I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed by Emily Dickinson
EXTENDED METAPHOR: is a metaphor that is developed over the course of multiple lines, details, paragraphs, etc.
I enjoyed this poem a lot and actually understood it. The whole poem is an extended metaphor. I saw the main message as the speaker getting drunk on nature. They simply cannot get enough of it and want to drink in all the good beauty that God has put on this planet for us to enjoy. There are many images in the poem that help to describe this sense of intoxication the speaker feels when outside. Right of the bat, the reader can tell that this is not a literal poem and the speaker is not actually getting drunk. It starts out, "I taste a liquor never brewed--" (Dickinson). This shows that the whole poem is about something that is not actually a liquor because it has not actually physically been brewed. Then the speaker goes on to describe the fact that their glass is full of clouds (Pearl) and that not any vat anywhere could brew such an alcohol. Another image is the foxglove turning away the bees and the butterflies renouncing their drams. So, even when the actual nature is done drinking everything in, the speaker "shall but drink the more!" (Dickinson).
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Potpourri Blog Post #1
The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy
At first, I did not understand this poem very much, but after discussion and further analysis, I liked the poem a lot because there was more meaning in it than I had first thought. I believe that the overall message of the poem was that God, or fate, or some other supernatural power was punishing the human vanity that The Titanic embodied. The structure of the poem emphasizes this because the first two lines of every stanza have to do with the lavishness of the ship while it is above the ground. In lines 10 and 11, the "Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind" (Hardy) the glamorous side of the ship is described. But in the third line, those jewels and glory now "Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy). The third line is the longest and has to do with the life of the ship below the sea. This was the maiden voyage of The Titanic. It had not been around for very long before it was destroyed, so it's life above the sea was much shorter than it's eternal life under the sea. The poem is about the convergence of the two things--the iceberg and the titanic. The iceberg was put in place because of the human vanity that was exemplified in the ship. They came together because of fate and because that kind of vanity is not supposed to be present in our world today.
At first, I did not understand this poem very much, but after discussion and further analysis, I liked the poem a lot because there was more meaning in it than I had first thought. I believe that the overall message of the poem was that God, or fate, or some other supernatural power was punishing the human vanity that The Titanic embodied. The structure of the poem emphasizes this because the first two lines of every stanza have to do with the lavishness of the ship while it is above the ground. In lines 10 and 11, the "Jewels in joy designed To ravish the sensuous mind" (Hardy) the glamorous side of the ship is described. But in the third line, those jewels and glory now "Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind" (Hardy). The third line is the longest and has to do with the life of the ship below the sea. This was the maiden voyage of The Titanic. It had not been around for very long before it was destroyed, so it's life above the sea was much shorter than it's eternal life under the sea. The poem is about the convergence of the two things--the iceberg and the titanic. The iceberg was put in place because of the human vanity that was exemplified in the ship. They came together because of fate and because that kind of vanity is not supposed to be present in our world today.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Gender Blog Post #4
My Mistresss' Eyes by William Shakespeare
1. The speaker draws a contrast between the qualities often praised in exaggerated love poetry and the reality of his mistress' physical attributes. Construct the series of "false compare[isons]" that this poem implies other poets have used (for example, eyes as bright as the sun, hair like spun gold, etc).
2. What is the speaker's tone in lines 1-12? Is there anything about those lines that his mistress might find pleasing? (In Shakespeare's time the words "reeks" did not have its modern denotation of "stinks.")
I enjoyed this poem. It didn't seem like many of Shakespeare's other poems where I had no idea what the heck he was talking about at all. This one made sense to me. I find the speaker to be a realist in the sense that he isn't painting his mistress to be completely perfect and like completely void of any flaws. He lets her come of as a real person. She doesn't have eyes that shine like the sun or the reddest lips in the world. She also doesn't have the perfect snow-white skin that is exaggerated in many love poems. The speaker says his mistress' hair is like black wire and that he doesn't see rosy red cheeks. Finally, her breath smells sometimes, her voice isn't like the chirping of birds to him, and the way she walks is not like an angel floating on air. I think this poem is bringing to light the unrealistic love poems that paint the woman in them as being completely perfect. There are somethings that could be found pleasing in this poem though. It is not all just saying how imperfect she is. He doesn't say her breath smells all the time, and he still loves to hear her speak. So there are some positives in the poem. I would rather have this love poem said to me than any other one because I know the other unrealistic and exaggerated love poems would be complete lies. I would smack the man I love if he told me I had perfect skin and golden hair and walked like a goddess. He would probably be making fun of me and try to make it a joke. I'd hope I wouldn't love someone who was being completely serious about that nonsense. The speaker says, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare 885). The speaker is being real with the woman he loves. He has a rare love because he can be real and recognize that she has flaws, but she is not all flawed. He still loves her regardless of the imperfect things and doesn't try to cover it up and lie about it to his mistress.
1. The speaker draws a contrast between the qualities often praised in exaggerated love poetry and the reality of his mistress' physical attributes. Construct the series of "false compare[isons]" that this poem implies other poets have used (for example, eyes as bright as the sun, hair like spun gold, etc).
2. What is the speaker's tone in lines 1-12? Is there anything about those lines that his mistress might find pleasing? (In Shakespeare's time the words "reeks" did not have its modern denotation of "stinks.")
I enjoyed this poem. It didn't seem like many of Shakespeare's other poems where I had no idea what the heck he was talking about at all. This one made sense to me. I find the speaker to be a realist in the sense that he isn't painting his mistress to be completely perfect and like completely void of any flaws. He lets her come of as a real person. She doesn't have eyes that shine like the sun or the reddest lips in the world. She also doesn't have the perfect snow-white skin that is exaggerated in many love poems. The speaker says his mistress' hair is like black wire and that he doesn't see rosy red cheeks. Finally, her breath smells sometimes, her voice isn't like the chirping of birds to him, and the way she walks is not like an angel floating on air. I think this poem is bringing to light the unrealistic love poems that paint the woman in them as being completely perfect. There are somethings that could be found pleasing in this poem though. It is not all just saying how imperfect she is. He doesn't say her breath smells all the time, and he still loves to hear her speak. So there are some positives in the poem. I would rather have this love poem said to me than any other one because I know the other unrealistic and exaggerated love poems would be complete lies. I would smack the man I love if he told me I had perfect skin and golden hair and walked like a goddess. He would probably be making fun of me and try to make it a joke. I'd hope I wouldn't love someone who was being completely serious about that nonsense. The speaker says, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare 885). The speaker is being real with the woman he loves. He has a rare love because he can be real and recognize that she has flaws, but she is not all flawed. He still loves her regardless of the imperfect things and doesn't try to cover it up and lie about it to his mistress.
Gender Blog Post #3
Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy
1. In what ways is the girl described in this poem different from a Barbie doll? Discuss the poem's contrast of the living girl, a human being with intelligence and healthy appetites, and the doll, an inanimate object.
This poem sort of depressed me because it is a very real situation. The stuff that girls our age and younger go through is horrible. We are pressured to start wearing makeup and try to have the best body. In reality though, this isn't possible for some girls, and some girls are even prettier when they are just their natural self. The bullying is also very real too. The girl in the poem is obviously not perfect, but what is the definition of the perfect girl? Certainly, some would say a Barbie doll, but others would disagree. There is no real perfect girl that every other little girl should try and live up to being like. The girl in the poem had "strong arms and back" (Piercy 835). This is the first difference from Barbie. Barbie has no muscle tone whatsoever. Barbie also doesn't have "a great big nose and fat legs" (Piercy 835). This girl is a real girl. She isn't some inanimate plastic doll that everyone sees as perfect. She has a real body and real feelings. She is healthy and was happy, that should be all that mattered. The girl killed herself, though. The final line of the poem speaks volumes, I think. When it says "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending" (Piercy 836). I believe that everyone woman wants to be remembered as being beautiful in someone's eyes. Their happy ending would be to have someone to think they are pretty and remember them as pretty. Any girl who says she doesn't want someone to find them beautiful is lying to you. Every girl wants that, what they don't want is to be constantly told they are imperfect and need to "fix" themselves.
Gender Blog Post #2
A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell
3. What common assumptions about women are shared by the men in the story? How do they try to show that they do not think women to be their inferiors? How are their assumptions ironic?
One common assumption the men have about women is that they are supposed to be good housewives and keep the place looking nice. They believe that women are supposed to be good in the kitchen. When the county attorney is looking around the kitchen and kicking pans, he says, "Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (Glaspell 412). He's making a jab at the fact that women really have one job and she can't do that job. I find it funny when they are talking about the preserves and how the women in the room are thinking about Mrs. Wright's feelings about the ruined fruits because the men just kind of laugh and are like "oh she's on trial for murder, I'm sure she's going to worry about her fruit". This short story is very stereotypical of men and women. The irony in the situation is that the men don't think of them as inferior, yet they brought them along to investigate. The women are the one's who do the real investigating though. They actually figure out motive and can rationalize why Minnie murdered her husband. The men don't realize that the quilt, the box, the birdcage, they were all evidence that pointed to Minnie's motive. They just brushed them off as jokes because they're men and don't take anything seriously.
3. What common assumptions about women are shared by the men in the story? How do they try to show that they do not think women to be their inferiors? How are their assumptions ironic?
One common assumption the men have about women is that they are supposed to be good housewives and keep the place looking nice. They believe that women are supposed to be good in the kitchen. When the county attorney is looking around the kitchen and kicking pans, he says, "Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (Glaspell 412). He's making a jab at the fact that women really have one job and she can't do that job. I find it funny when they are talking about the preserves and how the women in the room are thinking about Mrs. Wright's feelings about the ruined fruits because the men just kind of laugh and are like "oh she's on trial for murder, I'm sure she's going to worry about her fruit". This short story is very stereotypical of men and women. The irony in the situation is that the men don't think of them as inferior, yet they brought them along to investigate. The women are the one's who do the real investigating though. They actually figure out motive and can rationalize why Minnie murdered her husband. The men don't realize that the quilt, the box, the birdcage, they were all evidence that pointed to Minnie's motive. They just brushed them off as jokes because they're men and don't take anything seriously.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Gender Blog Post #1
Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff
1. Which of the three principal characters do you find most sympathetic? The least sympathetic? Discuss your answers. Do the characters' names help us to form our impressions of them?
CHARACTERIZATION: the process by which the writer reveals the personality, values, and quality of a character
The character I felt most sympathetic towards was Tub. I felt so bad for him because he was so tubby and fat and slow. I just felt like Frank and Kenny were jerks to him to for no reason. They bullied him and it made me feel sad for him. I felt least sympathetic for Kenny's character. I was glad he got shot because he was annoying. Tub was the butt of all his jokes and he did seem like he was going to shoot Tub next. I didn't know he was supposed to kill the dog, though. When he shot the dog I was like "oh no!" and then didn't feel sad anymore because Tub had shot him. The characters' names do help form an impression of them, especially Tub's. Frank seems older and Frank is sort of an older name. Kenny just sounds annoying and rude. It doesn't help that the only Kenny I know is someone who is very obnoxious. The characterization of the characters also comes through when they are resting and eating after two hours of hunting. The author says, "Kenny had several slices of pizza and a couple of candy bars; Frank had a sandwich, an apple, two carrots, and a square of chocolate; Tub had one hard-boiled egg and a stick of celery" (Wolff 189). This shows that Kenny is a jerk for eating all that food in front of Tub, who obviously loves food, and Frank is sort of in the middle eating healthier, but still a lot. Then there is Tub who is eating close to nothing in front of his friends. Kenny goes on to say that he thinks this is the only diet Tub's been on where he gained weight. This again, characterizes Kenny as a jerk and Tub as trying to hide the fact that he's fat and isn't doing anything about it because he's embarrassed. But in reality, we know that he eats a lot because cookies and two sandwiches fall out of his pockets, and he eats four plates of pancakes later on.
1. Which of the three principal characters do you find most sympathetic? The least sympathetic? Discuss your answers. Do the characters' names help us to form our impressions of them?
CHARACTERIZATION: the process by which the writer reveals the personality, values, and quality of a character
The character I felt most sympathetic towards was Tub. I felt so bad for him because he was so tubby and fat and slow. I just felt like Frank and Kenny were jerks to him to for no reason. They bullied him and it made me feel sad for him. I felt least sympathetic for Kenny's character. I was glad he got shot because he was annoying. Tub was the butt of all his jokes and he did seem like he was going to shoot Tub next. I didn't know he was supposed to kill the dog, though. When he shot the dog I was like "oh no!" and then didn't feel sad anymore because Tub had shot him. The characters' names do help form an impression of them, especially Tub's. Frank seems older and Frank is sort of an older name. Kenny just sounds annoying and rude. It doesn't help that the only Kenny I know is someone who is very obnoxious. The characterization of the characters also comes through when they are resting and eating after two hours of hunting. The author says, "Kenny had several slices of pizza and a couple of candy bars; Frank had a sandwich, an apple, two carrots, and a square of chocolate; Tub had one hard-boiled egg and a stick of celery" (Wolff 189). This shows that Kenny is a jerk for eating all that food in front of Tub, who obviously loves food, and Frank is sort of in the middle eating healthier, but still a lot. Then there is Tub who is eating close to nothing in front of his friends. Kenny goes on to say that he thinks this is the only diet Tub's been on where he gained weight. This again, characterizes Kenny as a jerk and Tub as trying to hide the fact that he's fat and isn't doing anything about it because he's embarrassed. But in reality, we know that he eats a lot because cookies and two sandwiches fall out of his pockets, and he eats four plates of pancakes later on.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Othello Blog Post #8
Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare
16. How would the effect of the play have been different if Othello had died before discovering Desdemona's innocence?
Alas, the tragedy comes to a close. A tragedy it was, indeed. If Othello wouldn't have found out about his wife's innocence before he died, the tragedy wouldn't have been as tragic. It is as simple as that. He feels more foolish for being tricked and murdering the woman that he loved. It makes the reader so angry because Iago's plan played out exactly how he wanted it. I wanted some turn of events to happen where Desdemona comes back alive or was only pretending to be dead the whole time and then her and Othello murder Iago together and live happily ever after together. This is Shakespeare, though. It is also a tragedy, not a fairytale. So I knew deep down it would have never happened, but it would have been so cool if it did. The play wouldn't have been as effective if Othello had died before knowing Desdemona was innocent. There would be less heartache and less satisfaction for Iago. With Othello knowing of his victim's innocence, the greatest villain ever gets the satisfaction and had successfully carried out the best revenge.
16. How would the effect of the play have been different if Othello had died before discovering Desdemona's innocence?
Alas, the tragedy comes to a close. A tragedy it was, indeed. If Othello wouldn't have found out about his wife's innocence before he died, the tragedy wouldn't have been as tragic. It is as simple as that. He feels more foolish for being tricked and murdering the woman that he loved. It makes the reader so angry because Iago's plan played out exactly how he wanted it. I wanted some turn of events to happen where Desdemona comes back alive or was only pretending to be dead the whole time and then her and Othello murder Iago together and live happily ever after together. This is Shakespeare, though. It is also a tragedy, not a fairytale. So I knew deep down it would have never happened, but it would have been so cool if it did. The play wouldn't have been as effective if Othello had died before knowing Desdemona was innocent. There would be less heartache and less satisfaction for Iago. With Othello knowing of his victim's innocence, the greatest villain ever gets the satisfaction and had successfully carried out the best revenge.
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