blog post 35

ah the fool, Shakespeare has a knack for whimsical characters that seem a little wise beyond their years. One such is the fool of King Lear, a maniacal little creature. In Act 1 Scene 5 is a perfect example of the fools supposed gibberish, being the hidden understanding to all of the Kings problems and the leading to his own demise. With phrases like "She will taste as like this as a crab"(Shakespeare, 18) seeming like just mere banter, to "Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise"(Shakespeare,43) peering into the weaknesses of Lear and in it comprehending the crippling qualities of the King. In this way the fool acts much like a foreshadowing tool in the play, as well as ironically being the sensible fool in a realm of mad royalty.  

Blog Post 34

Edmund from the Shakespeare play King Lear, is a dastardly character built on being the "Bastard child." In Act 1 Scene ii Edmund's  unusual behavior is seen as nothing suspicious to that of his family, but to the reader after his monologue spouting phrases like "I am rough and lecherous." (Shakespeare, 138) We know all to well of his mischievous snake-like qualities. Brought about even more so by his hatred for his family as well as humanity itself. With phrases like "we are sick in fortune" (Shakespeare, 126) and "we make guilty of our disasters" (Shakespeare 127) it's not hard to follow that Edmund is a villainous antagonist. This was a great shift in character to the Edmund we met in scene i. In the previous scene Edmund appeared as a quiet belittled second son that didn't much like the idea of open speaking let alone evil plotting. This character is a Shakespeare classic bringing a silver tongued devil to the spotlight of the stage is a great way to entice an audience.  

Blog post 33

The three daughters of King Lear represent to me a form of Cinderella. Cordelia being the youngest sweetest daughter is Cinderella herself being the only honest soul of the bunch "I cannot heave my heart into my mouth" (Shakespeare 101) this line emphasizes Cordelia's good intentions and honest heart. While her sisters, goneril and Regan are the ugly step sisters, with cold hearts and corrupted by greed they do whatever they can to get what they want no matter how swindless or gruesome. "to receive not alone the imperfections of long-engraffed condition" (Shakespeare 341) their cunning and self worth rivals any desire for love and kindness. But I foresee the step sisters getting what's coming to them 😉😉

blog post 31, poetry response 6

The Collar

By George Herbert

 poetry response 6

This poem entices the idea of enlightenment that comes with adulthood. By using a "tantrum" like poetic texture the poem is very sporadic and all over the place; such as with the inconsistent stanzas and very quick shifting ideals and points. An example is "shall i be still in suit? have i no harvest but thorn.." keeping a very basic skeleton of an idea with very bipolar emotional shifts in the writers understanding of the situation.

 As the poem goes on it is as if the writer is growing up with the progress of the poem. Realizing flaws in his actions, such as understanding that the world does not revolve around him with lines like "Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn..." and "is the year only lost to me?" this stanza is a childhood challenge that leads to a transition into adulthood.

The third stanzas is leading into a force that changes the writers perspective of his reality and is the leading force of a revelation of how a code or "law" to live his life by asking of a deity (mostly likely the God of the Bible by the 1600 catholic influences on Herbert) to "forsake thy cage" and "leave thy cold dispute" with the belief in this god pushing for the writers enlightenment. The last Stanza further proves this by making a revelation and " to suit and serve his need" means taking full belief in this God and in doing so builds a relationship of protect and serve for the betterment of the writers future. Examples to further this point are in lines 35 and 36 as the writer having God refer to him as "Child"

and The writer referencing his god as "My Lord."

This poem has a very unique and very enlightening revelation that gives great insight into how a man came about adulthood from his adolescence. It is unique in the sense that is what written almost as that of a child with the hard to follow points and the several emotional outbursts questioning reality. The enlightening portion of having a god bring about such a mass revalation of growing up is very intriguing and gives a very "father to son" feel about the poem and the necessary talks one father gives in order to do best by their children. A well constructed poem indeed!!!!   

blog post 28

The rough draft for my critical lens essay was rather difficult, it was a very different assignment that required a great amount of research and thorough analysis. Even though we had already taken a very hard look at The Great Gatsby from a multitude of perspectives. I actually believe that formalist is the easiest lens to write in, at least as research goes. But nonetheless a demanding assignment that requires a great amount of planning and thorough attention to detail. I have a few questions over the formatting of this essay, as well as what other peoples experiences were with different lenses. I personally really liked a formalist perspective of Great Gatsby as it was very similar to essays I've had to write before on the subject matter. Overall though this assignment was a very unique and helpful experience in developing my skills as a writer.  

post 27

1. Dirce is a good parallel to Antigone, with families rivaled and fighting for the crown,  it gives the story of a woman's husband who was killed and brought about war and pain. It even takes place in Thebes just as the story of Antigone does.
2.The line "Roused them with windy phrases" most likely means very loud and proud type of speech to rally a group of people.
3. A metaphor in Parados is " the blaze of morning! " and a simile found in Parados is "Rose like a dragon behind him."
4. Them and their in lines 92 to 97 are referring to the armies rivaled for the crown of Thebes.
5.examples of personification are "sun lying, Level east to west, touches with glory" and "Eye of golden day."
6. His in line 100 is referred to polyneices
7. The word bray in line 106 most likely means the whining of blathering of the "bragging tongues"
8. he and his in line 107 to 110 are referring to the god referenced in line 105 while their in line 110 refer to the first man of the army to be smited.
9.lines 119 to 122 summarize the war between the two brothers and how a bloody battle lead to both of their deaths at the edge of one anothers swords.
10.line 124 can be called personification because the city of Thebes is not a person and cannot sing for joy.

Blog post 26 (read along)

Mentor text #3

 "You can't handle the truth":a formalist perspective of Heart of Darkness

• creative title quote 

• emphasizes the merit of the book

•Mirrors true life Conrad

• diverts away from other lenses 

• brief summary of book

• points of books structure in novella analyzed 

• direct quotes used in beginning of third paragraph

• this quote is block text 

• describes a frame narrative ( a stories retelling)

• has clear focus on the character marlow

• emphasizing Marlows attention to small details

• no clear description of the formalist lens is seen

• very brief short analysis 

• no sign of formalist description yet

• description of the power of Marlows story telling

• second block text used for the description of the natives 

• describes the focus of detail to further emphasize Marlows effectiveness of story telling

• third set of block text to show Marlows admiration towards Mr. Kurtz

• leads into Marlows distaste for lies

• essay keeps a clear focus on marlow and his intentions

• Marlows hatred of lying emphasizes the furthering point of his attention to detail leading back to key points of the essay

• clear abrupt ending 

• ending with an analysis of a formalist lens

• uses only the book as citations

• clear objective and a path guided through the story to tell it

• astounding 

Blog Post 25/ Poetry Response 5

The Dance 

By William Carlos Williams

In Williams "The Dance" the Kermess find the elegance of life that is breathed into dance by the thumping tune of festive melodies. Two grand forms of art blended elegantly, collaborating in a partnership of give and take. It is as though the music carries the dancers "a bugle and fiddle tipping their bellies" a symbol for the harmony in this great life of Breughel. With vivid descriptions of the dancers every motion, every sensitive movement enacts a reaction "their hips and their bellies off balance to turn them." This rather short poem formed in a circular platform shows the art of dance from beginning to revolving end of "Breughel's great picture." But this seemingly perfect description of a night of dance seems almost a dream, something Breughel has conjured up to the perfect imagination of his mind.

  This poem grows very euphoric as it progresses seeming to be too good to be true. With " Kicking and rolling about the fair grounds." A dream for a future for this to be an everyday occurrence. This leads me to believe the authors reality if very dull or almost melancholic, a desire for the life to dance with beautiful women in this snow globe vacation away from his world of boredom. Drinking and partying also play their roll in the dancing "(round as the thick-sided glasses whose wash they impound)" hinting at the lavish boozing that incorporates into the night. Williams envious tone with this give the euphoric sentiment a almost faint begotten joy emitting from the poem. A happy memory of the past long forgotten or of a dream fading with the waking of morning.


Overall this is a lovely poem very blended with the varying emotion portrayed by Williams. Puts me right in the mood to dance my sorrows away and envy that which i wish i could live in for eternity. If only our realities worked as the ones you envisioned Beurghel.

poetry response 3

The Sick Rose by William Blake

a poetry response by Drew Bradley

 A peculiar poem indeed, a perplexing juxtaposition between a lover and a flower and the parasites that destroy both. A CHEATER he claims this women. As she is sick and in need of care, for "the invisible worm" has tainted her flower bed. This is a very enlightening poem on the simple and inevitable destruction of a rose and of relationships. So fragile and joyous the flower does seem, but so easy to manipulate, to overpower it seems. William shares a hint of anger and remorse over his wilting flower. Using an exclamation point in the first stanza indicates a dramatic reaction. Reference to a worm is the hint that lead me to believe it is also a reference to a bride or lover being wronged or violated, "found out thy bed" is a good representation of laying with the "worm" or the contracting of an illness. Such a peculiar poem to represent feelings of anguish or sorrow. I find it interesting, "his dark secret love" as he calls it, almost as if there was passion behind being overpowered by this worm. "Does thy life destroy" the hurt hes is feeling for his tainted flower, is a fine lie between the worlds of a simple rose and a passionate lover.

Overall i believe this poem to innate Williams relationships with women, more importantly a lover or bride, and the deceitful  natures of "worms" trying to taint his precious rose. A sad poem of heartbreak really.

poetry response 4

You Fit Into Me

By Margaret Atwood

Poetry Response

This wonderfully simple to the point poem gives a very blunt and fruitless description of when two people are simply not meant to be. The lines "you fit into me like a hook into a eye" not a pleasant comparison by any means. With such a simply spoken 4 line poem Margaret manages to convey her feelings toward an individual it such a dry and clear feeling towards another individual.

This form of simplistic writing is almost a flaunting of poetic skills. Using very little to emphasis a powerful feeling is a very hard skill to master. But I also believe Margaret did this intentionally as almost a show of how cut and dry her feelings are in this poem. Not wishing to go any further into the subject because she cares so little for the idea of it. Her distaste rings true in this poem; almost as if shes staring into your face rudely explaining why she doesn't like you. A very bland poem if you ask me, but bland is by no means tasteless, this poem is absorbed like a saltine cracker, salty quick to eat, not a whole lot to hide behind.

Then again from a completely different standpoint the phrase "you fit into me" could very well be literal. Bringing in some questionable gestures indeed. But a totally viable viewpoint. Margaret seeming almost very straightforward and rather gritty person could easily use suggestive descriptions in a painful and morbid manner.  This phrase could almost be an enticing allure in a very strange way; The wording of the second stanza using" a fish hook an open eye" to over emphasis the already described event, could give this a taunting or strained desire for a reaction. And since tension can be broken in the best of two ways in a face to face encounter, i can imagine Margaret getting ready to either slap the reader or kiss them furiously. 

I rather enjoy this poem. On the surface it looks like nothing more than the ramblings of a bar drunkard, but in a deeper understanding this can tell Margaret's manners, personality, way of handling situations, and even relationships if you had the evidence. Its far from being the simple shell of a poem it appears to be.    

Blog Post 21

In watching the short clip of "Apocalypse Now" i can see a number of parallels to the "The Heart of Darkness" such as the severe lack of care for the natives as the men fire at the beach. This as well as the mens attitudes towards the natives, watching them run, laughing, as if it were a sport. The colonels name Kilgore is a play on words referencing to his cruel and ruthless nature. As this is a depiction of "The Heart Of Darkness" it is to be expected, but the haunting visuals and clear misunderstanding of the two cultures is just as the book describes

Blog Post 24

Well i cant say Ive done the best in this class over this first semester, but i have learned alot and grown a great deal as a person, i have learned my limits and that confidence can only get you so far in life, as well as the fact that you cannot carry the world on your shoulders and an insane amount of stress just causes mental and physical illness. The best way to live and learn though is through trial and error(at least for me that is) and i faced my trials and ive better myself because of it. I just hope my errors and desire to grow up too fast dont take too large a toll. Starting next semester with an open mind and an open body im going to do my best and straighten my priorities after all if i dont pass school im not going to be able to accomplish as much as id like in the coming years.

Blog Post 19

The Great Gatsby was a great travel down memory lane as i read it in the eighth grade. But so much more was opened up to my understanding as I have grown older. This book has so many valuable lessons on life, and how easy it is to slip up and make a mistake. Through Gatsby i have learned to be careful of the past for it may repeat itself. As well as to pursue happiness and not those objects which are often filled in its place. Money,power,beauty, all so easy of a temptation,but so easily misunderstood;so easily misused by those seeking to fill a void. I plan on reading this book many more times in my life, and each time i will learn something new, for life is a never yearning for knowledge and understanding.

Blog Post 15

History is bound to repeat itself if we as humans do not learn from our mistakes. Gatsby is a clear example of this, his use of persuasion and manipulation described in the events of page 116. Gatsby uses his false past in order to appear as a quality person in order to get what he wants. This follows deep into gatsbys desire for daisy which he is repeating from the past and trying to follow a path that has long since been gone.

Blog Post 12

Gatsby chapter 3 read along Gatsby and his fabulous parties are the talk of the town. Nick is invited to Gatsby's most recent extravagant event. The party is a circus of drinking and entertainment, elaborate masks tailor the faces of uninterested guests. The party appears to just be a event for escape with the heavy references to drinking and escape Fitzgerald weaves into the event. Nick then meets Gatsby the man of mystery, the party guests have been referencing him all night as to build up the anticipation of his arrival to the reader. As well as the earlier party for Tom juxtaposed to the completely different party of Gatsby in order to even further emphasize its extravagance. As the party dies down people begin to leave with a single drunk gentlemen driving his automobile into a ditch, this uncomfortable situation sheds more light onto the idea that these people are still not happy and still go through everyday struggles being rich and famous. This idea that the American Dream is not bought is very prevalent in this chapter.

Blog Post 14

This is my new favorite website!!!!!!!

Blog Post 10

From the Socratic seminar on Dubliners, I finally found my strengths in the class(well at least with public speaking) and understood the analysis on a much deeper level when i openly spoke about it; i need to figure out how to incorporate this into my overall writing. But progress is good so I'll take it.

Blog Post 9

Briuana Mittans "Blog Post 23" analysis of "Those Winter Days" by Robert Frost is a very well organised analysis that better helped my organization and formatting problems. While also being a very informative and unique perspective of Robert Frost. By organizing the response into sectioned paragraphs of the poems analysis helps me to better understand how to format. While also taking on a very different approach to Robert Frost; but such is the life of Biuana Mittan.

Blog Post 8

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1viop-lS4rpzNbsaeF_OBRXhxL1_vBD6HvDON5J4bCgA/edit?usp=sharing

This is the link to my literary terms donw with briuana mittan

Blog Post 7

My College Essay

Over the course of my young life we have taken tumbles and triumphs, pecks and slaps, and been everything from a clown to a king; but the most important lessons have always revolved around believing in yourself no matter the odds.

What could possibly be better than a smile? You get a new bike for your sixth birthday; red ribbons chrome finish and just like dad tells you “It's fast so be careful.” You take it down the warm pavement, spring kissing your stride, riding your brand new freedom machine. Fingers tingling and heart ablaze you ride down the big hill on Cherry St; even though mom said stop you were suspended in the moment, this all new feeling that life was taking you somewhere. Still the hill’s always bigger than we think it is and that new adventure is in a  million pieces against old man Frank’s Volkswagen, but your heart’s cries outweigh those skinned knees; after all, the fall is always so much harder when it hurts that which we love. But no worries it won’t matter in 10 years right?

It’s ok to fail; no matter the peril, no matter the sorrow, no matter how you look at it; failure does not mean defeat. Everyone has fallen to the ground scraped an elbow, broken a heart, and lost something dear. Some turn to anger to find peace, some turn to drugs to find clarity, some love another in hopes to love themselves. But the true triumph in defeat, is learning to accept and learn from your mistakes.

You have to pick yourself up, you have to want to be happy. 9th grade just started and you’re going to ask out the new girl that lives next door, silky blonde hair,sky blue eyes and that gorgeous smile that rivals the setting sun. The whole day is planned, velvet roses, a ten times rehearsed speech, and pride on the tightrope you give it your all. But Colten was always more good looking than you and big surprise when she jumps into his arms and gets in the limo he rented. But that’s ok right? Because it’s not going to matter in five years right?

11th grade comes around the bend heavier with every stride. Dad loses the family business, mom doesn't love the new hubby, your best friend broke up with Mary Jane and is hitting on the Snow fairy. And you still have the constant ever wavering idea that you'll live together with all your friends and loved ones by gumdrop lake; with every twist and turn your brain flips upside down because you just realized Santa claus isn't real and there is no god. It's just not fair now is it? But everything will be just fine when you become an adult right?

It’s ok to fail; no matter the peril, no matter the sorrow, no matter how you look at it; failure does not mean defeat. Everyone has fallen to the ground scraped an elbow, broken a heart, and lost something dear. Some turn to anger to find peace, some turn to drugs to find clarity, some love another in hopes to love themselves. But the true triumph in defeat, is learning to accept and learn from your mistakes.

Reflection

This essay took alot of what kind of writing style i like to use and did pretty much a trip down memory lane. I had to take a step back and format this correctly though(which has always been my biggest problem.)