never forget the wife… and their children…” (207) because the remnants of their presence will be on the minds of both Peter and the narrator forever, restricting them from ever pursuing a genuine relationship. By the end of the story, the narrator realizes if she had just waited a little longer, and did not allow herself to become so infatuated with academics that she fooled herself into loving her professor, she would have came to her senses a long time ago and realized her spiteful ambitions. <br /><br />Revision<br /><br />Antony Gormley: Unifying Art and the Human Body<br /><br /> Contemporary artist, Antony Gormley has redefined the correlation between art and the human body within the last 25 years as he “…revitalized the human image in sculpture through a radical investigation of the body as a place of memory and transformation” (Gormley, A. “Antony Gormley”). Born on August 30, 1950 in London, England, Gormley was raised in a wealthy household as one of six children. He has always been an academically driven student with initial schooling at Ampleforth College and continuing to Trinity College, where he received a degree in Archaeology, Anthropology and the History of Art during the years of 1968 and 1971. Gormley’s true passion for art began after spending three years traveling around India and Sri Lanka where he had the pleasure of studying the ancient teachings of Buddhism. With his new found love for art, he returned to London and attended Central School of Art and Goldsmith's College. He then transferred to Slade School of Art where he completed a postgraduate course in Sculpture between 1977 and 1979.<br /> Art historians believe Gormely’s work “has revivified the way in which the human form is appropriated” since numerous pieces of his artwork are molds taken of his own body form (Gormley, A. “Antony Gormley”). Many critics, such as Susan Hubbard, were skeptical of his views when he first entered the art industry because she thought he was an unserious artist while others thought his desire to only use his body as the center of his creations would cause his sculptures to be non-relatable. Gormley stood by his beliefs and felt that since“…the closest experience of matter that [he] will ever have and the only part of the material world that [he] [lives] inside” is his own body; he felt his beliefs were more than adequate (“Antony Gormley Biography”). Gormley strongly feels that because his sculptures lack any trace of physical identity, such as facial expressions, viewers are able to gain a profound connection between themselves and the sculptures by envisioning themselves in the mind of the sculpture and in turn becoming the person enduring the struggles or actions of the sculpture. In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley stated “I am interested in discovering principles… I think that underlying my return to the human body is an idea of re-linking art with human survival” (Hutchinson). Since human survival comes in various forms, everyone will have their own unique interpretation. By leaving every sculpture essentially as a blank canvas, individuals can connect their personal survival stories with any sculpture they are viewing. <br />With Gormley’s inspiration originating from modernist theories and non-western religious studies, he has been able to use his fascination with the Buddhism religion to formulate the idea of “body-as-space” and “space-as-mass” to understand the central belief of unifying body, mind, and space (Gregory). Gormley touches upon all of those beliefs with the creation of three phenomenal pieces: Waste Man, Quantum Cloud, and Still Falling. With these pieces and numerous others, Gormley has not only transformed England but the modern views of an artist. By placing his artwork in specific areas around London, his sculptures have progressively become a part of the natural environment. His desire to use his body as the basis of his sculptures has resultantly given viewers the freedom to envision themselves as a part of the artwork because the sculptures do not physically identify with any particular individual. With his ambitions of gathering a community together in order to create his pieces, he has highlighted his aspirations of strengthening the unity within a community and individuals with their body, mind, and space. <br /> The first piece titled “Waste Man” boldly embodied many of Antony Gormley’s theories. The sculpture was built during the summer of 2006 and it stood approximately 63 feet tall, 15.09 feet in length and 8.86 feet in width on the rocky surface of Margate, UK. Although “Waste Man” was built in a poorer section of Margate, the locals’ financial struggles did not deter them from graciously donating materials from their homes to build “Waste Man” because they wanted to assist in this monumental creation. Gormley also encouraged a disposal service company, called Thante, to aid in the entire construction process. In total, they collected thirty tons of waste and they eagerly began this massive project. <br /> The beginning stages of the six week project involved the entire base of the sculpture to be built out of what appeared to be long wooden planks. They were generally constructed vertically or horizontally, especially in the hip area, which apparently needed to be extremely sturdy because it was the only portion of the body that had consecutive rows of wooden boards aligned horizontally. The boards were arranged with large gaps in between one another to accommodate for the later installation of the household appliances. Cranes lifted the construction workers to the upper half of the body in order to construct the abdomen, head, and neck. The only round structure on the body was the head, which was supported by an arrangement of a few tiny boards that later resembled the neck. The shoulders and arms were shaped in the form of cylinders and interestingly enough, one arm was raised in the air as if the sculpture was waving to the people below (Spicer). The palms of the hands appear to be rectangularly shaped, made of a flat object (possibly a picture frame), and with fingers made of long, pole like objects. There were four fingers and there does not appear to be a thumb on either hand. Continuing down the body, one would find a huge rectangular shaped opening in the middle of the body, and in relation to a human body; this area would be close to the heart and the upper portion of the abdomen. After constructing the frame of the body, the workers filled all of the previous spaces between the boards with thousands of various colorful household appliances, such as pink toilet seats, picture frames, chairs, ladders, and even wooden doors.<br /> After “Waste Man” was constructed, some referred to it as the Penny Woolcock’s Margate Exodus, a retelling of the biblical story of the enslavement of Jewish people. Penny Woolcock felt the piece represented the image of a burning bush that gave Mosses his mission to free the slaves, many locals thought it symbolized those “…who had been dispossessed or refused a place, standing up defiantly to be recognized” (Kittelmann, U. “Total Strangers.” Antony Gormley). By creating this piece, Gormley was able to visually convey the message that everyone deserves to have a voice in their community, regardless of their financial status. Tibetan Buddhist beliefs are evident in the theories behind the creation of this piece because it seems to follow the Four Noble Truths, “all of life is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; the end of desire leads to the end of suffering; and the means to end desire is a path of discipline and meditation.” The many theories behind this piece all incorporate some form of suffering and it is believed that this suffering originates from anger, which the people of Margate feel as they are subjected to living in a poor area. Gormley eventually set “Waste Man” a blaze and as this slow process started, black smoke first engulfed the body then many of the household materials began to fly off of the body, leaving behind gaping holes and the original wooden planks (Heckert). After thirty-two minutes, “Waste Man” was completely demolished, which ended any form of suffering but made it apparent that “Waste Man” was a perfect representation of that section of Margate because it showed that even through the most strenuous obstacles, the core of any community— the people—are able to withstand anything as long as they are united. <br /> The second piece in this collection introduces one of Gormley’s most highly valued beliefs in the ancient teachings of Buddhism. After traveling to India and Sri Lanka during the early 1970’s to study Buddhism, many of those teachings can be seen throughout much of his work. Such as in the piece titled “Quantum Cloud”, which was erected in 1999 and became Gormley’s tallest piece of art, standing approximately 98.43 feet tall on a platform stationed on the Thames River. Gormley comments on how he “…purposefully left the decision of whether this piece is abstract or the representational” up to the viewers (Vidler, and Mitchell 270). With that, the viewers can see that the piece stands at the center of the plank, and if they look closely enough, they can see a human figure standing up straight, with its arms and hands tight at their sides, in the middle of the cloud. The figure can be seen because this portion of the cloud is a lot darker and the metal nails are closer in proximity. The surrounding cloud is formed by steel nails that are 1.5 meters in length and as one moves farther away from the center of the cloud, the nails become more scattered and almost appear to form the shape of daggers. The base of the cloud is rounded, which allows the statue to firmly stand on the plank. The cloud appears to be a silver color, while the figure is a darker gray color. <br /> When trying to understand the complex meaning of this particular sculpture, it is necessary to understand Gormley’s strong beliefs in Buddhism, which originated from a man known as Buddha who investigated his mind and eventually obtained a spiritual awakening, which is the understanding of one’s real nature. In Buddhism, it is commonly believed that human beings are unhappy because they do not understand their own real identity or potential because from birth, people are taught who they are, how to act, and what to think (“Antony Gormley.” Double Take). In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley said, “I hope that my art tries to deal with big questions like who are we... where are we going…” and he is able to do just that through many of his pieces because he constantly challenges the viewers to question their existence by giving them the freedom to interpret his work in a way that will be most significant to that particular individual (Hutchinson 240). In terms of “Quantum Cloud,” Gormley would most likely interpret this piece based on the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs, which originated from India and is the location in which he studied Buddhism. Also, this specific practice heavily focuses on meditation and the idea of body, mind, and space uniting as one.<br /> Gormley desires to “…make concrete the life that goes on within the head” and to prevent the mind and body from becoming detached ( Brenson). This can be accomplished through the first practice of meditation, which is concentration. Concentration involves visualizing certain processes in the body, and in terms of “Quantum Cloud,” this process would involve the flow of energy. Gormley focuses on the body and its interaction with the surrounding space by showing the outer steel rods surrounding the body in a scattered motion, which represents all of the chaos surrounding the figure. Gormley also expresses how the figure can easily become consumed with the surrounding chaos, however, through mediation the figure is able to find peace within itself and is able to stay calm, which is indicated by the figure’s still posture. Just as the figure is at the center of the cloud and the chaos, the figure was able to center itself and find inner tranquility that would block out the outer commotion. <br /> The second practice of achieving complete meditation is mindfulness, which occurs when the mind observes itself conducting some sort of activity and takes note of the outer occurrences; however, the person does not allow himself to become distracted by the outer influences. In terms of “Quantum Cloud,” the figure’s activity would be viewed as standing in meditation and metaphorically the outer influences are represented by the scattered nails surrounding the figure. Based on the body’s still form, it is clear that the figure is meditating and has centered its mind enough so that the outer commotion does not affect him. The sculpture is also surrounded mainly by water and the quiet surroundings, alluding to the idea that Gormley chose this setting so that the sculpture’s mind has something to concentrate all of its thoughts on, which will make it even more difficult to become distracted by the outer most nails. Gormley appears to emphasize focusing on something serene such as water in order to bring about peaceful, calming thoughts. In an interview with Udo Kittelmann, Gormley said he wanted to recognize “…the internal condition of this space …and in some possible way to expose that space…” and in effect, he is trying to view the space within the body and portray it to the world through his sculptures by depicting the interactions of the inner body’s space with outer space, such as daily occurrences (Kittelmann, U.“Total Strangers.” Extracts from interview). Simultaneously, he wants to emphasize how the body is able to properly cope with various forms of frustration by centering the body and mind with mediation. <br /> The third piece in this collection is titled, “Still Falling” and it is one of Gormley’s earlier pieces of artwork that was constructed during 1983. This piece is significant for many difference reasons, one of which begins with the piece’s location, Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. This park is unique because it was specially created for artists and sculptors to design their innovative pieces on the walls, which eventually changed the city of London by improving the city’s physical appearance. Gormley’s ideas for this piece, keeping in mind his passion for Buddhist theories, thrived by the fact that the park itself was created by both man and nature. The park was formed through natural processes but was eventually revamped through the aid of mankind and numerous sculptors like Gormley who wanted to improve the perception of London. <br /> From afar, one may look at this piece and only see brown and white colored granite and a hilly, rocky cliff. However, if one were to continue looking at the cliff, one would begin to notice the figure of a human body descending down the side of the cliff. The figure is falling head first and it appears as if the figure is facing towards the cliff rather than towards the open air. Gormley was able to avoid the addition of facial features, a technique that he used throughout many creations of his artwork. The figure seems to be gliding rather than falling down the cliff because its hands are gently placed at its sides. The feeling of being at peace with this downward motion is represented by the arms’ stillness instead of frantic flares because the figure is falling into rocky areas (Gormley, A. Malmo Konsthall). The Tibetan Buddhist ideals seem to be relevant in this piece as well because the figure is mindful of its surroundings, and at the same time, submerged in meditation that has allowed the figure to focus on the beautiful surrounding green leaves and trees rather than the rocky and sharp pit below. Gormley seems to express how the figure is allowing its body to gently become a part of nature and seeing as how the area in which the piece is carved into appears deeper than the surrounding area, this implies that nature is graciously welcoming the figure into its new surroundings. The figure is so small and the arms are so close to the body that it almost looks like an angel or some other serene figure. The area is lighter around the figure and this could symbolize a light of acceptance shining on the figure and the blossoming purple flowers indicate a peaceful environment. Although the viewers know realistically the figure will not hit the bottom of the cliff, the beautiful setting, the deep mediation the figure has fallen into and the title of the piece, forces the viewers to feel as if the figure will never hit rock bottom because nature continues to welcome all. By concentrating on nature and by maintaining mindfulness, the figure will not allow itself to become consumed with the idea of hitting the bottom and will forever freely fall into nature. <br /> “Still Falling,” also strongly embodies Gormley’s overwhelming desires to gather together a community of people in order to construct his artwork because this difficult piece definitely required tremendous efforts on the behalf of an entire team of workers to complete the task. The initial chiseling of the cliff was a laborious task because the men did not use any form of advanced technology. They used blocks and wedges. Gormley understands the great lengths the workers went to in order to finish the project and yet, he strongly feels that situations such as those bring community members together and force them to work through any differences they may have, while creating something that is bigger than each individual. Gormley’s team and teachings also shows that when approaching such a gigantic task, one has to “…consider the material as part of the place; as part of the earth. The joy of this project at Tout is that this very special place provides the inspiration, the material, the studio and the exhibition space” (“Antony Gormley- Still Falling”). Gormley calls attention to the fact that nature is a blank canvas waiting for people to work with it rather than against it, with the intensions of molding it into something that is original, and portrays a positively impacting display for everyone in the community to view. <br />In an article by Michael Brenson, Brenson comments on how “Gormley purposefully does not add facial expressions or emotions to the statues because it would take away from the one, unifying emotion or movement Gormley tries to capture in the statute” and Gormley does uphold this value because his body is the only body form he knows best and is most comfortable portraying (Brenson). By Gormley never trying to display his own identity through his sculptures, he powerfully wants to portray the idea that everyone can find a center between matter and their own body, simply through their own personal experiences. The use of his body is “…not [for] self-expression” but rather a way to teach those who have not had the opportunity to have a firsthand experience with Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka to receive the information he learned (Hutchinson 234). Through research of the early teachings of Buddhism, the master Gautama Sakyamuni, was represented by an empty throne while he spread his beliefs to many, and Gormley does just that because although he uses his body shape to present these beliefs, he uses it as a way to guide his viewers through their enlightening experience. In addition to emphasizing his strong beliefs in unifying the human body with space, he also values the importance in bringing together a community through the introduction of a new art form. His sculptures have evolved into a lively addition of numerous communities’ natural environment and he strongly believes that without meditation and the expression of Tibetan Buddhist practices in many of his sculpture, people would allow their body and mind to become disconnected from the serenity of nature and hinder the process of obtaining a united solid body form. <br /><br />Revision Explained<br /><br />Amongst the samples I chose to include in my portfolio, is a research paper conducted on sculptor, Antony Gormley. Although countless hours of research were conducted on Gormley’s life and the inspiration behind numerous pieces of his artwork, I decided to revise the paper and take it from fourteen pages to eight pages. This was not an easy task; however, I desired to focus more on the pieces that were greatly influenced by Gormley’s endeavors in the ancient teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. To accomplish this I first took out two pieces titled, “Event Horizon” and “Present Time” because I felt the remaining three sculptures connected better with one another and the Buddhist ideas. The second change came about after I explained in greater detail the connection between Gormley’s piece titled “Waste Man” and the Buddhist teachings because I was able to research more about the religion and I discovered that certain fundamental values of the religion were related to the theories behind his piece. A theory that dealt with suffering, which I felt connected with the pain many of the people who lived in the area where the sculpture was erected endured. Although these two alterations seem minor, all three of the sculptures now deal with some form of the Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and I strongly feel that I was able to make Gormely’s beliefs and motivations clearer in the paper.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-63262391284292238922009-05-14T17:47:00.000-07:002009-05-14T18:07:19.128-07:00Poem Comparison: Harlem Renaissance5/3/09<br /><br />Question 1<br /><br />(Suggested time — 40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)<br /><br /> The following two poems establish controversial views of the challenges African Americans faced while trying to achieve their dreams during The Harlem Renaissance Era. Read each poem carefully. Then compose a well organized essay in which you compare and contrast the differing methods each speaker uses to convey their ideas. Use analytical techniques such as tone, point of view and syntax to develop these ideas.<br /><br />From the Dark Tower<br /><br />We shall not always plant while others reap <br />The golden increment of bursting Line fruit, <br />(5) Not always countenance, abject and <br /> mute, <br /> That lesser men should hold their <br />brothers cheap; <br />Not everlastingly while others sleep <br />(10) Shall we beguile their limbs with <br />mellow flute, <br />Not always bend to some more subtle brute; <br />We were not made eternally to weep. <br /><br />(15) The night whose sable breast relieves the stark, <br />White stars is no less lovely being dark, <br />And there are buds that cannot<br />(20) bloom at all <br />In light, but crumple, piteous, and fall; <br /> So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds, <br />(25) And wait, and tend our agonizing seeds.<br /><br />Meta-cognative- Paired Poetry Assignment<br /><br /> In order to create the paired poem prompt, I first needed to find two poems that would compellingly match one another. After conducting research I discovered two poems titled “From the Dark Tower” by Countee Cullen and “As I Grew Older” by Langston Hughes. Both of these poems originated from the Harlem Renaissance Era and they deal with the difficulties African Americans faced in society beginning during the 1920’s. Hughes and Cullen attached these ideas in two different methods; however, the underlying messages were quite similar. <br /><br /> When I first read the poems, I noticed how both speakers identified the tremendous challenges all African Americans were confronted with. The speaker of “From the Darker Tower” identifies as someone who endures this struggle as well because he states, “we were not made eternally to weep,” (14) which not only proves that the speaker is an African American but also builds trust between the readers and the speaker by showing that he too is feeling the brutal pain of discrimination and that they are all alone in this battle. The speaker of Hughes’ poem uses the pronoun “I” such as in the line, “…I have almost forgotten my dream. But it was there then, … And then the wall rose…” (2-7) and although this establishes the fact that he too is an African American, it shows the readers the struggle of an individual opposed to that of the struggle for the entire race. <br /><br />I also felt that the poems were intriguing and insightful because of the differences they shared and how the use of different symbolic objects can convey similar message. For instance, originally, I did not realize the connection between the titles of the poem however; “From the Darker Tower” and “A I Grew Older” bring about an idea of viewing life from different perspectives. Not only the difference in viewing life from different perspectives based on race -“Darker” - but also in terms of age. As one ascends higher up a tower, one sees an area from a different point of view, just as when one ages, -“Older,”- he understands things about life in a better light. The poems are also different in the sense that I thought of Cullen’s poem as a building point for the central ideas discussed in the poems and Hughes’ poem to follow his ideas, which showed how African Americans continued to struggle many years later. Cullen’s poem began with a more historical view of the lives of African Americans by saying, “we shall not always plant while others reap,” (1-2) which introduced the topic of slavery and how in the early years of African American history, African slaves were brought to America to pick cotton for white plantation owners and although the slaves worked tirelessly, their masters reaped all of the benefits. This progression theory continues as Hughes’ poem begins by saying “It was a long time ago. I have almost forgotten my dream. But it was there then … And then the wall rose, Rose slowly…” (1-8) Hughes’ poem follows the theory of how they began picking cotton that they did not benefited from as they slowly lost their dreams. Eventually, all they could see were their masters or other whites blocking them from ever achieving success. They would continuously be trapped behind this wall of hatred and discrimination. <br /><br />I feel that a range of essays can be crafted from the comparison of these two poems if the readers also focus on the use of light and dark imagery in both of the poems. For instance, the speaker in Cullen’s poem says, “and there are buds that cannot bloom at all/ in light, but crumple, piteous, and fall; /so in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds” (20-24) which connects with the lines of Hughes’ poem that states “…my dream…bright like a sun…and then the wall rose … Rose until it touched the sky-- The wall. Shadow. I am black…” (2-16) In these lines, both speakers use light as a way to signify a distant, but yet joyous dream, where as darkness signifies a dreary shadow over that same dream of prosperity. This dark imagery hides the pain and sorrow felt in Cullen’s poem and in Hughes poem; it forces the speaker to see the shadow of a black man, which reminds the speaker of how far way the dream is. <br /><br />The prompt is written in a way that allows for various essays to be composed because it gives the readers background information about the two poems, which could aid a reader who has a lot of knowledge in the Harlem Renaissance Era or knowledge that pertains to preceding eras such as the Civil Rights Era to formulate a broader range of ideas. In addition, the prompt also guides the readers in understanding the poem because it can become difficult to connect the central ideas of the pomes because they are approached in different ways. However, the prompt notes how the poem’s structure can lead to a better understanding of the poem, such as the various punctuations used. For example, Cullen’s mainly uses commas and semicolons to accentuate the subtle way in which the speaker conveys his point, where as Hughes’ poem uses exclamation points to express the anger in the speaker’s voice. A reader could advance his essay also by possibly seeing a connection between the actions of civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X to Cullen’s poem emphasis of a passive approach to conquering these challenges by “wait[ing], and tend[ing] our agonizing seeds” (25-26) such as Dr. King would have chosen, however, Malcolm X would have taken the aggressive approach such as the one discussed in Hughes’ poem, “…My dark hands! Break through the wall!”(22-23)<br /><br />The prompt is formulated in an AP style with the usual directions as to the proper length of time a reader should spend on this portion of the exam and the caution one should take in reading through the poems. Also the section’s layout is quite accurate because the poems are aligned next to one another which visually aid the readers in understanding the more subtle aspects of each poem, such as the abrupt lines in Hughes’ poem emphasize anticipation, while Cullen’s longer sentences express the speaker’s patience in waiting for a change. The footnotes are also useful because they reference to the collections in which the poems were taken from and a reader who may have knowledge on those topics would be able to better understand the speaker’s point of view.<br /><br />Cullen’s poem, “From the Darker Tower” and Hughes’ poem “As I Grew Older” create a unique match because of the methods each speakers uses in order to convey the ideas of oppression and the mistreat African Americans faced. Although the main ideas of each poem are not complex, the symbolic meaning behind the text and the imagery used is extremely powerful and forces the readers to closely analyze the poems, in order to create an outstanding essay. <br /><br /><br /><br />As I Grew Older<br /><br />It was a long time ago.<br /> I have almost forgotten my dream.<br /> But it was there then,<br />Line In front of me,<br />(5) Bright like a sun— <br /> My dream.<br /> And then the wall rose,<br /> Rose slowly,<br /> Slowly,<br />(10) Between me and my dream.<br /> Rose until it touched the sky--<br /> The wall.<br /> Shadow.<br /> I am black.<br />(15) I lie down in the shadow.<br /> No longer the light of my dream <br /> before me,<br /> Above me.<br /> Only the thick wall.<br />(20) Only the shadow.<br /> My hands!<br /> My dark hands!<br /> Break through the wall!<br /> Find my dream!<br /> (25) Help me to shatter this darkness, To smash this night,<br /> To break this shadow<br /> Into a thousand lights of sun,<br /> Into a thousand whirling dreams<br /> (30) Of sun! <br /><br /> <br /> <br />(1927)<br /><br />-- Countee Cullen<br /><br /><br />-------<br />“From the Darker Tower.” Copywright © 1927 by Countee Cullen from My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen. <br /><br /><br /><br /> (1930)<br /><br /> --Langston Hughes<br /><br />-------<br />“As I Grew Older.” Copywright © 1930 by Langston Hughes from Judith S. American Decades: 1920 - 1929. New York : Gale Research, 1996.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-53454983616901729402009-05-14T17:44:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:47:00.567-07:00Poem Comparison:Romantic Era4/15/09<br /><br />Question 1<br /><br />(Suggested time — 40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.)<br /><br /> The following two poems establish controversial views of a woman’s role in society. Read each poem carefully. Then in a well organized essay, use analytical techniques such as point of view and syntax to compare and contrast the differing methods in which each speaker uses to convey their concepts.<br /><br /> <br /> It’s a Woman’s World <br /><br />Our way of life<br />has hardly changed<br />since a wheel first<br />whetted a knife.<br />Line<br />(5) Well, maybe flame<br />burns more greedily<br />and wheels are steadier<br />but we're the same<br /><br />who milestone<br />(10) our lives<br />with oversights—<br />living by the lights<br /><br />of the loaf left<br />by the cash register,<br />(15) the washing powder<br />paid for and wrapped,<br /><br /> <br />A Woman’s Mission <br /><br />What highest prize hath woman won<br /> In science, or in art?<br /> What mightiest work, by woman done,<br />Line Boasts city, field, or mart?<br />(5) 'She hath no Raphael!' Painting saith;<br /> 'No Newton!' Learning cries;<br /> 'Show us her steam-ship! her Macbeth!<br /> Her thought-won victories!' <br /><br /> Wait, boastful man! though worthy are (10) Thy deeds, when thou are true;<br /> Things worthier still, and holier far,<br /> Our sisters yet will do;<br /> For this the worth of woman shows,<br /> On every peopled shore,<br /> (15) That still as man in wisdom grows,<br /> He honors her the more. <br /> <br />the wash left wet.<br />Like most historic peoples<br />we are defined<br />(20) by what we forget,<br /><br />by what we never will be:<br />star-gazers,<br />fire-eaters.<br />It's our alibi.<br /><br />(25) for all time<br />that as far as history goes<br />we were never<br />on the scene of the crime.<br /><br />So when the king's head<br />(30) gored its basket —<br />grim harvest — <br />we were gristing bread<br /><br />or getting the recipe<br />for a good soup<br />(35) to appetize <br />our gossip.<br /><br />And it's still the same:<br />By night our windows<br />moth our children<br />(40) to the flame<br /><br /> Oh, not for wealth, or fame, or power,<br /> Hath man's meek angel striven,<br /> But, silent as the growing flower, (20) To make of earth a heaven!<br /> And in her garden of the sun<br /> Heaven's brightest rose shall bloom;<br /> For woman's best is unbegun!<br /> Her advent yet to come! <br /> (1850)<br /> -- Ebenezer Elliott<br /><br />----- <br />“Woman’s Mission.” Copyright © 1850 by Ebenezer Elliot, from Poems and Articles.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br />of hearth not history.<br />And still no page<br />scores the low music <br />of our outrage.<br /><br />(45) But appearances <br />still reassure:<br />That woman there,<br />craned to the starry mystery<br /><br />is merely getting a breath<br />(50) of evening air, <br />while this one here —<br />her mouth <br /><br />a burning plume—<br /> she's no fire-eater,<br />(55) just my frosty neighbour<br />coming home.<br />(1982)<br /> --Eavan Boland<br />-------- <br />“It’s a Woman’s World.” Copyright © 1982 by Eavan Boland, from AN ORIGIN LIKE WATER: Collected Poems 1967-1987 by Eavan Boland. Used by permission of W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.<br /><br />5/2/09<br /><br />Meta-cognitive <br /><br /> In order to create the paired poem prompt, I first needed to find a poem that would compellingly match with the poem, “A Woman’s World” by Eavan Boland. In conducting that search, I desired to find a poem that also dealt with issues concerning women and their roles in society. I also hoped to find a poem that expressed the speaker’s views on whether or not he or she thought the society’s views had changed over the past decades. With those ideas in mind, I chose a poem entitled “Women’s Mission” written by Ebenezer Elliott.<br /><br /> When I first compared the poems, the titles were quiet similar and gave me the immediate sense that each poem would deal with some central theme of women and their affects on others in their society in either a positive or a negative way. The titles also imply that women are important to their societies, regardless of differing opinions and through the aid of each poem; the speakers would eventually reveal just how significant women truly are. It is also interesting that both of the poems began with similar ideas, for instance, in “A Woman’s World” the speaker says, “…we are defined …by what we never will be: star-gazers, fire-eaters” (lines 19-23) and the speaker of “Woman’s Mission” also discusses the lack of opportunities there are for women to win the “…highest prize … in science, or in art” (1-2). Essentially, both speakers take note to the prevalent disadvantages women are faced with because of the lack of opportunities they have to better themselves, and the division between women and men’s capabilities is solely based on their gender. <br />From these two poem comparisons, a range of essay can be crafted because of the speakers’ point of view. In Boland’s poem, it is quite clear that the speaker is female with the numerous occasions in which the speaker includes herself as a part of the society she comments upon, for instance, the speaker says, “…it's our alibi… we were never on the scene of the crime” (24-28) The use of “our” and “we” denotes that the speaker is female and by knowing this about the poem, a person composing an essay on this topic will be able to understand that the speaker has more of an intimate connection between the restrictions women were placed under because she probably had a firsthand experience with those types of situations. However, a person writing an essay may run into difficulty in determining the gender of the speaker in Elliot’s poem because the speaker does not formally connect himself or herself to the poem’s content. However, one could speculate the speaker’s gender identity based on lines such as, “'she hath no Raphael!' Painting saith; 'No Newton…” (5-6) and a person could then conclude that the speaker is a male because he uses the term “she” has no Raphael, rather than we have no Raphael, but continuing down the poem, the reader would notice that the speaker now says, “…wait, boastful man! though worthy are thy deeds…” and the reader could then conclude that the speaker is female because the speaker speaks directly to a man and comments on how worthy “thy” deeds are. In all, with the speaker’s gender identity known, it aids in understanding the speaker’s point of view and emotions. At the same time, without knowing the speaker’s identity, the writer will struggle in creating an argument that supports or opposes a particular view, but if a writer were to determine that the speaker of Elliott’s poem is a male, it will make for an insightful and original essay if the writer were to focus on how the possible male speaker sounds more hopeful of a coming change than the female speaker of the Boland’s poem. <br /><br />The prompt is written in a way that allows for various essays to be composed because although it asks the reader to discuss the idea of gender roles in society, the words “…differing methods…” gives the writer freedom to establish a range of different ways the speakers convey their ideas; such as through tone, point of view, and the poem’s structure. There is also a lot of imagery and symbolism in Boland’s poem and the use of Old English in Elliott’s poem adds to the poems’ complexity, however, since the prompt guides the readers in different ways to decompose the poem and to analyze all of its ideas, the prompt is helpful but yet challenges the readers to look beyond the more obvious techniques and to find ones that make each poem unique. As more writers strive to exceed expectations, a broader range of easy will appear. <br /><br />The prompt not only allows for various essays to be composed, but it is formulated in an AP style with the usual directions of the length of time a reader should spend on this portion of the exam and the caution one should take in reading through the poems because this portion is quite difficult. Also the section’s layout is quite accurate because the poems are aligned next to one another which visually aid the readers in understanding the more subtle aspects of each poem. For example, by placing the poems side-by-side, one can notice that the punctuation marks used in Boland’s poem increases as the poem continues to explain the idea of how important women are to their society. As the speaker sums up the poem, the reader may see one idea that a sturdy community is built upon the help women provide underneath the surface as the men stand in the forefront. With the accumulation of such ideas, the amount of punctuation increases to emphasize how a strong poem is also build upon the use of various punctuation. With Elliot’s poem, various punctuation marks are used throughout the entire poem and it is significantly shorter, which shows how the speaker was more hopeful from the immediate beginning of the poem and kept the poem precise to the idea that women play essential roles and one day soon everyone would know that. All of these observations can be seen and later expanded on because the poems are placed side-by-side.<br />Footnotes are also provided to aid the readers throughout the poems because the smallest piece of information such as the date could signify one writer to compose his essay based on the Romantic Era in which the poems were written and how this era could affect the poem’s views. While another writer could see the footnote of Elliott’s poem coming from “Poems and Articles” and this writer could be familiar with Elliot’s work and immediately understand the speaker’s point of view based on previous similar ideas introduced in other pieces.<br /><br />The prompt’s more general ideas and guidance toward useful techniques allow the writers to compose various types of essays because the prompt challenges the writers to go beyond the general requirements. In addition, the structure of the section and the poems themselves allow the writers freedom to express many different ideas because both poems use an abundance of rich symbolism, imagery, and historical references, giving a writer the ability to incorporate any of these elements into a unique piece.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-24964964066410347362009-05-14T17:39:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:42:01.068-07:00Blogs: Jane Eyre Posts4/14/09<br />Passage explication:<br /><br />In the passage beginning on page 150, Bronte suggests that Jane Eyre’s overwhelming desire to be loved and accepted, prompts her to take on the role of being more than Adele’s governess after discovering that both of Adele’s parents have abandoned her. Jane’s disruptive childhood forces her to feel compassion for Adele’s situation and motivates her to save Adele from everlasting despair. Bronte establishes this point through specific diction that allows the readers to understand how closely related Jane’s past is to Adele’s present. <br /><br />The first section of this passage begins about one third of the way down page 150 and Bronte reveals the heartless nature of the character Mr. Rochester, as he informs Jane that he refuses to care for Adele because he does not consider her his daughter. The powerful effects of his words hit severely with Jane, starting from, “…I am not her father,…” Mr. Rochester ruthlessly continues by saying, “… I e’en took the poor thing out of the slime and mud of Paris, and transplanted it here…” Mr. Rochester carefully chooses to refer to Adele as “it” rather than my daughter or even by her name because this shows how distant their relationship is. By telling Jane that Adele’s mother left her for a musician and by following this statement with what appears to be his gracious efforts of bringing Adele to England, emphasizes his desire to uphold his façade of appearing to be a generous gentleman. However, by Mr. Rochester saying, “…to grow up clean in the wholesome soil of an English country garden” and connecting that with Mr. Rochester and Adele’s first interaction after many years of separation, where he lavishly presented her with gifts, it seems as if Mr. Rochester views Adele as more of his charity case. By taking a child who he claims to have no relation to, out of the slums and bringing her to a luxurious castle, maintains his appearance of being a charitable and loving gentleman. Mr. Rochester also subtly says “…mud of Paris…”which juxtaposes his comment on “…the wholesome soil of an English country garden…”because the theme of appearances is prevalent at that moment because he implies that England is far better than Paris, which can also be the reason as to why he refuse to claim Adele as his daughter.<br /><br />The second section introduces the idea of Jane’s longing to be accepted and loved by others as she openly expresses her disgust for Mr. Rochester’s words and her desires to form a closer bond between herself and Adele. After Mr. Rochester inquires that Jane will soon “…beg [him] to look out for a new governess…” she immediately replies with, “…No — Adele is not answerable for either her mother’s faults or yours: I have regard for her, and now that I know she is, in a sense parentless — forsaken by her mother and disowned by you, sir, — I shall cling closer to her than before.” Those lines are quite powerful on various levels ranging from Jane’s choice of words to the differing usage of punctuation. Jane’s initial reaction of “No…” followed by a hyphen shows how abruptly she was willing to inform Mr. Rochester that she would not easily relinquish her duties and by soon there after realizing that Adele was parentless, just as she, Jane harshly tells Mr. Rochester that Adele should not be punished for her parents’ irresponsible behavior. Cleverly, Jane remains respectful by calling Mr. Rochester “…sir,…” however, she dutifully notes that she could not care for the “…spoiled pet of a wealthy family, who would hate her governess… [but rather] a lonely little orphan.” The spoiled pet reference connects backs to Jane’s childhood and how she was constantly abused by John Reed and the “…lonely little orphan…” was Jane just a few years prior when she lived at Lowood, but through all of this, Jane found a savior in Miss Temple. Just as this teacher at Lowood went beyond her duties to guide Jane through many difficult times during her childhood, Jane now desires to do the same for Adele. <br /><br />In the third section, Bronte portrays Jane as a motherly figure towards Adele and this portion is significant because Jane does not yearn to be loved through a phony appearance but through her genuine actions. After Mr. Rochester briefly tells Jane to go inside, she disobeys and decides to stay out and play “…a game of battledore and shuttlecock…” with Adele and when they went inside, Jane “…removed [Adele’s] bonnet and coat [and] …took [Adele] on [her] knee…” Jane’s actions represent a motherly persona, and she even promises to “…appreciate all that was good in [Adele] to the utmost,” all of which are things Jane was denied of while growing up. The fact that Mrs. Reed could not look past her outward appearances and the fact that Jane was only at their residence upon request of Mr. Reed, contributed to Jane’s solitude. The last line of this section, “…if [Adele] could have been proved to resemble him, he would have thought more of her” is something that Jane finds extremely disheartening because constantly throughout her childhood, many referred to her as “…physically inferior…” (20) If Adele was of English decent and Jane was one the Reed’s, both of them would have physically upheld to their family’s standards and would have been accepted. <br /><br />The passage on page 150 is significant on many levels one of which is that it reveals Jane’s desires to finally be appreciated and valued for who she is rather than overlooked and considered an outcast. Bronte also portrays the many levels of betrayal and cruelty many of the characters possess as Mr. Rochester denies paternity of Adele. Jane’s ambitions cause her to want to begin a deeper relationship with Adele, such as the one she created with Miss Temple because Jane understands that she was able to overcome some of her greatest challenges with the assistance of someone who genuinely cared about her well being. Bronte’s idea of love and accepting people for who they are is importance because through Jane she shows how anyone can overcome a struggle with the support of loved ones.<br /><br /> Matsuoka, Mitsuharu “Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre.” 14 April 2009. < http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Bronte-Jane-2.html#XV><br /><br /><br />4/27/09: Prompt Essay<br /><br />The final chapters of Jane Eyre are quite interesting because after Jane returns to Thornfield, she discovers that much has changed, which forces many residents to change as well. This sudden drastic turn of events occurs at a time in Jane’s life when she is financially stable, but seems to be missing true love. Once reunited with Mr. Rochester, on the surface love seems to prevail but it is questionable as to how much each character has learned from their experiences. <br /><br />From the beginning of their relationship, Rochester strongly desired to change Jane’s social status and appearance by ordering her to “…choose half a dozen dresses”(266) from a silk warehouse, which she despised, but went along with regardless, because she knew it would make him happy. However, Rochester’s more recent situation forced him to begin “…to experience remorse, repentance, the wish for reconcilement to [his] Maker. [He] began sometimes to pray…” (435) Since Rochester’s house burned down and he became crippled, he was forced to rely on God and Jane for much assistance and I feel this event causes Jane and Rochester to become equals. Rochester finally knows how it feels to be in such as low place in his life where he needed to turn to a higher power for guidance. Although Jane was not overly religious, she valued the importance of putting her troubles in God’s hands to guide her through numerous difficult situations, which eventually led her to places that were far better than her previous establishments, such as Lowood Institution and then Thornfield. After Rochester was blinded, he lost many of his old friends and this led to seclusion from the rest of society, which ironically was a major factor throughout Jane’s adolescence. Although Jane and Rochester can finally be equal after sharing similar experiences of solitude and despair, I don’t feel that Rochester changed voluntarily. The loss of control Rochester once held over Jane was a direct result of his handicap, which later “…knit [them] so very close…”(439). He was forced to grovel for her forgiveness and to change because Jane became “…his vision…his right hand,” (439). <br /><br />In addition to Rochester and Jane now being equal, I feel that Rochester’s blindness and reliance on her causes him to negate her social inferiority because Rochester now lives through Jane. In order for Rochester to function normally, “he saw nature – he saw books through [Jane] …” (439) Rochester did not have many options so he once again was forced to look past her social class and to see the world as she viewed it because Jane was his only set of eyes. This quote also introduces the ideas of reading books and this was a major symbol of the novel I felt, because reading was always something people of the wealthy class had the opportunity to experience and it signified them as educated. Based on Jane’s ability to read would signify the amount of knowledge Rochester would eventually gain.<br /><br />Even though I don’t feel that Rochester changed voluntarily, I feel to a certain extent, he learned from his experiences. The readers later discover that Rochester and Jane got married and by the time they had their first son, Rochester regained the ability to see out of one eye and from that gift, he “…acknowledged that God had tempered judgment with mercy” (440) when giving his son the large and brilliant eyes he once had. From the birth of his son and his inherited characteristics, Rochester learned that God made it possible for his son to be born without any defects, although the birth of a son with deformities would have been another way to punish Rochester for his inappropriate actions early in his life. On the other hand, I feel that Rochester did not learn enough from his experiences to directly benefit Jane because he felt the “ [she] loved him so fondly, that to yield that attendance was to indulge [her]sweetest wishes.” (439) Instead of Rochester finding inner strength to prevail independently, he solely relied on Jane for all of his needs because he knew she desired to be his sole caretaker and lover. <br /><br />In the final chapter, the readers learned that during their marriage, Rochester regained the ability to see in one of his eyes and this represented fulfillment in both characters. Rochester regained slight control and power because he “…can find his way without being led by the hand,…” (440) at the same time, Jane was satisfied because he still could not ‘…see very distinctly,…” (440) which reassured her that Rochester would continue to rely greatly on her assistance and she would indirectly be continuously appreciated.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-64615989850326052932009-05-14T17:36:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:38:43.187-07:00Blog: Cast A Character-Hamlet3/15/09<br /><br />The Queen of Denmark, Queen Gertrude, plays a vital role in the play Hamlet, not only with her physical presence but also through her interaction with others and apparent ulterior motives. Queen Gertrude’s actions are just a few of the sneaky and deceitful actions of the play so this vision will be based on an array of actions carried out by the characters and the potential devious meanings behind those actions. <br /><br />Since I envision Queen Gertrude as a clever and secretive character, I would choose actress Julie Andrews <a href= http://www.babchouston.org/attachments/wysiwyg/5/Julie_Andrews.jpg>Julie Andrews </a> to play the role of Queen Gertrude. Her gentle, innocent looks combined with her abilities portray a secretive conniving attitude, makes her the perfect fit for this character. The play will take place during the same time period of the original text, around the 17th century because it allows for more of a traditional and elegant feel. There are specific moments of the play that reveal crucial elements of Queen Gertrude’s true character and for each of those moments the queen will take on a different appearance and present her lines in various tones, but in general, she will usually be dressed in a formal gown, with a short, clean cut hair style, faint amounts of makeup, and jewelry, all to emphasize her royalty and desire for power.<br /><br />In act one scene two, the readers learn that Hamlet is grieving over the loss of his father and it is clear that the king is very unsympathetic to Hamlet’s feelings because he says, “ ‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet,/ To give these mourning duties to your father./ But you must know your father lost a father… But to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness, ‘tis unmanly grief…”(87-94) The king speaks to Hamlet in a nonchalant and demeaning tone because he calls him unmanly for grieving for such a long period of time. The queen, however, is seen as comforting and accepting at this moment because in a soft and inviting tone, she says, “Let thy mother not lose her prayers, Hamlet,/ I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.” (191-120)Queen Gertrude’s motherly instincts come out as she seems to worry about her son’s well being and hopes that he stays in Denmark so at least he will be close to her. In this scene, they are located in the castle and since it is late at night, Gertrude’s costume would be a long, simple, pink, silky nightgown. The length of her nightgown is important because it shows she is conservative, but the silky texture shows that she is wealthy. The pink color emphasizes the fact that she is to be portrayed as caring and sympathetic towards her son. She also would not have on any make-up because it expresses her motherly attributes and that although she is royalty, she is not always dressed fancy, especially when she is rushing to make sure her son is doing well. <br /><br />By act two scene two, Queen Gertrude begins to act suspicious as many characters tell her that Hamlet has gone mad. She then call upon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two people she considered close friends of Hamlet, to talk with him and find out the cause of this alleged insanity. As she says, “Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz … I beseech you instantly to visit/ My too much changed son.” (34-35) she delivers these lines in a hurried tone because she is now even more worried about her son. However, her sneaky ways shine through slightly because the two people she sent to check on Hamlet, later proved to be unloyal characters. In this scene, the queen would be dressed in fancier clothing because she is now in the presence of others. She would wear a long, straight, green dress that is not too formal but one that shows she does hold a great amount of power in the castle. She would also wear makeup and have her hair nicely done because it gives a more elegant and proper appearance. After Guildenstern and Rosencrantz leave, she begins to speak with the king but in a powerful tone because the king is more set in his ways of thinking that Hamlet is completely insane. In response to the king telling Gertrude that Polonius has figured out the cause of Hamlet’s insanity, she tells him, “I doubt it is no other but the main,/ His father’s death and out [o’erhasty] marriage.”(56-57) The queen is slightly offended by the accusations and hastily informs the king that he probably has much to do with Hamlet’s swift change in behavior. There would also be music playing at this moment, one that has a fast tempo and abrupt, staccato sounds. The music would play when the queen begins to speak and at a medium volume and its sole purpose would be to emphasize the queens angered feelings toward the king because she feels he should take some of the blame for Hamlet’s new behavior instead of casting it off as if it is all Hamlet’s doing. This scene shows how unpredictable Gertrude can act.<br /><br />The readers begin to see a completely different side of the queen and begin to wonder if the queen should be trusted after they uncover the truth behind Queen Gertrude and King Claudius’ marriage. Her actions could be seen as cold because in a short two months after the death of Hamlet’s father, Gertrude married his brother, Claudius. The queen could have done this in order to maintain Hamlet’s status as prince or she could have had ulterior motives and marred the king so she could keep her power over Denmark. With that, the character of Queen Gertrude would have to carry an arrogant and sneaky attitude with her all throughout the play, which causes the viewers to constantly question her motives. <br /><br />Gertrude’s character now takes a drastic change, which allows the viewers to really see how I envision the queen to been a conniving person and this occurs just prior to and moments after Ophelia’s death. Things start to connect after the king speaks upon Ophelia’s present condition and how she too is now acting insane, he says, “…all from her father’s death – and now behold… next, your son gone, and he most violent author…” (75-79) The queen now sees the king’s real intentions of wanting Hamlet dead because he has caused so much destruction to Denmark. With Ophelia’s change in behavior and connections being made to Hamlet, such as Hamlet sending her love letters in the beginning of the play and even then the queen denied it, she had to get everyone to believe Ophelia was just acting insane on her own account. There is no better way to have this done by claiming Ophelia mysteriously drowned. <br /><br />Suspiciously enough, the queen was the first person to report Ophelia’s death and she did so with such detail, “there is a willow grows askaunt the brook,/ That shows his hoary leaves in the glassy stream,/ Therewith fantastic garlands did she make…” (166-168) In addition, the queen would present her lines in such a tone of calamity and ease that the viewers will suspect the queen killed Ophelia. In act five scene one, the queen is shown throwing flowers on her grave and the stage direction would show her as simply throwing the flowers anywhere and in an aggressive manner as she says, “Sweets to the sweet, farewell! … I thought thy bridge bed to have decked sweet maid,/ And not have strew’d thy grave.” (229-232) Her tone would be cheerful and there would be quite, joyful music playing in the background. The music is important because its quite volume reflects her inner feelings of satisfaction and simultaneously contrasts the dark and gloomy setting, with dead trees scattered around and an eerie feeling to reflect the uncertainty many felt about where Ophelia should be buried. <a href= http://www.twilightearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/dark_forest_by_sonnenradbanner.jpg>setting</a> <br /><br />My vision of having the viewers believe the queen is conniving and clever would be complete by act five scene two when she drinks the poison intended for Hamlet. Although the king told the queen not to drink the wine, she said to him, “I will, my Lord, I pray you pardon me” (273) and she delivers these lines in a quite tone, one that shows she accepts the fact that she knowingly is about to kill herself. Her words imply that she hopes the king will forgive her and her actions are viewed as courageous for dying to save her son, however, her cleverness prevails once again because she knows her actions thus far will not lead her to heave, however, her tone and slow movements allude to the idea that she hopes her final solemn actions will be viewed as repentance and allow her to go to heaven.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-4382353943170368582009-05-14T17:31:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:36:00.661-07:00Antony Gormley : Research Project3/23/09<br /><br />Antony Gormley: Unifying Art and the Human Body<br /><br /> Contemporary artist, Antony Gormley has redefined the correlation between art and the human body within the last 25 years as he “…revitalized the human image in sculpture through a radical investigation of the body as a place of memory and transformation”(“Antony Gormley”) . Born on August 30, 1950 in London, England, Gormley was raised in a wealthy household as one of six children. He has always been an academically driven student with initial schooling at Ampleforth College and continuing to Trinity College, where he received a degree in Archaeology, Anthropology and the History of Art during the years of 1968 and 1971. Gormley’s true passion for art initiated after spending three years traveling around India and Sri Lanka where he had the pleasure of studying the ancient teachings of Buddhism. With his new found love for art, he went back to London and attended Central School of Art and Goldsmith's College then transferred to Slade School of Art where he completed a postgraduate course in sculpture between the years of 1977 and 1979.<br /> Art historians believe his work “has revivified the way in which the human form is appropriated” (“Antony Gormley”) because he is most known for numerous pieces that are moulds of his own body form. Many critics, such as Susan Hubbard were skeptical of his views when he first entered the art industry because she thought he was an unserious artist while others thought his desires to only use his body as the center of his creations would cause his sculptures to be unrelatable. Gormley stood by his beliefs and felt that since“…the closest experience of matter that [he] will ever have and the only part of the material world that [he] [lives] inside” (“Antony Gormley Biography”) is his own body; he felt his beliefs were more than adequate. Gormley strongly feels that because his sculptures lack any trace of physical identity, such as facial expressions, viewers are able to gain a profound connection between themselves and the sculptures because they are able to place themselves in the mind of the sculpture and in turn become the person going through the struggles or actions of the sculpture. In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley stated “I am interested in discovering principles… I think that underlying my return to the human body is an idea of re-linking art with human survival”(Hutchinson). Since human survival comes in all different forms and depending on the viewer, everyone will have a different interpretation. By leaving every sculpture as a blank canvas, individuals are able to connect their personal survival story with any sculpture they are viewing. <br /><br />With Gormley’s inspiration originating from modernist theories and non -western religious studies, he has been able to use his fascination with the Buddhism religion to formulate the idea of “body-as-space” and “space-as-mass” ("Quantum leap: David Chipperfield's studio for sculptor Antony Gormley") to understand the central belief of unifying body, mind, and space. Gormley touches upon all of those beliefs with the creation of five phenomenal pieces: Waste Man, Event Horizon, Quantum Cloud, Still Falling, and Present Time. With these pieces and numerous others, Gormley has not only transformed England but the modern views of an artist. By placing his artwork in specific areas around London, his sculptures have progressively become a part of the natural environment. His desires to use his body as the basis of his sculptures has resultantly given viewers the freedom to envision themselves as a part of the artwork because the sculptures do not physically identify with a particular individual. With his ambitions of gathering a community together to create his pieces, he has highlighted his aspirations of revamping and strengthening the unity within a community and individuals with their body, mind, and space. <br /> The first of the five pieces Antony Gormley used to create many of his theories is called “Waste Man.” The sculpture was built during the summer of 2006 and it stood approximately 63 feet tall, 15.09 feet in length and 8.86 feet in width on the rocky surface of Margate, UK. Although “Waste Man” was built in a poorer section of Margate, the site alone brings many of the locals an abundance of joy because it was built near a well known area called, funfair a place that reminded many of the locals of an exciting time during their childhood. The memories from this site could have prompted Gormley to use his idea of gathering together a community to create various artworks and essentially expanded upon that idea by convincing the members of the community to donate materials from their house in order to built “Waste Man.” He also encouraged a disposal service company called Thante, to aid in the entire construction process. In total, they were able to collect thirty tons of waste and they eagerly began this massive project. <br /><br /> The beginning stages of the six week project involved the entire base of the sculpture to be built out of what appeared to be long wooden planks. They are generally constructed vertically or horizontally, especially in the hip area, which apparently needed to be extremely sturdy because it is the only portion of the body that has consecutive rows of wooden boards aligned horizontally. The boards are arranged with large gaps in between one another, probably to accommodate for the later installation of the household appliances. Cranes lifted the construction workers to the upper half of the body in order to construct the abdomen, head, and neck. The only round structure on the body was the head, which was supported by an arrangement of a few tiny boards that later resembled the neck. The shoulders and arms were shaped in the form of cylinders and interestingly enough, one arm was raised in the air as if the sculpture was waving to the people below (Spicer, Graham). The palms of the hands appear rectangular shaped and to be made of a flat object, maybe a picture frame, and the fingers are made of long, pole like objects. There are four fingers and there does not appear to be any thumbs on either of the hands. Continuing down the body, one would find a huge rectangular shaped opening in the middle of the body and in relation to a human body; this area would be close to the heart and the upper portion of the abdomen. After laying down the frame of the body, the workers went back and filled all of the previous spaces between the boards with thousands of various colorful household appliances, such as pink toilet seats, picture frames, chairs, ladders, and even wooden doors.<br /><br /> After “Waste Man” was constructed, it was believed to be in conjunction with Penny Woolcock’s Margate Exodus, the retelling of the biblical story of the enslavement of Jewish people. While Penny Woolcock felt the piece represented an image of a burning bush that gave Mosses his mission to free the slaves, many locals thought it symbolized all of those “…who had been dispossessed or refused a place, standing up defiantly to be recognized” (Kittelmann, Udo. “Total Strangers.” Antony Gormley). Through the creation of the piece, this could have been Gormley’s method of letting everyone in the community know that although they were not the wealthiest people of Margate, they still deserved to have a voice. Not too long after these revelations were made, hundreds of people from the town gathered to watch the burning of “Waste Man.” As this slow process started, black smoke first engulfed the body as yellow and orange colored flames crept up the body’s sides. Many of the household materials began to fly off of the body and eventually the only parts left were the wooden planks and gaping holes left behind by the household appliances. The head and neck were the first of the major body parts to completely burn of, followed by both arms dwindling down to the body’s sides and the legs appearing to be extremely skinny because the outer planks had fallen off. The rectangular opening near the heart was the second to last remaining part of the body before that too burned off and the only visible structure left was the framework of the legs. After thirty-two minutes, “Waste Man” was completely demolished and as the locals stood in awe, it became apparent that “Waste Man” was a perfect representation of that section of Margate because it showed that even through the most strenuous obstacles, the core of any community – the people – are able to withstand anything as long as they are united. <br /><br /> The second piece from this collection that made a lasting impact on a particular community is called “Event Horizon” and it drastically changed the city of London after it was unveiled during May of 2007. This piece became notorious for its magnitude and the fact that it was not simply one sculpture but thirty-one life-sized bronze male figures placed in strategic locations around the city. To the amazement of many Londoners, they saw numerous sculptures placed on the roof tops of some of the most prominent buildings in London, all overlooking the city’s horizon. Gormley’s motives in the creation of this piece, was to promote his upcoming exhibit, “Blind Light” but he also wanted to make a major impact on the locals and with all of the sculptures placed in areas from the Shell Centre to King’s College, he made sure all of the sculptures were pointing in the direction of the exhibit’s location, the Hayward Gallery (Vidler, Antony, Susan Stewart, and W.J.T Mitchell). Seeing as how the majority of Gormley’s sculptures are modeled off of his own body and they strongly uphold Gormley’s philosophies of stripping away any trace of physical identity, the locations of these thirty-one sculptures holds the true significance behind the artwork.<br /><br /> One of these places includes the Waterloo Bridge and the sculpture stands at the northern part of the bridge. The bridge is important because it was the first bridge ever constructed at this site and it was given its name after Britain’s victory in the Battle of Waterloo during 1815. Numerous photographs taken of the sculpture show it standing on the corner of the Waterloo Bridge next to fast movements represented by an array of flashing colors from many cars and people that passed by the bridge on a daily basis. This effect is crucial to Gormley’s reasonings as to why he chose to place the sculpture at this particular bridge because the fast movement emphasizes how people constantly move from one place to another and fail to take the time to appreciate the historical importance of the bridge. Gormley believes that if something noticeable was placed near the bridge, people would eventually stop to appreciate such subtle important aspects of the bridge. This goal was accomplished because many tourists are seen both taking pictures with the sculpture and simply viewing the magnificent creations. <br /><br /> Another sculpture is placed on the rooftop of a building that is close in proximity to the London Eye. Being the biggest Ferris Wheel in all of Europe, it has become one of London’s most popular tourist attraction with nearly three million people visiting the site each year. Gormley’s decision to place the statue on top of a building close to this attraction was a key move because the people on the ride are given the opportunity to see the entire city. The significance of this site is similar to that of the Waterloo Bridge in the sense that such an unusual statue is standing in an unlikely place, which causes people at the very least to take note of such abnormalities, however, this site is also unique because unlike the bridge, people do not have the ability to move at their own fast pace because the wheel moves at a slow enough pace so that everyone can notice everything the city has to offer. Both of these locations and the twenty-nine others, allow the viewers to understand Gormley’s quote of “sculpture is a direct way of allowing the mind to dwell in matter”(Crags, Tong 156) because without displaying these sculptures, many would never decide to slow down and genuinely consider the subtle and historical beauties of London. Although once Gormley’s exhibit ended all of the sculptures had to be removed, Gormley still took the initiative to add something unique and creative to the city, which resultantly broaden the horizons of many because they finally were able to enjoy the finer things of the city without always having to rush by them and possibly never have noticed them to begin with.<br /><br /> The third piece in this collection introduces one of Gormley’s most highly valued beliefs in the ancient teachings of Buddhism. After traveling to India and Sri Lanka during the early 1970’s to study Buddhism, many of those teachings can be seen throughout much of his work. Such as in the piece titled, Quantum Cloud, which was erected in 1999 just in time for the opening of the Millennium Dome. This is Gormley’s tallest piece of art, standing approximately 98.43 feet tall on a platform stationed on the Thames River. Gormley comments on how he “…purposefully left the decision of whether this piece is abstract or the representational”(Vidler, Antony, Susan Stewart, and W.J.T Mitchell) up to the viewers and this is all too common with Gormley’s pieces. With that, the viewers can see that the piece stands at the center of the plank, and if they look closely enough, they can see a human figure standing up straight, with its arms and hands tight at their sides, in the middle of the cloud. The figure can be seen because this portion of the cloud is a lot darker and the metal nails are closer in proximity. The surrounding cloud is formed by steel nails that are 1.5 meters in length and as one moves farther away from the center of the cloud, the nails become more scattered and almost appear to form the shape of daggers. The base of the cloud is rounded, in order to allow the statue to firmly stand on the plank. The cloud appears to be a silver color, while the figure is a darker gray color. <br /><br /> When trying to understand the complex meaning of this particular sculpture, it is necessary to understand Gormley’s strong beliefs in Buddhism, which originated from a man known as Buddha who investigated his mind and eventually obtained a spiritual awakening, which is the understanding of one’s real nature. In Buddhism, it is commonly believed that human beings are unhappy because they do not understand their own real identity or potential because from birth, people are taught who they are, how to act, and what to think. In an interview with E. H. Gombrich, Gormley said, “I hope that my art tries to deal with big questions like who are we ... where are we going” (Hutchinson, John 240)? He does just that with many of his pieces because he constantly challenges the viewers to question their existence by giving them the freedom to interpret his work in a way that will be most significant to that particular individual. In terms of Quantum Cloud, Gormley probably would interpret this piece based on the Tibetan Buddhism beliefs because they originated from India, which is where he studied Buddhism and because this practice heavily focuses on meditation and the idea of body, mind, and space uniting as one.<br /><br /> Gormley desires to “…make concrete the life that goes on within the head”( Brenson, Michael) and to prevent the mind and body from becoming detached. The first method one could accomplish this, is through the first practice of meditation, which is concentration. Concentration involves visualizing certain processes in the body, and in terms of “Quantum Cloud,” this process would involve the flow of energy. Gormley focuses on the body and its interaction with the surrounding space by showing the outer steel rods surrounding the body in a scattered motion, which represents all of the chaos surrounding the figure. Gormley also expresses how the figure can easily become consumed with the surrounding chaos, however, through mediation the figure is able to find peace within itself and is able to stay calm and not panic, which is indicated by the figure’s still posture. Just as the figure is at the center of the cloud and the chaos, the figure was able to center itself and find inner tranquility that would block out the outer commotion. <br /><br /> The second practice of achieving complete meditation is mindfulness, which occurs when the mind observes itself conducting some sort of activity and takes note of the outer occurrences; however, the person does not allow himself to become distracted by the outer influences. In terms of “Quantum Cloud,” the figure’s activity would be viewed as standing in meditation and metaphorically the outer influences are represented by the scattered nails surrounding the figure, however, based on the body’s still form, it is clear that the figure is meditating and has centered its mind enough so that the outer chaos does not affect him. The sculpture is also surrounded mainly by water and the quiet surroundings alludes to the idea that Gormley chose this setting so that the mind has something to concentrate all of its thoughts on, which will make it even more difficult to become distracted by the outer most nails. Gormley emphasizes focusing on something serine such as water in order to bring about peaceful, calming thoughts. In an interview with Udo Kittelmann, Gormley said he wanted to recognize “…the internal condition of this space …and in some possible way to expose that space…”(Kittelmann, Udo. “Total Strangers.” Extracts from interview with Udo Kittelmann) and basically he is trying to view the space within the body and portray it to the world through his sculptures by depicting the interactions of the inner body’s space with outer space, such as daily occurrences. Simultaneously, he wants to emphasize how the body is able to properly cope with all of this type of stress through centering the body and mind with mediation. <br /><br /> The fourth piece in this collection is titled, “Still Falling” and it is one of Gormley’s earlier pieces of artwork that was constructed during 1983. This piece is significant for many difference reasons, one of which begins with the piece’s location, Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. This park is unique because it was specially created for artists and sculptors, and after many years, it became a place where sculptors could design pieces on the walls, which eventually changed the city of London by improving the city’s physical appearance. Gormley’s ideas for this piece, keeping in mind his passion for Buddhist theories, thrived by the fact that the park itself was created by both man and nature. The park was formed through natural processes but was eventually revamped through the aid of mankind and numerous sculptors like Gormley who wanted to improve the perception of London. <br /><br /> From afar, one may look at this piece and only see brown and white colored granite and a hilly, rocky cliff. However, if one were to continue looking at the cliff, one would begin to notice the figure of a human body, descending down the side of the cliff. The figure is falling head first and it appears as if the figure is facing towards the cliff rather than towards the open air. Gormley was able to avoid having to add facial features, a technique that he used throughout many creations of his artwork. The figure seems to be gliding rather than falling down the cliff because its hands are gently placed at its sides. The feeling of being at peace with it downward motion is represented by the arms’ stillness instead of frantic flares because the figure is falling into rocky grounds (Gormley, Antony. Malmo Konsthall, Tate Gallery Liverpool, Irish Museum of Modern Art). The Tibetan Buddhist ideals seem to be relevant in this piece as well because the figure is mindful of its surrounds, and at the same time, submerged in meditation that has allowed the figure to focus on the beautiful surrounding green leaves and trees rather than the rocky and sharp pit below. Gormley seems to express how the figure is allowing its body to gently become a part of nature and seeing as how the area in which the piece is carved into appears deeper than the surrounding area, implies that nature is graciously welcoming the figure into its new surrounds. The figure is so small and the arms are so close to the body that it almost looks like an angel or some other serine figure. The area is lighter around the figure and this could symbolize a light of acceptance shining on the figure and the blossoming purple flowers indicate a peaceful environment. Although the viewers know realistically the figure will not hit the bottom of the cliff, the beautiful setting, the deep mediation the figure has fallen into and the title of the piece, forces the viewers to feel as if the figure will never hit the bottom because nature continues to welcome all. By concentrating on nature and by maintaining mindfulness, the figure will not allow itself to become consumed with the idea of hitting the bottom and will forever fall into nature. <br /><br /> “Still Falling,” also strongly embodies Gormley’s overwhelming desires to gather together a community of people in order to construct his artwork because this difficult piece definitely required tremendous efforts on the behalf of an entire team of workers to complete the task. The initial chiseling of the cliff was a laborious task because the men did not use any form of advanced technology. They used blocks and wedges. Gormley understands the great lengths the workers went to in order to finish the project and yet, he strongly feels that situations such as those bring community members together and force them to work through any differences they may have, while creating something that is bigger than each individual. Gormley’s team and teachings also shows that when approaching such a gigantic task, one has to “…consider the material as part of the place; as part of the earth. The joy of this project at Tout is that this very special place provides the inspiration, the material, the studio and the exhibition space”( “Antony Gormley- Still Falling-1983”). Gormley calls attention to the fact that nature is a blank canvas waiting for people to work with it rather than against it, with the intensions of molding it into something that is original, and since it is on display for everyone in the community to view, something that is positively impacting. <br /><br /> The fifth and final piece of this collection is titled, “Present Time,” which was constructed during 1986 to 1989. Unlike many of Gormley’s pieces that are on display in an open space of either London or another city of England, “Present Time” visually impacts the community and the full meaning behind the piece leads to an even greater appreciation for the artwork. Located in the National Galleries of Scotland in the city of London, this sculpture stands 11.15 feet tall 6.33 feet in length and 1.15 feet in width. It is composed of medium lead fiber glass plaster and air. The light brown coloring and a hint of gray are just the subtle factors that cause this piece to be eye-catching. Most noticeably, there are two figures, both representing the shape of a human body, placed on top of one another. The upper half of the body is upside down with its legs outstretched, spread apart from one another and its feet flat. There is a vertical yellow line that extends down the midline of the upper body and continues to run downward toward the feet of the lower body. This line is horizontally bisected by two arms that are outstretched, with one yellow line extending from the left hand and stretching across the figure’s chest to end at the right hand. The figure’s palms are slightly cuffed and its fingers and thumbs are all tightly joined. Continuing down the figure, it is clear that the two bodies are adjoined at the neck and the lower half is planted firmly on the floor. The body seems to be shaped in the form of a mummy with its arms and hands stiffly by its sides and legs close together. There is no separation between the arms and the sides of the body and there is no separation between the legs. There are also yellow lines that run horizontally from the right side of the body to the left side and these lines are only seen on the lower half of the figure (Jay, Courtesy). <br /><br /> At first glance, this piece is clearly striking and intriguing; however, a viewer needs to understand the connection Gormley makes between Tibetan Buddhism and his artwork in order to truly understand this particular piece. On the surface, a viewer can see how the lower half expresses a confined shape with its body wrapped tight and body parts clenched together, which evokes feelings of imprisonment. With the upper half portrayed with both legs and arms outstretched, the viewers understand the belief that this portion is free. The Buddhist religious values play a crucial role as one sees how the upper half is concentrated on the figure’s spiritual or mental state, while the lower half represents the body’s physical state. Ironically, both of these states are connected but yet divided (Jay, Courtesy). The upper half of the figure allows itself to connect with its surrounding space by spreading its arms and legs, by feeling what space and air are like. The lower half, however, appears to be timid and even afraid of interacting with its surroundings and resultantly is secluded from the rest of the world. The yellow lines are also important to the figure’s meaning because they divide the body so that the viewers are able to see how the figure is affected when it is confided in comparison to when it is free. The lines on the upper half of the figure are more outstretched and farther apart, as if they have room to do things that are specific to each one. Whereas the lines on the lower half are closer together and as one descends down the body, they become smaller as if there is less room to explore the surrounding space. The figure portrays the idea that although one may try to unify the body it can still be divided and essentially trapped from true freedom and expression if one does not completely and fully submit to the teachings of mediation, concentration, and mindfulness. <br /><br />“…The body is the place where emotions are most directly registered..”( Kittelmann, Udo. “Total Strangers.” Extracts from interview with Udo Kittelmann) says Gormley, which lead Courtesy Jay to see Gormley’s work of “Present Time” as the upper half representing the mind and the lower half representing the physical, such as many other photographers, and with this widely believed viewpoint, it leads to speculation that a person genuinely has to succumb to mediation and the acceptance of oneself becoming one with nature and space both mentally and physically if he whole heartedly desires to find his center amongst daily chaos. If a person chooses otherwise, he will end up like the sculpture of “Present Time,” where he mentally believes in such teachings but continues to physically restrict himself from everlasting change. <br /><br />In an article by Michael Brenson, he comments on how “Gormley purposefully does not add facial expressions or emotions to the statues because it would take away from the one, unifying emotion or movement Gormley tries to capture in the statute” (Brenson, Michael.) and Gormley does uphold this value because his body is the only body form he knows best and is most comfortable depicting. By Gormley never trying to connect his sculptures to himself directly, he portrayed the idea that everyone can find a center between earth and their own body, based on their personal experiences. He used his body because he desired to teach everyone who has not had the opportunity to have a firsthand experience with Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka to receive the information he learned. Through research of the early teachings of Buddhism, the master Gautama Sakyamuni, was represented by an empty throne rather than his own body while he spread his beliefs to many, and Gormley does just that because although he is presenting these beliefs, he is not looking for recognition and solely represents his body form through his sculptures and not his physical traits. That is also why he gives a lot of credit to the community members who aid in the creation process of numerous pieces of his artwork and although he emphasizes his strong beliefs in unifying the human body with space, he also sees the importance in bringing together a community through the introduction of a new art form. His sculptures have evolved into the cities’ natural environment and through meditation and the religion of Buddhism he expresses how the body, mind, and space can easily become disconnected from the serenity of nature if they are not united as one body form. <br /><br />Works Consulted<br /><br />“Antony Gormley.” Double Take. 2008. South London Gallery. 20 March 2009 <http://www. doubletakeproject.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85& Itemid=18>.<br />Gormley’s views on using his body as a model for the majority of his work and his ideas on unifying body and space are discussed on this page. It also deals with a piece called Event Horizon, which has 31 sculptures placed at specific locations in London. This was planned by Gormley in order to promote his upcoming exhibition “Blind Light.” The sculptures made a major impact on the city because the sculptures became a part of the city’s natural environment rather than paintings contained in an art gallery.<br /><br /><br />Gormley, Antony. “Antony Gormley.” Short Personal Biography. 2008. 22 February 2009 <http://www.antonygormley.com/viewtext.php?textid=1&page=1>. <br /><br />This website provides the readers with a brief introduction into the life of Antony Gormley. The readers are informed that Gormley is interested in depicting human interaction with their surrounding space. He does so by creating sculptures modeled after his own body. He began this adventure during the early 1990’s and has since transformed many cities, one of which is London, the place where his works originated. <br /><br /><br />Gormley, Antony, et al. ARTNOW: interviewers with modern artists. London: Ebenezer Baylis & Son Ltd, 2002. <br /><br />Fabulous pieces of Gormley’s artwork are portrayed in ARTNOW: interviewers with modern artists, for instance, “A Case Angel” is one of the many pieces portrayed and it describes two main theories. One is the belief that the image is a representation of the unity between the spirit and matter. Another interpretation deals with the belief that the image signifies that handicap of the angel and its inability to fit through doorways, because of it enormous size. It is interesting to read about the varying views on his artwork and the controversy they create.<br /><br />Gundersen, Lars. “Antony Gormley.” Cass Sculpture Foundation. 1992-2009. 28 February 2009 < http://www.sculpture.org.uk/biography/AntonyGormley/>.<br />This website provides great information on the beginning of Gormley’s life and essentially his introduction into the art industry. He is a well educated man who has conducted an abundance of research to formulate many ideas on the human body. Through his travels he has discovered many parallels between his central concentration of the human body and art. <br /><br />Hart, Jane. “Antony Gormley.” Journal of Contemporary Art. Journal of Contemporary Art, Inc. 22 February 2009 <http://www.jca-online.com/gormley.html>.<br />This interview between Jane Hart and Antony Gormley touches upon basic questions about Gormley’s work, while questioning certain theories and ideals. Hart brings up a point about why he incorporates local people to aid in the construction of his artwork. Gormley appears to bring together a community of people by involving them in such a creation. Although he says some people took the creation as a joke, others were more dedicated but in all the community was stronger than prior to the project.<br /><br />Jury, Louise. "How Antony Gormley Made His Bed.” Tate Britain 26 November 2004: The Independent. 25 February 2009 <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/how-antony-gormley-made-his-bed-534594.html>. <br />This article speaks upon Gormley’s first piece of artwork that made his career in art significant and unique. Through the creation of “Bed,” Gormley became quite well known for his originality and interest in the use of solely his own body. “Bed” was created over a three month period and it required him to eat 8,000 pieces of bread that later resembled the volume of his body. Although this was time consuming and resultantly the bread became moldy and had to be preserved by wax, his desire to continue to make such pieces showed heart and dedication. <br /><br />Nichols, Matthew Guy. "Antony Gormley at Sean Kelly." Art in America 93.8 (Sept 2005): 148(1). Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Boston Public Library. 23 Feb. 2009 <br /><http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.bpl.org/itx/start.do?prodId=EAIM>.<br />In this article Nichols interestingly discovered a different and new approach to one of Gormley’s pieces. This came about after he explored a piece entitled, Clearing IV, 2005 and in this adventure Nichols slowly began to stray away from Gormley’s original idea of basing his sculptures off of his own body and realizing this piece had more to do with Nichols’ own body. In the sense that he began to focus more on the way in which he affected the tunnel with his own movements rather than the affects another figure could have had on the piece. <br /><br />“Press Release.” London. 23 June 2008. The Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group. 24 February 2009 <http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=17453>. <br />This website was quite interesting because it spoke of Gormley’s proposal to have people of the local community stand on the Fourth Plinth for one hundred consecutive days, in order to create a piece called, “One and Other.” This is an incredible event because he estimated this would require the assistance of nearly 2,400 people. If he obtained this large number of volunteers, it would show a tremendous amount of unity and togetherness in the community. That idea could have been Gormley’s goal for some many years, bringing together groups of people to act as one. <br /><br /><br /><br />Steidlmack. Antony Gormley. Gateshead: Domain Field, 2003. <br /><br />The book titled, Antony Gormley, is quite complex, dealing with some of his most important work. Many of the visuals provided are equip with detailed explanations. They include information of Gormley’s reasoning behind the work to the intricate detail placed into the actual design of the artwork.<br /><br />Vito, Acconi, and Mark C. Taylor. Pressplay: Contemporary artists in conversation. London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2005. <br /><br />Pressplay: Contemporary artists in conversation, is another enormous book that brings together a full text of interviews from Phaidon, holding long discussions with contemporary artists from 1995-2005. The interview held with Gormley was directed by interviewer E.H. Gombrich and he asked many thought provoking questions at the same time, Gombrich got Gormley to answer various questions that helps to further ones understanding in many of Gormley’s pieces. For instance, during the interview, Gormley states how he does not want his work to be symbolic, which furthers the viewers’ comprehension by realizing that Gormley’s work is solely original and unique. <br /><br /><br /> Xonta, Galicia De. Antony Gormley: 18 de xaneiro-31 de marzo de 2002. London: Elena Fabeiro, 2002. <br /><br />Antony Gormley: 18 de xaneiro-31 de marzo de 2002 is a book that is written in two or three different languages. In addition, it also gives a description along with pictures describing some of Gormley most notorious sculptures. It also displays Gormley’s work from a well know exhibit held in Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-78718704795832560882009-05-14T17:26:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:56:23.923-07:00Video Blogs:Hamlet2/8/09<br /><br />Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 5, focuses on the moment when Hamlet and the Ghost finally encounter one another. Branagh intensifies the meaning behind Hamlet’s endless determination to seek revenge for his father’s death after the Ghost reveals the truth behind his murder, with the incorporation of varying music, sound effects, and emotional drama of the characters. In doing so, Branagh conveys the arousing impact of scene, which allows the viewers to understand the content of this scene not only through words but through all of these theatrical aspects.<br /><br /><br />The scene begins as Hamlet runs through dark and dreary woods in search of the Ghost. Hamlet quickly and breathlessly quotes a passage from Act 1 Scene 4 as loud music and special effects play to the swift speed of Hamlets’ movement. The camera switches from one image to the next as Hamlet speaks, intending to illustrate his words as the readers hear of the gruesome things he describes. Such as when Hamlet said, “…King, father, royal Dane. O, answer me!/ Let me not burst in ignorance…”(Shakespeare 45-46) and with the aid of special effects, images of things being blown up in the back of the woods and fire erupting depicts the “…burst in ignorance…”(46) Hamlet speaks of. Also, as Hamlet says, “Why thy canoniz’d bones, hearsed in death,/ Have burst their cerements…” (47-48) an image briefly appears of someone shutting the eyes of Hamlet’s father, as he lies dead on a table. Music builds just as Hamlet abruptly stops and tries to catch his breath in the cold air, as he turns and is confronted by the Ghost.<br /><br /><br />The Ghost delivers his lines in a whispering tone for the majority of the time that he speaks with Hamlet, which shows how the Ghost does not want anyone else to hear him tell Hamlet the secrets of his death. The Ghost’s tone also alludes to the idea that he is bitter and angry about the events of his death and the aftermath. As the Ghost begins to speak, he is dressed in a steel armor suit, as if he is prepared to fight and there is also a clear difference between the Ghost and Hamlet because the Ghost is more elevated than Hamlet, which forces him to look up toward his father. The positioning of the characters is important because it means the Hamlet surrenders to his father’s will and is more than eager to execute his father’s wishes. When the Ghost said, “…the secrets of my prison-house …would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood…” (16) an image of a foaming, frosty river appeared to symbolize the horrendous environment of the prison-house. A similar effect was conveyed as the floor began to split apart as he spoke of an “…eternal blazon…” (21). <br /><br /><br />As the Ghost continues, the tone of the entire scene intensifies with this interaction: Ghost: “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murther” Hamlet: “Murther!” Ghost: Murther most foul…” (25-27). Each time the word, “murther” (25) was repeated, there was a loud bang, followed by a pink image with blood pouring out of three holes. At first, this picture was difficult to decipher because it was shown abruptly, however, with the aid of the description of the Ghost’s murder in Hamlet,: “And in the porches of my ears did pour… holds such an enmity with blood of man…” (63-65), the viewers can conclude that this was a picture of the Ghost’s ear and the gruesome, bloody, affect the poison had on his ear.<br /><br /><br />The camera then cuts to a clip that has a lighter setting, where there is snow around, and Hamlet senior is shown sleeping in the Orchard. The difference in setting and lighting from clip to the setting of the majority of the scene eludes that Hamlet senior was peaceful and happy in his old life. A swift change in tone is made when a person somberly walks into the clip and the only visible items are black gloves and black shoes. Another quick change occurs and the Ghost’s face only appears in the video as he says “…the serpent that did sting thy father’s life/ Now wears his crown…” (38-39) and immediately Hamlet understands that King Claudius killed his father. By showing only the Ghost’s face at that moment, the severity of the Ghost’s words was expressed and the viewers and Hamlet see the great extent to which the Ghost desires revenge. <br /><br /><br />The camera gave another close-up shot of the Ghost’s eyes staring into Hamlet’s eyes as he speaks of the queen. At that point, the Ghost’s eyes looked very determined, but also possessed at the same time, which leads to the belief that he is obsessed with the King and Queen. He said, “…contrive/Against thy mother aught./Leave her to heaven…” (85-86) The usual soft tone of the Ghost’s voice slightly shows how he still loves the queen and greatly despises that the King and Gertrude are now together. The fact that the viewers were looking directly into the Ghost’s and Hamlet’s eyes also meant he truly wanted Hamlet to understand his will and by Hamlet gazing back at him, it showed that he believed every word and he was willing to do anything possible. <br /><br /><br />As the Ghost fades away, Hamlet grabs his hand in affection and says “O earth! What else?” (92) and falls to the ground. This dramatic portrayal of the release of emotions between the Ghost and Hamlet concludes as Hamlet jumps to his knees and raises his sword toward his face and says, “ …Adieu, adieu! remember me.”(111) The camera slowly moves toward his face as he says, “ I have sworn’t”(111), leaving the viewers to see in his eyes, a longing for his father’s return but the courage and overwhelming aspiration to execute his father’s wishes.<br /><br />2/26/09<br /><br />Hamlet’s soliloquy can be interpreted in many different ways and it seems as if there were two distinct versions portrayed in the videos. One interpretation is portrayed as if Hamlet contemplates taking his own life, while the other interpretation is portrayed as if Hamlet wants to take the life of King Claudius. Based on further reading of the play, the best interpretation of Hamlet’s state of mind is captured in Kenneth Branagh’s video because he interpreted Hamlet’s soliloquy as his desire to kill King Claudius rather than himself. <br /><br />Although Laurence Olivier and Alexander Fodor’s videos interpreted Hamlet’s soliloquy as if Hamlet wanted to kill himself, while Branagh’s video showed Hamlet as more vengeful and desiring to kill King Claudius, there were major points in the soliloquy that were portrayed in an array of different ways in all three videos. The way in which certain key lines or moments were portrayed in each video may lead to a better understanding as to why there were different messages represented.<br /><br />The opening line, “to be, or not to be, that is the question” (55) is spoken nearly in the same way in all three videos, with a soft and subtle voice. In Olivier’s video, the viewers first see a glimpse of rocky waters as soft music plays. As the music picks up in tempo, the viewers suddenly see Hamlet’s face as he slowly pulls out a knife and says, “or take arms against a sea of troubles, and opposing, end them” (58-59). Lines 60 and 61 are crucial points in all three videos, and in Olivier’s video Hamlet begins to recite these lines in this head, “…to die, to sleep-no more…” as he draws the knife closer to his throat. In Fodor’s video, those same lines are actually spoken by Hamlet as the camera shows the faces of two women and one man. With Branagh’s videos, those lines are also spoken by Hamlet as he slowly approaches the full length mirror he had been staring into. When comparing that way those lines were represented in each video, it is clear that they are key points and they established the way in which the rest of the video was going to run, especially with Olivier’s video because he seemed to portray a more literal translation of Hamlet’s words, for instance, showing a shot of the sea just before Hamlet says, “…take arms against a sea…” (58-59). <br /><br />Olivier’s literal translation continues as he says “…perchance to dream…”(64) just as he abruptly appears to have awoken from a dream. The next major point of the soliloquy occurs in lines 74 through 75 when Hamlet said, “when he himself might his quietus make/ with a bare bodkin…” and these lines proved to be visually significant because all three videos required Hamlet to act in different ways. With Olivier, Hamlet slowly raised his knife and puts it towards his heart, a gestured interpreted as Hamlet wanting to kill himself. Fodor portrayed Hamlet saying those lines as the camera slowly draws closer to Hamlet’s face. The viewers are left with a shot of one of Hamlet’s eye balls and behind him; there is a bright white light, implying some sort of death. The message in Branagh’s video is clear in those very lines because the camera quickly switches to a shot of King Claudius just as Hamlet quickly pulls out his knife and points it directly at the mirror, but the viewers see him pointing it at an allusion of King Claudius. The expression on the king’s face is that of a look of terror and surprise, which reiterates Hamlet’s desire to kill the king rather than himself. <br /><br />Lines 79 through 81 are other key situations in the videos and it is interesting that during each video when those lines are spoken, the camera gives a close shot of Hamlet’s face. In Olivier’s video just as Hamlet recites, “…no traveller returns, puzzles the will, and makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of…” the camera quickly switches from a shot of Hamlet’s face, to that of the rocky water below him. This leads to the idea that Hamlet may want to kill himself by jumping off the cliff. At that moment in Fodor’s video, the camera is close up on Hamlet’s face, while he stares into the viewers eyes but quickly looks away. In fact, he looks down, as if he is ashamed or surprised at the words he is saying. With Branagh, the camera shows Hamlet still staring into the mirror, as his tone of voice increases and he raises the knife toward the middle of his face and the viewers see determination in his eyes. <br /><br />The ending of each video is quite different, for instance, as Olivier closes the scene, Hamlet walks toward he edge of the cliff and looks over it. Speaking softly he says, “…with this regard their currents turn awry…” (86) and Olivier’s literal translation prevails once again as Hamlet turns away from the cliff as he says, “…turn awry…” (86) only to soberly walk down the other end of the cliff as soft music plays. It is assumed that Hamlet walks off the cliff into the water and kills himself. With Fodor, Hamlet is seen lying on the floor, dressed in all black with his eyes closed, in a similar position as another man was (possibly his father) throughout the entire video. Everyone in the scene who came across Hamlet senior, kissed him on the lips, and the same action took place as Hamlet lied on the floor as church bells that could signify a funeral rang, however, once the girl kissed him, he awoke. Assumedly, Hamlet envisioned himself dead, but the kiss awoke him from that dream. Finally, with Branagh’s videos, as Hamlet says, “… and lose the name of action…” (87) he gently hits the mirror with his knife. Although both Olivier and Fodor’s scenes ended with Hamlet saying “…and lose the name of action…” (87), Branagh’s video continued as Hamlet sees Ophelia and walks slowly towards her. Hamlet’s demeanor changes entirely when he sees her, he seems slightly happier and this could show the viewers that such a quick change in his personality from one moment to the next may show that he could be insane enough to actually kill the king. <br /><br />In all, Olivier’s literal translation and the black and white color video appeared to be an older version and it did not consider a deeper meaning behind the words. The constant white lighting, black clothing, and recording of Hamlet’s dying words in Fodor’s video lead to the belief that their interpretations were solely based on Hamlet killing himself rather than seeking revenge and killing the king. However, Branagh’s video provided the best interpretation of Hamlet’s desire to seek revenge and kill King Claudius rather than himself, based on Hamlet’s constant look of revenge and anger in his eyes.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-37669638213869251912009-05-14T17:25:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:26:41.970-07:00Blog: Alexander Olson2/1/09<br /><br />Mr. Colbert’s interview with Elizabeth Alexander, although quite comical, was interesting because Alexander explained her views on different forms of poetry and her views on her poem, Praise Song for the Day, in a simplistic, but yet enlightening method. The interview also speaks upon the various ways in which a person can interpret a poem and the meanings behind everyone word and idea. If Charles Olson attended the interview or had the opportunity to respond to Alexander’s poem itself, he would draw ideas from the essential points of Project Verse by Charles Olson which are “the kinetics…, the principle…, and the process.” (Olson)<br /><br />Many times during the interview, Colbert constantly inquired, what the difference is between a metaphor and a lie. He also asked, why don’t you just say what you mean? Alexander responded by saying a metaphor is a way of using language to show comparisons and how one thing relates to another. She also felt that metaphors are used to increase language. If Olson were to comment on Alexander’s response, he would agree with her in the sense that metaphors, along with other literary techniques are necessary in conveying a deeper meaning of the content. Olson would describe this as the use of process, one of the major ideas in Projective Verse, because various literary techniques, such as metaphors are used to “shape the energies that the form is accomplished.” (Olson) Olson believes, “one perception must immediately and directly lead to a further perception” (Olson) and by using metaphors, writers are able to compare objects and elaborate not only on their importance as individual objects, but on the significance they convey as a whole, which furthers the thought process and perception.<br /><br />Colbert continued the interview by asking Alexander, what is an occasional poem? She responded by saying it is a poem written for a specific occasion and gave the example of her poem, Praise Song for the Day, as a poem written exclusively for the inauguration. Colbert gave an example of an occasional poem he knew of, but Alexander emphasized the importance of breaking traditional views of occasional poems, by incorporating words that will hold a greater significance to the readers after the event is over. Olson would again agree with Alexander because of his views on “…the principle…” (Olson). Olson entered a new era of writing when he broke “away from traditional lines and stanzas” (Olson). Olson and Alexander are similar in their desires to go beyond ordinary writing and introduce diverse aspects of writing. <br /><br />If Olson were to respond to Alexander’s poem, he would find many ideas of her writing similar to his ideas. Alexander began her poem with, “each day we go about our business/ walking past each other, catching each other's/ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.” (Alexander 1-3) Alexander immediately establishes the idea the people go about their day, consumed with their own thoughts and rarely pay attention to anything that does not concern them. The speaker of Olson’s poem, The Songs of Maximus, also notices this and takes a more subtle approach to his day, “this morning of the small snow/ I count the blessings, the leak in the faucet/ with makes the sink time.”(Olson) The speaker of The Songs of Maximus comments on how the sink becomes time as water leaks into it from the faucet and it appears as if the speaker realizes how quickly time can drain. Alexander and Olson both convey the importance in taking notice to the finer things life has to offer.<br /><br />In the Projective Verse, Olson comments on straying away from traditional writing and he does so with the intricate ways he breaks up the lines in his poems and uses this to aid the readers in understanding where one needs to pause before continuing to read. This essentially allows the readers to better understand the full content of the poem. Olson says many contemporary writers have trouble with untraditional writing because they “…go lazy RIGHT HERE WHERE THE LINE IS BORN.” (Olson) The readers assume that Olson feels that just as a writer comments on situations that are prevalent issues in their society, he falls short. However, Olson would have responded to Alexander’s lines in Praise Song for the Day, “say it plain: that many have died for this day/ sing the names of the dead who brought us here” (Alexander 25-26) in a positive way. Alexander showed that she was not timid in addressing past difficult issues because she was confident in knowing that those issues were significantly impact the message she strongly desired to convey.<br /><br /><br />The overall ideas of Alexander’s poem connected with many of the points Olson introduced in Projective Verse and in Ferrini’s film because they both understand the importance of looking to the past for guidance in determining a brighter future. Olson would respond to Alexander’s poem as following his idea of kinetics, a poem that has energy “transferred from where the poet got it, by way of the poem itself to, all the way over to, the reader.” (Olson) Olson was consumed with the city of Gloucester and horrified by numerous changes, but in Ferrini’s film Olson noted that he only wanted to find a way to honor the past and still make the present as good as possible. Both Alexander and Olson take the passage of time, and history into account when writing poems and although they do not try to stop progression, they simply see the importance of noting their origin in order to prepare themselves for life altering changes.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-9845952438699198162009-05-14T17:22:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:25:16.943-07:00Heart of Darkness1/12/09<br /><br />Poem:<br /><br />Hunters of Darkness <br /><br />Ogni uomo é il suo capo nemico. Anacharsis<br /><br />The air was dark. <br />Peculiar blackness.<br />The sea of Thames, was <br />the beginning, of emptiness. <br />Deadly danger, the possibility,<br /> of a sudden onslaught,<br />was of sight,<br /> somewhere in Africa. <br />Fog, disease, and death, in the air, <br />of this region, of subtle horror.<br />We were man enough, <br />to face the darkness. <br /><br /><br />Civilized Man <br /><br />Imparare il significato di quanto lei dice, e poi prendere la parola. Epictetus<br /><br />Marlow was not typical. <br />Prejudice no doubt. <br />Resenting the sight of, dark –faced,<br />red- eyed devils. <br />Unwholesome simple people, <br />chain-gang pilgrims, and something ominous,<br /> in the air, Marlow was <br />slightly uneasy. <br />The whites, of course <br />greatly discomposed, by the savage. <br />But, I had a passion, for exploration,<br />and other places. I admit my behaviour,<br /> was inexcusable.<br /><br /><br />Powers of Darkness <br /><br /> Speranza di malati guadagno è l'inizio della perdita. Democritus <br /><br />He had the power, to charm rudimentary souls.<br />Envy, and devotion to Kurtz, was endless.<br />An audience, his ability to talk, and sense of real,<br />presence.<br />But the darkly menacing, Ivory hunt <br />and many, powers of darkness, <br />claimed him, for their own.<br />Through two illnesses,<br />Kurtz is dead. <br />He won’t be forgotten.<br /><br />Hunters (5) of (79) Darkness (9)<br /><br />Every man is his own chief enemy. Anacharsis<br /><br />The air was dark. (1) <br />Peculiar blackness.(109)<br />The sea (5) of Thames, (5) was (33) <br />the beginning, of emptiness. (100)<br />Deadly danger, the possibility,<br /> of a sudden onslaught,(109)<br />was (43) of sight,<br /> somewhere (33) in Africa. (10)<br />Fog, disease, and death, in the air, (8)<br />Of(93) this(143) region, of subtle horror(98).<br />We(100) were(100) man enough, <br />to face the darkness. (8)<br /><br /><br />Civilized Man (8)<br /><br />First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. Epictetus<br /><br />Marlow was not typical. (7)<br />Prejudice no doubt. (14)<br />Resenting the sight (120) of (79), dark –faced (100),<br />red- eyed devils. (25) <br />Unwholesome (69) simple people, (90)<br />chain-gang (25) pilgrims (69), and (120) something ominous,<br /> in the air (15), Marlow(7) was (121)<br />slightly uneasy. (15)<br />The whites, of course <br />greatly discomposed (67),by the savage (98). <br />But (130), I had a passion, for(10) exploration (11) ,<br />and other places (11). I admit my behaviour,<br /> was inexcusable (121).<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Powers of Darkness (82)<br /><br />Hope of ill gain is the beginning of loss. Democritus <br /><br />He had the power, to charm rudimentary souls (85).<br />Envy (93), and(120) devotion to Kurtz (93), was (92) endless(97).<br />An audience (93), his ability to talk (79), and(120) sense of real,<br />presence (73).<br />But (130) the (5)darkly menacing (121), Ivory hunt (95)<br />and (120)many, powers of darkness, <br />claimed him, for their own (82).<br />Through two illnesses (94),<br />Kurtz is dead(78). <br />He won’t be forgotten (85)<br /><br />Found Poetry: Heart of Darkness – Metacognative<br /><br /> Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a complex story that accounts for a journey taken by the main character on a mission to encounter another admired and well respected character. Conrad uses words that are both powerful and descriptive, which allows for the readers to understand many of the character’s emotions during situations that arose. Conrad’s word choice also gave descriptive information about the story’s setting that aided me in the composition of the first section of my poem. <br /><br /> Entitled Hunters of Darkness, my intention with the first section was to capture the specific elements of the stories’ setting and concluding with the character’s emotions. The poem opens with, “the air was dark / peculiar blackness,” (1-2) immediately the readers are informed that this area contains something unusual or mysterious. The men traveled via boat and the “sea” (3) alludes to the idea that the men were sailing upon a vast, open area and although they did not have an intended route, they were determined to meet Kurtz. After the men realized they were destined for Africa, trouble was soon to follow because this was an area widely unknown by many of the travelers and the possibility of “deadly danger” (5) was certain at any moment. Although the men knew they were about to settle in unfamiliar territory and be surrounded by different people, they thought they were prepared for any challenge. This section incorporates the greatest amount of descriptive words in order to convey imagery of the dark and dreary tone of the story. Words such as, “sudden onslaught” (6) and “subtle horror” (10) emphasizes the severity of danger in Africa and how quickly violence can erupt. The reference to “darkness” (12) is not only important because it adds to the dreary content of the story, but it also makes it difficult for a person to view things properly in the dark, which connects to all of the violence of the story. The English travelers were unable to clearly see and understand the Africans, leading to violent interactions. The epigraph, “every man is his own chief enemy,” (Anacharsis) connects the most with the final two lines of the poem, “we were man enough/to face the darkness” (11-12) because the quote establishes an idea that an individual’s biggest challenge is himself, but these men are confident that they can encounter even the darkest of events and dominate because of their determination. <br /><br />The second section is titled, Civilized Man and it is based around the main character, Marlow. More specifically, Marlow’s interactions with many of the Africans he encountered while on the island, his fellow English travelers, and the transformation I feel he makes by the conclusion of the second section of the story. The poem begins with the statement, “Marlow was not typical” (1) and I chose to use this line as an opener because from the beginning of the story, the readers are informed that his actions towards others were not always similar to those of other Englishman because of his experiences with different people of other countries. However, on numerous occasions, especially towards the Africans and Pilgrims, he speaks to them as if he is superior. It is common for Marlow to use complex words and I felt Conrad’s word choice was specific in many of these cases because he wanted to characterize Marlow as someone who felt dominate and would freely exemplify his intelligence by using complicated words. With that, it would have been beneficial to my poem if I had integrated a few examples of the words Marlow used.<br />The poem continues with examples of the evil and rude way in which Marlow thought of the Africans and Pilgrims. The “dark-faced, red-eyed devils,” (3-4) refers to the Africans as well as “unwholesome simple people” (5). On many occasions, Marlow would refer to them as either simple or savage, intensifying his belief that they were not as civilized or well of as he. He sees their appearance and automatically characterizes them as violent, destructive individuals. I thought the word, “chain-gang”(6) was appropriate in this scenario because I felt it further labeled the Pilgrims and Africans as violent savages, just as Marlow viewed them. By the conclusion of the second section however, I felt as if Marlow realized the errors of his ways and even began to feel compassion to the Africans. At a certain point in the story, he viewed their living situations, with a lack of food and essential supplies, as sad and unfortunate. <br /><br />By line 11, I still chose to include the other Englishmen’s views on the African’s situation and how they were unaffected, but my closing lines expressed how Marlow genuinely feels that his behavior was inappropriate and I felt that he learned from his ways and I think that came from his desire to travel and to experience other cultures. Although in the beginning Marlow appeared cocky and prejudice, he becomes more open-minded to other lifestyles and races by the end of the second section. The title, Civilized Man, reiterated Marlow’s idea of superiority and the quote, “first learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak,” (Epictetus) connects to Marlow because he began to embody the words of this quote by feeling some compassion for the people of the island and their poor living situations. Although Marlow was not completely changed by his interactions with the Africans, he began to differ greatly in the beliefs of the other, typical Englishmen.<br /><br />The final section of the poem is titled, Powers of Darkness and it is devoted entirely to Kurtz, his influence over others, and most importantly, his desires that lead to his downfall. I felt the first two lines of the poem were great introductory lines because they emphasized the extent of his influence. “Rudimentary souls” (2) are difficult to influence because they are consistent and usually unchangeable. My intentions with the use of, “an audience”(5) was to establish the idea that he had an abundance of followers, however, I would have liked to change those words to something that could have made a bigger and clearer impact on the readers. I also used the line “his ability to talk,” (5) to show reasons as to why he was so admired and how he was able to obtain such as strong following. <br /><br />Towards the end of the story, the readers discover the impact his strong desires for Ivory and power eventually overpowered him. By obtaining Ivory, he would have had more control over the island and he would have brought more power to England, but the dark forces, such as greed and a thirst for endless power, caused him to lose sight in civility. In fact, Kurtz affected many people such as the Africans who were overworked, himself and Marlow who became sick during the story and his death caused great pain to his fiancé. The section’s title and the quote, “hope of ill gain is the beginning of loss,” (Democritus) both relates to Kurtz’s overwhelming desire for power and Ivory because these were just some of the internal desires, powers of darkness, that would destroy a person. The quote foreshadows Kurtz’s life because he only desired to obtain Ivory for personal gain and although he intended on conquering another nation, he essentially brought down his greatest enemy, himself.<br />In all, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is an intricate story that discusses many topics, one of which targets a person’s dangerous desires to become powerful. Through descriptive words, settings, and intriguing characters, Conrad exemplified how the actions of one can destroy many. My intensions with this poem was to relate each of the three sections of the poem to each section of the story, through setting and the actions of specific characters and their impact on others. With that, each section resultantly leads to the course of actions of the following section, with the core of those actions rotted within the evil that lurks in darkness.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-80350473352086287012009-05-14T17:09:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:15:03.465-07:00Nikki Giovanni - Research Paper1/4/09<br /><br />Essay:<br /><br />The Words of One Influences the Movement of Thousands <br /><br /> “We cannot possibly leave it to history as a discipline nor to sociology nor science nor economics to tell the story of our people,” (“Giovanni”) Nikki Giovanni writes in Scared Cows and Other Edibles, a book of her collected essays. Giovanni speaks upon the history of African Americans and their strenuous struggle of conquering oppression, discrimination, and negativity. Although this journey was anticipated to be laborious and one that would last many decades, Giovanni refused to quit and she took it upon herself to inform her entire race that quitting was not an option for them either. She was confident in knowing that their battle to freedom would not be won in the hands of anyone other than African Americans, and that unity would essentially be the most crucial element to their success. Nikki Giovanni, a woman of many words, embodies the idea of uncovering inner strength not only to rise above any struggle, but to encourage thousands in believing they too will be able to overcome. Through her many years as a writer of both positive and negative events in her personal life, she became an inspiration to many and encouraged them to believe a change would soon come. <br /><br /> Although Giovanni’s words empowered many to strive beyond their largest obstacles, she too had to discover her own inspiration and many times, her motivation was fueled from the most private and significant events she encountered during her childhood. Originally named, Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr., and born on June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Yolande Cornelia and Jones "Gus" Giovanni by the age of three, Yolande’s older sister, Gary Ann, began calling her Nikki and from then onward, Yolande has been formally addressed as Nikki Giovanni. Two months later, during August of 1943, the Giovanni family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio with her parents’ ambitions of beginning new jobs, however, four years later they moved once again. This endeavor landed them in Woodlawn, Cincinnati, and for about six years, they lived in the suburban area of Cincinnati. Although the Giovanni family constantly moved from one city to the next in search of jobs for Mr. and Mrs. Giovanni that would enable them to better provide for their family, they did not encounter many problems until 1952, when Mr. Giovanni attempted to build a house in Hollydale, an all-black housing development. Due to racist loan officers, whom made it impossible for the family to follow through with their original plan, the Giovannis remained strong and eventually were able to put a down payment on a house in Lincoln Heights. This minor set back did not hold back Giovanni from thriving academically in school. Barriers such as these were all too common in Giovanni’s life; however, she has always been able to preserve the mentality of rising above any obstacle, regardless of the odds. <br /><br /> Giovanni’s attentiveness and eagerness to learn guided her academically at Fisk University during the 1960’s, making it easy for Giovanni to graduate with honors. However, just as with any success, tribulations are the building blocks to that success and Giovanni encountered many difficulties while attending the University. Her witty and occasional inappropriate remarks were considered to be uncharacteristic of women at the university but through her involvement with organizations such as, the Writers' Workshop and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, she learned how to use her words in a positive way. A better educated Giovanni, both in dialect and in African American studies, she began publishing breath taking pieces that caught the attention of many in black communities and within a few years, stimulated momentous changes. <br /><br /> As Giovanni’s educational ambitions soared to new heights, she received a B.A. in History, but the passing of one of her biggest inspirations, her grandmother Louvenia Watson, caused her great suffering. This tragedy led to the production of powerful poems and essays, which essentially became her most significant outlet and by 1968, Giovanni published the first volume of her book of poems, Black Feeling Black Talk. This volume includes the poem Nikki-Rosa, one that gives a first hand account of the life of a young African American girl growing up in the heat of racism and violence. Immediately, the title Nikki-Rosa indicates that the poem will discuss Giovanni’s childhood, seeing as how the poem is given the title of the nickname Giovanni was given in the early years of her adolescence. In addition, the first shift directly comments on an area known as “Woodlawn,” (line 3) a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio where Giovanni briefly resided. The speaker continues in a calm tone by describing the poor neighborhood with “…no inside toilets…”(line 4) but yet, Giovanni found happiness in always having her “mother all to…[herself]…”(lines7-8)<br /><br /> The second shift drastically changes in tone, as animosity builds as the speaker reminisces about her days in “…Hollydale,…” (line 15) another suburb Giovanni grew up in, but this area contains painful memories of her “… father’s pain as he sells his stock and another dream goes…” (lines 18-19) The dream being referenced to is that of her father’s desire of building a house for his family, but due to loan officers whom could not look past the color of Mr. Giovanni’s skin, refused to grant him the loan. But yet underneath all of the chaos, is an overwhelming amount of family unity, with both the speaker and her sister “…have happy birthdays and very good Christmases…”(lines 25-26) Emphasis is placed upon “…Christmases…” (line 26) because it is one of few words of the entire poem that is capitalized and it is plural, which alludes to the idea that there were multiply “…Christmases…” (line 26) the speak and her sister enjoyed, regardless of their living conditions.<br /><br /> The final shift reestablishes the original calm tone of the poem, however, the speaker “…hopes no white person ever has cause to write about …[her]… because they never understand Black love is Black wealth…” (lines 27-30) The impact of the poem’s message is felt in these few lines as the speaker praises her life and conveys the joy she found in her low budgeted “…Christmases…” (line 26) because she discovered that black love equates to black wealth, meaning love is the true token of wealth not money or material possessions such as “…big bath tubs that folk in chicago barbeque in…”(11) The speaker understands that her childhood was tough, but the love and unity she received from her family made all of her troubles seem extremely bearable.<br /><br /> Within the same volume of Black Feeling Black Talk, Nikki Giovanni published, Poem for Black Boys and her inspiration could have derived from a time when her parents moved the family to Cincinnati, Ohio during 1943. There, they began jobs as house parents at Glenview School, a home for Black boys. Views of these young boys prompted the powerful opening of the first stanza, “Where are your heroes, my little Black ones…”(line 1) Throughout the entire poem, the speaker references childhood games and their relevance to the boy’s situations. The first game referenced occurs in the first shift, involving an Indian and a chief, however, the speaker warns the boys that they are not the powerful “…sheriff on his faggoty white horse…” (line 3) but the “Indian …[they]… so disdainfully shoot…”(line 2) After establishing a clear distinction between those who are the real targets, the speaker notes how the boys should play “…run-away-slave…” (4) or “…Mau Mau,…”(5) a revolt in Kenya against British rule, all which are games “…more in line with …[there]… history…”(6) <br /><br />The speaker’s tone swiftly changes and appears to advocate violence in the second shift as the speaker says, “Ask your mothers for a Rap Brown gun…” (line 9) H. Rap Brown is well known for his involvement as a Civil Rights activist and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a committee that Giovanni too was a part of while she attended Fisk Univeristy. “Ask for CULLURD instead of Monopoly DO NOT SIT IN DO NOT FOLLOW KING GO DIRECTLY TO THE STREETS…”(11-13) says the speaker. Society thinks “…this is a game …[they]…can win” (14) and they expect nothing less than violent, atrocious actions from these young black boys. <br />The third shift discusses how well the readers know the speaker is stating the truth and emphasizes how blacks should “grow a natural and practice vandalism,”(line 16) learning these “…useful games…”(line 18) and skills would once again uphold every societal expectation of African Americans. The fourth shift, however, introduces a new idea by commenting on a special game called “…Burn Baby..”(line 24) and yet the same results occur because “…Hide and Seek becomes valid /Because we have much to seek and ourselves to hide from a lecherous dog.” (lines 28-29) Regardless of the game conducted, African Americans will continuously be subjected to the same gruesome and unequal treatment. <br /><br />The fifth shift enforces the importance of the poem and just how crucial it is for African Americans to listen and truly understand every word written. Even if the boys don’t listen to her, they will soon understand that the boys are there own heroes and it is their responsibility to “…invent …[their]...own games and teach …[the]… old ones how to play” (lines 34-35) By the boys creating their own game, they are instituting a change and eventually a new way of life for themselves and for those of generations prior. Those lines are words of encouragement because the boys gain a sense of hope that although society expects specific actions, they can surprise everyone by inventing a game all of their own and genuinely win. <br />Beginning in 1958 though 1960, Giovanni’s life was jolted as her parents’ relation started to crumble, with constant arguing Giovanni thought it would be in her best interest to stay with her grandparents for awhile. This move resultantly became one of her best decisions because she gained an abundance of knowledge from her grandmother, learning the importance of helping others and fighting for social justices. Becoming a strong Black American was something Giovanni prided herself upon, which lead to powerful, heart hitting pieces such as Poem (No Name No. 3). The first line, “The Black Revolution is passing you bye…” (line 1) immediately establishes the severity of the speaker’s words. Seeing as how “…Black Revolution…” (line 1) is capitalized, the readers quickly understand that African Americans need to react soon. The use of “..bye…”(line 1) is a homophone and it creates a major impact on the readers because not only is the revolution passing, but it will soon pass by with no return. The speaker then speaks upon Anne Frank and her experience but how the “…naziboots…” (line 5) will not march this time. African Americans should not wait for such a warning because no group will come hunting for them this time.<br /><br />The second shift has an aggressive, forceful tone because it uncovers African American History and draws the readers focus by introducing the facts. “They already got Malcolm … They already strapped a harness on Rap…” (lines 11-13) its forces the readers to understand that oppression began many generations ago and it is not stopping. Whites have already killed Malcolm X, an activist who fought for justice and continued by limiting the only other form of voicing their sorrows. The second shift also creates a personal feeling between the readers and the speaker by saying, “Didn’t you hear them when 40 thousand Indians died from exposure to honkies…”(lines 17-19) As the speaker continues to give examples of the horrendous atrocities conducted by whites, African Americans see how other races have been wiped out and nothing is stopping whites from striking the African American race as well.<br /><br />The third shift continues with a personal tone, in addition to bringing the content of the poem into the present tense. “Can’t you hear them when Arab women die from exposure to isrealijews/ You hear them while you die from exposure to wine and poverty programs…”(lines 23-25) says the speaker. Not only does the speaker reference current attacks in different countries, but she follows that line with one that personally targets African Americans living in poor communities. The liquor stores on every street corner are not accidents, they all are mechanisms implemented to slowly kill the black race while finding numerous other methods. <br />The final shift truly emphasizes that crucial time has already passed and African Americans do not have amply time left to prepare themselves for a task that should have been accomplished years ago. The forceful, angry tone of this shift states the importance of moving quickly and not wasting anymore time because if African Americans will not fight, “…the whi-te reaction…”(line 34) will not refrain from continuing their genocides. “…Whi-te…” (line 34) is also visually important because it forces the readers to stare at the word and wonder why Giovanni chose to write the word in such a format. Regardless of the readers’ interpretations, they have spent extra time deciphering the meaning behind the word and genuinely taking time to see the importance in one race swiftly taking action against another before time runs out. <br /><br />Nikki Giovanni has made a difference in the lives of many, regardless of their race, age, or gender because she has proven that regardless of a person’s origin or the obstacles one is faced with, uncovering a divine amount of strength will allow for one individual to achieve greatness. Today, Giovanni continues to be “…a strong voice of the Black community…”(“Nikki Giovanni”) with focus on bringing about a change for an entire race. Her words now go beyond Civil Rights and flow into the ears of hundreds who recently fell victim to the Virginia Tech Massacre on April 16, 2007. After Giovanni took the position of English Professor at the University during 1995, no one could foreshadow the events of that catastrophic day, but regardless of how broken the students and faculty were, Giovanni’s soulful and moving words of “We Are Virginia Tech” reminded them all of the unity they once and will always have. Unity and strength are two elements that create power and Nikki Giovanni is a sole demonstrator of one individual who believes that the only way to introduce a positive change is through the gathering of an entire race, nation, or student body and acting as one. <br /><br /> <br />Original poem<br /><br /><br />The New Revolution of 2009<br /><br />The time has come <br />for a Revolution <br />the time to react was <br />yesterday <br />but Obama is our new King <br />of today <br />so we are not to late <br /><br />Recession is a sorrow <br />of the past Depression is our battle<br />of the present, but prosperity is in <br />our near future<br /><br />cast aside all of your differences <br />and Unit as one <br />to regain the stability we once<br />came to love<br /><br />Annotated Works Consulted <br /><br />“Awards and Honors.” Nikki Giovanni: Awards and Honors: Awards and Honors. Ed. Nikki Giovanni. 2002. 2 December 2008. < http://nikki-giovanni.com/awardsnhonors.shtml><br />A page comprised of numerous awards Nikki Giovanni won for various and significant reasons. This page is also formatted in a timeline and it takes the viewers from minute awards won during 1970, all the way until 2006. Over these decades, Giovanni shows immaculate progress solely based on the increasing amount of awards she received over the mounting years. It is also interesting that she won these awards over a large sum of consecutive years and she accomplished this over many decades. <br /><br />Giovanni, Nikki. “Nikki.” MySpace.com. 2 January 2009 <http://www.myspace.com/383402149>. <br />Nikki Giovanni’s My Space page is more personal than other pages documenting her work. Although the majority of the information contains a detailed biography, recording the past events in her life, she includes recent information as well. Such as many of her interests and favorite past times, but also people she would like to meet. Many of the individuals she speaks of, were Civil Rights activist, many of whom she received her inspiration and strength from. <br /><br />“Good Reads- quotes by Nikki Giovanni.” Home page Ed. Otis Chandler. 2008. Goodreads Inc. 9 December 2008. < http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/22050.Nikki_Giovanni> <br />A website full of inspirational and intriguing quotes that Nikki made throughout her years, using the experiences and information she gained from her life, to guides others. The quotes range from discussing love, to the importance of helping those in need. She is such a versatile writer that one could discover a quote for nearly any top. Overall, she stresses the importance of unity and togetherness, in order to accomplish goals. <br /><br />“Nikki Giovanni.” Poets.org. 1997. Academy of American Poets. 3 December 2008. <br />< http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/173><br /><br />A website that gives more of an in depth view of Giovanni’s background and states that “Nikki” is her nickname, rather than her given name. The site also discusses her latest and most recent books published of her work. In addition to her noted battle with lung cancer and how that didn’t keep her from inspiring others as she used her survival story as a way to connect with others dealing with the same illness. Afterwards, she partook in the introductory writing of the anthology Breaking the Silence: Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors. <br /><br />“Nikki Giovanni's speech at Virginia tech touched a troubled world.” Nikki Giovanni's speech at Virginia tech touched a troubled world- Record Online-The Times Herald Record. 22 April 2007. The Herald Record. 9 December 2008. <http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/NEWS/704220354/-1/NEWS><br />This powerful and informative article discusses the tragedy that struck the students, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech. This article is special because not only is Professor Giovanni using words full of encouragement and wisdom, it depicts another side of Nikki. Through her poems, it is clear that she is an amazing and accomplished writer, however, the way in which she was able to convey her emotions of sorrow but invoke a change as well, demonstrates Nikki’s versatility.<br /><br />“Quilts.” Poets.org. Ed. Visual Verse Project.1997. Academy of American Poets. 3 December 2008. < http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16891><br /><br />Solely based on her poem, “Quilted,” this site deals with the issue of what will happen to poetry when she no longer part takes in it. However, she is quick to defend the activity she loves dearly and emphasizes how poetry and writing poetry will always be something that she carries with her and cares about tremendously. <br /><br />Annotated Works Cited <br /><br />“Biography.” Nikki Giovanni: Bio: Biography. Ed. Nikki Giovanni. 2002. 3 December 2008 <http://nikki-giovanni.com/bio.shtml><br />A brief introduction to Nikki Giovanni’s life is given on this website. Most of the details lie within the beginning stages of Giovanni’s life, including the most basic facts, such as her place of birth and the motives behind her success. Her determination lies within the pride she takes in being a “… Black American, a daughter, a mother, …[and]…a professor of English.” It establishes a fundamental framework from which she builds upon and matures into a fascinating writer. <br /><br />Daniel, Jenine. “Nikki Giovanni-1943.” Giovanni_Nikki_tn. Ed. Susan Lawson. 9 December 2008. < http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/giovanni_nikki_tn.htm> <br />This interesting website is composed of many sections, beginning with a very brief biography of Giovanni’s life. The page then continues with a discussion of her literary works, but it is written in the perspective of the author and how the poems impacted her life or her reaction to the work. The writer seems to appreciate the life lessons Giovanni discusses because she forewarns young teens about many life’s obstacles, such as “dating.” The third section is an actual interview with Giovanni, where the student asks about varying topics, one of which was whether or not Giovanni thought life was a journey; and Giovanni responses, “…life is not only a journey, but an adventure…”<br /><br />Giovanni, Nikki. The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2003.<br />One of the most well known books of poetry, The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, produced by Nikki Giovanni and it takes the readers through hundreds of poems published by Giovanni. She discusses a wide range of topics and ideas in all of the poems because of her versatility. Her passion for the Civil Rights Movement was the driving force behind many of her best and widely known works. However, she also has an array of poems that discuss the beauty found in love and passion.<br /><br /> Giovanni, Nikki. The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni. New York, NY: Virginia C. Fowler and by the University Press of Mississippi: 1995.<br />Although this novel seems similar to The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, it differs in the fact that this novel primarily focuses on poems about the Civil Rights Movements and the struggles African Americans faced during the 1960’s. Many of these poems “reflect the changes Giovanni has endured as a Black women, lover, mother, and teacher.” These poems are essential because they guide the readers through her life, but at the same time, they focus of the prevalent issues of many movements. <br /><br />“Nikki Giovanni.” Thinkexist.Com. 30 December 2008. <http://thinkexist.com/quotes/ nikki_giovanni/> <br />Nikki Giovanni’s most notable and well known quotes are discussed on this page. A number of these quotes were either written in famous literary pieces or spoken in moving motivational speeches. The quotes are significant for multiple reasons but most importantly, for the meaning they all conveyed upon those who heard or read her powerful words. The selected quotes range from playful comments to serious observations on many experiences in Giovanni’s past and observations on recent occurrences as well. Amazingly, numerous of these few specific words have changed the lives of hundreds. <br /><br />“Nikki Giovanni Timeline.” Nikki Giovanni: Bio: Timeline. Ed.Virginia C. Fowler. 2003. 2 December 2008. <http://nikki-giovanni.com/timeline.shtml><br />This website provides information about Nikki Giovanni’s life in a timeline format. It maps out the most significant moments in her career, beginning from 1943 and concluding in 2005. Many of the dates pin point specific times in her life that could have influenced various writing pieces seeing as how the timeline records events such as her transition from her hometown of Knoxville, TN, to suburban Woodlawn, Cincinnati. The website also provides incite on various awards she won because of her poems, but overall, it allows the viewers to see her amazing journey of becoming a well respected poet. <br /><br />Nikki Giovanni: We Are Virginia Tech. Dir. Hokie 850. April 18, 2007. 30 December 2008. < http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-Qx9dIr-68->. <br />This video accounts for Nikki Giovanni’s poem, We Are Virginia Tech, spoken to a crowed room of teary eyed victims of the tragic events of the Virginia Tech Massacre. The video is a great opportunity to view the reactions of Giovanni’s colleagues and students as many rose in appreciation and respect for her words of encouragement and closure. Her words rang throughout the entire center and her strong presence and guidance towards unity could be felt amongst all, even those who did not attend the ceremony. <br /><br />Paige, Vivian, J. “Nikki Giovanni: We Are Virginia Tech” All Politics is Local – Tip- O’Neill WordPress.com. 2 January 2009 <http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2007/04/20/nikki-giovanni-we-are-virginia-tech/>.<br />Virginia Tech caused an overwhelming amount of emotions amongst the students, and faculty of the University. Although Giovanni made a powerful speech, not everyone agreed with her words. Some viewed her poem as unnecessary and even disrespectful, on the other hand, many felt and understood the core of her message. Regardless of the position taken by those who commented on her work, the majority appreciated her efforts.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-31419623491629407402009-05-14T16:58:00.000-07:002009-05-14T17:05:46.042-07:00Independent reading: reading lolita in tehran12/12/08<br /><br />Post#1<br /><br />Thus far, I am finding the memoir to be very interesting and intriguing. From the very beginning, it becomes evident that Azi has gathered together a group of her students, to discuss various literary works. In the beginning of chapter one, Azi comments on how she wonders if one of her students would tell someone about their gatherings because she is “…a pessimist by nature and …sure that at least one would turn against…” (3) her. Although she said this in a playful manner, I found that line interesting because I thought it related to how I would have felt if I were in her situation. I don’t like I would have enough courage to establish such meetings without worrying whether or not someone would turn against me. Through those first couple of pages, I concluded that Azi was a courageous and trusting person, one who was willing to risk a lot, just for the educational advances of others. <br /><br />As the memoir continued, more cultural information was revealed to the readers and I was familiar with the tradition of Middle Eastern women wearing scarves wrapped around their faces, but I never wonder how much that religious belief impacted their individual identity. For instance, Azi comments on one picture she found and the women were all covered with black scarves, however, in the second picture; the women were dressed in bright, colorful attire. “Splashes of color separate one from the next,” says Azi, “each has become distinct through the color and style of her clothes…” (4) I took those lines to mean that the women were more or less trapped in their own clothing, forced to wear things that they did not want to wear because it stopped their creative desires to express who they truly wanted to be. Are these women forced to dress this way because the men don’t want them to be distinguishable from one another and to reiterate the idea that women are not viewed as free thinking individuals?<br /><br />A girl named Sanz struggled with this same problem, and she wanting to be an individual, but at the same time, longed for approval by her family. I began to understand how difficult it would be for a woman to defy her families’ beliefs because women really have no freedom. So if she were to take off her scarf and choose never to wear it again, she would have serious consequences to face. Without even the freedom of walking down the street without the guidance of a man, it appears that women are forced to rely on the men in their family. I feel as if the men want the women to view themselves as people who cannot function without male guidance because they are not even allowed to do common things without them. In a way, the women are almost too fearful to defy their religious beliefs because if their family were to disown them, they would not have anywhere to go. Without their fathers, brothers, or husbands, what are the women allowed to do?<br /><br />“Reality has become so intolerable, … so bleak, that all I can paint now are the colors of my dreams” (11), said Bronte. After Bronte said this to Azi, Azi began to wonder what the colors of her dreams were and the first color I could think of was black. I found that colors were a reoccurring idea in the memoir thus far, because Azi already commented on how different the women became after they took of their scarves and revealed bright clothing and I thought the color of all of their dreams was black because it symbolizes darkness and it is easy to hide behind this color and not be seen. Seeing how their scarves are black and the scarves really cast a shadow over their true identity, I felt as if their dreams thus far in the memoir are clouded and dark, however, I am interested in seeing whether or not their dreams become colorful in the end.<br /><br />Post#2<br />I previously stated how I noticed a lot of references towards colors and depending on the colors one was wearing, determined her mood. On page 29, Azi reminisces on the days when she taught at a university and there was a huge green iron gate that enclosed the school. The men were able to freely enter this gate and embark on a tremendous educational journey; the women however, “went into a small, dark room to be inspected.” I felt that this gate truly represented a major obstacle in which the women were almost able to over come, but yet men were still finding ways to keep them from entering a place that would allow them to enrich their minds and souls. The green color of the gate could symbolize the fact that once a person received a proper education, it was believed that they would become wealthy (green) and maybe even move to the United States. But the women could see this green gate and view it as something scary, a green monster even, but in general just another challenge that would hold them back from ever reaching the same goals as men.<br /><br />The character Yassi, is quite interesting because she is one of few women that have found the courage and strength to defy her family’s beliefs, in order to find her happiness. Although she has this strength, Azi “…discovered that [Yassi’s] guilt caused her long hours of disabling migraine headaches.” (31) That line once again forced me to think that the men have such as strong hold over their women that they have in a way brain washed them into believing that they are incapable of ever accomplishing major tasks without the guidance of a man. The guilt that Yassi feels has caused her so much pain that she actually had migraines that enables her. So even if she were to do anything on her own, he headaches are so painful that she would not be able to complete the task and once again feel as if she is unable to do anything without a male’s presence. The veils that the women wear are also constant reminders of their inferiority to men and how they are incapable of functioning without them because “…without [the veil]… she would be lost…”(32) says Yassi. <br /><br />A scene that took place after the women finished one of their book discussions with Yassi, caught my attention and made me laugh. During one of their sessions, the ladies had differing opinions on a women’s role with her husband, with some believing that women should be allowed to commit adultery and others against that idea. Although the argument was not settled, after the meeting was over, Yassi “…choose the only way [she] knew to cope with problems: [she] went to the refrigerator, scooped up the coffee ice cream,…” and ate it. I found that interesting because I thought that Nafisi added that information into the text in order to establish the idea that although everyone has multiple different backgrounds, we all part take in many of the same things when we are feeling upset. <br /><br />Such as Vanessa noticed, I too realized that Azi stresses the idea that the women in this story are not Lolita. Obviously Azi wants to create a distinction amongst the women and Lolita, but the question why. I guess that she wants to make it clear that Lolita is a women who they are viewing and questioning her actions. But at the same time, in many situations when someone has a problem, they usually say, well I have a friend that… and this generally is because that person does not want others to know about her problem. Although this could be a stretch, maybe Azi is referring to herself and she doesn’t want others to know. Also, Azi could be trying to end stereotypes of how all Muslim women are inferior to men because many of the women, who attend her meetings, including herself, are educated and independent. <br /><br />Finally, in response to one of Jenny’s questions about the mountain tops being symbolic, I feel that they are symbolic of the struggles Muslim women are forced to face in their society. The fact that Azi sits in a chair and looks out at the mountains also represents the idea that there are more challenges waiting in the distance for these women to encounter. <br /> <br />Post # 3<br />Prompt A<br /><br />“Had I been offered a similar position at Oxford or Harvard, I would not have felt more honored or intimidated,” (88) says Azi. After reading that line, I saw Azi’s desire to form her reading groups in a different way because she basically is saying that she doesn’t need a luxurious facility to teach the things she loves; all she needs is students eager to learn. Even though she teaches at the University of Tehran, a college not well known in other parts of the world, she is content where she is because she knows that she is making a difference in people’s lives. The women she meets with for the book group value even the smallest time they spend together because it is one of the few chances they have to escape from harsh situations in their personal lives.<br /><br />As political wars broke out in response to the variety of ideas and beliefs being thrown at the new Islamic government, it became increasingly difficult to find things that kept people out of the chaos. Azi recalled a time when she attended a demonstration for one of the political groups, when she got separated from her husband and she was “…crying, as if the person closet to [her] had died and [she] was now all alone in the whole wide world.” (91) Through all of the political chaos and campaigns, it was easy for anyone to become swept up in it and even though she became separated from her husband, and felt all alone, she still was not allowed to freely voice her opinions. The differences in gender roles are still prevalent, but despite this madness, her classes still ran smoothly, with the majority of her students in attendance daily, despite their differing political beliefs. I found this odd because I assumed, especially since she is a female that her class would be most disrupted because of the ban placed on certain books by the government. However, I think that regardless of which books her students were reading, given a passionate teacher and the ability to explore different ideas and ways of life through these books, gave them the drive to keep reading regardless of the topic.<br /><br />“The best fiction always forced us to question what we took for granted,”(94) says Azi to a classroom full of students. Although I don’t disagree with her statement, I feel that this memoir challenges me as well, to view my own life in comparison to others. Although I never felt as if I took much for granted, I do think that this memoir made me even more thankful for even the smallest rights I have, or the freedom I have to walk places without a male guidance because of the religious freedom everyone is given. Does anyone else agree with Azi statement? Has this book made you cherish the rights and freedom we have in the U.S? <br />Prompt B:<br /><br />Before reading Vanessa and Jenny’s blogs, I didn’t notice the defiance Nafisi is immediately displaying on the front cover of the book and it is those few small details that really embody Nafisi’s many themes of the book. By many readers not even noticing that the ladies chose not to cover their heads completely and to allow a small portion of their hair to show, could foreshadow how these women were able to slowly gain more power and control in their own lives by gradually and discreetly breaking some rules as they go unnoticed. I really find this fascinating because even the expressions on their faces is as if they are so peaceful and innocent but as readers turn the pages of the novel, they discover their inner thoughts and desires to steadily break free of these oppressing rules. <br /><br />Jenny, I completely agree that the women are defying the law by secretly forming these book groups because their discussions sometimes go beyond the book and into the reality they deal with daily. For instance, on page 54, the women began to argue over whether or not it should be a women’s right to commit adultery and although they weren’t reading about this topic, the environment that they have created for themselves within these groups has given them the feeling that they can freely talk amongst themselves about any topic. <br /><br />However Jenny, you also brought up the idea that the women were taking a stance by taking off their veils while in the presence of one another and revealing colorful clothing. I disagree with this idea because from my understanding of their culture, women were allowed to take off their veils in the presence of other women, but they weren’t allowed to do so in the presence of males. With that, I feel that they are making light of the rules by obeying them to a certain extent, such as not taking their veils off around men, but their true statement lies beneath the veils, bright clothing. So that too could connect back to the idea that they are slowly breaking free of these laws by giving the illusion that they are obeying them, such as simply wearing the veils, but underneath its completely different. <br /><br />Post # 4<br /><br />Prompt A, need to add B in response<br />The political uproars seem to be at the forefront of the novel thus far and I constantly wonder how I would feel if I were in Azi’s situation. On page 106, she said, “The America of my past was fast fading in my mind, overtaken by all the clamor of new definitions;” and this comment came about after protestors started chanting, death to America. Through all of this, Azi still chooses to teacher her classes, despite the many interruptions she encounters; however, I think that this class could be one the best to take during this crucial time in their country because reading various books seems to be their outlet. I found it interesting that Azi later notes how, “America had become both the Land of Satan and Paradise Lost,” (106) because many people who live in various parts of the world envision America to be a land of opportunities, but many times, that imagine is distorted by the overwhelming conflicts America has had in the past with other countries, especially with Iran. <br /><br />Regardless of the lessening memoirs Azi has of America, she was eager to “…speak at last in [her] mother tongue …[where]…[she]… was longing to talk to someone who spoke English, preferably with a New York accent…” (107) Why does Azi refer to English as her mother tongue? Does anyone think Azi feels as if she has a closer connection to the U.S. than with Iran?<br /><br />“We in ancient countries have our past—we obsess over the past. They, the Americans, have a dream: they feel nostalgia about the promise of the future,”(109) says Azi to her students, in defense of The Great Gatsby. Clearly, another distinction is made between Americans and Iranians, but I understand and agree with Azi findings. In many American literary classics, the protagonist is generally in search of his dream or defying all odds in order to accomplish the unthinkable, and such is true within reality. Many people in America strive to achieve their goals; mainly because of the numerous resources we have in America along with the constantly changing environment that we live in, whether it is with technology and/or better ways of living. However, in other countries such as Iran, the focus is emphasized more on tradition beliefs because they were the core ideals their countries were founded upon. It appears as if they would rather stay where they are, rather than move foreword into the future. <br /><br />Post #5 <br />Prompt A need to add B:<br /><br />There are many occasions in the book when I feel as if Nafisi is speaking directly to the readers, giving her words more meaning and power, which is why this book has been such an enjoyable read for me. A quote that really stood out to me was:<br /><br /> “a novel is not an allegory…it is the sensual experience of another world. If you don’t enter that world, hold your breath with the characters and become involved in their destiny, you won’t be able to empathize, and empathy is at the heart of the novel. This is how you read a novel: you inhale the experience. So start breathing.” (111) <br /><br />Although this quote is quite long, there were many times just in these few sentences alone that Nafisi draws the readers in, and preps them on how to read the continuation of the novel, in order to get the best experience. When she says the reader must enter the world and hold their breath, for this book, the readers would be entering the world of Muslim women, struggling to find their identity amidst political and social uproars. I agree with Nafisi that we would not be able to obtain the same experience or learn as much from the characters if we didn’t empathize with their struggle and relate our findings back to our personal lives. I loved the last two lines of the quote because they have a suspenseful tone and through Nafisi’s specific choice of diction, she foreshadows how there is a lot more the readers are going to discover as the novel progresses.<br /><br />Another quote that speaks to the readers states, “ it is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless.” (118) Again, I feel that Nafisi draws the readers in and guides them to understanding the true contents of the book by giving the readers descriptive details on the lives’ of Muslims. At the same time, the end of her quote, “…understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain from becoming too ruthless,”(118) is also very important because I felt she was implying that although she is giving us a glimpse at this life style, there is much more too their religious beliefs than what is presented in the book. I feel that Nafisi places a subtle empathize on the last part”…becoming too ruthless” because she doesn’t want the readers to form extremely harsh judgments upon her culture, regardless of how they feel about her culture because the readers don’t know everything about the Muslim culture. <br /><br />I found it really interesting that Azi wanted to put the book, The Great Gatsby on trial because in many ways, the controversy the students felt about the book was very similar to that of the disagreements they had about many issues in their society. Such as Nasfisi pointed out that, “ some claimed in private that they personally like the book. Then why didn’t they say so? Everyone else was so vertian and emphatic in their postion, and they couldn’t really say why they liked it – they just did.” (135) That quote made me think about women’s rights Iran and how many women and probably some men feel as if women should be given more rights, but no one will say this aloud because they don’t want to go against the majority’s beliefs. <br /><br />The students also pointed out that Azi really liked Professor R, a professor who left the University before he was expelled. He had a different way of teaching, one of which many must have enjoyed because his lecture hall was always packed when he spoke. He also, held “…meeting[s] with a select group of friends and disciples...” within his apartment. With that, it lead me to begin to think that he and Azi were similar in many different ways. They both had an array of different students who liked and didn’t like their class and they both held secret meetings in their homes. However, I never connected how Azi’s friends could her disciples or that she could be a Christ-like figure. It is true she does have many followers and she has suffered many consequences because of her radical views. Does anyone think that Azi could represent a Christ-like figure?Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-79949949485899844202009-05-14T16:55:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:58:24.519-07:00Blog:Tom Phillips' A Humument11/30/08<br /><br />On page 203 of Tom Phillips' A Humument, Phillips suggest that one’s most valuable possessions can be instantly destroyed through unfortunate acts of mischief or through pure revenge and punishment, however, both events leave everyone involved with a sense of despair and emptiness. He conveys this idea through the use of select words that establish a point of anger and hatred, with the aid of flaming, smoky images that display the abruptness in which all of one’s life savings can be taken away.<br /><br /> Immediately, the viewers are made aware of the fact that a dangerous event has occurred because of the blazing and vivacious flames engulfing the page. The first indication of this catastrophic event appears at the top of the page, slightly above the words “A Human Document,” where there seems to be a black bird in flight. In this situation, this black bird could represent a crow and generally when crows are spotted, danger or even death is near. Seeing as how the bird is flying away, it exemplifies the idea that something dangerous has occurred in the community and it has forced people to evacuate. The most obvious element of this disaster is the image of a mounting accumulation of smoke. As the smoke is carried away to the right edge of the page, it appears to take on a darker color; adding to the intensity of the flames and the fact that this fire is severe. These thick and puffy clouds of smoke nearly consume the entire page, making it nearly impossible to read the majority of the page’s content. Phillips uses this prevalent distraction to place an importance on the mere twenty one clearly legible words, to quickly sum up the central message.<br /><br /> Phillip’s use of bold, mounting colors, forces the viewers to narrow in on certain aspects on the page. He also captures this effect through the use of circles and a rectangle around specific words in the text, pushing the minor words into the background. The first group of words highlighted reads “…whose hands glistened with rings,… and his nose, suggested finance and Israel…” and just by reading those words for the first time, one may assume that this man is finically wealthy. However, after reading all of the words, one may then conclude that this man has acquired these gems through robbery. With the aid of the other words on the page and most importantly the last few words “…by the Furies,…” Greek goddess that enforce the law by protecting victims of crimes and punishing those who have committed a crime, the reader may assume that this man has committed a crime and the burning of this area is his punishment. Phillips’ addition of the word “…Israel…” places a classification upon the man, and the preceding words dripping with violence and anger, can indicate a division in race or religious beliefs in the community.<br /><br /> Continuing down the page, the viewers are hit with two extremely powerful words “…bitterness…” and “…banish…” Based on the fact that these two words are directly placed in front of the thickest and darkest area of the smoke, indicates the strong impact Phillips intended to make towards his viewers and with connections to “…the Furies,…” it appears as if the Furies were so angry with this man, they were driven to the point of wanting to banish him from the community, and the only way in which they could make such a monumental statement is through a fire. “…Harder…” and “…bitter…” are the next two highlighted words, and they are written in the same sentence, making this statement brief and condensed. At this point, it feels as if the man is trying to maintain his composure but the burning of his possession is causing him to feel bitter and angry towards those responsible. The placement of these two words, directly over the tip of the yellow flames, alludes to the increasing build up of frustration and anticipation he may be feeling due to the circumstances.<br /><br /> “…Hate…” and “…spurn…” are the next two words and although they are written in two different lines, there is one circle adjoining them, which emphasizes the importance of their meanings and collectively conveying a strong sense of anger and dislike that is lingering in the air. These words are placed directly in the flames and it appears that two circles have melted together to combine the words into once circle, which leads to the idea that the feelings of hatred have merged into one universal feeling for both the Furies and the man. The last three circled words are “…by the Furies…” and they are the people who punish those who commit crimes and previously in the sentence, Phillips’ mentions that “… the elements of his life appeared to him in some new combination like a telescope shaken by the Furies.” A telescope allows someone to focus on certain things that are far in distance and the man seems to be focusing on his life, but now he stands at a distance, watching everything he owns burning in flames. His life is being “…shaken by the Furies…” because he is now receiving his punishment in a brutal manner and it is as if the situation has turned against him, he took from others and now his things are being taken from him. Immediately underneath the words, “…by the Furies…” is a massive black square that consumes the bottom of the page, and not only does this last image reiterate the strict focus Phillips’ wants the readers to have on the text and the flaming images in the picture, but it gives the illusion that nothing else in the picture is important. The damage this man has caused creates a dark, ascending cloud over his life and everything will eventually be blocked out by this massive shadowy reminder of the punishment he received.<br /><br /> Although the image does not have a title, one could assume that this too plays into the major theme in the image. Without a title, the viewers obtain a sense of emptiness, as if a certain element should be a part of the image but yet it is not present. The same feelings are felt amongst those involved in the image, those who were robbed of their possessions, including the man’s, which are now engulfed in flames and a dark cloud of quilt. A missing title leaves a space of openness, but yet it is slowly filled with dark smoke and ruins. <br /><br /> Tom Phillips’ highlights select words buried in monstrous flames to convey the idea that priceless possession can be wiped out within seconds for various reasons, but the image and the feelings created from that disaster, will linger in the air for a long period of time. Seemingly enough, the harshest words such as “…hate…” or “…spurn….” will be the most difficult to erase, even burning them seems to just cause them to melt into one pool of animosity and despair.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-6140057503730266282009-05-14T16:52:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:53:46.528-07:00Blog:Peter Warshall’s lecture11/6/08<br /><br />Prompt A<br /><br />From what I understood of Peter Warshall’s lecture, Two Billion Years of Animal Songs, I concluded that the majority of the lecture focuses on how various sounds are incorporated into daily life and how those sounds have evolved over the decades. For instance, Peter noted a time when he went to a concert and the musician opened a door that lead to the outside, listened to the sounds the cars were making and he then proceeded to play the same sounds he heard, using a piano. Peter’s example exemplified the idea that sound is more than just senseless noise, but various vibrations collaborating together to create one divine sound. I also think that if the musician was able to play the same sounds he heard the cars making, it implies that music can be found everywhere and a great piece of work can evolve from the most simplistic noises. <br /><br />I found it interesting when Warshall defined white noise as sound without harmonics, but yet it holds all the beauty of sound. I took Warshall’s interpretation to mean that white noise is the basis that many sounds were created from and although white noise maybe not be concrete, once they are combined with different sounds, white noise can be taken to another level. Warshall may be leaning toward the idea that anyone and/or anything can create music, and this could connect with the title of the lecture, Two Billion Years of Animal Sounds, because all of these sounds have evolved over the years and they all just build upon one another. Starting from the first animals that roamed the earth to humans, the most basic noises have grown into something completely different and uniquely significant to a particular group of species. If a blue jay makes a certain sound and then a robin makes a similar sound, although both sounds may seem similar because they have evolved from one basic noise, they both have their own unique meaning to that particular species. Peter also made a connection between poetry and music and he saw how some poem have a certain pattern or rhyme scheme and this quality gives poetry a voice in it of itself. Poetry, animal, and human sounds, all have their own unique voices and mean entirely different things to each species, based on the way in which the sounds have grown and changed.<br /><br />I enjoyed Peter’s comment at the end of the lecture on how sounds and various noises have allowed humans to stay connected with the past while still forging a future. I agree with his statement because change and growth are only effective if someone is able to learn from those who have lived prior to their time. I believe that the only way someone can move forward, is by knowing about their past and the environment they have evolved from. Although humans can still connect with past elements through various noises and sounds, humans have to keep changing and creating their own future. <br /><br />Prompt B<br /><br />I too think that Mary introduced an interesting topic of what “true” sounds really are and how people are supposed to know which sounds are in there “truest” form. Although I don’t think there is a specific answer, I feel that since this question is so open-ended that it adds to the intensity and mystery that music and various sounds can create. I think that Warshall challenges his listeners to go beyond the words of a song or the major theme of a piece of music and to really break it down into the most basic sounds and even though there may not be a sure way to know whether or not the sounds are in their truest forms, the beauty of music and poetry is that there are many elements that are left up to the listeners or the readers to interpret. I also feel that such an open range of interpretations adds to the depth of the composer because it exemplifies the composers’ talents and their ability to create something that numerous people view in their own special ways. <br /><br />Another point that Mary brought up that I found interesting was her connection between society’s view on body images and how that connects to nature and species’ interactions. Although it seems unfair that the bigger frog eventually gets to mate with the other frog, at the same time, I feel that this situation relates to survival of the fittest and how during the earlier periods of life, an animal had to be strong if he wanted to survive, so animals really did not have a choice. So, somewhat disagree with Mary at this point because I don’t necessarily blame nature for the way society views body image because animals had no choice other than to become the strongest of their kind if they wanted to survive the longest. With that, I instead blame society on the way body images are viewed and the way in which people have manipulated the idea behind having a physically strong body and changed it from the idea of being a method of survival into a way of determining whether or not someone is physically attractive.<br /><br />The idea that sounds and music open up another world of ideas connects in way with Stevens’ thought that there is a whole other world of sounds that humans are unable to hear. That idea is quite intriguing because it introduces another spectrum of ideas about sounds. I then wonder why humans can hear certain sounds and not others and of those sounds we can’t hear, obviously what do they sound like. I also wonder if it will ever be possible for humans to create a device that will allow people to hear these unknown sounds. But then again, if humans don’t know what these sounds really are, how do we know that we aren’t really hearing these sounds and just simply have no idea what we are actually listening to.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-21984818303860002882009-05-14T16:34:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:43:03.121-07:00Blog:Robin Blaser’s lecture11/6/08<br /><br />Based on the title of Robin Blaser’s lecture, I assumed he would be dealing with the ideas of life and death. Blaser opened his lecture by talking about a mother and her womb, which represents the beginning stages of life. He then continues by commenting on how speech is born in a household and from what I interpreted, Blaser connects language to life and how the cycle of life and language are both created. They both arise from a specific origin and they slowly evolve based on their surroundings and those involved. Blaser then states, “language is a fundamental … and poetic experience” and such is true with life. One cannot truly grasp and understand life until he has experienced the trials and tribulations life has to offer. <br /><br />Although Blaser makes a connection between life and language, I continued to rethink the question and answer Blaser posed at the beginning of his lecture, which was something to the effect of: What is life? The expectation of death. I feel that Blaser may have been alluding to many ideas, one of which includes the idea that once life begins, the prospect of death is even closer. However, I don’t feel as if Blaser was hinting toward the thought of anticipating death every day of someone’s life, but since one knows that death is approaching after life, one should experience all of life’s possibilities. Referring back to the idea of life and language being connected, and if Blaser feels that death is an expectation of life, before any language dies out, it runs a course of usually being known and spoken by a good number of people. I think this reinforces the idea of just living life and having numerous people experience the joys one can offer without the constant worry of dying out. But just like every language and life that dies out, another one is reborn soon thereafter.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-7004624365575743352009-05-14T16:16:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:45:03.637-07:00Blog: Red Carpet9/7/08<br /><br />I also agree with the previous post that The Red Carpet was interesting and insightful. Many points in the story caught my attention and forced me to rethink certain ideas the story presented, such as in the first two paragraphs, when Rangappa was renamed as Raju. The interviewer said, “the job is yours, provided you are courteous, prompt, and steady in you habits… Oh, and on the job you will be called Raju.” (1) After reading those lines, I agree with Cynthia and Kayla’s comments on how demeaning and rude it was for the interviewer to give Rangappa a new name. The way in which the interviewer told Rangappa that he would have to change his name, “Oh, and on the job you will be called Raju,” (1) was striking to me because I felt that it was made in a smug and condescending tone. To me, it was as if the interviewer had given him praise by saying “your driving was satisfactory”(1) and the interviewer was just about to give him the job, before coincidently remembering that the most important requirement for the job was being given a new name. It surprised me that Raju was more than willing to change his name because it is a significant part of his identity, signifying him as a member of the village of Tarikere and by forgoing his true identity, just for a job, was disrespectful to those apart of his community. <br /><br />Again, I agree with Cynthia about the differing ideas about a women’s role in American and Indian societies. Not only are women in the Indian culture expected to cover up their entire body, they are not given the same opportunities as men. Sankaran introduces this idea in a unique way because she presents Raju’s father as someone who upholds more of the traditional Indian values, generally believing “daughters were considered the usual burden”(7) , where as Raju, thinks a little differently about a women’s role. While Raju was preparing for his interview, his father yelled down to Raju’s wife, “give your husband a new shirt,”(2) seeing as how they couldn’t afford a new shirt, Raju doesn’t get angry with his wife, he simply said, “Never mind. I’ll go as I am.”(2) Raju also states numerous times throughout the story that he desires his daughter to be “…educated…healthy… well nourished…”(7) and even a “…may-dum in her own right.”(7) Although I understand that he wants his daughter to have more opportunities than most Indian women, at the same time, he doesn’t seem to give his wife the same expectations. For instance, when the family was preparing for Mrs. Choudhary’s visit, the task of organizing the house was left up to Raju’s father and not Raju’s wife because “she lacked the experience. She was not a man of the world.” (8) To me, that comment contradicts Raju’s aspirations for his daughter because he wants her to be independent and wealthy, but yet he doesn’t want the same for his wife. Why does he hold such high expectations for his daughter and not for his wife?<br /><br />Another occurrence that I found interesting occurred when Raju was talking to Mrs. Choudhary, about his daughter’s education and when he really began to think about it, he wondered, “ how… he could possible take care of Hema in the manner of his dreams?” (8) Although Raju desires to provide for his family and give his daughter a top education so she can “work in an office, in a job that would one day earn her a car of her own…” (7) when reading that line, I felt as if Raju wants to live out his dreams through his daughter. Earlier in the story, Raju said, “…he wished he could turn down his cousin” (1) because he “…decided he didn’t like the sound of the job,” (1) and it seems as if since Raju can’t accomplish his goals of working somewhere that pays him well enough that he too could have a car and not have to take two buses to get to and from work, he will invest his time in providing his daughter with the tools she will need in order to accomplish all of his goals. <br /><br />Finally, in response to Jenny’s question about the title of the story and how it fits in with the text, my answer doesn’t vary much from yours because I too think that Raju associates the red carpet with wealth and power. However, Mrs. Choudhary disagrees with Raju about the carpet’s significance because it doesn’t mean as much to her as it does for a poor man of the working class. I think that Raju appoints everything of value to something that is famous and valued by all, such as the name he gave to his daughter, Hema Malini, the name of a film actress. <br /><br />In essence, Raju is Mrs. Choudhary’s chafer and he when he takes her places, such as to visit Herma’s school and to clubs, there seems to be this red carpet that she walks on as people admire and recognize her. In essence, Raju is Mrs. Choudhary’s chafer the closets things he may ever come to a red carpet is the one that lies on the floor of Mrs. Choudhary’s car.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-49720710843236108702009-05-14T16:14:00.000-07:002009-05-14T16:45:41.100-07:00A Rose For Emily9/15/08<br /><br />Society’s Rose<br /><br /> Reoccurring times in literature, authors use specific elements to develop a story and take it from a general level to one that is unique and profound. As the readers embark on such captivating journeys, they often encounter characters that are either generally accepted by their society or characters that are distant from their neighbors based on their beliefs and values. A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner is a short story that deals with the strenuous task of trying to feel accepted by a society that upholds different values than that of a particular individual. Miss Emily Grierson is endowed with this mission because many people “… believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were.” (Faulkner 28) With that imposing idea, the narrator depicts Miss Emily as an outcast and eventually as someone who is extremely isolated from the rest of her community. The narrator introduces his ideas with a first person plural narration that leads to the point of view of, stream of consciousness, which gives incite on an individual’s thought process. This element plays a major role in the course of the story because as the narrator occasionally includes himself in the Jefferson community, he gives his opinions on how a woman of such a high stature is shunned by her entire community, solely based on her unwillingness to assimilate to the newer ideas of the up and coming generation. Through Miss Emily’s isolation from society, Faulkner emphasizes the idea that the fear of being alone causes an individual to not only seek comfort in unlikely places, but also to lash out against the outward things that are causing her feelings of insecurity and loneness. <br /><br /> The story’s postmortem aspect prevails in the beginning of the story as the readers discover that Miss Emily is already dead, however, Miss Emily’s death is crucial because the readers immediately get a small glimpse at the type of relationship Miss Emily had with her neighbors. In the first two opening paragraphs, the narrator not only states “… our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house,…” (26) he concludes the paragraphs with a description of her house. The readers obtain an understanding that she was distant from the people of her community seeing as how her neighbors did not show up to her funeral to grieve, but they came to look around her house and to satisfy their curiosity. The neighbors feel as if they have good reason to be curious because Miss Emily lived a secretive life that embodied every idea of the past generations that resided in Jefferson. Dating back to 1894, Miss Emily was “…remitted of her taxes…” (26) by Colonel Sartoris, however, “… the next generation, with its more modern ideas, became mayors and aldermen, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction.” (26) As the officials of the town go to great lengths to force Miss Emily to comply with the new rules, her unwillingness to adhere to the orders of the town, cause many to believe that her stubborn ways embody her ideas of superiority. <br /><br /> Miss Emily’s resistance to comply with the new rules of the town causes much dislike amongst her and the people of the town. People in the community appear to try and avoid her at all times, however, when an unbearable stench begins to come from her house, the townsmen are forced to intervene. The men’s apprehensiveness about visiting her house, and one the man saying, he would “… be the last one in the world to bother Miss Emily…”(27) the readers begin to view Miss Emily as someone that is feared throughout the town. Faulkner makes a point of saying “…four men crossed Miss Emily’s lawn … they broke open the cellar door and sprinkled lime there…” (28) and after Miss Emily’s father dies, “… people were glad…” (28) and “… at last they can pity Miss Emily…” (28) In all of these instances, the narrator distances himself from the community and he begins to look upon the people of the town and view their actions towards Miss Emily from a different perspective. Stream of consciousness falls under the category of selective omniscience, and omniscience occurs from the author’s point of view and not the narrator’s. When the narrator is separated from society, he sees the ways in which the town treated her while she was alive; however, when the narrator includes himself in their society, he sympathizes with her more. Faulkner intentionally includes and then separates the narrator from the Jefferson society because the readers and the narrator have the opportunity to see how Miss Emily is truly affected by this isolation and it establishes a sense of suspense as the readers wonder if Miss Emily’s solitude will encourage her to succumb to the pressures of society or will she continue to resist the new rules. The story’s tone seems to change after Miss Emily’s father dies, and she denies the fact that her father is actually dead. The narrator then says, “we did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people would.” (28) It appears that after the narrator separates himself from the community, he is able to better understand Miss Emily’s situation and he chooses to include her in the idea of “people”(28) rather than just the outcast, Miss Emily.<br /><br />Although it may appear that the narrator has a better idea of Miss Emily’s past, she is still isolated from the rest of her society; however, she is able to find an unusual outlet that provides her with a little sanity. As new projects are underway in Jefferson, Homer Barron, a construction worker, comes into the town and brings more life to the people there. “Whenever you heard a lot of laughing anywhere about the square, Homer Barron would be in the center of the group” and Miss Emily surprisingly was interested in him as well. As they began to spend more time together, the townspeople and Miss Emily found out that Homer, “…liked men... and… that he was not a marrying man…” (30) Despite this revelation, Homer and Miss Emily spent even more time together and as Miss Emily appeared to be happier, the other women of the town seemed to become jealous of Miss Emily, especially when “… they passed on Sunday afternoon in the glittering buggy, Miss Emily with her head high and Homer Barron with his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth.” (30) The women began to despise and even interfere in Miss Emily’s relationship, but soon after the women called the minister to speak with them, “… we were sure that they were to be married.” (30) A few days later Homer entered Miss Emily’s house and that was the last time any of the people in the town saw him again. In fact, a long time passed before anyone saw Miss Emily again either, and as “… the newer generation became the backbone and the spirit of the town…” Miss Emily seemed to revert back to her old ways of refusing to divert from her traditional ways. After generations passed she eventually fell ill and died in her house. <br /><br />After the death of Miss Emily, the people of the town finally gained enough courage to enter a house full of dust and despair and pay their respects to her one last time. Although no one had seen the inside of the house “…in at least ten years,…”(26) none of the neighbors were prepared to see Homer Barron’s dead body lying on a bed in the attic and an indentation of a head with a long strand of iron-gray hair on the pillow next to his body. Although it was not directly stated in the story, the readers can conclude that Miss Emily killed Homer Barron with the rat poisoning she had bought earlier in the story. After Miss Emily met Homer, she appeared to enjoy life more, and to take small adventures with him that went beyond the walls of her house, however, as she began to enjoy more things, she began to feel the pressures of her society as they judged her relationship with Homer. Their interference forced her to think about marrying Homer and buying him things that she otherwise would not have done if her community had allowed her the freedom of engaging in this relationship without their input. Faulkner used stream of consciousness to express how easy it is to allow oneself to become a part of a society that judges someone without truly getting to know him first. The narrator of A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner, includes himself in the Jefferson community as they look upon Miss Emily and criticize her way of life because it is extremely different from the type of lifestyle the newer generation is trying to create. However, during the times when the narrator disconnects himself from the community, he realizes Miss Emily’s childhood and the pressure from her father was part of the reasons as to why she did not interact much with the men and women in her community. Faulkner’s emphasis on the idea that Miss Emily’s fear of being abandoned by Homer, the first person in a long time who cared about her would possibly leave her because he did not view her in an affectionate way, caused her to have the desire to kill him and to preserve his body in the attic. Just as a rose is sometimes pressed in a book, Miss Emily chose to leave Homer’s body in her attic, in order to preserve the memories, love, and friendship they once shared.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-41815657667854007482008-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:002008-10-27T13:01:13.674-07:00Meta-Cognition: Memoir Project3. The third assignment I chose was composing a CD of 10 songs that I felt best fit the memoir. When I began to pick these songs, I knew that I wanted the CD to tell a similar story of triumphant and struggles, but through a collaboration of various songs. In the end, each song relates to a general topic of the story, starting from the broad idea of the days of black supremacist to Jefferson’s last day. <br /><br /><br />1. “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy: establishes a basis for the book and how during the 1940’s, African Americans had to fight, in order to have their voices heard and to obtain equal rights. The setting of the story was mainly on a plantation and this song is another method of keeping the people’s spirits up and encouraging them to continue believing that one day they will obtain all of the rights and justices that they have been fighting for so many years for. <br /><br /><br />2. “Paper Planes” ‘by M.I.A.: transitions all of the remaining songs onto the main focus of the story. This song specifically deals with shooting and robbing places and or people in order to steal their money. Essentially, if Jefferson had not contemplated whether or not he should just take the money and run after everyone in the store was dead, he might have had a chance to escape. Instead, Jefferson thought about running off with the money in draw, just as two white men walked into the store. Also, the song has a swaying feel to it, one that makes a person feel as if he is just going along with the flow of the song because it can be mesmerizing. The tone and mesmerizing affect that the song has, especially in the beginning of the song, reminded me of Jefferson because he really did not know what was going on when he got into the car. He was in fact trying to go to a club, but he ended up just going with the flow of things and he found himself in the middle of a shooting.<br /><br /><br />3. “Lock up” by Akon: by this point in the story, Jefferson has been arrested and he found out his sentencing so he is awaiting his day of execution in jail. In the song, Akon says “.. steady tryin to find my motives, why do what I do…” and at that point, he contemplates the reasons as to why he committed the crime that landed him in jail, just as Jefferson did while he laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Jefferson wonders how he could have gotten himself into so much trouble at such as young age. He doesn’t know what kept him from continuing on with his original plans on going to the club, which would have kept him safe and out of trouble I also thought that although Jefferson is physically behind bars, everyone on the plantation feels trapped because they are not allowed to live freely. They live by the orders and commands of white people, who tell them when to work and when not to work. I feel as if the majority of the people living on the plantation are anticipating their day to be free. <br /><br /><br />4. “I’m Like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado: at this point in the story, Jefferson is still in jail, but he has begun to receive visits from Grant and Miss Emma. Although the three of them don’t really speak about much, on the occasions when Grant had to visit Jefferson by himself, things seemed to go smoother. One meeting, Jefferson and Grant had been sitting in silence when Jefferson “…raised his head… and looked at the barred window. From the cell, all you could see were the yellow leaves on the sycamore tree and the pale-blue sky between the leaves.” (82) This was the first reference made to the sky and another was made about birds, however, this song relates to this section because Jefferson constantly looks outside of his cell window wanting to be out of the cell and free, just as birds are. He wants the freedom to experience life again. <br /><br /><br />5. “I Tried” by Bone Thugs n-harmony: this song is geared more toward Grant and his feelings toward living on the plantation any longer. His school teacher told him “… that most of …[them] would die violently, and those who did not would be brought down to the level of beasts.” (62) Ever since Grant was a young child, he was told that he would not amount to anything, as long as he lived on the plantation and that the only true chance of survival was by moving away from the plantation and finding work in other areas. The song in general discusses the idea of working hard to do the right things, but somehow, he still ends up right back where he started, the plantation. Jefferson contemplates whether he is just too “…afraid to take a chance out there” or if he really loves being on the plantation. <br /><br /><br />6. “How Far is Heaven” by the Los Lonely Boys: this song switches the focus back on Jefferson as he is still in jail and Grant continues to visit him. During one visit, Jefferson asked Grant if heaven existed and Grant didn’t give Jefferson a direct answer. Grant made it evident that he no longer believed in God and that he lost faith in God over the years. However, since Jefferson has been in jail for such a long time, he realizes that believing in God, such as the Los Lonely Boys say in their song, that they have gotten to a point in their lives where the only person that can really help them get out of a bad situation is God and they need to find it in themselves to believe in him again. <br /><br /><br />7. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammin Terrel: a song that focuses on Miss Emma and Jefferson’s relationship. I felt as if this song resembled the love Miss Emma has and will always have for Jefferson regardless of where he is or the type of trouble he has gotten himself into. She makes it apparent that nothing can keep her from coming to visit him, not even the fact that he refuses to speak with her during the majority of their visits. She continues to bring him food and treats because she believes that Grant will soon be able to get through to him before he is sentenced to death. Miss Emma has an amazing sense of determination and faith.<br /><br /><br />8. “Dear Mama” by Tupac ft. Anthony Hamilton: as the date of Jefferson’s execution approaches, he begins to interact more with Grant and he even decides to write his feels down in a journal so they can discuss them when Gant comes to visit. “Dear Mama” is geared toward Jefferson and Miss Emma’s relationship and although Miss Emma is not Jefferson’s mother, she has raised him for his entire life. I feel that Jefferson is now beginning to realize how much he appreciates and really loves Miss Emma for all of the things she has done for him, even when he has not always showed that he cared or even understood the caliber of the things she had to go through in order to even establish the visits to the jail.<br /><br /><br />9. “Apologize” by Timbaland: When I listen to this song it reminds me of the final walk Jefferson takes as he goes to the electrocution chair. The slow tempo of the song embodies someone walking to their final destination and essentially taking their last steps. Although he is now a man and understands that he can surpass the expectations that white people have placed upon him, reality is now setting in that he is actually going to die. He is not able to apologize for all of the hurt and pain he has caused Miss Emma and the others in his family. Also the fact that the song is not very long eludes to the idea that the execution was not a long and painful process.<br /><br /><br />10. “Waiting On the World to Change” by John Mayer: after Jefferson is executed, officer Paul Bonin drives out to see Grant to tell him the news of Jefferson’s death. I feel that “Waiting On the World to Change” is the best way to end the CD and the occurrences of the story because it seems as if a turning point has been made now that Jefferson is dead. The anticipation of his death is now over, and unfortunately he was killed over a crime he did not commit, but good things have arose from his death. For instance, at the very end of the story, when Paul comes over to Grant, Paul said “Allow me to be your friend, Grant Wiggins. I don’t ever want to forget him”(255) and they both shook hands. During the 1940s, it was rare to see a black man and a white man touch hands in a peaceful manner, however, the death of Jefferson has introduced a new sense of unity. Although Jefferson’s life has now ended, I felt as if a new beginning was born.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-43445161103425554312008-10-12T14:38:00.000-07:002008-10-12T14:40:10.141-07:00Memior Assignment: "filler page"“filler page” – Anticipation<br /><br /> As the officer led us down a long, dark corridor, past offices and the whites’ only bathrooms, we finally reached the end of the hallway. This winding journey was far from over as we hiked up three steel stairs, then we came across a landing, with one last sharp turn, leading up to a massive steel door. As we approached the door, anticipation built because this area housed many of the quarantined prisoners. Half of the cells were empty, while some housed one or two prisoners. The expression on many of their faces was of pure amazement because apparently they had not seen anyone from outside of the walls of the prison in a long time. <br /><br /> Jefferson’s cell was three floors above this one; however, the officer told us he needed to make a quick stop on this level first. As we stood waiting for him to return, I noticed a boy staring at me. He was probably a little younger than Jefferson, but I approached him to find out more about him.<br /><br />“What is your name?” said Grant<br />“My name is Greg, sir”<br />“What are you in here for?”<br />“Armed robbery, … well so they claim. You know the funny part is that I wasn’t anyways near that convenience store on the night of June third. In fact, I had just returned for the summer break after a long school year at Tuskegee University. Man, I knew I shouldn’t have ever returned to the plantation.”<br /><br />“Has your family come to visit you, yet?” I asked him. But he soon became quite as he looked toward the stained and dirty floor, in shame. I immediately knew from his expression that the answer was no, but I still questioned why. If he was innocent and obviously well educated, why wouldn’t they want to visit him?<br /><br /> “No, sir, they have not been here. It is just too difficult for my aunt to see me in such a horrible and dishonorable place; especially after all of the hard work she invested into my future. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore, but you should let that boy Jefferson know, he sure is lucky. I only wish I could see my family and eat a hot, buttery, homemade meal.<br /><br />“Well good luck Greg,” I said, just as Miss Emma was about to ascend on another mile-like journey to Jefferson’s cell and I began to wonder if Jefferson anticipated our visit, just as Greg had been longing to see a familiar face.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-77713905866911517222008-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:002008-10-12T14:37:04.366-07:00Settings PaperSetting<br /><br /> “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon, is a short story that uses its setting, to convey the most significant ideas of the story. Throughout the text, the historical events of the assignation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are intertwined with the events of the story in order to establish a basis for why the narrator and her lover should no longer continue to pursue their untraditional relationship. The narration is told from a women’s perspective that adds to the significance of the story because during mid 1900’s, a woman’s thoughts, ideas, and presence were not valued as equally as that of a man’s, which prevails as the readers are constantly reminded that the archduchess was also included in the gruesome events of the summer of 1914 and that she should not be forgotten. As the narrator embarks on this journey, she ultimately gains a better understanding of herself and more importantly the actions of her consequences, especially when her true motivations to pursue this relationship did not blossom out of pure love.<br /><br /> The story begins during an unexpectedly rainy and miserable day in Sarajevo. The city once used to be a ‘…pretty town, Balkan style, mountain-rimmed…” (201) alluding to the idea that the town of Sarajevo is enclosed and protected by its surroundings. Once the rain began to fall, the people were “…sheltered from the rain in an ancient mosque in Serbian Belgrade; … now …[they]… spent a couple of days in Sarajevo beneath other people’s umbrellas,” (202) however, the readers come to discover that the rainfall is not one that just holds value for being a change in climate, but an idea that connects to the overarching conflict of the story. Professor Peter and his student, embark on this journey to explore a different area and spend time together, however, it later becomes apparent that Professor Peter’s sole ambitions for this trip was to decide “…between his wife and …[his mistress]… as his permanent life partner” (202) Although the student felt as if she was “…winning hands down…” (202) the unpredicted rain fall, lead to a symbolic cleansing idea because Peter’s wife, is a swimming coach and although she was nearly half way around the world, it was “…raining on his wife, too…” (202) The affects of the rain on Peter, his lover, and his wife leads to an idea of a cleansing process because Peter’s lover begins to believe that their relationship may not be as worthwhile as she thought once before. As the rain continues to fall, the narrator comments on how she smells chlorine on Peters forehead after she kisses him and this “… may have come from thinking about his wife so much…” (206) and the idea that the memory of Peter’s wife will always stay with him, even if he chooses in the end to have a relationship with the narrator. The readers begin to understand that there will always be this eerie sense of rain or dampness in their relationship if Peter chooses to stay with his lover. <br /><br /> All throughout the text, the narrator and Peter discuss the assignation of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, because this event took place in the town of which Peter and his lover were vacationing in at the time. However, on numerous occasions, the readers are reminded not to forget “…his wife…” (202) and that “…everyone forgets his wife, the archduchess,” (202) but this constant reminder of the archduchess leads to the idea of not forgetting about Peter’s wife either and regardless of how pleasant Peter and his lover’s relationship may appear, for the time being, he is still married. Although they felt this “…inordinate affection…” (204) for one another, Peter comments on how “… your Ind Aff is my wife’s sorrow…” (204) and if he chooses to stay with his lover, they will be ending a marriage of over twenty years. The idea of not forgetting one’s wife is also important because it forces them to think not only of themselves, but of Peter’s wife and three kids, and how his new relationship will ruin his family. <br /><br /> Due to the continued rainfall, Peter and his lover are stricken to eating in a restaurant, opposed to a private area where they usually ate and enjoyed other things. While they were waiting to be served, two waiters stood off in the distance and one of the waiters caught the narrator’s attention. One waiter was “…young and handsome…[with] … luxuriant black hair…” (206) and the second waiter, a visibly older man, looked upon the narrator with a pensively because “in a world which for once, after centuries of savagery, was finally full of young men, unslaughtered, what was …[she]…doing with this man with thinning hair.” (206) Once again, it appears that the narrator is having a revelation and she know realizes that she has many opportunities to be in a relationship with a younger, more attractive man, but yet, she is stuck in an “…old professor-student romance…” (202) This situation that the narrator now finds herself in, is interesting because it appears to connect with an earlier occasion in the story that dealt with Princip, Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassin. Although Princip had tried on two previous occasions to murder the duke, before actually killing him, it was not until after his second attempt that he was jailed, but for many years, people wondered why he had attempted on various occasions to kill the duke. It was not until after he died that the only explanation people gave was that Princip, “…[died]… for the love of a country” (204) However, it is wondered if Princip made the right decision in dying at such as young age, just for his country. With that idea, the narrator begins to see herself and wonder if being with a man who is forty six and her, twenty five, as a worthwhile relationship. Especially since she has the opportunity to be with younger men and her confusion of a “…mere passing academic ambition with love,…” (206) while trying to “…outdo …[her]… sister Clare.” (206) With that idea in mind, the narrator gets up from the table, and heads home, leaving Peter behind. <br /><br /> Many events, in the short story “IND AFF” by Fay Weldon, such as the rain fall, the surrounding environment, and historical events lead the narrator to believe that the mere idea of academic ambitions and her desire to succeed beyond the limits of her sister were the driving forces behind her ambitions to purse a relationship with a married man. Resultantly, it appears that the narrator realizes this was all a “…silly sad thing to do…” (206) and by the narrator relating her ambitions to that of Princip, she embodied that of an assassin. All along, she was trying to create a war between Peter and his wife that would destroy their marriage, but one should “…never forget the wife… and their children…” (207) because the remnants of their presence will be on the minds of both Peter and the narrator forever, restricting them from ever pursuing a genuine relationship. By the end of the story, the narrator realizes if she had just waited a little longer, and did not allow herself to become so infatuated with academics that she fooled herself into loving her professor, she would have came to her senses a long time ago and realized her spiteful ambitions.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-52220154475558665102008-10-06T14:14:00.000-07:002008-10-06T14:16:47.547-07:00Faulkner/Hemingway AssignmentDrifting Dionysus<br /><br /> Dionysus had always been a unique child. Being the only god of all the Greek Gods to have a mortal parent, Semele, and with his violent, unpredictable tempers, his father, Zeus, was forced to send him away, and to live with his grandparents on the isolated suburban area of Hampton, New York. Dionysus was god of the vine, giving him a dual nature, one that was at times joyful and the other that was angry and violent. Since Dionysus mainly lived around elderly people, he was unaware that he was not like other teenagers. With Dionysus’ unpredictable tendencies to wander, one day he found himself in the hectic and dangerous streets of Manhattan, New York,<br /><br /> Stumbling out of Penn Station, Dionysus was surprised to see the differences between Hampton and Manhattan. He came across a small café and he ordered everything green that he could find on the menu. As the midnight hour approached, he left the café with and walked aimlessly around the dark and cold streets of New York, until he was confronted by a group of males. The guys had spotted Dionysus from a park and they immediately thought he was one of the many rich college kids that though it was safe enough to aimlessly stroll around the streets of New York, late at night. Frightened, Dionysus began to run but the boys quickly caught up to him. <br /><br />“Empty your pockets,” said the oldest boy.<br />“No”<br />“I don’t have any money,” said Dionysus <br />“Fine, give us your watch,” said a younger boy<br />“No! My grandmother gave it to me.”<br /><br />As the boys fell over with laughter, the oldest boy began to beat him, but Dionysus was a lot stronger than they thought. Just as Dionysus was about to get away, the boys grabbed a rope and tried to tie him up, but every time they tied a knot, it would fall apart. Realizing that there was something weird about Dionysus, all of the boys started to run down the street, just as the NYPD came flying around the corner, in response to a robbery in the area. Out of all of the boys, Dionysus was caught once again, and brought down to the police station for questioning. <br /><br />“Where were you coming from at this time of night,” said the officer<br /> “A café on 6th street.”<br /> “Well then, why were you running down 8th street?”<br />“I was being chased by a group of guys!”<br /> “The tried to rob me and then tie me up, I swear!”<br /><br /> Unsure of whether or not Dionysus was telling the truth, the officer ran his name through the system and discovered that Dionysus was the son of the most powerful, feared, and admired God, (term used when referring to the highest officials of the department) Zeus, of the entire bureau.<br /><br />After Zeus and Dionysus finally reunited after so many years, Zeus brought him back to meet the rest of his family, but he was not met with great enthusiasm. Dionysus and his cousin, Pentheus, immediately hated each other. Dionysus’ different way of life and his extreme passion for anything green, highly bother Pentheus. So Pentheus gathered a group of his friends, as did Dionysus, and they headed to battle.<br /><br />“Get off of my property, or I will call the guards.”<br />“My father owns this property, so it is more mine than it is yours.”<br />“ Tree hugger!”<br />“Demon”<br />“You should not try to battle me, I have special powers!”<br /><br /> Pentheus’s comment about trees triggered Dionysus’ violent side and they began a bloody battle. Pentheus managed to scare off Dionysus’ followers into the hills. As Dionysus calmed down, he once again tried to reason with Pentheus, but his angry overpowered his judgment. Pentheus ran after Dionysus, only to find him surrounded by all of his follower, his sister, and his mother, Semele.<br /><br /> “You tried to hurt my son,” yelled Semele<br /> “When you attempt to hurt a god, you die instead.”<br /> Pentheus immediately realized his wrong doings, but it was merely too late. <br /><br />As nightfall set, the air became cooler and damp, Dionysus’ followers and everyone <br />else surrounding the hills grew even angrier, but before anyone realized, Semele quickly and flawlessly lunged at Pentheus. <br /><br /> As the sun rose, a trail of blood and bones could be seen leading up to the hills.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-6950981614927259742008-09-24T19:20:00.000-07:002008-09-24T19:22:05.400-07:00Characterization PaperCharacterization<br /><br /> Numerous literary elements transform an ordinary piece of literature into one that is amazingly profound and interesting. One of the most important and powerful ways an author is able to establish his point is through the character’s interactions with one another and with their environment. In “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker deals with the contrasting customs of expressing one’s heritage through the opposing motives of Maggie and Dee, at the same time, Walker depicts their mother as a character who tries to find a middle ground amidst her daughters opposing views. After their house burns down and a decision is made over which daughter should receive their grandmother’s quilt, the readers view the vast contradicting differences between the opposing characters as Dee being the sister who has a superficial way of expressing their heritage, where as her younger sister, Maggie believes in more traditional methods. <br /><br /> The differences amongst the three main characters’ personalities, and physical traits, signify an immediate division in their family. The narrator begins by discussing “…TV shows where the child who has “made it” is confronted … by her own mother and father, tottering weakly from backstage.” (Walker 91) The readers later realize that the narrator is referring to Dee as the daughter who has “made it” (91) and her mother and Maggie are “tottering weakly from backstage.” (91) Instantly, the readers view Dee as the dominate and successful daughter who “… has held life always in the palm of one hand…” (91) and has branched off from her family as she peruses better things. However, as the story progresses, Dee appears to be a self-absorbed character, who truly does not understand the significance of her heritage, although she genuinely feels that she does. Her superficial outlook towards her culture prevails after she insists on taking the quilts her mother promised to give to Maggie, with the sole intensions of hanging them up. Dee feels that “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts…”(96) and that she is “…backward enough to put them to everyday use.”(96) Dee strongly believes that her sister’s desire to use the quilts for there intended purposes is disrespectful to their culture, however, Dee’s desire to place them on display is the real act of disrespect because rather than embracing the cultural beauty and importance of the quilts, she wants to subject them to criticism by others who do not understand or value their culture. <br /><br /> Maggie, Dee’s younger sister, contradicts Dee’s outlook and interpretation of the importance of their culture. Maggie chooses to embrace her culture by interacting with objects passed down through generations on a daily basis and by staying attached to more traditional ways of life. Maggie is immediately distinguished as the lesser attractive and less confident sister because Dee has a lighter complexion “…nicer hair and a fuller figure…”(92) and Maggie always walk with her “…chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle…”(92) The readers come to discover that Maggie was tremendously impacted after “…the fire …burned the other house to the ground.”(92) Although Dee has moved on from that disaster, Maggie seems to be extremely attached to their old house and just as Maggie clung to her mother as she was dragged from the burning house, it appears that she still clings to her mother and to the old memories. When conflict arises over who should resultantly have the quilts, Maggie’s nonaggressive attitude of “…never winning anything, or having anything reserved for her” (97) causes her to give up the quilts; even though, earlier in the story, their mother said that Dee was originally offered the quilts before leaving for college, but she thought they were “…old-fashioned, out of style.” (96) In order to settle the conflict and since, “Maggie’s brain is like an elephant’s,…”(95) she concludes that she can just as easily remember her Grandma Dee “…without the quilts.”(97) Maggie’s resistance to having the situation escalate and realizing that she did not need to possess material items in order to preserve the memories of her ancestors or her African culture, shows how Maggie truly valued and profoundly understood her heritage. <br /><br /> Maggie and Dee’s mother is a character who seemed to understand from the beginning of the story the essence of their heritage, however, many underestimate her because she is not well educated. For instance, when Dee’s mother first met Asalamalakim, Dee’s friend, he looked down on her “…like somebody inspecting a Model A car” (94) and after she had trouble with the pronunciation of his name and she “…tripped over it two or three times he told …[her]… to call him Hakim-a-barber.”(94) However, her lack of education never impaired her from recalling and appreciating the importance of her ancestry, and when she finally decided on who should receive the quilts, “…it was like something hit…[her]… in the top of…[her]… head and ran down to the soles of …[her]… feet,” (97) compelling her to do something she has never done before. She first hugged Maggie and “… dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap.”(97) Seeing as how their mother had a certain connection with the quilts because she had actually put together the quilts alongside Grandma Dee and Big Dee, she realized which daughter rightfully deserved the quilts, especially since two of the people who toiled over those quilts, Dee was named after, and according to Dee, she no longer wanted to be named after people who oppressed her and Dee considered her name “…dead…” (94) Understanding that Dee did not undeniably value her heritage, the narrator emphasizes the idea that their mother snatched the quilts out of “…Miss Wangero’s hands…” (97), instead of Dee’s hands and ultimately gave the quilts to Maggie, someone who truly embodies and appreciates the African culture.<br /><br /> A character’s moral beliefs ultimately affect the ways in which he interacts with other characters throughout the course of a story. Alice Walker demonstrates these core ideas by depicting the differing views of two main characters, in the story, “Everyday Use”. Dee and Maggie are two polar opposite characters whose looks and actions shape their beliefs and views of the heritage. As Dee tries to simulate into modern society, she appears to lose the original and core values of her heritage, were as Maggie seems infatuated with traditional ways of thinking. As a conflict arises over which child should ultimately receive two quilts that are richly embedded with historical meanings and memories, their mother has a revelation that essentially marks a new beginning. Although Dee is known for being a beautiful child who has “made it,” (91) and always has situations result in her favor, her mother realizes that her knowledge and understanding of their heritage has been tainted by her inclusion into modern society. Dee left the house still oblivious to the fact that she does not have a profound understanding to her African culture, Maggie graciously and proudly receives the quilts that she has longed for and rightfully deserves.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-45851214217024303082008-09-15T13:26:00.000-07:002008-09-15T13:30:15.719-07:00Point Of View EssaySociety’s Rose<br /><br /> Reoccurring times in literature, authors use specific elements to develop a story and take it from a general level to one that is unique and profound. As the readers embark on such captivating journeys, they often encounter characters that are either generally accepted by their society or characters that are distant from their neighbors based on their beliefs and values. A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner is a short story that deals with the strenuous task of trying to feel accepted by a society that upholds different values than that of a particular individual. Miss Emily Grierson is endowed with this mission because many people “… believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were.” (Faulkner 28) With that imposing idea, the narrator depicts Miss Emily as an outcast and eventually as someone who is extremely isolated from the rest of her community. The narrator introduces his ideas with a first person plural narration that leads to the point of view of, stream of consciousness, which gives incite on an individual’s thought process. This element plays a major role in the course of the story because as the narrator occasionally includes himself in the Jefferson community, he gives his opinions on how a woman of such a high stature is shunned by her entire community, solely based on her unwillingness to assimilate to the newer ideas of the up and coming generation. Through Miss Emily’s isolation from society, Faulkner emphasizes the idea that the fear of being alone causes an individual to not only seek comfort in unlikely places, but also to lash out against the outward things that are causing her feelings of insecurity and loneness. <br /><br /> The story’s postmortem aspect prevails in the beginning of the story as the readers discover that Miss Emily is already dead, however, Miss Emily’s death is crucial because the readers immediately get a small glimpse at the type of relationship Miss Emily had with her neighbors. In the first two opening paragraphs, the narrator not only states “… our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house,…” (26) he concludes the paragraphs with a description of her house. The readers obtain an understanding that she was distant from the people of her community seeing as how her neighbors did not show up to her funeral to grieve, but they came to look around her house and to satisfy their curiosity. The neighbors feel as if they have good reason to be curious because Miss Emily lived a secretive life that embodied every idea of the past generations that resided in Jefferson. Dating back to 1894, Miss Emily was “…remitted of her taxes…” (26) by Colonel Sartoris, however, “… the next generation, with its more modern ideas, became mayors and aldermen, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction.” (26) As the officials of the town go to great lengths to force Miss Emily to comply with the new rules, her unwillingness to adhere to the orders of the town, cause many to believe that her stubborn ways embody her ideas of superiority. <br /><br /> Miss Emily’s resistance to comply with the new rules of the town causes much dislike amongst her and the people of the town. People in the community appear to try and avoid her at all times, however, when an unbearable stench begins to come from her house, the townsmen are forced to intervene. The men’s apprehensiveness about visiting her house, and one the man saying, he would “… be the last one in the world to bother Miss Emily…”(27) the readers begin to view Miss Emily as someone that is feared throughout the town. Faulkner makes a point of saying “…four men crossed Miss Emily’s lawn … they broke open the cellar door and sprinkled lime there…” (28) and after Miss Emily’s father dies, “… people were glad…” (28) and “… at last they can pity Miss Emily…” (28) In all of these instances, the narrator distances himself from the community and he begins to look upon the people of the town and view their actions towards Miss Emily from a different perspective. Stream of consciousness falls under the category of selective omniscience, and omniscience occurs from the author’s point of view and not the narrator’s. When the narrator is separated from society, he sees the ways in which the town treated her while she was alive; however, when the narrator includes himself in their society, he sympathizes with her more. Faulkner intentionally includes and then separates the narrator from the Jefferson society because the readers and the narrator have the opportunity to see how Miss Emily is truly affected by this isolation and it establishes a sense of suspense as the readers wonder if Miss Emily’s solitude will encourage her to succumb to the pressures of society or will she continue to resist the new rules. The story’s tone seems to change after Miss Emily’s father dies, and she denies the fact that her father is actually dead. The narrator then says, “we did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people would.” (28) It appears that after the narrator separates himself from the community, he is able to better understand Miss Emily’s situation and he chooses to include her in the idea of “people”(28) rather than just the outcast, Miss Emily.<br /><br />Although it may appear that the narrator has a better idea of Miss Emily’s past, she is still isolated from the rest of her society; however, she is able to find an unusual outlet that provides her with a little sanity. As new projects are underway in Jefferson, Homer Barron, a construction worker, comes into the town and brings more life to the people there. “Whenever you heard a lot of laughing anywhere about the square, Homer Barron would be in the center of the group” and Miss Emily surprisingly was interested in him as well. As they began to spend more time together, the townspeople and Miss Emily found out that Homer, “…liked men... and… that he was not a marrying man…” (30) Despite this revelation, Homer and Miss Emily spent even more time together and as Miss Emily appeared to be happier, the other women of the town seemed to become jealous of Miss Emily, especially when “… they passed on Sunday afternoon in the glittering buggy, Miss Emily with her head high and Homer Barron with his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth.” (30) The women began to despise and even interfere in Miss Emily’s relationship, but soon after the women called the minister to speak with them, “… we were sure that they were to be married.” (30) A few days later Homer entered Miss Emily’s house and that was the last time any of the people in the town saw him again. In fact, a long time passed before anyone saw Miss Emily again either, and as “… the newer generation became the backbone and the spirit of the town…” Miss Emily seemed to revert back to her old ways of refusing to divert from her traditional ways. After generations passed she eventually fell ill and died in her house. <br /><br />After the death of Miss Emily, the people of the town finally gained enough courage to enter a house full of dust and despair and pay their respects to her one last time. Although no one had seen the inside of the house “…in at least ten years,…”(26) none of the neighbors were prepared to see Homer Barron’s dead body lying on a bed in the attic and an indentation of a head with a long strand of iron-gray hair on the pillow next to his body. Although it was not directly stated in the story, the readers can conclude that Miss Emily killed Homer Barron with the rat poisoning she had bought earlier in the story. After Miss Emily met Homer, she appeared to enjoy life more, and to take small adventures with him that went beyond the walls of her house, however, as she began to enjoy more things, she began to feel the pressures of her society as they judged her relationship with Homer. Their interference forced her to think about marrying Homer and buying him things that she otherwise would not have done if her community had allowed her the freedom of engaging in this relationship without their input. Faulkner used stream of consciousness to express how easy it is to allow oneself to become a part of a society that judges someone without truly getting to know him first. The narrator of A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner, includes himself in the Jefferson community as they look upon Miss Emily and criticize her way of life because it is extremely different from the type of lifestyle the newer generation is trying to create. However, during the times when the narrator disconnects himself from the community, he realizes Miss Emily’s childhood and the pressure from her father was part of the reasons as to why she did not interact much with the men and women in her community. Faulkner’s emphasis on the idea that Miss Emily’s fear of being abandoned by Homer, the first person in a long time who cared about her would possibly leave her because he did not view her in an affectionate way, caused her to have the desire to kill him and to preserve his body in the attic. Just as a rose is sometimes pressed in a book, Miss Emily chose to leave Homer’s body in her attic, in order to preserve the memories, love, and friendship they once shared.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-74873480752905014392008-09-07T08:39:00.000-07:002008-09-07T08:45:22.897-07:00Summer Assigment: PaperIronic Differences <br /><br /> Often, many characters are faced with obstacles that they must overcome in order to grow both mentally and physically. Many times, these obstacles force characters to undergo changes that can produce both positive and negative effects. As seen in the novel, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, all of the people in the village of Mbanta experience the drift from their traditional way of life to one that is completely different. The twenty sixth chapter of the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster characterizes these changes as ironic. This literary element plays a major role in the course of Things Fall Apart because Foster explains irony in literature as events that result in one way; however, the readers predict that event will have a completely different outcome. Achebe uses irony to convey the idea that regardless of how drastic a particular change may be, every character can learn from this change. Despite how physically, or mentally different two characters may be, resultantly all of the characters have an opportunity to gain a profound sense of knowledge and understanding from every person they encounter. <br /><br /> One of the main characters, Okonkwo, became the backbone of the village of Mbanta and truly defined his idea of what a strong and capable leader of the tribe should represent. However, from the beginning of the novel, Achebe describes the most unpredictable people and environment Okonkwo originated from. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father was “…known in all of the clan for the weakness of …[his]… machete and …[his]…hoe” (17), many of his neighbors referred to him as “a debtor” (Achebe 4) because “…he owed every neighbor some money, from a few cowries to quite substantial amounts.” (4) Although he was considered “…lazy and improvident,…” (4) he appeared to be a free spirited person, who enjoined subtle things, such as playing the flute. Although, his son, Okonkwo, was also a well known man in their tribe, his “…fame rested on solid personal achievements” (3) and unlike his father, Okonkwo enjoyed the danger of war because it exemplified his strength and courage. It appears as if Okonkwo and Unoka are two very different people and it was unexpected for such a powerful, strong, and greatly respected warrior to have originated from such a poor and unstable environment. Although Okonkwo possesses admirable qualities and appears to be destined to become one of the greatest leaders of Mbanta, he would not have been able to accomplish many of his goals, if it had not been for his father’s care free mentality. Okonkwo’s determination to become wealthy and successful was driven by his desire to accomplish more than his father had ever imagined, and through his father’s actions, Okonkwo greatly appreciated the value of hard work and all of its rewards. <br /><br /> Although Okonkwo developed an impressive work mentality, he was at a great disadvantage because his father had not acquired much during his lifetime that could contribute to Okonkwo’s success. As Okonkwo struggled to overcome the difficulties he faced of not having“…the start in life which many young men had…” (18) it appeared that as Okonkwo became more successful, his relationship with Unoka dwindled. The more he resented his father for his shortcomings, the stronger Okonkwo’s desire became to maintain his idea of a strong man. After his first son, Nwoye, was born Okonkwo pushed Nwoye beyond his limits to become a tough man, but Okonkwo only saw his son with “…incipient laziness,”(13) which forced Okonkwo to constantly nag and beat Nwoye. Okonkwo’s brutal mistreatment of his son eventually caused Nwoye to resent and hate his father, which forced him to eventually leave their tribe to join a Christian missionary. Irony plays a major role in this situation because not only does Nwoye end up feeling resentment towards his father just as Okonkwo feels towards his father, but they both resent their fathers for contradictory reasons. Unoka’s lack of determination to work and become wealthy causes Okonkwo to resent him, however, Okonkwo had such a strong work mentality that it forced Nwoye to resent him as well. <br /><br /> After Nwoye left Mbanta he joined a missionary that tried to spread the Christian religion throughout many villages, one of which included the village of Mbanta. The invasion of the Christian missionaries would be an event described by Thomas Foster in How to Read Literature Like a Professor as a “signified message” (Foster 238) because that incident resulted in a way that was opposite of what the readers expected. Since the Christian missionaries strongly believed in God, the readers predicated that they would bring about peace and unity to the tribe, however, the exact opposite eventually occurred. The arrival of this group brought a lot of tension and mixed emotions to Mbanta because it had been rumored that the village of “Abame … [had]… been wiped out…”(138) by a group of white men. However, after the Christian missionaries arrived in Mbanta, they built a church on a small section of the Evil Forest and despite their odds; they eventually gained the support of many converts in the village. As time progresses, one of the leaders of the missionary, Mr. Brown, continued to create peace amongst everyone in the village, by opening schools and by establishing solid friendships with many of the leaders of Mbanta. Things take a turn for the worst after his successor, Mr. Smith, takes control and enforces strict rules that ultimately lead to more anger and violence in village. Mbanta has always been a village “…feared by all of its neighbors” (11) because it “… was powerful in war and in magic…”(11), but as more missionaries invaded the village and tried to change the village’s traditional way of life, they created animosity, violence, and mistrust amongst the tribal members. Their ideas eventually destroyed the original beliefs of a once highly feared and dominate village. <br /><br /> Prior to the arrival of the missionaries, Okonkwo was known to be a very violent man and many times, his anger was directed towards his family. Since “Okonkwo never showed any emotions openly, unless it be the emotion of anger”(28) because he felt that showing “… affection was a sign of weakness; the only thing worth demonstrating was strength”(28) he was more than willing to become physically violent with anyone he felt disrespected him. With that knowledge, all of his wives knew that they would be severely punished if they were to disrespect him, however, his third wife, Ojiugo, was brutally beaten by Okonkwo during the Week of Peace after she did not come home early enough to cook him dinner. Many components of this event is essential to the irony of Okonkwo’s violent ways because for a man that could be extremely aggressive towards his own family, it was unexpected for him to be exiled after accidently killing Ezeudu’s son when his “…gun had exploded and a piece of iron had pierced the boy’s heart.”(124) The narrator later said “the crime was of two kinds, male and female” (124) and ironically, “Okonkwo had committed the female,…”(124) which forced him to live on his motherland for the next seven years. In addition, his uncle, Uchendu, informed him that while he stayed on his motherland, his “…duty was to comfort … [his]… wives and children…” (134) After numerous months passed with Okonkwo living in exile, he felt he could have prospered more on his fatherland instead of his motherland, and he viewed those years as “…seven wasted and weary years…”(162). With this idea formulated, Okonkwo well anticipated a triumphant return to Mbanta. <br /><br /> Okonkwo’s return did not go according to his plan, mainly because the people of Mbanta were too consumed with the new Christian religion to even notice that Okonkwo and his family had returned. The village had completely changed due to strict rules enforced by the District Commissioner and Mr. Smith, but Okonkwo felt it was his duty to rally the men of his village together and fight against the white men, in order to regain control of their village. During one of his meetings, a group of white men came to break up the meeting; however, Okonkwo used his machete to kill one of the men. When the District Commissioner went looking for Okonkwo, he found his dead body hanging from a tree. Okonkwo was one of the greatest leaders of the clan, and over many years, he worked tirelessly to obtain several titles. Even though he invested everything into the clan, Obierika said Okonkwo allowed the District Commissioner to drive “… him to kill himself; and now he will be buried like a dog…” (208) Despite all of Okonkwo’s accomplishments, he dishonored his clan by taking his own life, which is ironic because all of Okonkwo’s motivation was “…possessed by the fear of his father’s contemptible life and shameful death.”(18) Okonkwo viewed Unoka’s life as a waste because he died without ever acquiring any titles, and he was left to die in the Evil Forest. Despite all of the fame and glory Okonkwo accumulated, Okonkwo and his father will be remembered for the same thing, their dishonorable deaths.<br /><br /> The village of Mbanta, along with many great leaders of the village underwent drastic changes as the novel progressed. Although many of these changes could have been a tremendous learning experience for all of the people in Mbanta, many villagers chose to deal with the situation in violent and destructive ways. Although the Christian missionaries thought they were introducing a more civilized way of life to the people of Mbanta, they ultimately destroyed the core beliefs and spirit of a once vivacious and powerful village. However, through all of this animosity and destruction in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Achebe reveals the essence of embracing everyone, despite their differences. Okonkwo and his father, Unoka, were amazing examples of how Thomas Foster’s ideas of irony from the book How to Read Literature Like a Professor can greatly affect two characters that appear to be the polar opposites. Resultantly, regardless of how different two characters or religions may be, there are still ironic circumstances that connect them on one basic level.Ashley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-18987335254298467042008-09-06T20:14:00.000-07:002008-09-06T20:17:11.143-07:00One Hundred Years of Solitude Iashley8 said... <br />The title, One Hundred Years of Solitude, is very intriguing and many events in the novel lead me to agree with Mary that many members of the Buendía family deal with their own incidences that cause them to feel isolated. I feel that José Arcadio Buendía began the trend by isolating himself from his family after he became involved in the wonders of science. He didn’t realize his ways until Ursula said he should start worrying about his sons instead of his inventions because they were “…running wild just like donkeys.” (14) Ursula’s statement foreshadowed later events in the novel because his children became involved in their own interests. Such as José Arcadio, who ran off with the gypsies and retuned to Macondo as a completely different person. Also Rebecca, someone who grew very close to the Buendía family would revert back to her old ways when things became too difficult, such as when the date for her wedding could not be decided on, she “…lost her bearings, completely demoralized, Rebecca began eating earth again.” (88) Both José Arcadio, Rebecca, and many other characters found other outlets in their lives that numbed the pain of dealing with certain problems, especially those that involved their family. <br /><br />José Arcadio Buendía’s desire to research different things, such as religion or technology was brought about though good intension because he wanted to advance Macondo. He wanted to create a place “…where all one had to do was sprinkle some magic liquid on the ground and the plants would bear fruit whenever a man wished, and where all of instruments against pain were sold at bargain prices.” (14) Many of his discoveries would change the lives of the people in Macondo by making it easier for them to prosper, with more fruits and vegetables; they would attract people from other villages and be able to sell more goods. However, as Melquíades introduced more inventions to José Arcadio Buendía, he began to change and he reminded me of the character Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart by Achebe. Okonkwo and José Arcadio Buendía are very similar because their ambitions and goals to create better lives for themselves and for their families caused them to lose cite in the core values of their villages - unity and strength. Once those two elements were lost, wars, hatred, and animosity broke out amongst many people in the village. <br /><br />I found it interesting to see how the drift from beginning united played out in Macondo because my perception of the Spanish culture involved people who truly valued the importance of taking care of those in their families and always putting them first and I feel that Ursula really tried to hold her family together though difficult times. Such as when she brought a change of clean cloths and a pistol to José Arcadio while he was in jail after he left unexpectedly to join the war and become involved in the Liberal Party. She also was excited to see José Arcadio when he returned from traveling with the gypsies, she “…flung her arms around his neck, shouting and weeping with joy,” instead of shunning him off because he left unexpectedly and retuned “… a bigger man … with needlework.” (106) Although Ursula did not accept José Arcadio and Rebecca’s wedding at first, she “consoled herself with her own lies” about their relationship in order to keep José Arcadio Buendía from becoming even more depressed from the news of José Arcadio’s return to Macondo, bringing with him “shame to [their] household.” (106) Even though Ursula did not always agree with her children’s decisions, she never seemed to completely give up on them, however, it seemed that the harder she tried to hold her family together, the easier it became for things to fall apart. <br /><br />I also agree with because the death of Melquíades changed the atmosphere of Macondo because before he died, there had not been any deaths in the village. Since Melquíades said “…death followed him everywhere…” (5) it seemed inevitable that after he returned to Macondo death would soon strike in the village and soon after Melquíades died, the village seemed to die as well. Many deaths directly affected the Buendía family because Remedios, “…poisoned by her own blood…” (86) was the first to die and soon after her death, a brutal war against the Conservatives and the Liberals erupted, killing numerous people. Once Melquíades died, it seemed as if death became apart of their culture and people such as Colonel Aureliano Buendía and Colonel Marquez were more than willing to kill others to have their opinions heard. Despite their intentions, all of the people of Macondo appeared to drift away from the pride they took in not causing violence and not having anyone die in their village.<br /><br />August 2, 2008 4:32 PMAshley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3975382712656782987.post-76108036346077816762008-09-06T20:12:00.002-07:002008-09-06T20:14:49.708-07:00One Hundred Years of Solitude IIashley8 said... <br />The second section of One Hundred Years of Solitude reinforces the idea that the women of Macondo are very strong and they do not depend on assistance from men to help them through difficult situations. I agree with valleygirl 09 that Ursula exemplifies this idea because from the first section of One Hundred Years of Solitude “thanks to her the floors of tamped earth, the unwhitewashed mud walls, the rustic, wooden furniture they had built themselves were always clean…” (9) Not only is Ursula able to take care of the house, her “…capacity for work was the same as that of her husband,” (8) especially when she had to paint and fix things in her house and take care of all of the children because José Arcadio Buendía consumed all of his time with scientific inventions. I think this concept of women taking the lead role in their families is very intriguing because in the book, Things Fall Apart by Achebe, women came second to their husbands and they were seen as inferior to men. The difference in their beliefs causes me to wonder what Okonkwo would think of José Arcadio Buendía for allowing his wife to become the main provider for their family. <br /><br />The women’s desire to do things on their own may cause them to push love and affection from men in their village away. For instance Remedios the Beauty was known as one of the most beautiful women in Macondo and the men in Macondo would go to great lengths just to get a glimpse of her beauty, however, she never allowed herself to become involved with these men. Fernanda del Carpio is also a woman who shows her independence by continuing to uphold the beliefs that she was taught by her mother, even though her husband, Aureliano Segundo and his family do things differently. She also continues to raise her daughter, Renata Remedios by very strict rules, despite Aureliano Segundo’s resistance. I feel that Fernanda is also a courageous and determined woman because she never becomes angry or upset with her husband despite the fact that she and everyone else in Macondo know that he often visits his mistress, Petra Cotes. I think that the women’s resistance to have a relationship with other men in the village or their unwillingness to leave their husbands is fueled by their desire to focus on the important aspects in theirs lives, such as their children and their well being.<br /><br />Steph113 predicts that Ursula will live longer than her family members and I agree with her prediction because Ursula is the only one who held the Buendía family together through many of their difficult times and she was able to uphold the original beliefs of Macondo. While José Arcadio Buendía was tied to the Chestnut tree, Ursula would bath him, bring him clean cloth and food, and she would confide many things in him, while other people neglected him and infatuated themselves in the new inventions that were brought to the village. Ursula did not allow herself to become involved in new technology or occupied with the war and the conflicts between the Liberals and the Conservatives. Through all of the destruction and chaos that occurred in Macondo, Gabriel García Márquez later revealed in the book that, “…no one discovered that she was blind.” (246) For Ursula to have endured all of the pain, mistrust, and deception that has evolved in the Buendía family over the years, I feel that Ursula deserves to live the longest and to see how the village can be restored. She has seen how Macondo developed into a destructive and dangerous village, but it is time for her to see how the village she took so much pride in many years ago, can change for the better and become a prosperous and unified village once again.<br /><br />August 8, 2008 2:10 PMAshley Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14560842140085351073noreply@blogger.com0