Is This Goodbye?

Well, this will be the last blog post I will ever write. I may come back occasionally and post bits of information on interesting topics, but for literature, I’m done. I’m just glad to get this final blog out of the way and not have to worry about it later. Although these blogs takes up so much of my time, I did enjoy these assignments and overall, it helped me a lot on my writing and analytical skills. So for this last post, instead of talking about my favorite books, arts, etc. I am going to criticize the books that I despise the most.

The #1 book that I despise the most is Their Eyes were Watching God. Many readers aren’t use to the language the author uses thus making the plot difficult to follow. For me personally, English isn’t my native language and to read a novel that’s written in southern dark slang is almost impossible. It’s like having someone with a southern accent try to read Shakespeare. (You get the picture.) The difficulty of the language and grammatical structure makes the plot harder to comprehend but once you get use to it, it will be easier. Just have to read it out loud 20 times.

The second book that I hated reading was A Tale of Two Cities. The book was too long for me and I can’t stand any book that is over 300 pages. It’s just not for me. The novel was a long and tedious read. You just want to get it over with so you don’t really pay attention to the small and important aspects of the novel. There wasn’t anything interesting in the novel unless you are a French revolution fanatic. Not only was the book long, the structure was even more confusing. It is divided into three separate books and in a different time and setting for each. Throughout each book, there was a shift between characters. You are starting to get what the characters are presenting but then it shifts to a different character with a different perspective. There were too many characters and I forgot most of them. The structure affected the plot a lot and made it more complicated.

The era and genre of a specific novel impacts your opinions on a book and is a major factor in determining whether you liked or hated it. From Divine Comedy to Frankenstein to Hamlet and finally The Secret Agent, the style of the work written in an early time varies from works that are written in modern time. It is a lot easier to understand, and the structure isn’t as strange. But as Ms. Healey says; “You don’t have to like a book for it to be a great book.”

So is this farewell? Will we see each other again? I guess this is it. This was a fun experience but it felt more like writing a prompt rather than blogging your opinions. If I did blog about what I think everything now and then, I would be in a lot of trouble. But I will be back once in a blue moon and post some interesting ideas. This blog may become my personal engineering website in the future. But for now, I bid thee farewell!

American Gothic

As I was researching and looking for topics for my final English paper, I came across a famous painting that everyone has seen or heard of before. It was the American Gothic. A lot of people know what it is but doesn’t really understand the origin, history and meaning of the master piece. Therefore, in this blog post I am going to give a solid analysis of the painting.

       The painting American Gothic, was painted by Grant Wood. He was known for his home-state paintings and this work was a result from the Regionalism Movement. The movement was a reaction and resistance to Europeans attempt to depict American life. If you noticed in the painting, the style of clothes they wore, the setting they are in, and the troubled emotions expressed suggests that they are in the Great Depression Era. The man is wearing a black jacket, with glasses and what seems like 1900’s clothing, and his stern facial expression is what stands out. The women is in her middle ages wearing a black with white dotted patterns and her face shows fear perhaps sadness. There isn’t a lot of emotion the women is showing compared to the man.

       So what does the painting mean and how does it symbolize life? Well, the man holding the pitchfork represents the immovable demeanor the he shows. He stands firmly to protect his land and refused to let anyone take it from him. Although his farm may be failing economically, he has no intentions of leaving. The man uses the pitchfork as sort of a prop to give the viewer an understanding of his position. He is gripping the pitchfork, his livelihood in his right hand and it could not be pried from him. Moving from the stance, the traditional black attire both of the people wore was unusual since farmers rarely wear black. The color black represents the economic state that they are in. There is not much shown about the woman in the painting but we all could assume that she is suffering through the same fate as her husband.

       A few things to take notice are the patterns on the woman’s dress and how the house was built. They all show Gothic qualities. The pattern on the woman’s dress is the same on the window and the house was built in an old-fashion manner. Grant Wood is trying to convey the message that American culture is not always what it seems.

       So how does this all have to do with literature? This work of art conveys a common theme shown in many great literary works; the man’s undying will to achieve and not let others take away your pride.

Music and Mirrors. The reflection of art

In these past few days in Spanish class with Dr. Taylor, we are talking about Georges Bizet, who went from a music prodigy to a famous writer of the opera. Our class mainly focuses on his most famous work, Carmen. I feel like I could talk about this for my blog since my research paper for AP Literature is coming up soon and I still need a few works to write about. Plus the main focus of this work is based on music, the Flamingo dance to be exact.

       Bizet was raised in a music family and destined to be a star in writing music. Yet later throughout his life, his music received negative receptions and he gave up this interest and began writing for a local theatre. Carmen was his best work yet and it became a classic.

 I’m not going to spoil the movie since it’s such a good movie so I am only going to give a brief synopsis and interpretation. This movie explains the unlawfulness and corruption of modern love. A jealous solider meets a flirtatious women which ultimately ends up in a tragic consequence.

       In the movie, Bizet uses the image of reflection to show the reality or fantasy of the events that occurs in the film. The reflection may be a vision or fictional event that goes on in the audience’s minds. The reflection is a symbol which represents art and life. It is used as a metaphor. There exists a huge gap between fantasy and reality and Bizet is using the reflection of an image to connect the gap between the two.
       Art is reflected in this movie. The creation of Carmen mainly emphasize the dance each character does and how music is incorporated in their lives.

Music; The harmony and rhythm of literature

Grades are due soon; we have 17 days until graduation (The biggest life changing moment for me) senior prom is coming up as well as AP exams and finals. I haven’t even decided on a topic for my AP English paper and I’m stuck at my desk trying to cramp in my blogs within this week! There is too much stress for me to handle during this time of the year. What all happened to senior year being the easiest year?

I haven’t done this at all but for the first time I will be blogging about music. Yep. Music is what gets me through my homework, helps me study, and gets me motivation as I finish this last year of high school. Plus I didn’t have any time to whip out a new book and read. For this blog post, I will be explaining how music is shown throughout literature and its impact on many authors. Don’t get me wrong, I do like modern rap, hip hop, and country, but what we listen to is for fun. The music in this blog has significant meaning, connects with literature, focuses on the classical, romantic, and Baroquean period, and is the master piece of famous composers who spend most of their lifetime perfecting the work.

Music can be seen as a common theme in literature. The music in many works often leads up to the tone and creates the mood the author or writer is trying to convey. For example, when you listen to Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, the first thing that comes to your mind is an eerie and dark place. Sounds like Dracula or Halloween? Music in movies (Especially horror or romance) creates suspense and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Same goes with literature. Although we can’t physically hear the music, it is shown through the text and author’s word choice.

Poetry is a form of music in a way. The rhyme and structure is almost exactly the same. Ballads, hymns, lyrical poems, and psalms are all types of poetry that incorporates music in it. William Shakespeare’s sonnet 128 was known for its musical theme. The poem describes a young lad, probably Shakespeare, who watches and envies his lovely woman play the virginal (Similar to a piano). He is captivated by its melody and gets lost in the music. It’s quite amusing when he said that the keys stood up and kissed her hands while he stands there and watches. My guess is that he really wants to play the instrument and focuses more on the music rather than the beautiful lady playing it.

Music like the Moonlight Sonata can be linked with many poems focusing on the importance of beauty and darkness such as A Hymn to the Night by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It emphasizes less on the negative aspects of darkness but the peaceful and tranquil qualities. A lover is mysterious but caring.

Music is in everything from literature to pop culture and movies. Without music, life would be dull, movies won’t be as interesting, and an important part of literature will disappear.

The Reaper and the Flowers

While Longfellow wrote a Psalm about life, he also wrote the opposite: The Psalm of Death or mostly known as The Reaper and the Flowers. We humans don’t expect the unexpected and everything is not what it seems. Out of the four poems I choose to write about, this was my favorite. I had some mixed reactions to this poem. The Reaper and the flowers is mainly about death but we shouldn’t really be afraid. We have to let go at some point. When I first read the poem, I depict death as the fearful grim reaper that carries a sickle (“with his sickle keen, he reaps the bearded grain.”) and snatches the innocent lives of the flower. Halfway through the poem, I see death show emotions and regret when taking their lives. (“He gazed at the flower with tearful eyes, he kissed their drooping lips.”) In the end of the poem, The Reaper was actually an angel sent from heaven to take care of the child and seat him with the lord. The mother eventually will get to see her children in the future.

The irony in the poem plays a major role in the tone and development of theme. At first, the tone was sad and depressing. The reaper has come to take your child away. There is fear and uncertainty. Then the author goes on to tell you that it was really an angel who came to protect and bring the child to a much better place. The tone then switches to assurance and delight. It’s like going on a rollercoaster or a haunted house ride for the first time. You are nervous and scared but after the ride, you are glad that it’s done and can get it over with. It’s a part of letting go your loved ones for the better. This poem can be related to the subject of euthanasia. We question whether it’s ok to let go of our loved ones or have them keep suffering forever. The theme of this poem is that all things are not what it seems. Death is merciless. But behind the dark appearance is someone who expresses care and mercy. There is a whole different side to death, it brings light and heaven. Don’t judge by appearance or expectation.

A Hymn to the Night

Another poem that I decide to include in my paper is A Hymn To The Night by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. What caught my eye is that this poem has a similar theme to the previous poem that it did. It emphasizes the beauty of nature and night by comparing it to a gorgeous lover. The poem’s main purpose revolves around the major technique the author uses: Personification and metaphor. Longfellow is comparing the majestic presence of night to a lover and giving it human qualities such as wearing “trailing garments” and “sable skirts”. The theme of this poem is darkness isn’t what is seems. Many people view darkness as negative and fear, but the truth is that we don’t always look beyond what is given. The night can be a peaceful time when the soul rest and we have to admire the beauty within the dark. Darkness is the lover or someone who loves after us and provides us with peace and tranquility.

       This poem is taking more of a romantic approach to nature and the darkness. The tone in this poem is interrelated with the paradox. It is dark and cynical yet delightful and has a positive feeling. It’s like enjoying a short hike through the woods on a warm spring night compared to walking through a dark and windy path through a graveyard at night. You get a more positive feeling instead of focusing on the negative side. That is what the author is trying to convey. These lines “sounds of sorrow and delight that fills that haunted chambers of night” are related to the paradox. It seems contradictory but works well with the atmosphere and tone the author creates to give the readers a sense of peace and beauty the night provides.

       This poem reminds me of Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day…” In sonnet 18, Shakespeare is demonstrating his love towards his lover by comparing her to the warm summer day and its charming sunshine. Longfellow and Shakespeare are two great poets who admire nature the same way as their lover.

Nature of Longfellow's poems

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poems mainly focus on the concept of the human cycle, our role in nature, and Death. In his poem Nature, he expresses death as a more blissful state. It is more positive and he uses the relationship between a mother and child as a metaphor to show our relationship with nature. Mother Nature nurtures us, takes care of us, and when the time comes, she strips away our earthly distractions to prepare us for the inevitable. The image of death in this poem is putting a cranky child to bed. We don’t want to go but there’s not much we can do. “Nature takes away our playthings one by one, and by the hand leads us to rest so gently.” It should be peaceful and happy, like going to bed after a long day of work to relive all the stress and pain from this world.

Longfellow also takes a different approach on death as he is reminiscing about his early life as a child and his curiosity. In his poem The tide rises, the tide falls, he creates more of a somber atmosphere in the first two lines. Darkness and sea are being used twice and personified. The symbolism and image that showed up in his previous poem A Psalm of Life, Footprints on the sands of time, reappears again in this poem, but in a more darker and sad tone. In his first poem, we need to make a footprint in the sands so we can be remembered forever and our life’s work isn’t in vain. In the poem The tide rises, the tide falls, the traveler is the man. Our footprints are washed away by the waves of the ocean which symbolizes that our impression will not be long lasting and we may be forgotten when we die. Man can never overcome Nature and its vast power. The traveler never returns and yet the waves still continues. Although the author doesn’t directly state death occurs, it is implied when the traveler didn’t return and he is forgotten.  Man dies, but the cycle of nature and life resumes even if you are not around to see it.

Longfellow and A Psalm of Life

For this quarter’s AP English Literature, I had to make a pretty tough decision on which poets I have to write about. It was a tie between Ralph Waldo Emerson and his transcendental approach to poetry and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his optimistic view on nature. Both were great poets but I ended up choosing Longfellow. His view on the nature and human life is straight forward and positive. Whereas, Emerson focus more on the complexity of transcendentalism and his poems are a lot harder to interpret.

       I had previous knowledge about Longfellow and the first couple of things that came to my mind are his poems: The Cross of Snow and My Lost Youth. These were the poems that I know by heart. The first poem that I choose to analyze is A Psalm of Life. This poem describes how a person should live and not have any worries. We have to make the best out of our lives and seize every opportunity. Most of Longfellow’s poems do not have a specific setting or place. The purpose he is trying to convey is usually focused on the deeper meaning of his poems. The setting in the poems that I choose doesn’t play a significant role.

In the poem A Psalm of Life, the personification (Art is long, and time is fleeing) and metaphor (In the world's broad field of battle, in the bivouac of Life) all leads up to the main theme/purpose of the poem. A person shouldn’t really have to worry about the future or dying but look forward and live your life to the fullest. Catch every opportunity that is given to you. “Trust no future, Act-act in the living present.”

       This poem shows Longfellow’s thanatological approach on life. He doesn’t fear death. Instead he believes that your soul truly flourishes in the afterlife and we should be more positive on life. Longfellow, Morrie Schwartz, and all other optimist have the same view: a life should never go to waste.

Is He a Champion Or Hero?

A man is his own champion. To be a champion, you must be the man. And a man cannot be a hero without first becoming a champion

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words Champion and Hero? Maybe superman, Batman, someone who possesses extraordinary powers, has amazing qualities, number one, athletic, enduring, and challenging.

Champions and heroes can be the same and different from each other depending on an individual’s opinion.

       A champion has more than one definition. It is usually a person who has endured pain, challenged by hardships (Opponents) and risen above many obstacles to get to the top. It is associated with Honor and portrayed as a fighting warrior. A hero is someone who possesses humility, courage, and positive qualities. They do good for the people and set an example for many. A hero can be your parent, someone you love, or a powerful figure you look up upon. The number one basketball player or golfer in the nation is an example of a champion. They have exceptional abilities to go through obstacles and reach the top.

Many people (Especially the media) see these two qualities dependent on each other. When a person becomes a champion, we automatically look up to them and view them as our hero. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Prince Williams, Lebron James, even your friends and family members are all champions that you consider heroes because they were able to succeed in life and go beyond their limit. They proved to others that since they are capable to do such thing, we all can too with the inspiration and help.

So, how is a hero defined in literature? A hero is a universal archetype and is included in almost every story. There are many elements that shape a hero. First is courage. It is what makes a person unique and differentiates a hero from a ordinary person. A hero doesn’t back down. Second element is their will power. Are they strong enough to suffer and change? This proves a person’s capability to withstand anything.

There are different types of heroes in literature. William Shakespeare is mostly known for his TRADGIC heroes such as Macbeth, King Lear, and Hamlet. They are protagonists who suffered because of that one major flaw which ends up killing them. In Macbeth, it’s pride. In Hamlet, it’s over-thinking and procrastination. In the end, the hero goes through a series of changes and draws the readers to feel pity and compassion for them. Other famous heroes in literature includes: Conan, Achilles, Beowulf, Joan of Arc, King Arthur, Don Quixote, and Jesus.

       Champion-like and heroic are qualities that aren’t really tangible to us. We can’t pinpoint whether person is a hero or a champion. But we can perhaps tell if a person possess the right qualities.

A Life Lesson That Can Never Be Taught

As I was reading Tuesdays with Morrie for my Death and Dying class, there were many life lessons I discover that was really inspiring. One of Morrie Schwartz’s main philosophies is that we live life day to day without any meaning or purpose. We have goals and yet we choose not to follow them, we tend to choose money, power, and status above what is most important than anything else, love and companionship. Materialism and our culture’s values have shaped us into an “unwashed mass”. We are brainwashed by the items we own and view money as the holy alter for human life. Yes money does lead to status and a strong life, but what’s important is establishing a loving relationship with others. You can’t take money or power after you die. The materials you posses are gone after you die, but your love and influence can last eternally.

I am surprised that someone who is dying from ALS and only have few months to live can be so confident and optimistic. To him, life is a glass half full. Since he is dying, he won’t let the disease take control of his life. Morrie Schwartz lives by the main life principle; you live once so make it worth-while. He is a strong man who refuses to give up, instead he takes advantage of the time he has left and spread his teachings and discussions on dying to the whole world. This influential man reached beyond his barriers to provide us with extravagant knowledge on living life and dying. “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”~Morrie Schwartz 

There was a poem I came across that relates to Morrie’s teachings in Mitch’s book. It’s called O me! O Life! By Walt Whitman. This poem stresses the importance of attempting to make meaning from life with the sense of nonexistence. You are the life and identity that brings meaning to seize the day (Carpe Diem) Morrie teaches that when your life is empty, find a purpose to fill the hole. To take control and do something that will make a difference is better than sitting on your butt and being depressed. After all, look how Morrie turned out to be.

“When life gives you lemons, you can ask for a receipt and return the box, OR you can get some salt and tequila and throw a major party.” Always Stay Positive!!

Hamlet vs Mel Gibson

After I got done reading Hamlet, I went to watch the movie online which features Mel Gibson as Hamlet. The movie was much better than the older versions and other adaptations. It’s like comparing The Dark Knight Rises to the original batman. It has more drama, better quality, and the actors are a lot more energetic and alive. Surprisingly, the movie went along well with the play and there aren’t many major changes unlike other movies adapted from books such as: Frankenstein, Dracula, Harry Potter, Hobbit, The Godfather. The movie was so similar that I was able to read along with the play as I watched the movie.

       What I like about the movie is that most of the actors are more emotional and exciting so the movie doesn’t drag and it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Each soliloquy is more dramatic than the last and builds tension towards the next scene. The settings in each act plays perfectly to the tone and the audience gets the full effect of what each character is feeling. Whereas in the play, I got bored after the second soliloquy and can’t understand what the character is trying to get across. You get this “Can we just move on to the next scene” feeling and can’t wait to put this play down.

       One of my favorite scenes in the movie is Gonzago’s play and Claudius’s reaction to it. In the play, it just tells you that the king felt shocked and went to his room. In the movie, you experience the full emotion of the king and see the guilty conscience overtaking his mind. It’s like déjà vu in an extreme, to see your actions and the exact way you killed the king in front of everyone and you don’t know if people suspect you.

       There are some minor adjustments to the movie that aren’t really noticeable until you actually examine to movie and the play in depth. There was a funeral scene at the beginning of the movie, Polonius found out by spying on Hamlet and Ophelia instead of having Ophelia tell him about Hamlet’s condition, and some dialogues were cut short to prevent the movie from getting dull. One thing I didn’t like about the movie in general is that it is dramatic but there wasn’t a lot of blood or intense violence. But if you were reading the play, you can let your mind and imagination do the work and create as many vivid and bloody scenes in your head. I want someone to produce a Hamlet movie that has more blood, gore, sex scenes, and preferably R rated.

       I believed that Mel Gibson is the perfect actor to play Hamlet. He has the persona and quality of Hamlet and he is kind of dark and scheming in most of his movies like Braveheart, Apocalypto, Lethal Weapon, and Edge of Darkness.

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston was one novel that I had mixed reviews about. I despised the treacherous dialect and syntax the author uses in this book but I enjoyed the story by itself. In most African American novels such as Their eyes were watching God, A Raisin in the Sun, The Piano Lesson, The language and dialect depicts their culture, background, tone, and setting. It is important to be familiar to the language in order to be able to connect with the characters. For me, Their eyes were watching God was one of the most difficult books I’ve read throughout my life. I can even understand Shakespeare more than Hurston. The author in this book writes like how the people speak. I am a Chinese-American. My native dialect is mandarin and it was a challenge for me to comprehend the novel since it’s in a southern slang dialect. Hurston modifies how the character speaks. Like Janie, instead of using “the”, she would replace it with “duh”.

 Many African American novels have cultural significance and usually rooted back to slavery times. In The Piano Lesson, the carvings on the piano represent the struggles boy Willy’s dad had endured and wanted to sell the piano in order to buy back the freedom. What I like about the Piano lesson is that it has the element of supernatural. This makes the play more interesting for me so I don’t get bored reading a few guys arguing over a piano.

In the opening lines of Their Eyes Were Watching God, A black man’s wish is to escape and be free. The closer the ship gets, freedom becomes a possibility. This quote also emphasizes the theme in the novel. Janie’s search for fulfillment and completeness is compared to a man’s desire on a ship. In A raisin in the sun and The Piano Lesson, The themes of these play focuses on the American Dream. Instead of searching for freedom, you live your freedom by achieving your goals. Boy Willy dreams to sell the piano in order to buy back the freedom and land that his father harvested. In A Raisin in the sun, the dream of all the characters (especially Mama) is to keep the family together and have a safe place to live.

Their Eyes Were Watching God has many historical approaches including the rejection of the Racial Uplift Program and the Harlem Renaissance. It received many racist, sexist, and political criticism. I see myself as the “voiceless” person trying to find my place in society despite what others view me as.