Wednesday, March 25, 2009

romanticism blog

1. Choose one of the values of romanticism we discussed: emotion over reason, nature over human-made, impermanence of humanity, the individual over the collective, valuing rural life. writing sparked by individual emotion instead of borrowing from other genres or over thinking writing.
2. Choose three literary works from the Romantic Unit. How does the Romantic value you chose come out in these three literary works.
3. Incorporate at least two direct quotations from these works to support your assertion. Use "/" to indicate breaks in lines
4. Remember to explain the why's and how's surrounding your assertions/claims i.e. how does this or that literary work represent the value you choose or why do you think the Romantics focused on these values in their writing over others? Why were the Romantics drawn to such themes?
5. As always, solid topic sentences and varied sentence structure are always helpful.

The romantic era was filled with many stories of emotion and feeling that had to do with nature along with many other aspects of life. Nature being valued over man-made things is one values that romantics lived by that led to many great pieces of literature. Three pieces just from our book that show this value are, Ode to the West Wind, The World is too Much With Us, and Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. Each of these selections show in their own way how the romantics used feeling and emotion in their writing beyond the normal writers of that century. In Ode to the West Wind Shelly tells how nature has more life and meaning than man made things when he says, "The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low/Each like a corpse within its grave, until/Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow." He talks about all the facets of nature in a way that gives them life and emotion. In The World is too Much With Us by William Wordsworth he talks about how people don't value nature and only worry about the now and what they want. He also depicts how people don't realize how good they really have it when he says,"Little we see in Nature that is ours;/We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!" Finally in Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray he shows readers that in the end everything will go back to nature. He says,"The boast of heraldry, the pomp or power,/And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,/Awaits alike the inevitable hour./The paths of glory lead but to the grave." To me this shows that we should not get wrapped up in what we have or worldly things because in the end we can't take that with us and what really matters is your legacy and what you leave behind.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Blake & Burns Poems

1. Robert Burns is known as the national poet of Scotland; how does Burns incorporate/
honor is Scottish heritage in the poems “Auld Lang Syne•” and “John Anderson My
Jo”?
In the first poem he talks about the friendliness of the Scottish people and how they can have a good time and in the second poem he talks about the true love that two Scottish people shared.

2. What idea concept is being praised/honored in “Auld Lang Syne”?
How is this same theme extended in “John Anderson, My Jo”? How do these values reflect the values of Romanticism? How do they contrast with the values of the Age of Reason?
He is showing the that Scottish people are people who enjoy life and live for the moment by enjoying a drink and remembering old friends, then how the two loved each other in the second one. This reflects romanticism because it shows how they live for that moment and are "flying by the seat of their pants" so to speak, while it contrast the Age of Reason by thinking with their hearts instead of their heads.

3. What does the metaphor of the hill in the second stanza of John Anderson, My Jo
represent?
It represents life and all of life's troubles and hard times and how they have gone through them together.

4. Explain how William Blake•s upbringing/worldview influenced the type of poetry he wrote.
When he was younger he had visions of celestial bodies so when he wrote in incorporated these visions into his writing and wrote a more visual and spiritual ties, which were unconventional at the time.

5. How are “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” similar to each other? (Read “About the
Selection” on p 679) What two sides of the human soul do the animals represent?
Why did Blake it equally important to understand both sides? In a religious framework, what do the two animals represent?
The two have exactly the same rhyme scheme and are wrote almost identically in structure. The lamb represents innocence while the tyger represents experience. It is equally important to understand both because they are both key parts of human nature and life. The lamb represents Jesus in a religious framework and the tyger represents evil made by God (eden).

6. How do William Blake•s three poems celebrate the untameness of nature and reject the urbanity/structured society? How does this reflect Romanticism?
He looks at normal things in an abstract view. He also looks as though things are in nature and not like the normal hustle and bustle of a big society. He also gives the pieces and what they talk about a more religious view instead of a normal more conservative, logical view.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Romantic Era

1. When did the Romantic Era begin and end? Overall, how does the book describe the movement? How does it contrast to the Enlightenment/Age of Reason?
The romantic era lasted from 1785 to 1832. The book describes it as a rebellion against the rational. It is different from the enlightenment and age of reason because it was spontaneous and had no "rhyme or reason" to it.

2. What were the major political developments/changes that occured during the Romantic Era?
There was a civil reform because there was a span of three weak kings which lead to powerful prime ministers. In 1832 parliamentary seats were redistributed.

3. The introduction describe three pre-Romantic poets; how did these poets bridge the gap between Neoclassicism and Romanticism? What were the name of the three pre-Romantics discussed in the book?
Thomas Gray, Robert Burns, and William Blake all bridged the gap by writing in new styles that were for the common man and in a normal mans terms and were written with native dialect.

4. What publication really began the Romantic Era? Why was the publication pivotal in the Romantic movement? What statements were the two authors trying to make with it? Who were considered the second generation of Romantics? What did they celebrate through their literature?
Lyrical Ballads really started the Romantic Era and was pivotal because it explained the movement and what its writing was about. They stated that it should be for the common man and explained their revolutionary theory of poetry. George Gordon, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelly and John Keats were the second generation and they celebrated the first generation and their ideas.

5. What is a Gothic novel? What are some examples of it?
Long stories containing elements of suspense, mystery, magic, and the macabre. The Castle of Otranto, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Frankenstein are all examples.

6. What type of novel did Jane Austen right?
She wrote novels of manners

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Pride and Prejudice

1. What character has the pride and which character has the predjudice? Explain.
Elizabeth has the pride and Darcy has the prejudice. Darcy looks down at people at some points and thinks lowly of some people. Elizabeth has pride because she is very prim to herself and will not marry the man because she

2. What are examples of gender inequity in the movie? How does this gender inequity impact the decisions of some characters?
Women were courted or forced to marry a man. That a sophisticated woman should have to read and study a lot, basically do everything. Elizabeth declines marriage for herself while her friend gets married for the reason that she feels its sensible.

3. What are examples of social class playing a role in how characters interact?
Lower class women had little to no say in their own life while upper class women did. Lower class women were accused of marring for money rather than for love.

4. Based of the movie, what were some of the expected norms/behavior women were expect for conform to? How does Elizabeth Bennett break out against these roles?
They were expected to marry when they were asked and to look pretty and not have opinions. Elizabeth turned a man down and was outspoken at the dance.

5. What do you think Jane Austen was trying to comment on about love/courtship for time period/world? Is it satirical in nature at all?
That marriage was expected when it was fitting or convenient for others than the woman involved. It is satirical because she over exaggerated the point of it.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Candide

Answer the following that reading Candide,

1. Write a summary paragraph of the selection.
This is a story about a young boy who was raised in a fancy and great castle where there was no wrong or wrong doing. He then became love struck by Maedmoiselle Cunegonde and kissed her. Candide was expelled from the castle for this. He then goes on to the Bulgarians and is treated great at first then is put in the army and is thrashed for going on a walk and believing in freedom. During the war he escapes to Holland and is then again criticized for his believes in God and that the pope is not the anti-Christ. At the end of the story he runs into his philosopher from when he was a young boy at the castle, who is now homeless.

2. What philosophical idea is Voltaire satirizing through the work?
He is satirizing the idea that people are ridiculed for their ideas a believes daily, even if what they believe in is right and just. He is also satirizing the idea that everything happens for the best.

3. What are examples of Voltaire satirizing war and government in Candide? What are example of Voltaire satirizing religion in Candide?
He satirizes war by showing that you were looked upon as a hero and the perfect size, and government where the young boy gets 4000 lashes for going on a walk away from their society. He satirizes religion when the man asks him if he believes that the pope is the anti-Christ and when he answers he does not care he is only hungry the man replies that he is not worthy to eat.

4. What is the irony in Pangloss's appearance at the end of the selection?
It is ironic because Candide lives by this man's philosophies and thinks he was right about everything all the time and in the end that man becomes homeless and worse off than Candide.

5. Do you agree with Voltaire's critique of philosophical optimism, or do you think he's too skeptical and bitter toward the idea that everything that happens is for the best? Why or why not?
I think that his critique is good because bad things do happen and are unavoidable. It is a part of life and something everyone has to deal with, but also I do believe that there is a reason for everything and that there is a bigger plan.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Gulliver's Travels

Choose one the world's that Gulliver visits; What social issue(s)/human fault is Swift commenting on through Gulliver's visit to this world? What details from this world bring it out? Is the movie subtle or blatant in how they reveal this? How does the medium of film help to bring out the satire more than just the book could by itself? Did the movie make you think or did you think it was a poor adaptation? Why?

The Land of the Houyhnhnm's the horses show us all of humans flaws from greed and pride to selfishness and inconsideration. We see this from how they view the yahoos. The yahoos are men and women who act as savages and bring forth all the points of human flaws with extreme exaggeration but it is shown to us by the horses because of how they perceive the yahoos which makes Gulliver realize that these are human flaws. The film portrays the yahoos as greasy muddy creatures so we see them as an entire different race but yet when Gulliver gets muddy we see that humans look the exact same way. The movie brought out more real points and showed us visually humans flaws and how we should go about living our lives from learning form the horses.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Pg 566-570

Answer the following questions from page 566-570.
1. What was the Restoration in British History?
The Restoration began in 1660 when Charles II became king and ended the Protestant Interregnum.

2. How did the political system change through the Restoration and 17th Century?
It became more of a constitutional monarchy. They gave parliament the right to levy taxes, along with other wide-ranging powers.

3. Why is this time also called the Age of Reason/Enlightenment? Give examples of people from this time who contributed to this label.
It is called the Age of reason or Enlightenment because during this time period philosophers, writers and scientists were defining new ways to look at the world they lived in. Sir Isaac Newton revealed an orderly, clockwork universe regulated by rational principles.

4. Define what Neoclassicism is how it was incorporates into the literature during the time. What was this age also called that relates to this concept?
Is reverting back and using literature from ancient Romans and Greeks to emulate. This time period is known as the Neoclassical Literature of the eighteenth century.

5. The Enlightenment/Restoration is divided up into three areas based on people's names. What are they? What characteristics/authors/literary genres is associated with each age?
Age of Dryden, the Age of Pope, and the Age of Johnson. Dryden-began with the restoration of the monarchy and ended with the death of John Dryden, this time period with associated with satirical writing. Pope- was the peak of the neoclassicism writing. Alexander Pope was the big writer of this time period. Johnson- Samuel Johnson was the biggest writer of this age and wrote in neoclassicism ideas that related more to the freer more emotional, more natural style of the Romantics.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Cavalier vs. Puritan

We read literature from two opposing forces, the Puritans and the Cavaliers represented by Milton/Bunyan and Lovelace/Marvel respectively.

1. Describe the worldviews of these groups.
Cavaliers live for today and live to make profit from their lives right now and not for the future, while Puritans live for tomorrow and the after-life, they prepare to go to the life after everything.

2. How do these worldviews contrast with each other?
Cavaliers are more reckless and care about today while Puritans are more reserved and prepare for the future and the after life.

3. Give specific examples from selections we read that represent these worldviews?
Marvel says in his piece that if they do not get married now that something may happen and they may not live to see tomorrow or it happen. In Milton's piece it is mostly about the after life and why things are the way they are there, talking about why Satin is in hell and why God rules heaven.

4. Which worldview do you align yourself with more?
I don't think that i could align myself one way or another because I do live for now but I am also living for my future and am close to God. I take every day for what it is worth and make the most of my opportunities which is more on the cavalier side but then again I plan for my future and look ahead and am thinking about my after life which is the puritan side.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Rural poem questions

What do you think about living here? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Do you plan to live in a rural area once you've established a career? Why or why not?


I love where I have grown up and where we live. I think living in a rural lifestyle and growing up here teaches you things you can not learn in a big city. I think that you learn a better work ethic and better people skills because you know everybody and everybody knows you. I also think that there is a minor drawback of not being around a big city because there is limited resources of fun in a small town community and living in a bigger city doesn't have that problem. I think after I have established my career I plan to live in a bigger city because there is more opportunity there. On the other hand I want to have ties to a smaller rural community as well because there is no substitute for this kind of living and what it teaches you.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Hamlet vs Macbeth

1. Friendship and Betrayal

Hamlet- R&G are hired by the King and Queen to find out what is wrong with Hamlet and why he has been acting the way he has been. I think that this is betrayal because if they were Hamlet's friends they would try to find out for themselves and not be "spies" for the King and Queen.


Macbeth- Banquo and Macbeth are friends in the beginning of the play and are told that one will be king and one's children will become king. This starts to cause controversy when Macbeth lies to Banquo telling him he doesn't think about it and from then on all the betrayal starts and Macbeth ends up killing Banquo for power and to keep his power. The ultimate form of betrayal.


2. Supernatural acts

Hamlet- In Hamlet the ghost in the first act sets up the whole play and is the reason the plot happens. The ghost appears and tells Hamlet that he is his father and he was poisoned and killed by Claudius. This supernatural power is why Hamlet goes into rage and regains the power from the corruption.


Macbeth- In Macbeth three witches make predictions about their future and how Macbeth will become king and Banquo's children will be better kings. This causes controversy in this story by making Macbeth so hungry to keep his power that he kills his friends family and tries to kill him just so they won't take over the throne.


3. Rage


Hamlet- Hamlet is in a rage when he figures out that Claudius poisoned his father and that he is un-rightfully taking his fathers throne. This rage leads to the restoration of the throne and the kingdom when Hamlet kills Claudius. This rage also leads to unnecessary deaths when he kills Polonius and Laertes. It also leads to the death of Getrude because she drank the poisoned wine that was supposed to kill Hamlet.


Macbeth- In Macbeth rage plays two roles in the story. Macbeth you could say is in a blind rage and is killing unnecessarily because he wants to keep power and gain the kingdom. He ends up killing Banquo and then Macduff's family to keep the power but Macduff is not killed and flees. When he returns he has brought an army and a lot of rage with him because of the crimes Macbeth committed. Macduff in the end ends up killing Macbeth and restores the throne from corruption.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Mcbeth prediscussion

Circle either agree or disagree for each statement. There are no right or wrong answers, and you will not be graded on which one you choose.

Agree/Disagree 1. Our fate is predetermined.

Agree/Disagree 2. It is natural for humans to strive for power.

Agree/Disagree 3. When in power, humans will do anything to maintain it.

Agree/Disagree 4. An accomplice is just as guilty as the person who commits a crime.

Agree/Disagree 5. If you kill, you should be killed in return (“an eye for an eye”).


Choose two of the above questions to discuss in writing. Explain why you chose the answer you did in 3-4 sentences. Please include examples to support your viewpoint. You will be using your explanations in small group and class discussions, so be specific!

1) I think our fate is not predetermined because I feel God determines what our future holds by decisions we make every day. Yes I do feel everything happens for a reason and there is a bigger picture and a plan God sets out for us, but I think it is determined by the decisions we make every day. If you decide to commit a crime God will fitfully change your destiny because of your decisions I believe.

5) I do not think that in all cases it is right to say you should be killed if you kill someone because accidents happen. I think that if you maliciously kill another human being than yes punishment of death may be in your cards but there are cases where we ask people to kill other humans in war and I do not feel that those people should be punished by death! They should be commended for serving their country. Also if a doctor makes a mistake in medicine or cannot cure a patient or has to "pull the plug" so to speak they should not be punished by death! I think "an eye for an eye" is only applicable in certain situations.

Mcbeth prediscussion