"The World is too Much with Us" by William Wordsworth
This poem reprimands society for its materialistic nature. It describes our culture as shallow and wrongfully entitled.
"Little we see in Nature that is ours" argues that man does not own the earth, yet man egotistically believes so. I believe this is further exemplified by the capitalization of "Nature," marking it as its own entity. Furthermore, "getting and spending, we lay waste our powers," describes how we misuse our money and efforts to exploit resources. And finally, "Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;/ or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn" diminishes the audience into inconsequential beings who nonetheless have brought about unspeakable damage to the environment.
"Identity Card" by Mahmoud Darwish
I selected these two poems because they both deal with issues I feel passionate about. Quite simply, I am drawn to their messages. Both of the poems rebuke society, but for different reasons. "The World is too Much with Us" is about our ambient and the destruction man has brought upon it, while "Identity Card" is about racism and classism.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Chapter 6 Poems - Identity
The Quiet Life
I chose this poem because it was about finding satisfaction
in the quiet, something I can relate to. This poem basically discuses how life
is not measured by what you do, but rather by how you live it, saying a man is
truly happy if he is “content to breathe his native air in his own ground.” I
get a sense of bliss while reading this poem from phrase like “sound sleep by
night, study and ease.” When the speaker says “let me live, unseen” he is not
saying that his life is defined by his quietness, but rather his quietness
defines his life. This entire poem allows the reader to understand the
happiness the speaker finds in his own peaceful company, an example of his
personal identity.
I’m Nobody! Who are
you?
I chose this poem because I immediately recognized Emily
Dickinson. The identity of the speaker is clearly shown through her
exclamations, such as “I’m Nobody!” These exclamations show the speaker is
proud of who she is, even if society thinks she is a “nobody.” She further exemplifies
her thoughts by mentioning “how dreary – to be – somebody!” However, just because
she is proud of being a nobody means she wants to be a somebody – “Don’t tell! They’d
advertise – you know!” This shows she is content with who she is and doesn’t
want to be anything else. I connected with this poem because I think there is
more satisfaction in keeping to you than exposing yourself to the word and
standing out in the crowd.
The message of the first poem is that a happy life is one
that is made by the person and not by society. The message of the second poem
takes this a step further, saying a happy life is only happy when kept away
from the public. They are both the same in that they show happiness comes from
within and cannot be dictated by outsides.
Allusions - Rescue of the Child Moses Exodus 1-2
Jacob’s sons had all died by the time the Israelites filled the land. The new king of Israel was merciless and treated them like slaves, forcing them in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. Since there are so many males, the king tells the midwives to literally kill off the baby boys by throwing them into the Nile. Moses was born, another baby boy, but his mother hid him for three months because she could not stand to leave him. When she could no longer hide him, she put him in a papyrus basket and placed him in the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses and wanted to keep him, so she asks Moses’ mother to raise him until he is old enough. She named him Moses, saying “I drew him out of the water.”
Adoption is a great thing and provides opportunities to children that may have never otherwise existed. Family is about unconditional love, and you do not need a biological child to harvest this love. I have a friend who was adopted and being in a safe, loving environment has given him the opportunity to thrive. In the bible, Moses’ adoption allowed him to free the Jews from slavery in Egypt, led them to the Promised Land, and gave them the Ten Commandments.
Ch 6 Poetry
The Apology
I picked this poem because I am most familiar with the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I like the title because I found it ironic. The poem is not an apology for the speaker being the way he is; it's more an announcement to deal with who he is and that he's proud of his identity. We get the feeling that the speaker is different than other people because his request to "think me not unkind and rude that I walk alone in grove and glen". Though he is different, the speaker is just trying to explain this is who he is and he is content with it.
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
I picked this poem because I am most familiar with Emily Dickinson, and I have heard this poem before. The theme of identity is clear and she proudly states "I'm Nobody!". Dickinson goes on to talk about how people think you're really weird if you're a "Nobody" and different like her, by saying, "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!". But she also goes on the prove she doesn't want to be like everyone else and is content with herself, by saying "How dreary - to be - Somebody!"
These poems are written very differently but essentially send the same message. The speaker is sort of an oddity but wants everyone else to know that he/she is okay with who he/she is. Though Emerson's is more timid and Dickinson's is more ecstatic, both poems portray a speaker who is proud of his/her identity and culture, though it may be different from others'.
I picked this poem because I am most familiar with the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I like the title because I found it ironic. The poem is not an apology for the speaker being the way he is; it's more an announcement to deal with who he is and that he's proud of his identity. We get the feeling that the speaker is different than other people because his request to "think me not unkind and rude that I walk alone in grove and glen". Though he is different, the speaker is just trying to explain this is who he is and he is content with it.
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
I picked this poem because I am most familiar with Emily Dickinson, and I have heard this poem before. The theme of identity is clear and she proudly states "I'm Nobody!". Dickinson goes on to talk about how people think you're really weird if you're a "Nobody" and different like her, by saying, "Don't tell! they'd advertise - you know!". But she also goes on the prove she doesn't want to be like everyone else and is content with herself, by saying "How dreary - to be - Somebody!"
These poems are written very differently but essentially send the same message. The speaker is sort of an oddity but wants everyone else to know that he/she is okay with who he/she is. Though Emerson's is more timid and Dickinson's is more ecstatic, both poems portray a speaker who is proud of his/her identity and culture, though it may be different from others'.
Poetry Blog 1: Identity
In his poem "When I consider how my light is spent," John Milton confronts the loss of his sight, "that one talent which is death to hide." Milton makes use of enjambment in almost every line of the poem, indicating a sort of trailing thoughtfulness. The poem is broken into two sections, indicated by the switch in rhyme scheme from two sets of ABBA to a single grouping of ABCABC. The first half of the poem could be seen as "the question", wherein Milton ponders the loss of his sight and concludes with an apostrophe aimed towards God - am I still expected to serve God even while I am blind? Milton is then answered by what we presume is a divine voice, but which is given only the symbolic name "Patience." Patience replies that God needs no service from mankind, but that he favors those who bear their "mild yoke" the best. Milton is given a divine confirmation that his identity and holiness lies within himself, not within his actions.
My second poem was "Identity Card" by Mahmoud Darwish, an exploration of how one's identity relates to one's oppressors. Darwish, unlike Milton, seems to have already discovered that just surviving is a noble, perhaps holy, goal. In the first three stanzas he defines himself largely as separate from the person he is addressing (probably an Israeli). As tension builds in the poem, however, Darwish becomes clear that his identity is intertwined with that of the addressee, at least in some situations. Darwish thus comes from an understanding of identity as innate to an understanding that it at least partially defined by interaction with the world.
I chose these two poems because they speak to the nature of identity - innate vs. relative, a question that I am very invested in - in two very different ways.
My second poem was "Identity Card" by Mahmoud Darwish, an exploration of how one's identity relates to one's oppressors. Darwish, unlike Milton, seems to have already discovered that just surviving is a noble, perhaps holy, goal. In the first three stanzas he defines himself largely as separate from the person he is addressing (probably an Israeli). As tension builds in the poem, however, Darwish becomes clear that his identity is intertwined with that of the addressee, at least in some situations. Darwish thus comes from an understanding of identity as innate to an understanding that it at least partially defined by interaction with the world.
I chose these two poems because they speak to the nature of identity - innate vs. relative, a question that I am very invested in - in two very different ways.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Joseph, his Brothers, and the Coat of Many Colors
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Joseph who lived in Israel as the son of Jacob and grandson of Isaac. Joseph grew up in a family that had many sons leaving him with little attention, especially from his father. However, Jacob actually did favor Joseph as his favorite son giving him a special coat as a gift that earned the envy of all of his brothers because they thought he would become the eventual leader of the family while they would be neglected. Joseph made the situation even worse when he told two of his brothers that he dreamt that he saw his brothers bowing down to him. When Joseph was 17, most of the brothers conspired to kill him while his oldest brother convinced the others that they should only throw him into a pit of salt planning to rescue Joseph in secret. In a sad turn of events, the other brothers sold Joseph as a slave to passing traders after dragging him out of the quarry. They then drenched Joseph's coat in goat blood to give to their father saying Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.
While I don't own any piece of clothing that can compare to the awesomeness of Joseph's coat, I do own a "puffy" vest that keeps me super warm = happy. Over the course of my life, I have owned several of these vests because they seem to work for the fall, winter, and spring seasons when the weather is not too great. Additionally, the vest is pretty comfortable and not to bulky like a lot of coats so it is probably my favorite piece of clothing.
Pretty stylish, huh?
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Birth of Christ
The Birth of Christ is related within two books of the Bible, the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew; contrary to popular belief, the nativity of Jesus is shrouded in canonical and historical incongruities. As a result of this and the fact that two different authors have contributed separate accounts of the events preceded and followed the birth of Jesus, it is difficult to summarize the topic without venturing into too great of detail, but I will try my best...
The story begins when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would soon conceive a child, the Son of God. Mary, stupefied by the angel's divine presence, asked Gabriel how it was possible that she could conceive a child, considering she was a virgin. To this, Gabriel replied that "nothing will be impossible with God." Meanwhile, Joseph, Mary's husband, was also visited by an angel. The angel told Joseph that Mary would soon become pregnant with the Son of God and that the child should be named Jesus. Just before Mary was expected to give birth to Jesus, she and Joseph departed for Bethlehem to register in the obligatory census of Quirinius mandated by Caesar Augustus. Unfortunately, when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Mary began to undergo labor. They were dismayed to find that there were no more rooms available at the local inn. With their options limited, Mary and Joseph were forced to stay in a manger instead, where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Immediately after Jesus was born, an angel appeared before shepherds in a field and told them of the tremendous news: The Messiah had been born at last in Bethlehem. Overjoyed by the news, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to praise the newborn child, who would eventually save humankind from eternal damnation. Jesus was also visited by the Three Magi, or Three Wise Men, who came from somewhere in the East bearing gifts for the newborn child. Guided by the Star of Bethlehem, the Magi first to Jerusalem where they met with Herod the Great asked where they could find the "King of Jews." Herod did not know the answer the answer to this question, and he apparently also felt threatened by one who was viewed as a king for he subsequently ordered that all male children of Bethlehem under the age of two be killed. (Though he did not initially know of Jesus' whereabouts, I assume he later found out.) After visiting Herod, the Magi were able to find Jesus in the manger with Mary and Joseph and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Once the Magi departed, Mary and Joseph received divine warning of King Herod's intent to kill Jesus, so they fled with Jesus to Egypt. Later, they returned to Nazareth.
My best birthday thus far was my 18th birthday, which I celebrated only two months ago on November 8. Turning 18 just feels awesome; there is hardly any other better way to describe it. Although I still lack the freedom associated with turning 18, an age that has come to resemble a transitioning into adulthood for most Western nations, it was not this aspect of turning 18 that most excited me anyway. Rather, by turning 18 and crossing the widely accepted boundary into "adulthood," I finally felt empowered, or at least more so than before. While this feeling was (and continues to remain) entirely misplaced--I continue to rely on my parents for everything--I have finally accomplished this rite of passage that is so dar to our culture, and that made me happy. To be honest, I do not fancy the idea of growing older, for with age comes great responsibility, and I absolutely despise responsibility.
The story begins when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would soon conceive a child, the Son of God. Mary, stupefied by the angel's divine presence, asked Gabriel how it was possible that she could conceive a child, considering she was a virgin. To this, Gabriel replied that "nothing will be impossible with God." Meanwhile, Joseph, Mary's husband, was also visited by an angel. The angel told Joseph that Mary would soon become pregnant with the Son of God and that the child should be named Jesus. Just before Mary was expected to give birth to Jesus, she and Joseph departed for Bethlehem to register in the obligatory census of Quirinius mandated by Caesar Augustus. Unfortunately, when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Mary began to undergo labor. They were dismayed to find that there were no more rooms available at the local inn. With their options limited, Mary and Joseph were forced to stay in a manger instead, where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Immediately after Jesus was born, an angel appeared before shepherds in a field and told them of the tremendous news: The Messiah had been born at last in Bethlehem. Overjoyed by the news, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to praise the newborn child, who would eventually save humankind from eternal damnation. Jesus was also visited by the Three Magi, or Three Wise Men, who came from somewhere in the East bearing gifts for the newborn child. Guided by the Star of Bethlehem, the Magi first to Jerusalem where they met with Herod the Great asked where they could find the "King of Jews." Herod did not know the answer the answer to this question, and he apparently also felt threatened by one who was viewed as a king for he subsequently ordered that all male children of Bethlehem under the age of two be killed. (Though he did not initially know of Jesus' whereabouts, I assume he later found out.) After visiting Herod, the Magi were able to find Jesus in the manger with Mary and Joseph and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Once the Magi departed, Mary and Joseph received divine warning of King Herod's intent to kill Jesus, so they fled with Jesus to Egypt. Later, they returned to Nazareth.
My best birthday thus far was my 18th birthday, which I celebrated only two months ago on November 8. Turning 18 just feels awesome; there is hardly any other better way to describe it. Although I still lack the freedom associated with turning 18, an age that has come to resemble a transitioning into adulthood for most Western nations, it was not this aspect of turning 18 that most excited me anyway. Rather, by turning 18 and crossing the widely accepted boundary into "adulthood," I finally felt empowered, or at least more so than before. While this feeling was (and continues to remain) entirely misplaced--I continue to rely on my parents for everything--I have finally accomplished this rite of passage that is so dar to our culture, and that made me happy. To be honest, I do not fancy the idea of growing older, for with age comes great responsibility, and I absolutely despise responsibility.
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