Raven Racism

Sometimes, I feel bad for Ravens. So many times throughout literature and in movies and in folklore, they are always portrayed as bad. In Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, "The Raven", the bird's fate is no different.

Why are they considered to be so bad? Devilish and conniving? Is it because they're black? Because that's a bit racist. European folklore associates ravens with death, war, and departed souls (this last one makes sense for Poe's poem). However, many other cultures, like the ancient Greeks and Native Americans, associate the raven's apparent intelligence with light, goodness, and truth.

It's interesting that at the period "The Raven" was written, American writers were trying so hard to find their own distinct writing style, yet Poe used British folklore to inspire his poetry instead of American.

But I think that's just because Poe didn't care.

Third Time's the Charm

The Scarlet Letter is all about groupings of three. It takes three lines to make an "A," there are three main appearances of the letter "A,"there are three words in the title, there are three main characters who deal with the consequences of guilt (Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingsworth), and there are three scaffolding scenes placed throughout the text. In the last  chapter,s the final scaffolding scene wraps up the excitement, guilt, and unfortunately, Dimmesdale's life.  Three is obviously a significant number in Hawthorne's work, especially illustrated by the third scaffolding scene.

However, not only is three an important number in the text, but it is also a prevalent number on our campus, specifically in Christianity. The Holy Trinity is a grouping of three that I believe is silently underlying the three occurrences on the platform. When Hester is being ridiculed, this reflects Jesus Christ, the Son, and His humiliation. When Hester and Dimmesdale and Pear meet, this reflects the bond of love that is the Holy Spirit. And finally, when Dimmesdale comes to truth within his sermon, he reflects the truth that is found in God.

And obviously, the third scene was the charm as Hester and Pearl finally began to find peace after Dimmesdale's death.

Sunshine+Pearl=Fatality

Most of my favorite songs have to do with sunshine (eg, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk) so Hawthorne's motif of the light rays is most appealing to me.

The first time you get a taste of it is immediately upon Pearl and Hester's entrance into the square. THe light stings the baby's eyes, causing it to wink.

These rays stand for the concept of shedding light upon her guilt, literally. That light represents the particular societal moral standards of her onlookers; for if it wasn't for the standards being so opposed to the cause of her guilt, then the light wouldn't be quite so shocking to the baby's eyes.

"Pearls are formed inside the shell of certain mollusks as a defense mechanism against a potentially threatening irritant such as a parasite inside its shell, or an attack from outside, injuring the mantle tissue. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to seal off the irritation." -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl#Origin_of_a_natural_pearl


While Hester was creating Pearl, she was technically sealing off the irritation of not having a husband around. However, perhaps her husband was the parasite all along because she did not love him. So then the husband would have been the cause of the baby after all. THough that really does make sense--it wouldn't have gone down as such a scandal if he never married her and brought her to Boston near Dimmesdale in the first place. CHapter ten is even labeled "The Leech and His Patient." A leech is sort of a parasite. 


A cool quote from page 56:
"But there is a fatality, a feeling so irresistible and inevitable that is has the force of doom, which almost invariably compels human beings to linger around and haunt, ghost-like, the spot where some great and marked event has given the color to their lifetime; and still the more irresistible, the darker the tinge that saddens it."


No wonder so many people stick around my hometown.....

Scarlet Rant

It's so nice to reread a novel of this kind--especially when you are at an entirely different place in your life then when you last flipped the pages.

However, the intro almost ruins starting the book. Though it does set up that really cool (as in "ridiculously thorough") framework. I love knowing that this is what someone's imagination created out of a couple findings. And that someone else's imagination created that imagination's imagination. Way to go Nathaniel Hawthorne. His themes on love and lust, secrets, and guilt are generally universal and timeless and his characters are easy to relate to and picture. However, if he had written the book nowadays with that intro, I high doubt that it would have sparked as well. My attention span isn't even long enough to write more in this blog.

DIY Cool Stuff

"Who knows but if men constructed their dwellings with their own hands, and provided food for themselves and families simply and honestly enough, the poetic faculty would be universally developed, as birds universally sing when they are so engaged?" -pg 868

You know, Thoreau? I've had the same thought many a time. I believe it was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who once said, "Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." And then I roll over in my ridiculously comfortable bed and I go to sleep. The statement is probably very close to the truth--if we were all honest and took care of ourselves, we would all be as one. If we were all perfect, life would be perfect. But this world wasn't made to be perfect. 


"I am wont to think that men are not so much the keepers of herds as herds are the keepers of men, the former are so much the freer."


Our stuff owns us! It's so difficult to travel, to leave my cool stuff and my cool room behind so that I may travel lightly and freely. It's so sad! After reading this, I legitimately tried to get rid of some of my stuff. But... it's just all so cool! I have to work so hard to pay for my apartment and the gas for my car. Life is not so simple as it could be (if I was Thoreau back in the day). The bit of comfort that I take is that I like to arrange things artistically--my stuff, my outfits, my makeup--it's, ya know... a typical means of expression. The question is whether that's wrong. 


I'm not sure yet. I think if my habits became habits for habits' sake rather then habits for a higher purpose (art), then that would be wrong. So now, everyday, I just need to remind myself of that day's purpose. 

Thoreau Your Money Away

Right away, I was a little thrown off when Thoreau stated that, though others may think his "model of life" was impertinent, he found it "very natural and pertinent." It made me think of this very pretentious person I once knew, who didn't know that he was pretentious. But I may have only thought about that because pertinent and pretentious are both fancy words that start with p. So I looked up the word "impertinent"... just to be clear.

Don't judge me.

The clearest definition I found was this:


Impertinence: exceeding the bounds of propriety. 

Then I looked up propriety.

Propriety: the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals.


Mk. So I was right. People thought he was being douche-ily unconventional for the sake of it and Thoreau's all, "Naw, I'm being myself. It's cool, man."


ANYWAY. 


one very famous quote from page 847

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."

Holly balls. Basically, he's just challenged my entire life. We're so busy fighting and fighting for... something, that  we lose sight of the true meaning within our battles. I'm a solid procrastinator and a ridiculously busy person. I'm currently involved in three shows, working two jobs, balancing two majors, and failing to keep up with my homework. What oftentimes tends to happen is that I'll eventually get so desperately busy and behind that, instead of fighting to the finish, I give up. This can be summarized in pictures in this wickedly awesome and honest blog:
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html

ANYWAY.

After reading this very famous quote, I looked to see what Thoreau actually suggests we do.

But I never got time to finish reading. Would you call that irony? Not sure.

Good thing we had a great class discussion about the true necessities of life. Ways to simplify our lives to focus on God. Like don't own/buy so much stuff. Or don't try to juggle 3 plays, two jobs, and two majors.

The end!

Learn it Right

I really enjoyed reading Emerson's writing on the American Scholar--there is nothing much better then reading things that you agree with and, better yet, intelligibly illustrate why you agree.

Things I agree with / Need to think more about:
1. Be the "Man on the farm" not the farmer
Don't fall into the habit of defining yourself by your day-to-day activities. Eg, I am Debbi Jones who acts, not an actor.
2. "...all things exist for the student's behoof" because "every man [is] a student"
Hear, hear!
3. "The sacredness which attaches to the act of creation,--the act of thought,--is instantly transferred to the record."
Yes, preservation is important, but to create for the sake of preservation is sick. Eg, many hollywood actors/musicians.
4. "Whatever talents may be, if the man create not, the pure efflux of the Deity is not his..."
USE the gifts God gives and makes SOMETHING.
5. "When he can read God directly, the hour is too precious to be wasted in other men's transcripts of their readings."
Listening to God is more important than reading the works of the wisest men--unless you're hearing God through their words. But it's better to just simply focus on listening to God firsthand.
6. "...as the human body can be nourished on any food...the human mind can be fed by any knowledge."
All knowledge is enlightening knowledge to help you grow.
7. "Life is our dictionary."
Learn by living.
8. "The artist...has always the resource to live."
Be inspired by living.
9. "Fear always springs from ignorance."
Eg, homophobes.
10. "The world is his who can see through it's pretension."
Look past appearances, and you will know it's nature.

Summed up: Live to learn, create to create, and seek to understand.

Reflections and Stuff

From this section, my three favorite statements just so happen to all take place on page 493. And because they are my favorites, they will be the topic of this blog.

Emerson makes a bold assertion (surprise surprise) right away in the introduction of his writings on Nature. He states, "Undoubtedly we have no questions to ask which are unanswerable."

This one statement really struck me. For there are plenty of mysteries in Christianity and there are plenty of questions that only God knows the answers to in life. Then again, however, he's not exactly saying we know the right answer to every question. He's just saying there's an answer to every question whether we know it or it's right or wrong. And that we might as well explore the possibilities.

Cool. Glad I answered my own question.

Another very striking statement occurred on the same page, in Chapter 1. "To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society."

Wise man, for this statement is even more true today with the ever-presence of technology. When I'm surrounded by my cool stuff, there’s no way that I can possibly reflect on anything outside of the cool stuff and the memories that are associated with it. And what really is stuff to us anyway? What do we really need? My cool stuff is cool and pretty and artistic—especially my clothes. But there’s a difference between stuff for art’s sake and stuff for stuff’s sake. My stuff is such a wonderful distraction from real thought.

Emerson adds to this thought:

"The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are always inaccessible…" 

It’s time I learn to appreciate this reverence and not fear it, hiding away in the comforts of my cozy dorm room.

Sleepy Story Time

Reading Irving's Rip Van Winkle was so ridiculously refreshing. Finally, we got to read some magical and fun-filled fiction. Irving's life sounded like such an adventure--there's no doubt in my mind that all of his travels inspired and spurred his imagination. My dad also wanted me to be a lawyer. Huzzah for creativity and passion!

I love that, even after almost two centuries, Irving's humor is clearly stated throughout the text. He has a lot of really good sound bites. I scribbled a ridiculous amount of smiley faces into my textbook. So, this blog will consist of my favorite Van Winkle quotes.

"...a curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long suffering." A "curtain lecture" is a talk given after the curtains of a fourposter bed are drawn at night. (456)

"... what courage can withstand the ever-during and all-besetting terrors of a woman's tongue?" (458)

"...a sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener by constant use." (458) It's funny because it's true!

"...yet there was something strange and incomprehensible about the unknown, that inspired awe, and checked familiarity." (460) A reflection of humanity.

Benjamin Franklin

As one can see clearly by the schedule to the right, Benjamin Franklin was perhaps a little excessively orderly. According to his Autobiography, this is what he did every single day. He was the definition of the "self-made man" and thus defined a larger part of the American attitude.

This attitude developed from his foundation, his theology, which also defines a larger part of the American attitude. In our melting pot of a country, Americans are consistently exposed to a whole slew of religions. And who are we to say one is better then the other? To fit in to the melting pot, it is generally best to take a general approach--every religion has some truth to it. As self-made people, we can take care of our own virtue. And this may take the effort of a daily minute by minute schedule, but no pain, no gain.

And there's no doubt that B. Franklin truly did "master" his life--he was and is an international celebrity.

I do wonder though, how different his life may have been if he were a Christian. I mean, obviously, he was a good person anyway and successful too. But still...something to ponder on.

John and Abigail Adams

First of all, what an amazing example for modern day relationships. The strength of their relationship illustrated by their private letters is astounding. "The Letters of John and Abigail Adams" could simply be captioned "Dear Reader, It is Possible--With a Little Effort and Communication."

Second of all, not to sound creepy, but how cool it is to be able to truly stalk a strong and lasting celebrity relationship through letters which actually were written for the personal audience, unlike most of the published early American letters. We get an open and honest look at the life of the early American dynamic of the married life. A look which readers won't ever get now until they are actually married. Or actually stalking. And that actually is creepy.

The wisdoms presented by their correspondence are epic. Perhaps my favorite letter was "Classical Parallels" written by Abigail to John, particularly her reference to Polybius: "there is nothing more desirable, or advantages than peace, when founded in justice and honour, so there is nothing more shameful and at the same time more pernicious when attained by bad measures, and purchased at the price of liberty."

Abigail is also another representation of the triumph of the human spirit over the circumstance of birth; obviously, as one can tell by her grammatical and spelling errors, she was not conventionally educated. However, she was extremely wise and definitely an effective and important American citizen.

J. Hector St. John De Crevecoeur

Crevecoeuer was truly an international man. I can't imagine traveling as much as he did, especially considering how long the boat rides were. Upon returning to America in 1783, only to discover that his farm had been burned, his wife was dead, and his children were rooming with people he didn't know may have inspired the first stereotypical country song in America.

In his work "Letters from an American Farmer," he truly captures the spirit of America. It's amazing to me to see how truly influenced our society is still today by the attitude of our founders. The "American Dream" is still at play today. Some of his quotes that illustrate this idea include the following:

"...this is the work of my country men who,....afflicted by a variety of of miseries and wants, restless and impatient, took refuge here. They brought along with them their national genius, to which they principally owe what liberty they enjoy and what substance they possess."
America was built upon a foundation of hope for better lives of liberty, formed by people who would not settle for less then they thought they deserved.

"They are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen."
This illustrates that the ideals of the American Dream became an international movement.

"Men are like plants; the goodness and flavor of the fruit proceeds from the peculiar soil and exposition in which they grow."
America is a diverse and huge land--Crevecoeur describes human nature's adaptability to the type of climate and land a person lives in. Kind of like how people often look like the pets they own.

Phillis Wheatly

If they had reality TV in 1773, I bet Phillis Wheatly would have made a very interesting subject for a series. Her spirit certainly did triumph over her circumstance of birth, especially displayed by the publishing of her poems at age 19(ish) years old.

The first poem in our selection, "On Being Brought from Africa to America" immediately struck me with her first line. 'Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land. How truly amazing her character must have been--to be grateful to have been a slave because she came to know Christ through it. Her poetry is a model for keeping things in perspective. She brings this gratefulness back into play again her next poem, "To the University of Cambridge, in New England." She called students to be fully grateful not only for their exposure to Christianity, but also their education, their resources to scan the heights... [as] sons of science.

I also love her uses of metaphors, particularly in the second stanza of "Thoughts on the Works of Providence." The peerless monarch of the ethereal train. God, as the mightiest of all, has no peer and rules over all of time, which itself is a graceful piece of art.

Basically, Phillis Wheatly is really cool and I would have wanted to be her friend. Inspiration for humanity!

Literary Blogging 101

As a CST and English major, I basically study the art of telling a story. There is nothing more fascinating. Every story brings a unique perspective to life, the world, and the way people think. Every character presents me with a new understanding of myself and from where others come, and the more I understand something, the more apt I am to appreciate it’s beauty. Like math; Debbi I don't get it, so it's a tad harder to appreciate. Make sense? Stories bring understanding to the world that God created for us. The more we come to understand this world, the more we can appreciate the wonder that comes with it. 


I can already tell from the first reading that I'm gonna love this class. 


John Smith: Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles


I must admit, the man appears amazing; especially considering all he had accomplished throughout his life. I hate to admit, but it's really hard to imagine myself in his position, to imagine exploring an entirely "New World" with no first world provisions or comforts. I get irate by just missing one meal, let alone going hungry and having to manipulate a different people for food. What an adventurer he was! His attitude reminded me a lot of Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean in that manipulative and slightly arrogant way. 


Though Smith may have been a little more then a little arrogant. At the very least, he may be described as confident, grounded in who he is as a person. But he certainly has a knack for talking himself up, like on page 46; "Captain Smith, who, by his own example, good works, and fair promises..." I personally loved how he basically contradicted himself in his statement "it were better [man's] baseness should be manifested to the world, than the business bear the scorn and shame of [man's] excused disorders." The statement alone is an excuse of his conduct. Paraphrased "Yeah, i killed a guy. But he was being douche-y and hey, at least I admit to killing him."


He is blunt and unapologetic, yet still, I was shocked when he mentioned using a Native American as a shield and yet still won his attackers over after they took him as prisoner. And Disney totally messed with our heads when it came to Pocahontas. Just saying.