Rereading, New Noticings

So I've decided that I would read one book every month for this entire year that was not part of my assigned readings from my classes. During March and February I returned to two novels that I think I merely skimmed when I was assigned to read them in High School. The following is an account of some of the things I overlooked and could have noticed if I had actually taken the time to do so. I enjoyed Feb's book the most so i've blogged a bit on it.

February's Book

Things I noticed in Great Expectations

-There is a fine line between imagining and telling a lie

-There is a need for children to listen to themselves because they are innocent (this is limited in some respects)

-Expectations usually dictate our decisions, and what morals guide our pursuits. President Monson gave a talk that incorporated the theme of "expectations" from this book. I think he said it best when he said, " I say to you, as that lawyer said about Pip, you havegreat expectations—not as the result of an unknown benefactor, but as the result of a known benefactor—even our Heavenly Father—and great things are expected of you."

-Experience allows you to make connections and gain personal insight

-Life s full of Options, Pip brings up the idea of links that are made of iron or gold, thorns or flowers, however both are necessary to growth

-There are two popular/common leads to one's morality : Money or Integrity

-plays into Blake's Innocence vs. Experience ideas

-Pip is writing a reflective narrative, this brings up the idea of keeping a record, and writing your story as a means of establishing identity and evaluating your values.

-Helping others (Pip to Herbert, Magwitch to Pip) can be a mechanism of redemption, however I think there is a selfish element to this channel of atonement

-companionship is a human need

So there are two endings to this book the revised and the original. Personally, I like the revised ending because both Pip and Estella experience a moment of clarity. Even though there is ambiguity as to what path they will both take, the words and gestures they share emphasize that both characters have experienced a transformation that has brought them to understand themselves better. I think its interesting that their imperfect nature makes them perfect for each other.

Noticings on Blake

So I've been thinking about Blake's poem "the Tiger" for a while now. This is what came to mind.

There is a direct relationship that exists between a creator and its creation. In William Blake’s Poem, “The Tyger,” the idea of placing responsibility in the hands of the maker is explored. Through the use of symbols the author is able to craft a literary piece that reflects how all goodness stems from the seeds of a loving and nurturing maker just as all evil is derived from negative influences. This poem suggests that the outcome of every creation depends upon the nourishment that is provided by its creator.
In this poem, the tiger is introduced as a being that breeds despair. The tiger is described to be “in the forest of the night.“ Such an assertion implies that the tiger, in this case a symbol of a dangerous predator, is most powerful when he surrounded by darkness because this is when he is “burning bright.” Initailly, the narrator is caught up in his curiosity of finding out who had created the tiger. He questions, “What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” This line emphasizes the speakers sincere desire to know who could have been motivated to create a being that is the very emblem of what society perceives to be as evil. The anxiety of the speaker is heightened as the poem discloses goes on without clearly disclosing who or what were the intentions of the tigers creator. The only lasting and understandable aspect that prevails in these first lines is that the tiger is a creature to be feared. Also, that as a feared creature, the “imoortal hand” that crafted his character, and his very being is the main contributor to the danger her inflicts. Though the nurturer, or the maker of the tiger is not identified, the attributes that stand out in the tiger are a reflection of his source of direction.
As the poem continues, the anxiety of the is intensified and the responsibility of the maker is emphasized. Creation is looked through a different light in this text. This poem portrays the act of creating to be a dark and mysterious process. The creator is also associated with tools such as hammers, and chains and a furnace. These words provided specific connotation to a mechanic and unnatural form of creating. Thus, this provides a contrast to the romanticist ideal that nature is spontaneous. By directly claiming that the tiger was synthesized in a harsh an twisted manner that left no room for extending delicate, and natural processes to occur, the author is also suggesting that the tiger is a mechanism built in the likeness of a similar maker. However, in the fourth stanza, the narrator asks, “Did He who made the lamb make thee?” Just as the tiger represents the rawness of evil, the lamb symbolizes the simplistic humility of a creature made in the likeness of a kind and caring creator. Thus, this ultimately indicates that a maker is responsible for the outcome of its creation. Blake makes a transformation in the wording of his sentences. Though he initially seeks for answers using the word “what” as a question prompt, in the last three stanzas, he uses the word “Dare” to highlight that the creator of the tiger has challenged stability by constructing a creature capable of destruction. The progression of this poem works well to show how the presence of despair can be related to the motives of a creator.
In the end of the poem, readers are still unclear as to who was precisely responsible for the tiger’s creation. This notion of ambiguity develops the idea that each creation can simply be identified by the good or the bad their actions are able to produce. In essence, the deeds of anyone creation are reflective of their creator. In the case of the tiger, his name is marred because in general he is perceived to be a predator and a stimulant of evil. The example of the tiger in this poem exclusively portrays how each being and creation can be identified by its maker or the hands that nourish it.

What We Have Loved, Others Will Love

I decided that I should take the time to explain the purpose of this blog. Aside from the academic criterion that has been set by my Literary Critical Theory class, I am excited to know that this can be a chance to fall in love with literature all over again.

It was Wordsworth who wrote, "What we have loved, Others will love, and we will teach them how." After reading several passages from David H. Richter's compilation, Falling into Theory, I gathered sometimes the best way to learn from literature is to let "the text work on us, not we on it."

Let the "working" begin!

Twilight Arch

I love Central Park. If you've ever been there right before dusk during the summer months, you'll soon discover that watching the twilight arch in New York is enough to make you fall in love with the city all over again. When I say "city" I -- like most New Yorkers do, am referring to Manhattan. When I see a band of red and blue leading night across the city sky, I often think of Mark Twain when he said,

"Happiness is a sunset; it is there for all, but most of us look the other way and lose it."

Come to think of it, I can't remember when I last took the time to watch the a sunset. Its amazing that when I take the time to stop and think about it-- I realize that beauty finds its way into my life. Sometimes, I need to look beyond the chalky-asphlat streets or above the concrete walls that tower past my head. Looking in places where I least expect beauty and finding it there always makes me smile. And so, I echo the words of Twain. There is always a reason, a choice and a need to find happiness. But most of the time, it finds us.

I wrote a poem several years ago that I found to be fitting for this beginning post. It is entitled "Meet Me" This stanza in particular stood out to me...

Meet me when the sun has set

Where time has fallen still--

Beneath the arms, of tributes kept

An ensign to this will.

I find that most of my writing ideas, or just my ideas in general, "meet me" when the near darkness of dusk has kissed the sky. Theres just something about the nighttime's untroubled air that gets me thinking. And yes, that stillness, that peaceful lull; "it is there for all."