zaaaAP Lit Blog 2

The Rest of My Life

I think it is rediculous for society to expect 17 and 18 year olds to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I haven't even lived for two decades, how am I supposed to know what I am going to do for the next 8?

So I have decided to take a year off before college. I may live in Israel or I may decide to volunteer for the peace corp or americorp. Either way, I feel that my experiences and the knowledge that I will gain from living on my own will help me decide what I want to do with my future. I know that in Europe many young adults take a break before college, and I feel that for many, this is the best option. I also think that if every person who had finished high school was required to do some type of volunteer service for a year, America could be in a much better place and we could cultivate a generation of people who valued helping others. What do you think about taking a year off or of requiring a year-long volunteer service?

A Delightfull Little Rap

Yo my name is Marlow

And I like to Travel and I like to Explo'

I do man's work and I do it good,

I colonize Africa like no woman could.

You know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

You know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

I like my women blind and white,

I like it when they don't know wrong from right,

I like it when they can't tell dark from light,

I like it when they be THICK...In the head!

And I'm funna get me one tonight.

I know two ho's up in Whited Sepulcher City,

They guard the doors for the colonization committee

They're rockin in their chairs lookin fine in their black,

But they know that goin' to Africa means never comin' back.

You know know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

You know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

I like my women blind and white,

I like it when they can't tell wrong from right,

I like it when they can't tell dark from light,

I like it when they be THICK...In the head!

And I'm funna get me one tonight.

Now my man Kurtz is funna holla back at ya,

He's got mad ho's in Europe and in Africa!

Hold up hold up hold up...It's the Kurtz REMIX!!!

My boy Marlow be trippin,

Cuz all women be kickin,

From black to white, all colors on that template,

Yo don't hate cuz I don't discriminate.

I got my intended back in da hood,

She stays nice and silent just like every female should.

She chills in da city, keeps clean and civilized,

She thinks she sees the light but all she sees is lies.

I got me a wild woman, she lives in the wood

She only speaks dialect, but damn she look good!

I give her lots of ivory, she wears it round her neck

But when I told her "Peace, I'm out" she turned into a wreck.

You know know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

You know what I like?

*What, what do you like?*

I like my women black AND white,

I like it when they can't tell wrong from right,

I like it when they can't tell dark from light,

I like it when they be THICK...In the head!

And im funna get me one tonight!

Facing It

I came across this poem in chapter two on page 36 and I have to say I was deeply moved. Not only were the lines striking, but I could actually understand this poem better than any other I've read in this book so far.

"My black face fades,
hiding inside the black granite."

These first two lines in itself instantly draws the reader in and makes them want to know more and learn more about why this person is feeling invisible or closed off to the things around him. A poem like this actually wants to make me learn more and understand poetry in general more. I actually kind of wish that all poems could start with striking lines. I mean I guess you could argue and say that most do, but lets "face it" half the poems in this book I have to read a million times to understand. That and they kind of put me to sleep.

It's late and pretty darned close to midnight so forgive me for sounding repetitive or if I'm not making any sense. But I mean this is basically the jist of what I'm trying to say.

Striking lines good. They draw readers in and so far most of the poems in this book put me to sleep because it takes me forever to understand them.

Suicide's Note

Okay so I know this is probably really weird, but I was really struck by Langston Hughes' poem "Suicide's Note" (on pg. 15 of Sound and Sense) First of all, it's on such a taboo topic. The word suicide usually jumps out us (no matter if it's spoken or said) and I think the gossiper in all of us just kind of jumps at the chance to know what's going and who killed themselves when we see such a word. So I think that was one of the main reasons this poem kind of caught my attention.

Secondly, after reading the poem, it kind of struck me how it is one of the (if not the) shortest poems in the book and that I've ever read, but it doesn't really need to be any longer. It perfectly sums up it's subject in just three lines and in an ingeniously non-morbid way. I mean, summing up someone's reason for drowning themselves by simply personifying the river as asking them for a kiss, I think, is both incredibly poetic and really ingenious. And although I think most people have problems much deeper that cause them to want to commit suicide than such a simple note conveys, I think Hughes does a nice job conveying the information (or lack of information) that most suicide notes would give.

I don't know, there's not really much to analyze about it, but I really found this poem to be incredibly thought provoking and striking in a way much different than some of the others in the book....did it have this effect on anyone else?

Can there be a right or wrong answer to poetry??

I think someone in class asked that today. And before I could make any argument we moved on and I was forced to read "Mirror" out loud. I feel like when it comes to poems like "the Colonel" and "Mirror" your free to analyze it in any way you want. When I first read "Mirror" I kidd you not I didn't realize it was the mirror narrating. I thought it was a woman describing herself as a mirror...and then a lake. Maybe I just had a slow moment or maybe I just had to read it out loud like I did in class but regardless it didn't really hit me until then. But even despite that I mean whats wrong with analyzing it in that way if thats what I understood? I don't think there's a right or wrong way to examine or analyze a piece of literature.You know...unless your like being really random and your trying to say a tree is really a fish or something because you really have no idea what the poem is about. You also shouldn't have to like analyze every word and every stanza in a poem just because your convinced that there's some hidden meaning in it. I really hate it when teachers make you do that (no offense Heidkamp) I just don't understand why you can't accept a poem for what it is and not have to go so deeply into it. I don't know thats just me. Being in Spoken Word I hate it when someone tries to analyze my piece and pick out every minor thing that they thought I was feeling or thinking. It drives me crazy. If your poem has a meaning it shouldn't be hidden because it defeats the purpose of writing one in the first place.

I Do, Famous.

Skimming through an ancient edition of Perrine, I stumbled upon two poems: " I Do, I Will, I Have" by Ogden Nash and "Famous" Naomi Shihab Nye. I have feared the coming of the poetry unit, for last year I struggled with understanding, what I thought I understood from the words was completely wrong, or so the teacher said. So if my interpretation is way off please by all means take a crack at it yourself!
"I Do, I Will, I Have" gave me a good laugh. It's about marriage and how even though its alliance of a man and woman, they often contradict each other.

"I am quite sure that marriage is the alliance of two people one of
whom never remembers birthdays and the other never forgetsam,
And he refuses to believe there is a leak in the water pip or
the gas pipe and she is convinced she is about to asphyxiate or drown,
And she says Quick get up and get my hairbrushes off the window
sill, it's raining in, and he replies Oh they're all right, it's
only raining straight down."

The humorous passage further goes to say,
"That is why marriage is so much more interesting than divorce,
Because it's the only known example of the happy meeting of the
immovable object and the irresistible force.
So I hope that husbands and wives continue to debate and combat
over everything debatable and combatable,
Because I believe a little incompatibility is the spice of life, par-
ticularly if he has incom and she is pattable."

A few interesting things I noticed about the point of this poem. One, the narrator is writing about how wise he is to know what marriage really is. He assures quite pompously that he knows exactly what he is talking about because he was able to recognize "there are two Hagens, Walter and Copen", or how wise he is in his organization and communication to draw about a carriage. Having established this, he begins to pour out his wisdom on marriage, and I must admit it does not take a wise man to say it, but a wise man to actually write it down. What he says about marriage I think everyone already knows. I do like how he mocks both men and women and the roles they play in this alliance.
The Man "never remembers birthdays" and insists that "it's only raining straight down".
The Woman "never forgetsam" thinks she is about "to asphyxiate or drown" and wants the hairbrushes off the window for fear of them getting wet.

I think it was a great poem, because it is very universal. Whether a marriage is going well or going down hill, both types of relationships can relate because the contradiction between the husband and wife can either be seen as something humourous or something serious that jeopardizes the relationship. The central purpose of the poem mocks and lifts up marriage simultaneously as well as praising oneself for such wisdom in coming up with such a thought. Nash uses irony to lift up how marriages function and while using a pattern in the flow of the poem as well. As Perrine would argue, this is poetry because it's a "lesson or a of moral instruction" and it "makes us feel more poignantly and more understandingly about the everyday experiences all of us have".

This is quite the large post, so I'll save "Famous" for another time.

Is My Team Plowing

In "Is my team plowing" by A. E. Houseman, a man asks his friend questions from the grave, about what life is like now that he is gone. It has an interesting call and response pattern, in which after the dead man asks his friend a question, his friend responds to him.
I really like how this poem addresses the issue of death in a bittersweet and remeniscent manner. It touches on the desire in all of us to change the world, and to make a difference in people's lives. The bitter part is that, when looking at the bigger picture, perhaps one's death doesn't shake things up as much as we would hope. He asks if the horses are still plowing, if the boys still play football, and if his girl is still weeping for him. All is the same except for the latter, for the friend divulges that

She lies down lightly,
She lies not down to weep.

When the deceased man asks if is friend is doing well, the friend responds

Yes, lad, I lie easy,
I lie as lads would choose;
I cheer a dead man's sweetheart,
Never ask me whose.

With these last two lines we understand that he has taken the dead man's former girlfriend, and this just completes the idea that life does go on after death. It may be comforting for this man to think that his girl would weep for him forever, but in reality people must move on. It's all we can really do.
What a cheerful thought.

Pretentious Perrine

I know we're not supposed to "hate on" Perrine yet, but...well...too late. He's so pretentious. The second sentence of the book reads, "The most primitive peoples have used it, and the most civilized have cultivated it." Maybe I read it wrong, but right away this "civilized" assertion made me vomit a little in my mouth. My favorite though is when he "paraphrases" "A Study of Reading Habits." His paraphrase was practically more complex than the poem itself. I swear he right-clicked "synonyms" while writing this to find the biggest, smartest sounding words possible. "I relished vicious nocturnal adventures. I identified myself with sexual marauders whose inexhaustible potency was like a weapon wielded against women who were sweet and fragile" (26).

Maybe he shouldn't be so pretentious either since his redundancy is irritating and a waste of time. Talk about tennis a little more please. Also, don't make false generalizations like, "Poetry is written to be heard: its meanings are conveyed through sound as well as through print" (22). That in no way holds true for all poetry. Take E.E. Cummings--the structure of his poetry on paper is not really something one can convey by reciting it.

Not only is he pretentious, he sort of treats his reader like an idiot, which, needless to say, deters me from reading it (although I still do). For instance, when Perrine teaches his reader how to read a poem, he devotes a full step to paying "careful attention to what the poem is saying" (22). ...How dumb does he actually think his reader is?

The Reality of Poetry Formation

Peotry is a piece of writing that a person takes from thier personal experiences and portrays them in a way that other people can listen to and relate to or simply enjoy... Sometimes these poems are very depressing. Infact I would say that most of them are. But I can't blame the people that write them. Yes, nobody likes to feel depressed and ponderous, we all just want to have a good laugh. And sometimes poetry will give it's audiance that. But the one thing that is sure about poetry is that it is the most sincere form of writing that I have ever come across.

When an individual sits down to write poetry this poem is used to express an extreme emotion that they have experienced...sadly most of the time that experience is an extremely sad and ponderous one. Still there are other types of poetry that simply observe life, but that becomes even ponderous still (unlike a stand up comidian).

I guess my whole idea is just that: yes, I dislike depressing poetry, most of the time, but if that is the deepest expression of emotion that an individual has felt and dicided to share, please stop complaining about it!

Justa Few Q's

One...I have a question about our poetry slams. Why is the winner's poem always so depressing? I have always loved listening to poetry, even though I have never been the best at performing or writing these poems, but I still enjoy it. I just do not understand where the shame lies in making people laugh and feel good and upbeat about a poem...Not sad and depressed.
Two...I am going to my number one choice for college tomorrow: Denison University. All week I have been nervous and excited and all of the above. I just wanted to know how everyone got over all of those anxieties of a first impression.

Poetry Oh God Poetry

I really have no real feeling or yearn to discuss poetry because to me it all sounds the same. Until I read Perrine's little dish about exactly how to real a poem correctly. He emphasized that you should read the poem more than once. I can't even get through half of most poems without crying, so how was I supposed to read it twice because I usually can't understand it the first time. Then I read on and it said to keep a dictionary close. I guess this was another step to solving the problem I faced. But as I continued to read poems they just couldn't sit well in my head! So I threw Sound and Sense to the floor! But a voice in my head told me to pick it back up and it said that I should read it aloud. Wow this just might have been my boundary holding me back from poetic success. But still I am stuck in a world a poetry just flying directly over my head. Did I just write a poem? Hey I might not be that bad after all. I believe a personal connection in some way or just a simple poem is really what keep people reading.  I guess I have a long way until I can actually be called a poet.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

It just so happens that today's song, "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" (Neutral Milk Hotel), holds a special place in my heart... it's right up there with mango sticky rice, Michelle Kwan, and Harry Potter.

I know that we discussed it briefly in class, but I thought it might be good to continue the dialogue a little bit, because I think this song is just as thought provoking (maybe more so) than many of the poems in Sound and Sense.

In particular, I'm curious as to people's interpretations of a few lines that have always troubled me:

1) There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me

and

2) But now we keep where we don't know
Our secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
No he don't even know his name

Overall, I agree with Corin. I think this song is about life's promise. As she said, it's about "living in the moment." I think this theme is really evident in the early lines, like "What a beautiful face I have found in this place that is circling all 'round the sun" or "Let me hold it close and keep it here... with me."

But for a long time I've puzzled over those two passages above, and I'm curious as to other people's interpretations. What is Anne Frank's significance? Why does the lover not know his name? Why "keep where we don't know?"

In the Spirit of Perrine's Grand Analogies...

Everyday during fourth period, I witness something beautiful and intangible: a teacher who finds the greatest joy in the subject he teaches.  I'm not sure if I've ever met someone as excited by math as Mr. Kostal.  As he passionately shares obscure proofs and Fibonacci identities, I've found myself wondering more than once, "What the heck would we ever use this for??"

The value of number theory, however, (at least in our class) is not in the practicality.  Mr. Kostal does not spend five hours on a problem for any glaringly constructive purpose.  It's all about the way that numbers connect and how different methods can lead to the same solutions. 

I think that language is like math: it can be both practical and intricate.  Using math for a purpose (such as in physics) is like writing an expository essay.  It is straightforward and effectively communicates a point.  Poetry, as Perrine describes, uses language to create many different levels of meaning.  A poet writes for the sake of the words, just as someone may examine a series for the sake of the numbers. Just as there are ways to apply number theory to code breaking, language obviously serves an incredibly important purpose. Yet, just as there are those who do not enjoy solving math problems for kicks, there will probably be many people who don't find joy analyzing poetry.  I'm not sure where I fall on either of those spectra.  My only hope is that someday I can find something for which I am as enthusiastic as Mr. Kostal is about math.

Last King of Scotland

Last night I watched a movie called The Last King of Scotland. It reminded me of many of the elements of Heart of Darkness. There are many parallels between the two movies

The protagonist in The Last King of Scotland, is looking for direction in his life. So what better way to do it than pull out a globe, spin it and go off to Africa. This resembles Marlowe pulling out the map of the Congo.

In both the movie and novel, they both present the oppression of Blacks. In The Last King of Scotland, the blacks are oppressed by their ruler: Idi Amin. Amin kills off all of his political opposition and runs a very corrupt government. This oppression is mirrored in Heart of Darkness by the European Imperialists.

The ending of both of the stories are also similar. The protagonist in The Last King of Scotland, returns home to Scotland transformed by his experiences in Uganda. We all know the changes the Marlowe experienced when he returned back to the Sepulchral City.

If you have not already seen it, I highly recommend viewing The Last King of Scotland. Its a very moving movie based on truth. Forest Whittaker won an Oscar for his awesome portrayal of the dictator Idi Amin.

The World Is Too Much With Us

If you haven't already, I recommend reading "The world is too much with us" by William Wordsworth. It's at the end of chapter three, pg. 49.

We read this poem in English sophomore year, and I really liked it. We also read other works by William Wordsworth, and I enjoyed his poetry a lot. I especially like this poem because of its message. Based on my interpretation, it is about how we take advantage of the world, and how we don't see its true beauty. There is not enough room for humans and the earth, or nature, and "we are out of tune" (8).

One of my favorite parts of the poem is at the beginning: "Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in nature that is ours" (2-3). I love the word choice and rhythm of these lines: they really get across their meaning in a beautiful way. And the meaning is so powerful. I mean, Wordsworth was probably writing in the early 1800s. It is amazing that this old poem still has great (and maybe even greater) significance to us now.

Some other interesting things to note: I looked up both 'sordid' and 'boon' and found that sordid means 'self-seeking' and boon means 'blessing'. I thought that it was interesting that Wordsworth described giving our hearts away as a selfish blessing.

I also think the allusions in this poem add a lot to its character, and its sort of nostalgic tone. Overall, I really like this poem, and I also want to hear what others' interpretations are.

Poetry HA

I simply do not like poetry. I never enjoyed it. Even as a kid i did not enjoy poetry. I was not a big fan of Dr. Seuse  or Shel Silverstein. I prefered regular kids books and novels; Stories that were straight foward, to the point, and EASY to understand. 

I find poetry a way of disguising what we are trying to say. Maybe I'm lazy but I do not like the idea that i have to analyze something closely to make sure what it means or if it has more than one meaning or that there is a hidden message in it.

According to Perrine's on reading poetry, she states we should read it out loud, read it more than one time and practice reading it out loud. First, if i was at a coffee shop or library, i will never, ever, read out loud.. I dont want the person next to me to think i am insane. Reading it more than once? Come on, lets be realistic. When is the last time we read anything more than once besides the Harry Potter series?

I'm very curious on what do other people think of poetry. Please if you can, enlighten me. Change my feelings towards poetry and make it a possitive one.

The Man He Killed...

Although this might seem strange, I really enjoyed The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy. It's cool because it takes an almost humorous attitude on murder. His style of writing seems nonchalant, as though this subject is really not very serious to him. He uses rhyme as a way to negate the seriousness of his topic. A few important/funny/striking lines are

"I shot him dead because-                                  Shows the silliness of war, and how there is no reason behind
Because he was my foe," (Line 10-11)            it

"Yes; quaint and curious war is!                       This is an incredibly deep line although it doesn't seem like it.
You shoot a fellow down                                      Hardy remarks on the truth behind war; the people fighting   
You'd treat, if met where any bar is                  have no conflict with one another. It's just what they're told to
Or help to half-a-crown." (Final stanza)          do.

"There's Been a Death, in the Opposite House"

I really like this poem because it seems to be simple, but there is still a lot of imagery and Dickinson is able to show her specific ideas about death. Through this poem, Dickinson is able to portray her ideas about society's reaction to death.
We are conditioned to deal with death in an impersonal, mechanical way. Dickinson shows this in line three with, "I know it, by the numb look" and then again in line 8 with "Abrupt--mechanically--." She also refers to the body of the person as "it," taking away the humanity and personality of the deaceased and leaving us with a cold and lifeless object. This shows that people try not to think too much about death and instead treat it as if it were some regular occurence rather than a life-changing or life-ending experience.
This seems to be something that people learn as children, I remember thinking as a kid that dying was just like going to sleep. Dickinson uses a boy to show this early innocence and naivity about death and how, as we mature, this naivity becomes denial and numbness to death. Because the poem really displays no emotion and seems to be a play by play of the events, it shows just how coldly people approach death.

The Whipping

This is a narrative poem that is from the point of view of the witness to a beating of a child. The descriptions used in this poem create a grotesque image that sounds unpleasant to witness. The beginning of the poem is a description of the chase; the boy is running through the flowers to get away from this enormous lady who is yelling at him for some reason or another.
My favorite part is the transition in the middle, form one narrative to another. After the line "His tears are rainy weather, to woundlike memories:" the narrator goes on to recount their own personal whipping that they experienced as a child. This unique transition is appealing because it provides an image and a feeling to the pain the author feels when recounting this memory.
The last lines of the second story is also moving because it reveals how anger can change one's actions, consequently changing one's perception of another. It shows the power that emotion has over a person.
The narrator finally returns to the same story from the beginning about the little boy, but after the beating is over. The large woman is tired from the beating, and the poet uses a sense of irony hear, saying that she has such a heavy burden to bear for giving this whipping, when the burden is truly on the boy,
Overall, I little this poem because it is odd and dark. When I usually think of poetry I think of sugar coated rhymes or deep meaningful lessons. I thought this poem was sad, yet refreshing; a nice change of pace.

Tonight, I Write This Poem (For You)

Tonight, I write this poem
To help us understand
A thought I had while reading
The book which we all had.

Says Perrine, Poetry makes us think
But not like a textbook would.
To appreciate poetry requires
The reader to think for themselves.

Yes, I will admit
Poetry was for me
Quite a mystery, and
yet I see there is a
way to find meaning.

But the meaning
must be mine.
For me to have it
or for it to exist at all.

The immortal philosophers
Did not remain in simple text.
Camus' Stranger
Nietzsche's Zarathustra
Sartre's No Exit

Granted, those epics
are in prose, but they are not
reasoned analyses. Do they
not achieve the same goal as poems?

They are great because
the reader must reason the lesson
Because it is not in the text
But the readers mind
That lessons can be learned.

So tonight, of this I ask,
Where is poetry really?

Is it in the words we see
Or the experience we feel
Or the logic we think
After all is said and done?

Beautiful Death

so When first hearing that we were beginning a poetry section, I have to admit I was a little bummed. To put it out there, I hate poetry; or at least I thought I did. After reading the first section of Sound and Sense I realized how inspirational and relaxing poetry can be. One poem that really made an impact on me was, Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall. This poem is going against one of the common stereotypes people think of when poetry is mentioned: Poetry DOES NOT have to be written with beautiful words. This poem contains a lot of dark images that enhances its meaning and makes it a very stong peom. It takes the reader out of their element and brings them into the scene of this emotional crisis.

                     

            The mother smiled to know her child

            Was in the sacred place,

            But that smile was the last smile

            To come upon her face.

            For when she heard the explosion,

            Her eyes grew wet and wild…

            She clawed through bits of glass and brick,

            Then lifted out a shoe.

            “O, here’s the show my baby wore,

            But, baby, where are you?”

These particular lines (lines 21-26 and 29-32) express the frightful and devestating experience of losing a loved one. The death is not at all a beautiful and enjoyable experience, but the imagery it creates spreads emotions to the reader that broadens the view of a moving moment.

I hope the rest of Sound and Sense that is assigned for us to read, is just as inspirational as this first part has been.

Not Just An Eagle

A poem that caught my eye while I was going through the first chapter of sound and Sense was the Eagle. It was putting there as an example for a poem that gives the soul of and eagle rather than the statistics. To me, it was much more.

He clasps the crag with crooked hands

Close to the sun in lonely lands

Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls*

He watches from his mountain walls

And like a thunderbolt he falls*

                                                 -Alfred, Lord Tennyson

                                               * Favorite lines

The poetic devices used in thus poem are very simple yet eloquent. While reading the poem you feel the true power the eagle has and beautifulness of the creature god created.

Though it seems like this poem incredibly simple, it must have been incredibly complex to write. It gives me hope that I can take something very simple from my life and turn it into poetry as powerful as this. (Well, almost!)

Making Sense of Sound and Sense

I've never gone out of my way to read poetry. I've always avoided performing in the poetry slams. Yet, after reading the first chapter of Sound and Sense, I suddenly have an entirely new appreciation for poetry. Perrine's explanation of the unique artform was clearer to me than it's ever been; I almost see the practical application of poetry. Just one of the author's lines that resonated with me said,

"Poetry takes all life as its province. Its primary concern is not with beauty, not with philosophical truth, not with peruasion, but with experience." (7)

This idea reinforces the idea notion that has been beaten into us as we write our college essays: it is not about the actual experience, but what you make of the experience. Poetry portrays an experience in a specific way in which literature cannot. The 'voltage' of the language conveys emotions in an unusual and intense fashion. Before I saw literary devices as contrived ways to magically add depth to a poem. Now I see that these are merely resources, defined with specific titles to describe the way a poet shares his or her emotions and senses.

I've never been more excited for a poetry unit.
Hopefully, this year I'll be able to work on tuning my radio to the right station.

Informed Consent?

My experience while watching "The Piano" was an upsetting one. I found the movie incredibly graphic, both sexually and content/plot wise. Although I think it is important to be exposed to movies that relate to heart of darkness and deal with upsetting concepts, I felt that this movie was much too intense for a school setting. I had no idea what the movie would contain and I feel as though the plot summary that we received did not provide us with a warning as to the content of that movie.  I was ready to walk out of the auditorium after the main woman had her finger chopped off and I walked around for the rest of the day with the disturbing images in my head.

Basically, I believe that showing us this movie without providing some kind of warning was incredibly insensitive. Now, I may be the only one that was upset by this movie, but it is important to keep the wishes of your students in mind before showing such a film, because I found the movie terribly upsetting. If I had known what the movie contained, I would have opted for participating in some other activity or watching a separate movie on my own time. I am glad that our class had the opportunity to see such a controversial and appreciated film, but I do think that the approach could have been handled differently.

PAPER!!!

I cannot find my packet that describes all of the possible topics for the Heart of Darkness Paper. If someone could please tell me the topics, that would be OH SO VERY GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks

A 9:00 AM Booty Call

Well well well. Who else decided they didn't need their daily cup of coffee because they were going to be watching "The Piano" second period? I know I did...wow.

Nothin like seein old man butt at 9 am....nice.

Anyways, on a more serious side, I actually liked the movie. I honestly felt empowered by the ending. I really believed that she would die with her piano, the only true pure source of happiness that remained in her life, but she decided to be brave and face the music head on and keep living. It was beautiful to see someone realize that hope is never lost. I don't know, it just proved to me how strong of a woman she really was.

I mean even in 'The Scarlett Letter' Hester exiles herself, and the preist dies from being such a weak lil' emotional wuss; and in the 'Awakening' the main character drowns herself. It just seems that in every old story about adulterous women they always end up dead.

But even back then the guys got labeled as big shots and got high fives and back pats of congratulations for they're cheatin' ways.

DANG IT why are women so sexually oppressed??? Is saying that kosher....? sorry...

Nuditity....say WAH??

Ok, so the piano...yea. Ummm, let me start over.

So, despite the piano's ummm nude scenes and what not, I was able to kind of process the whole connection between it and the movie. The only thing I could really and truly come up with was the portrayal of the Natives. The come off as really dumb and ignorant in the movie, but in reality its that one guy (Ada's real husband) who's the ignorant one. He treats them like they're inhuman and tries to pay them in...I think it was buttons or little coins. But anyways, he doesn't realize they're real people with real feelings. Its almost like he's Kurtz from the book. And Ada's other lover (I forgot his name) is like Marlow. He accepts them and even makes those weird markings on his face.

I don't think it was a bad film to show. A lot of people think its unrealistic, but I think its the most realistic thing that could happen to anyone in life. I'm not saying that I'm like that in any way but there are people out there in the world who committ adultery and lose their minds and need to express themselves with music.

Piano Darkness

(Ok so this is the second time I'm writing this post because when I was nearly finished my computer crashed AH!! So if things don't sound just right or a bit off it's because I've already written it once and I'm kinda irritated)

Despite the recent post by Melvin saying that The Piano is not connected to Darkness at all, I thought it was and thus have been relentlessly looking for similarities in theme, ideals, characters or whatever I could find, JUST SOMETHING that matched. Unfortunately, most of my connections are just a stretch and an attempt to connect the two.

Like Marlow, Ada ventures into an unknown world, a tropical island to marry a man she doesn't even know. In many ways Ada feels different from the rest of the people who have settled there as well. One of her biggest differences, the inability to speak, forces her to communicate differently which immediately puts an icey barrier on relationships. To her, this island is wild and a bit uncivilized, she's not accostomed to that type of living. Just like in Heart of Darkness, certain people do things for no peculiar reason or not. For instance, when the native people living there start banging on the keys of the piano, there's no real point.

One of Ada's greatest attachments and the only thing that keeps her from going insane (besides her daughter) is her piano. The piano gives her a new way to communicate since she cannot speak. Furthermore the piano symbolizes the life and relationship she once had with her beloved husband who died in a thunder storm. In one scene, I noticed that her initials were drawn into the side of one of keys along with her past husband. I think the piano may bea a way for her to keep that relationship with her true love alive. However, Baines jeopordizes that.

Ignorant Americans

When I went to Italy for the school exchange, I got to look at American culture in a whole different point of view. I got to see how we are viewed from the outside and it is not pretty. some how, where ever I would go, people would know I was American because they would begin to speak English to me. I felt like I have "outsider" written on my forehead. Did I behave so differently? Was it so obvious?
Well, in America, one thing is obvious, and that is our ignorance. After our discussion in class they other day, I began to think about the other countries in the world and how little I knew about them. That saddens me, and I expect, most Americans, though not all, are also ignorant, maybe even more, to the current events, customs, and beliefs of other cultures. As we stated, this Western viewpoint dominates the American though process about other countries. The reason I am stating all this to urge everyone to learn about these cultures. How are we supposed to have a debate about how the view of the culture in the book is twisted when we do not even know the culture ourselves? That's all, just something to think about. Maybe we can start to change the meaning of the Western mindset to something positive.

The Piano...WOW!

What the hell is going on in this crazy freakshow of a movie. I really don't like how it's looking so far. I mean if you like this man so much, why do you continue to pretend to be loyal in the first place. I don't even think she is mute because during their passionate love making I thought I heard her murmur a word or two. Maybe it was just the fire in the relationship. Like Mr. Heidkamp said their is no connection between HOD and The Piano. The Piano is just a story about a woman who finds peace while playing the piano and on the side cheating with another horny maniac. HOD goes more indepth about the horrific details of imperialism and chronicles the so-called reformation of many of the natives. THERE IS NO CONNECTION PEOPLE!

So if your looking for entertainment we should have kept watching Dead Man like Toby and I suggested before.