Edgar Allen Poe

Poe is an interesting fellow. I watched a biography on him a couple months ago, on a whim, and found his life to be pretty forlorn. With the death of nearly everyone he ever loved, my life would be pitiful, as well.

There was a lot of discussion in class about whether or not his life played a role in what he was writing about. I would have to say, without a doubt, that yes his life did play a part. At least in respects to the poetry we read for today.

The Raven is fascinating poem, at least to me. I like the psychological aspect in terms of "is this man really all there?". Probably not, is my answer. And if we're already saying that Poe's art imitated his life, then we might as well reason that the man in this poem is probably drunk. And with intoxication comes looniness and thus, I'm going to say that this man was wasted, feeling depressed, at odds with himself, and this bird happened to be there to take the wrath.

Just my opinion.

CARNIVAL! Whooooo.

Okay so for my "Carnival" post.

Honestly, there is a lack of blogging (myself clearly included) so my Carnival post will consist of what I have read thus far about Hawthorne.

Mostly, the reviews are two thumbs up. Well, one and a half. Generally speaking. Most people are stating that they enjoyed the Scarlet Letter (for a few, enjoyed in more the second time around). I would have to agree. A few more people stated that well, some of Hawthorne's text is good and the other is...questionable. Especially concerning the preface to the novel. I would have to agree with this statement, as well.

The consensus seems to be that Hawthorne is pretty alright.

The Scarlet Letter -

Oh Hawthorne. I enjoy your tale of Hester Prynne and the rest of the gang.

I think that the Scarlet Letter definitely resonates today and that's why it is so great.

Honestly, I don't have a lot to say about it. I read it in high school and wasn't as interested as I was reading it now. I feel as if you can read something once and then read it again at a different part in your life and it strikes a different chord. This is essentially how I feel about this story.

Basically I, in some ways, admire Hester. She is an interesting character and although obviously flawed, I consider a strong woman who overcomes a lot of struggle and contempt.

Overall...I enjoyed reading.

Nature

I have always enjoyed being outdoors. Spring and Summer are my favorite seasons because I am able to go outside and enjoy simple things like sunshine, grass, and the wind. I am one of those people who could walk for hours; just taking in everything that I see. It is almost a poetic experience to walk and look around at all of the different trees, birds, and clouds. At night is my favorite time to walk because the city quiets down and nature seems more at ease. There is a calmness at night that surfaces when you feel as if everyone else is asleep and you are out in the world without a lot of the distractions that can be a burden throughout the day time.

Thoreau: Walden

I love Thoreau.

Really, I feel like Thoreau planted ideas in my my mind that Emerson tried to do but didn't quite succeed in. I like how Thoreau was less philosophical and more grounded in simple ideas.

I liked how he described the country as more than just a place but a way of life. The individual experience of seeing nature and living in it and living off the land is appealing in that it is so simplistic and almost a dream. I also like how he touched on how it is important to learn on one's own. To experience things through your own eyes.

Emerson: Nature

I thought that the text Nature by Emerson was very interesting. I've read Emerson before but never at length, more like bits and pieces.

I think that it is an interesting thought to "lose oneself in nature". I've always enjoyed being outdoors and that is what I generally think of when I hear the word "nature". However, Emerson puts a twist on the term and chooses to represent nature as more than just the outdoors. Nature to Emerson is everything that is not your soul. That perspective got me thinking of how things that are so familiar to me could be represented as foreign according to Emerson.

I like the concept of becoming apart of the natural world and having it teach us about ourselves. I feel that people get swept away in their day to day lives (myself included) and forget that there is so much more than the city and our lives inside the city.

Phyllis Wheatley

I thought that Phyllis Wheatley's poems were very good. I'm already a big fan of poetry but her poems (along with her circumstance of being a very young black slave) were interesting and beautiful to read.

My favorite poem was the first one -- On Being Brought From Africa to America. She has a great way of using language poetically to express her thoughts and feelings. I really like how she points out the racial injustice in America. I wonder how her voice and style would have grown if she were to have lived longer. It would have been really interesting to read poems she authored later in life.

John and Abigail Adams

I thought that John and Abigail's letters to each other were wonderful. It made me wish that letter writing was still something that people often used as a source to communicate. There is something so great about communicating in this way and being able to save letters forever.

In the case of husband and wife I think that it is a romantic way to stay in touch when apart.

In the case of the Adamses, I don't think that they wrote each other out of romantic gesture exactly. They wrote each other to stay in one another's lives. Nonetheless, I still think it's pretty great.

They talked back and forth through letters about politics, personal relationships, and the well being of themselves and their children.

I think that this form of literature brings history to life and gives the reader a fresh and personal look into the historical happenings at this time.

Benjamin Franklin

I thought that Benjamin Franklin's text was a very interesting text. I thought that it was interesting that Franklin talked a lot about deism and how he definitely believed in a God, but not necessarily religion. I could relate somewhat to the things that Franklin said about God and religion. I also found it interesting that Franklin touched on how religion was a great way to express one's love for God as long as one's religion did not get in the way of loving humanity and not discriminating against others based on their beliefs.

Franklin's self determination was very enviable for me. He seemed to be a very goal oriented man. I wonder though, if this could have made his life somewhat boring; never feeling o.k. with making mistakes.

The fact that he was a big supporter of the public library was impressive. He believed that education should not just be for the rich, but for everyone. I completely agree with him on this issue because not only is it empowering to be educated, but it is also important to live in a country that deems educated people to be important.

American Literature: 1700 - 1820

While reading the introduction for American Literature 1700 through 1820, I was excited to see that the text would be covering more topics that I found interesting. With America now a country with some history behind it, the American people began seeing themselves as actual Americans and began to identify with their country rather than with England.

I thought that it was interesting to read that during the Enlightenment, a sense of self determination was beginning to take hold. This is where our "American dream" comes from -- working hard and starting from the bottom and moving up. I also like to read about how there is a switch on emphasis of religion to reason; focusing on science and psychology. Along with that, there was no longer one way of thinking about things. Now there was many perspectives to hear.

Mary Rowlandson

Mary Rowlandson had quite the (mis)adventure.

I found that her narrative about living in "captivity" with the Native Americans was a refreshing look at the time, albeit, no less tragic.

From either point of view - the settlers or the Native Americans, life was a constant struggle. Countless executions to often innocent people was a regularity in the times of Mary Rowlandson.

However, the depiction of her time spend among the Native American people paints two different stories -- one of the Native Americans being cruel and another of them being a resilient and humane people.

I thought that her tale was interesting because it was written first hand. I rarely am able to read first hand narratives about this time period and this was a great way to learn a bit more about both sides of the story. Although it was written by Rowlandson, a white woman, she acknowledges that yes, the Native American people killed most of her family and tried to kill her, as well -- but she also softens in her prose as the story goes on, saying how the Native American people helped her while she was with them.

Anne Bradstreet

I most enjoyed Anne Bradstreet's poetry selection. I though that her poetry probably demonstrated many other woman's views and frustrations at that time regarding how women should act and what their "place" was.

My favorite poems were Contemplations and An Author To Her Book. She acknowledges that she feels at times that her work is not as well written or as good as other writers. I find that by her addressing this and making her poetry real, it can unite writers and poets with a common sense that their work is not always "worthy".

I also liked how she addressed many universal themes that are still relatable today, including the love of her husband, her children, and her sadness when losing her home to a fire. She is a very real poet and writes things as they are.

John Smith & John Winthrop

The text written by John Smith proved to informational as well as interesting. Smith described his travels throughout Virginia and New England and the many misfortunes that happened, as well.

The text was interesting in the sense that Smith uses the opportunity to write about his adventures amongst the Native Americans of that time. He seems a bit disillusioned at times, thinking that the Native Americans want to be his friend, when really they are looking to get him out of their land. However, he was eventually saved from death from Pocahontas, and became apart of their tribe.

The second part of the text, when Smith is writing to persuade the people of England to move to America, proves that Smith felt that America could bring many new opportunities to the English people. Not only the higher class but also the lower, less fortunate class, including orphans and newlyweds; people who had no family to rely on for help or people who were just starting out.

The text written by John Winthrop was not as interesting as John Smith's but still had a lot of valuable information and opinionated statements. Winthrop writes that there are two types of men - the rich and the poor. This is an inherently different idea than what Smith wrote about, but Winthrop also writes that all people are one body and that everyone should help one another. He writes that everyone should give everything they have and become one.

This text was harder for me to understand but the discussion in class cleared the confusion and I was able to see comparisons and differences between the two authors.