Relationships: Blog 7

Li Young Lee 

(Persimmons, Eating Alone, Eating Together, and This Room and Everything In It)

"Maybe being winged means being wounded by infinity."

The poems we read by Li Young Lee (not related to Bruce Lee) were very interesting to me. I find raw truthfulness to be just as telling as mysterious poetry; someone who uses complexity rather than a simple storytelling like Lee did is equally as impressive. I think it was very obvious that the tones of his poetry were all revolved around Lee's father - whether or not it was his father in his personal life or just the father in all his poetry remains to be seen, but it was all very distressing and all about a father figure (or at least the poems we read in class had a paternal symbol mentioned in each of them). I decided to delve deeper into Lee's life to see where this distress came from. I know we mentioned that he did have father issues, but we didn't go much into detail. Taking cues from some of the other stories or artists we've read/read about, I knew that it couldn't be sheer coincidence. It turns out that I was right. After some research, what I found about Li Young Lee's life at home was really telling of the poetry and stories he writes, and it was mostly information about father figures or male figures in his lineage. Here are a few facts:

• Li Young Lee's father was exiled from his home country and spent 19 months in an Indonesian prison camp in Macau.
• Lee's maternal grandfather was the first president of the Republic of China.
• Lee's father was a personal physician to Mao Tse-tung, a communist revolutionary in China.
• Lee's father read to him frequently as a child, Lee didn't begin to seriously read and write until college.

I think it's important to understand an author's background, at least to some extent, while reading their work. There's a lot of insight to be found, in my opinion. For instance, had I not looked into Lee's life, I would've never known the types of struggles he illustrated or the position he held toward the father/father figure in his poetry. Some of it is clearly longing, like in "Eating Together," where the family is missing the man of the house. Some of it is obviously remorse that he didn't take all the time he had with his father a lot more seriously, like in "Eating Alone." At first read, it would be easy to say that the father of these situations has passed on - and maybe that's a correct assumption - but in looking into his background, we see that his father was missing for some time and in a pretty bad situation. I think having a father locked away as a political prisoner and forbidden to come home is enough to give anyone 'daddy issues.'

Sherman Alexie

(At Navajo Monument Valley Tribal School, Pawn Shop, Crow Testament)

"The world, even the smallest parts of it, is filled with things you don't know."

Allow me to start with this author by saying this: I adore Sherman Alexie as a person! I didn't think much about him until after we watched the video interviews of him, but I find him to be incredibly interesting. I guess (rather ashamedly) I didn't think he was going to be very educated. I didn't much enjoy any of his poetry except for Pawn Shop, which wasn't your typical poem. I do connect to him on a cultural level in some way; I have enough Indian in me from both sides of my family to kind of grasp what he means when he speaks about the continuous struggle of an American Indian person, though I don't experience those things myself, because I've obviously had nowhere near the kind of lifestyle they have had. I just did not expect a poet to be funny. I don't know why that provides a mental blockage, but it does. Besides finding this man absolutely enthralling, one of the things I found interesting in his poetry was the incorporation of spirit animals. 

I am part Choctaw and part Chickasaw Indian. What I found to be interesting is that spirit animals can be pretty much any animal out there and that it isn't just your choice. This is a very serious process in Indian tradition. For Choctaw Indians, it's especially nature-and-body oriented. The key is to sweat - go to a sweat lodge - or spend time in the wild. It's to actually get to know the animals. All animals react differently to different humans (as evidenced by probably even your friends' dogs vs. your own dogs). Whichever animal takes a special affection to you, helps you through your time in the wild, and sticks with you is your spirit animal. You will have a connection if you have opened yourself up. You can also get your elder/leader to do a quest for you, pray/meditate on the subject, or if you're born into a certain clan, that already tells you your traditional spirit animal, though you can have more than one. As Alexie said on one of the websites we encountered in class: "Everything, everything, everything has its cost. I have a spirit animal, but it's a wasp." To me, what is not-so-astonishing is that the wasp is a symbolism for the need to express ourselves more clearly. With the half-humor-half-sadness that Alexie expresses, I wouldn't mind a little clarity on his poetic genre, myself.

Jhumpa Lahiri

(Sexy)

"That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet."

To me, Jhumpa Lahiri's work represents many things: youth, culture, modernism, confusion... all states that I can relate to at this time in my life. Though I can't say I'm off having an affair with a married man, I can say that I understand what it's like to want to be wanted. Though I can't say that I understand what it's like to be all alone in a huge, brand new city right now, I can say I know what it's like to be starting out somewhere fresh without a familiar soul anywhere near. Though I don't claim to understand her choices, I do understand the main character's feelings in the short story "Sexy." I've been faced with many more international students here at UNA than I was used to being around in high school. I went to and graduated from a high school with a class of 66 white, young adults who were all mostly related to each other. I went there my whole life, but I never felt like I fit in. I had friends, but no one I could take with me to college. Coming here, I was so refreshed to meet new faces that weren't much like my own. I absolutely love the diversity; it is no wonder I was absolutely miserable in high school (haha). 

I've never had a problem meeting new people (nor a problem with people of another race than me - that goes without being said). I did, however, have a lack of experience in talking with people who didn't use a clear English accent. Many, many times I have been embarrassed in conversations where I had no clue what the other person said after repeating themselves multiple times. Though I've gotten much better in my second semester, I can definitely understand the confusion that Miranda experiences in her cross-cultural relationships in this story. Though it's not language for her, it is body language, it still clearly shows the discrepancy. So I wanted to put a few things in my blog about body language and how it differs around the world!

• The 'o' symbol with your thumb and forefinger - It represents OK to most English-speaking areas. It represents 'zero' or 'worthless' in French. It represents money in Japan. In ancient Greece, it's a sexual insult (though we don't have to go too far into that...).

• A thumbs up - It means a good job or OK in America. It is generally accepted as the number 1 in European countries, as that's the widely accepted order to count in. In Greece, again, it's a pretty hefty insult.

• The Corona - Like the 'rock on' symbol, in America, it represents just that. It also represents the Longhorn, the University of Texas's mascot, dispelling evil in Buddhism and Hinduism, and the Devil or Devil's works in other cultures, such as Mediterranean.

Billy Collins

I had to miss class last Thursday due to the inclement weather, so I'm making up the quiz by doing this blog post. The poems we read and discussed were "Forgetfulness," "I Chop Some Parsley While Listening to Art Blakey's Version of "Three Blind Mice"", and "The Night House," all by Billy Collins. He writes about practical things that most people can relate to, whether they have experienced the situations firsthand or been close to someone who has. He describes simple things or even everyday happenings in an eloquently easy-to-understand way. These poems, most notably, would not make a very exciting movie. In fact, they wouldn't even make one scene of a movie very noteworthy. Still, the familiar becomes deep and satisfying under his words, and that makes Collins's work much easier to analyze.

"Forgetfulness"

This poem is obviously about the things that the mind loses over time. We can't retain everything we learn, everything we see, or every memory we would like to keep. It is just a fact of human life. That is the most simple way to put this poem, and it was pretty obvious when the reader just takes a glimpse of the title. After the second time I read through, though, I took it in a deeper way: nothing lasts forever, and Billy Collins wants us to know that. He talks of learning new things all the time, and with each one, losing another. We can't possibly keep all the skills we learn (like swimming or riding a bike), and it especially gets harder the older we get. It is not just about the mind in this situation, very obviously. Though this poem shows a slight bit of dwelling on the humanity of such things, it isn't all doom and gloom. In fact, it has much of the lightheartedness that Collins's poems often show in their conversational style. He uses imagery to create the story that isn't really there in the sense of a story line, but rather something you can see progress.

"I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey's Version of "Three Blind Mice""

Here, Collins takes a child's poem and makes it mean something while doing the simplest of everyday tasks. Much like his poetry, at first glance, it was just that - a daily activity while a man listens to music. With each of Collins's poems, you have to read more than once. The complexity certainly comes after the second or third time, and appreciation with the understanding. So after realizing just how deep in thought the speaker was, it became a story to tell. The man is a thinker, deep in thought to occupy his mind as he does his hand. He analyzes the song, making us realize that it's obviously not just a simple tune. This, again, is applied to his work: if we take it just like we see it, we completely miss the importance or the depth. One of Collins's quotes go as follows: "walk inside [a] poem’s room and feel the walls for a light switch." We don't have to analyze it to death! Just like that poetry scenario, in the poem, we accept the child's song like it is when we are young, but the man who is doing his adult chores has become a cynic and must search for the answers within.

"The Night House"

This poem proves to be one of Collins less lighthearted ones that I've ever read. Though it's read with a certain fluency, it obviously has a deep connotation the first time you go through it. Here, Collins attempts to personify the elements of the human experience. He does this by the day (when we are awake) and the night (when we are asleep), and he makes no mistake with what each part of humanity is doing. The heart is "restless," as always, being the emotional part of us. The mind is working even when the body is not, reading a book and staying awake. The conscience is perhaps the most telling, as it "roams from room to room in the dark, darting away from every mirror like a strange fish." Just like a conscience, who knows the body's every mistake, everything It tells us not to do, it refuses to see what it has allowed the body to do by looking into the mirror. And the soul stands on the roof, wild and free, always the part of us that cannot be contained. Again, Collins has shown us to the parts of ourselves that we can relate to - we know our body best, and though we are unique, our parts work in the same way that everyone else's does, and this poem seeks to connect us in that manner.

Statistics: Blog 6

Separating - John Updike 
There are few things in this world that are constant. Among the foremost of those remains to be your family. Friends, lovers, jobs, material possessions - it can all fade away in an instant. You cannot refute blood and though it's possible, it's rare that those so close to you would ever turn their backs on you. When it does happen, even in the slightest of terms, it is a devastating experience. Divorce doesn't necessarily mean abandonment or that love goes missing; it just means that the love is redistributed or re-homed. Regardless, that change is a huge one. In Separating, each individual character attempts to deal with this readjusted love in their distinct ways, demonstrating the very separate internal struggle that each has to overcome. Classically, one child simply can't deal and begins to act everything but himself (John). Judith, the eldest, attempts to ignore, or at least pretend that she is ignoring the horrible circumstance. Dickie, though outwardly strong, definitely shows his emotional turmoil when he finally breaks down and asks the question: Why?

The sad truth is that Richard, the father, after putting his kids through the beginnings of this awful situation, does not know why, or at least he has forgotten. We have all experienced situations where we thought we were doing what we wanted to do, but the consequences proved to be worse than the joy we got from the decision. It's regret. His conflict is understandable, but that's not always the case with divorce. Personally, I had to go through my parents' divorce during my senior year of high school. It was supposed to be an exciting, busy time, but for the first semester, it certainly felt like one of the worst things that could ever happen. No matter what I was doing, I just couldn't find joy knowing that life was going to be so different at home. I was already going to be going through so much change with the ending of colorguard, drama club, band, high school, friendships - how could my parents put me through this change at home too? But it turns out it was for the best. My parents are individually much happier, more productive people, and they have remained friends. I know that's not a typical divorce, but I feel like it has been one of the most ideal ones. That doesn't change that it was a rough experience to go through nor the fact that divorce is, and should be, taken very seriously. You cannot expect to have a good divorce and you can't marry someone with the mindset that if it doesn't work out, you can just go off and get a divorce. 

However, as the year go on, people seem to be taking it much like that. Divorce has become like modern society: easy. We have evolved almost everything we make to be disposable and the media and industries are teaching us that we have to constantly be tossing out our stuff and getting something better. I find this to be completely disturbing, but the facts are definitely there. According to divorcerate.org, in the year 2012, following were the top 10 countries with the highest divorce rates:

1. Russia: 5
2. Belarus: 3.8
3. Ukraine: 3.6
4. Moldova: 3.5
5. Cayman Islands: 3.4 
6. United States 3.4
7. Bermuda: 3.3
8. Cuba: 3.2
9. Lithuania: 3.1
10. Czech Republic: 3.0

The divorce rates mentioned are as per 1,000 population.

It isn't as astonishing as it should be. It's not just an overwhelming number, but it is large. It's something to be aware about; it's a lesson. Don't get into marriage with the knowledge that you can just quit if it gets bad. Don't be a statistic. You may end up in a situation like Richard Maple, unable to explain why you threw it  away instead of fixing it.

Defender of the Faith - Philip Roth

In another story about struggle and hardships, Sgt. Marx is having to decide which of three internal conflicts he is going to tackle. Nathan Marx is recovering from the duty he'd done for his country - that is, fighting in the war. He was a great soldier, but now he is serving as a First Sergeant for boys who are acclimating to their first battles. Unstable with his internal struggles, he immediately becomes an easy target for a big external one: Sheldon Grossbart. The boy manipulates him and tests not only his temper, but also his values and responsibilities. It is after he realizes that he is getting played by this soldier that Marx knows he must decide what he is defending: his humanity, his sergeant duties, or his piety. Sheldon Grossbart, in many different ways, tests each of these thoroughly. That's not an easy thing to decide. How do you choose what is most important when the contestants are being a good person, your job, or your religion? 

Among this hard decision that Sgt. Nathan Marx has to make, the beginning argument of the short story is somewhat dropped. We are first presented with a conflicted Marx, a man who is reeling from war. As he meets this kid who gives him present troubles, that stress he was feeling seems to be dropped along the way. In no way do I think this was purposeless from the view of Roth - I think it was a nod to the psychological trauma the man was really going through. It is no surprise that soldiers, after they come home, are changed forever. Their mindsets are totally changed after experiencing things that we, as humans, aren't preconditioned to to see or go through. Mutilation, mass murder, and the gruesome deaths that those men and women must face everyday is not normal and it will change a person forever. Marx says he had been "fortunate enough to develop an infantryman's heart which, like his feet, at first aches and swells, but finally grows horny enough for him to travel the weirdest paths without feeling a thing." Research supports that statement, saying that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, often associated with people who have experienced war) is developed by exposure to prolonged trauma that alters the brain chemistry. The numbness that Marx is feeling is definitely not a normal way of thinking, evidencing that he could possibly be suffering from this disease of the mind.

Here is more evidence to the situation of Marx from the above linked website.

The estimated risk for developing PTSD for people who have experienced the following traumatic events is:

• 16.8% serious accident or injury
• 15.4% shooting or stabbing
• 14.3% sudden, unexpected death of someone close
• 7.3% witness to killing or serious injury
• PTSD may develop following exposure to extreme trauma.
• Extreme trauma is a terrifying event or ordeal that a person has experienced, witnessed or learned about, especially one that is life-threatening or causes physical harm. It can be a single event or repeated experience.
• The experience causes that person to feel intense fear, horror or a sense of helplessness.

It is evident that Marx's original conflict could be classified as PTSD. He writes letters to old girlfriends looking for solace; he has become less motivated to rely on his religion as a safe place; he has eventually become so numb, he does not even "mind the trembling of the old people, the crying of the very young, the uncertain fear in the eyes of the once arrogant." I think that this says a lot about Sgt. Marx in this story because he so easily gives into Grossbart's manipulation. Before the war, would he have been stronger in these things - his humanity, his religion, and his values? Would that have changed the way he dealt with Grossbart throughout the story? Statistics point to the affirmative.

How to Tame a Wild Tongue - Gloria Anzaldua 

The author of this story is in a struggle much different than those from the previous stories. She is not in a war and she is not experiencing a familial separation. She has lived with her struggle since the beginning of her life: she is the owner of a hybrid identity. She is a mix of more than one ethnicity and culture, speaks many languages, and may be confused even as far as race. The speaker says, rather correctly, that those are the things deeply rooted in us - they are the beginnings of who we are. The entire story is about the accommodations she must make in her daily life when faced even with simple encounters with other people. I can say that I definitely sympathize. It would be extremely hard not to know who you are, truly, at the very base of yourself. 

While reading the story, I thought to myself: "Why is this such a bad thing? Why is she so down about this?" I figured it was definitely something to question and maybe be down about during pivotal times in life, but it seems like it would be something to just overcome and accept. After all, we make ourselves to some extent - we are not solely who we are born for the rest of our lives. There is the element of nurture, not just nature, to take into account. I even went as far as to make an example:
I understand she is going through somewhat of an identity crisis. BUT, if you took a man from Ireland, a man from Great Britain, and a man from the United States, who could all potentially have the same hair and eye color and do have the same skin color, wouldn't they all three look very similar? Would it be offensive to them for someone to think they were of the same ethnicity or culture or race? I didn't think so, and if they did, they would probably just correct the onlooker and move on.

Then I thought about how the speaker's main argument had to do with the languages spoken. She spent a lot of time correcting and explaining the Chicana's way of speaking and where it was derived from. Assuming that she lived in America (because of various evidence that is not my central point), I was forced to think about the languages we speak here that we claim are "native." We spoke in class that we are all immigrants to this country - is English the official language? I honestly can say that I don't understand why there is such hatred about the various languages being brought to America, especially if they can speak multiple ones like the speaker in Wild Tongue; but after thinking about that, I can definitely see her struggle with her many languages and the appropriate times to speak which, especially with English. English is, in my opinion, the hardest language in the WORLD to learn. It isn't necessarily derived from anything and the logic behind the language... well, there isn't much, which is very different from Spanish, where conjugations make everything pretty easy to understand and very fluent. To make my point, I just think that at first, I didn't enjoy the story and didn't understand her frustration. After examining the language of my own, I can derive how hard it is for those who have tried to learn our language and become an accepted part would have a hard time deciphering how and when to use it. To demonstrate and end this post, I will paste part of a poem below:

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find
that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea
pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig...

Noncomformity: Blog 5

Good Country People - Flannery O'Connor
"Good Country People" is a story about a young woman and her family and the things in life that define them. Though her family is not very traditional with just her mother and an old maid, that's exactly what they represent: tradition and the old way of life. They are the "good country people" in the title. The daughter, however, represents the new and upcoming ways of the world and is a true killjoy (yes, it's true, the fact that she changed her name from Joy to Hulga is no coincidence). The unappealing Hulga claims to have faith in absolutely nothing. The idea of nothingness is hard for anyone to accept, but that is how she is defining herself. Being that nothingness is so hard to accept as a person and as a reader, we are forced to realize that maybe there is a deeper meaning behind Hulga that we are not quite understanding. Hulga has a fake leg, which she also defines herself by. It is what some may call her "prized possession." Instead of letting herself be judged negatively by her shortcoming, she puts all her pride and... faith into it. She believes in something. Though by her standard, she puts forth that her disability is "nothing." Interesting? I'd say so. Therefore, I'd like to dive into some more symbolism in Good Country People and some of the common meanings of the symbols recurring in literature.

• White - Before Hulga goes off into the barn with Manley Pointer, she's wearing white. When she finally runs off with him, she's wearing white again, but this time O'Connor makes a point to say that her shirt is stained. White is the most common color referred to when talking of purity and innocence, both of which she is prepared to lose as she crosses the gate with Mr. Pointer. Even if she tries to play off that she doesn't care too much about these things, she still partly possesses them.
• The Gate - The gate, in conjunction, represents the fencing in of the good country people from the outside world -- a world where the deceptive Mr. Pointer came from and lures Hulga into. When she decides to cross the gate with him is when she truly lost herself before she lost the physical part of her that she recognized. In literature, gates often symbolize "entrances into new worlds, a new life, or a protecting/guarding aspect."
• Mrs. Hopewell - She is just as her name suggests: she hopes in a well manner, a positive manner. She is the source of "willful blindness" to the imperfections of life. In the story, on more than one occasion, when forced to acknowledge the unpleasantness of her daughter, she responds: "nothing is perfect," and continues on her cheerful way. She is the literal meaning of "ignorance is bliss," especially in the way of her daughter, who she accepts is going through a phase with this outside world nonsense and says is "still a child." 

(From Big Sur) Chapter 12, 13, and 14 - Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac lived in the time of train hopping, poetry, extraordinary things, sexual revolution, and most importantly, the "Beat" movement. It was a time of free souls seeking to stop being degraded by the "Man" and finding a deeper meaning to life. It's quite liberating to read just how... well, free, these kids lived, in my opinion. There have been many times in my life where I have wished to have no priorities, no needs, and no obligations. What I wouldn't have given to be able to pick up and move to the coast and start all over some times. Still, I see where there would be problems to come with that. To be a train-hopper included the loneliness of a constant drifter and the worry and fear of not knowing if you will have a job in the morning when you wake up. Still, to think that teenagers (and many others) lived in a time where this rebellion and free-spiritedness was rather commonplace, I can say that I am a bit jealous. With this inconsistent lifestyle that was a continuous gamble of on-the-move and alcohol, it is easy to see how the movement of "problems" came about. When I say problems, I mean conditions such as a rise of outcasts, depressed people, and PTSD from the homecoming soldiers. As a Psychology major, this is something I am particularly interested in.

The culture was based around accepting that not everyone was equal and not all was well, so people began to realize the things that made them different, especially the things that qualified as not the same as everyone else or necessarily good. They recognized the oppression of being lower class and of the personal consequences of choosing to be a drifter and sometimes unemployed. They dealt with very real things like depression, something people weren't used to being prevalent because they never recognized personal problems, especially mental, as being a real possibility. Now, depression is a problem that is very prevalent in today's society. Here are some statistics:

• An estimated 1 in 10 U.S. adults report having depression.
• Persons with less than a high school education are more likely to be depressed.
• Persons aged 18-24 are among the highest affected.
• Americans share 30-36% of the estimated 121 million people who suffer.
• States with higher depression rates have these common health factors: Obesity, heart disease, stroke, sleep disorders, lack of education, and lack of medical insurance.

All of the above can definitely point to many supporters and participators of the Beat movement. Interesting? Again, I'd say so.

The Starry Night, Sylvia's Death, and Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman - Anne Sexton
In Anne Sexton's poetry, it is easy to see inside a mind that suffers from mental pain, such as the depression mentioned above. Sexton tends toward traditional love elements of poetry but takes a dark turn on the sorrowful endings of it. Her poems most spoke to me because of this unconventional stance on life. She was willing to delve deep into the things many people want to turn a cheek to. Like my previous blog where I stated the macabre often lures people in, the same is true here. Many people like/are attracted to Sexton's work because of her brash and truthful representation of sadness and grief, even in her undertones. I think I am more attracted to it because it is something I understand. It is what I want to study more of in my lifetime. People who have this kind of pain are most often the deepest, most beautifully expressive minds of the world. It's my hope to work with people like Anne Sexton, who committed suicide after suffering from severe depression almost her entire life. It is my view that if someone could have picked up on the issues with her mental health in the time period, they might have been able to save her. Below, I will add some signs of depression so maybe you can help your loved ones or anyone in your life that may be enduring this kind of pain. Don't let people suffer in silence.

• I feel sad.
• I feel like crying a lot.
• I'm bored.
• I feel alone.
• I don't really feel sad, just "empty."
• I don't have confidence in myself.
• I don't like myself.
• I feel guilty.
• I can't concentrate.
• I'm so tired, no matter how much I sleep.
• I feel life isn't worth living.
• I feel ugly.
• I feel self-conscious.
• I feel my life has no direction.
• I don't have fun anymore.
• My appetite has increased - I could eat all the time.
• I'm clumsy.
• I don't want to go out with friends anymore.
• I feel "different" from everyone else.

Note from the website: It's normal to feel some of the following symptoms from time to time, but experiencing several or more for more than two or three weeks may indicate the presence of depression or another depressive illness. Remember, you must seek a professional for an accurate diagnosis of depression. This checklist is provided only as a tool to help you talk with your doctor or treatment provider about your concerns and develop an action plan for successful recovery.

Rip Rap, August on Sourdough, A Visit from Dick Brewer, Beneath my Hand and Eye the Distant Hills. Your Body - Gary Snyder
Gary Snyder had a much more optimistic view on life than many of the authors we've studied in American Literature thus far. He had a connection to nature that seemed to bring him peace and a simplistic outlook on the way he lived and in his day to day events. This definitely flowed through to his writing and poetry. He was romantic in a "man's man" kind of way. He was a transcendentalist - someone whose core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature, of which he was very connected to. He was about getting back to God and noticing His touch in the little things - a view to be admired. He embodied something in each of these poems, be it love, His great love, peace, or even friendship. He tended to take intangible things, feelings, relationships, and personify them in nature, in people, and in events. Though he would be called something like a "hardworking hippie" today, he was really just a different kind of person back in the time period that he wrote most of his works. He is still alive and would probably best describe himself as a kindred spirit to nature.

With a little research, I found that Gary Snyder's work is commonly being put into art of today's time. In fact, he is heading most of the reconstruction. With the movement toward a more "GREEN" society, something that we desperately need in this world, a touch of one of nature's biggest advocates could definitely promote this cleaner and more in-touch environment we so desperately need. The Gary Snyder Gallery contains many artists that are quite abstract in the way they try to pull Snyder's poetic vision through paint and even more 3D art. On the website, they state: "Co-founded by Gary Snyder and Garth Greenan in September 2011, Gary Snyder Gallery focuses on mid-twentieth-century American art, with a particular emphasis on artists who emerged during the 1960s. Snyder opened his first gallery in New York City in 1991. Gary Snyder Gallery is an evolution of Gary Snyder Project Space, located at 250 West 26th Street." If you have time, definitely check out some of the work presented there so you can get a better feel of what Gary Snyder is all about --- The Gary Snyder Gallery.

Facades: Blog 4

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner has continuously been one of my favorite pieces of literature throughout the years. Perhaps it is the allure of the unknown or macabre that draws me to it, which is something that has always been somewhere deep inside of me. I work at a haunted house. My favorite TV show does a death count at the end. It's no secret that I'm very drawn to the creepy and unconventional; it's also no secret that I am not alone in this attraction. A Rose for Emily is proof (at the very least) that people are captivated by things that are wrong, uncommon, unsettling, etc., even if they qualify as somewhat negative. "The Walking Dead" TV series/comic, as mentioned is class, is a part of this category, and goes even deeper as a link to A Rose for Emily as it is a more modern part of the Southern Gothic genre. If you're still a bit confused, think "The Green Mile." Below, I've compared a few Southern Gothic elements of both Faulkner's A Rose for Emily and my most favorite fictional story, "The Walking Dead."

• The Southern Gothic genre relies on the belief that social order and life isn't real. Ms. Emily has lashed out against a social oppression that has kept her unhappy; "The Walking Dead" teaches us that no matter who you are, no matter how much money is in your pocket or where you're at on Sundays, you can die; you can become a zombie, a sinister and disgusting creature that is a carbon copy of every single other one. Quite obviously, there is no social order and class if everyone ends up the same.
• The Southern Gothic element seeks to take the archetypes of common literature and show that the characters have more depth. The writers in this genre want to show that the main man isn't just a knight in shining armor and the typical sidekick doesn't just bow down to the unimposing hero. Instead, the protagonist takes on an absurd quality or does what the classic hero is supposed to do, but has a deeply flawed characteristic somewhere deep inside. Rick Grimes, the major character of "The Walking Dead," has saved his damsel in distress, but due to her own decisions (*SPOILER ALERT*), could not be saved from herself. He suffers the loss of her in a sick, mentally disturbed manner, something a macho-man prince would never do. Likewise, Emily has proven herself to be the "damsel in distress" of the situation, but Faulkner appropriates her into being a psychologically disturbed old hag - a classic Southern Gothic heroine.
• While having the tell-tale gun-slinging sheriff, a dirt road, horses, accents, and old houses constitutes the Southern part of this genre; grotesque and morbid plot lines and blood make up the Gothic. As a rule, the Southern Gothic category is defined with its ability to delve into psychological incorrectness and dark, underlying themes of the fringes of society with a nod to a somewhat-supernatural element. It is completely plausible that a brand-new, raging virus could take over people's brains (much like Meningitis) in mass quantity and spread like wildfire, causing an apocalyptic world where, to survive, you must become a killer. It is quite obviously a metaphysical stretch to say that there would be cannibal murderers involved, but it certainly adds to the creep-factor. In the same sense, it is highly believable that a woman could kill a man and keep him locked up for years, but the fact that the very-close neighbors couldn't smell a dead body over some chemicals around the yard and the police never got suspicious brings to the preternatural quality.

A prevalent theme of this set of stories we were assigned came to me only when I read the very last one. In every work, there was a sense of illusion, or perhaps more accurately define as a facade. 

Facade: the front or outer appearance, especially a deceptive one

With Ms. Emily in A Rose for Emily, it becomes apparent that she seeks to put on the face of what society wants her to be: a spinster, old and alone, with a bad attitude because of it. She does it well, so well that we are left to wonder if she truly felt the grief over her boyfriend's death or if she was just a creepy necrophiliac. In Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimajaro, while the main character, Harry, is dying a slow death, he pretends to hate his current wife. Or maybe he doesn't. Or maybe he does. With each change of his mind, the way he presents his attitude to her becomes a mask. In The Petrified Man by Eudora Welty, the relationships of each character are subjected to what the roles of men and women are in the current society. In a woman's world, each can chatter all they want about how they really feel, but come home and the perception of their character has been completely altered. Which is the real them? In The Swimmer by John Cheever, facades are a big part of the central idea. Ned, the protagonist, has tricked himself into believing in the grand life he once had and goes to great lengths to continue pretending he lives it because it was a happier time.

Putting on a facade has often been compared to being a "wolf in sheep's clothing." This does not always have a bad connotation, but just means that what is going on is not what the situation appears to be. Just like Ned in The Swimmer, his pretending has done nothing but prolonged his own painful realization. The story doesn't bother to tell how he has hurt anyone else other than himself. It is obvious, however, that he has put himself into this role -- that is, this false character -- because he can't take what he's done. It makes you wonder: what is more harmful? Is it bad to walk around as if nothing is wrong when you must eventually come home and face the facts? Is it wrong of someone to pretend that everything is okay when it may very well not be? For example, was it a terribly awful thing for Harry in The Snows of Kilimanjaro to put on a facade of anger so that his wife would let him go?

In a study done by the American Psychological Association, researchers say that putting on a facade may be a good thing. In doing so, you could be able to interact with other people socially in more acceptable ways than what the true thoughts are of your inner sanctum. But what is that doing for YOU? If you are upset, if you are falling apart, what good does it do to pretend that you are happy if everything is most certainly not 'okay'? It's like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches. Just like in The Swimmer, Ned fakes himself out until the end, but doesn't fool anyone else, and when he gets there, he must face his horrible reality. In The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Harry accomplishes nothing except leaving his wife with a broken heart - he dies anyway. These are just a few examples, in my opinion, of why you should always be you, and the you that you truly are. Feel what you need to feel, and if you can't deal with whatever it is you need to, then get help in doing so. There is no shame in facing crisis, tragedy, depression, but there is in pretending like you are above it.

If you need help, someone to talk to, contact UNA's Student Counseling Services. There are people everywhere who would love to hear what you have to say and help you "be okay."

Carnival: Blog 3

"Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat; 

the redeeming things are not happiness and pleasure but the deeper 

satisfactions that come out of struggle."

- F. S c o t t F i t z g e r a l d

At some point in life, be it now or before, or maybe even  later, you will feel left out. You will feel like the one that does not go... doesn't fit. This may happen for a moment, maybe just one situation, maybe a week, maybe a year, maybe a lifetime. Like Dr. Vince says, "It's like the ACT question... which of the following does not belong?" In each of the works assigned to me this week, I've found that the answer to that question is simple regarding characters, situations, things, etc. A prevalent, recurring theme takes into account that of some respectable Prince Charmings, Mr. Green and Joe, and some not-so-trustworthy lovers like Mrs. Wright, and throws them each into a story that just. . . doesn't quite leave you with the Happily Ever After, the tale that would just fit. Each of these characters have brought a strange love and an unsettling end upon themselves in four very separate and distinct ways.

Minnie Wright lived in a bright world, a world worth singing about, before she met her husband John. After she married him, he took the music right out of her. It could be inferred that John just didn't like music, but other details and lay testimony proves that he was just a mean, cold man - cold like the weather that seemed to surround the Wright home. This dreary scene caused those who could've saved Mrs. Wright from her silence to stay far, far away. So the question becomes this: when Minnie kills her husband for literally choking the song out of her life, can we really blame her? Without a doubt, it's wrong to murder a man, but just as Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the wives who witnessed the downfall of the home, discover the truth about Minnie's crime and dismiss it, could we do the same? This is a woman who would rather spend her life alone and paying for the awful thing she's done than to allow her husband to make her feel as he has.

We are left with quite a decision, just as Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are. Are we to convict Minnie? Are we to say that without another choice, she should have continued to suffer? Just as is appropriate, the weather is never just the weather, and perhaps her "peers" should've taken note to the snow.

Likewise, maybe Joe should've taken note to Mr. Slemmons' big talk about Joe's wife. Had he paid more attention to all of Otis D. Slemmons' put-ons, he might've seen his own slighted love story coming before it did. On the surface, everything seems fine, everything seems shiny and wonderful, and underneath, it's just ordinary. Underneath, it may even be tarnished. The Gilded Six Bits by Zora Neale Hurston teaches us that this world is to the strong. In order to make it, you have to be the best that you can be. In order to ensure that you get what you want from the situations you encounter, you have to be genuine and true. This story brought me to an understanding that you can't paint trash gold, and that there are times when it is okay and acceptable to give up when it's not as precious as you wish it was. In this situation, if I could give Joe all the confidence in the world, I would. To me, Joe deserved to have Missy Mae leave him just so he could finally get his gold -- probably in the future. In my life, it is hard for me to allow some vulnerability with anyone because of stories such as this. Maybe that's a bad thing, or maybe it's protection. Either way, maybe one day I'll find something authentic and worth that side of me.

Still, where would we be without our dreams? Without a reason to keep pushing, would we do it just for the sake of doing it? Dexter Green may not have had many ambitions before he met Judy Jones, but afterward, he knew exactly what he had to do in his life. He begins to associate his dreams and goals for his life with Ms. Jones, knowing that whatever he does, it has to be something that would impress her. He may have her a couple of times after most of his successes, but somehow, she never quite fits. Perhaps Judy was never the type of woman who really fit into success and accomplishment on the inside - perhaps she was gilded and plated with these things on the outside only. Whatever the case, Dexter feels the loss of Judy when she settles for less than what he thinks she deserves. With her fall, he mourns the non-fulfillment of his dreams and comes to the realization that what he wanted has always been just out of reach, even if he thought they could be.

You hear it all the time: "Marriage/Love isn't a carnival ride." -- and perhaps it isn't. If we were to accept this as true, then there would be only bad times. So how can we take their word for it? If they could speak for themselves, I think Joe, Dexter, and Minnie might tell us that at one time, they thought love was the peak of the ride and that the dive and fall gave them butterflies. Even those these may be non-conventional stories, it's safe to say that the endings of them qualify as the ride that makes you nauseous. By definition, I think that love is a carnival ride in Trifles, The Gilded Six-Bits, and Winter Dreams.

Carnival - an exciting or riotous mixture of something

Robert Frost

Perhaps most telling of Robert Frost's poetry is the reflection is has on his life. All of his writings are easy to understand and are not relatively flamboyant in nature with little left for interpretation. Frost was simply a writer, a teacher, and a on the surface, a simple man. His works, however, seem to point to an imagination that was comforted by humble origin, free from ostentation. His poetry is laced with beautiful imagery that remains unique and personal. He has truly put into our minds a tangible taste of objectivity and grace.

While reading "Mending Wall," I decided that in order to grab something of deeper meaning from the work, I would reread it aloud to my mother. It was soon determined that Frost meant exactly what he was saying by his poem: there is a wall diving two neighbors, and during the spring, they converse while mending the damage weather has done to it. At the end of the selection, I commented, "So, apparently the one man is just grumpy." My mother's response was how I came to understand the story in the poetry. She said, "Well, it's not that he is grumpy. The wall might keep him from that." It's true and evidenced in the sentence "Good fences make good neighbors." The narrator questions the rebuilding of the wall because he says they have no reason to build it, but the other man knows that there are boundaries (as there are in anything) and would like to keep them.

"The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" are both representative of Frost's simplicity and little moments that he so often writes. Both stories reflect on a bigger and better decision, but the appreciation of a decisive and quiet moment. Also an element in each is the weather. Frost writes of a quiet "yellow wood" with "undergrowth" in "The Road Not Taken," signals of growth and joy and delight, apparently in taking the road less traveled by. In "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the author depicts the "darkest evening of the year" with "wind and downy flake" in the woods, a symbol of life and snow, a symbol of death. It is apparent with that knowledge and the line of "miles to go before I sleep" that the reader can infer the narrator is on a journey that is coming to a close and he has things to do before he can stop and enjoy the scenery. As learned in many classes before, the weather is never coincidence in a story, and definitely not in this poem. In both, there is inner and outer weather to take into account.

In both "Birches" and "Out, Out" by Robert Frost, there is an obvious element of childhood. The two are, however, exactly the opposite. In "Birches," the narrator pines for childhood of the simplicity that came with it, symbolized by his adolescent memories of swinging along birch trees. Throughout the poem the reader can infer the narrator is aging or elderly in remembering those days fondly, and that he'd like to do that activity again in his older age. The man in the story doesn't wish to come to terms with his growing older or the death that will come and says that if he has to go, he'd like to go swinging from the birch trees. "Out, Out" takes a much different tone in that the boy assigned to do a grown man's work is much too young/immature to carry out the job he's been given. He does not yearn to grow older as the man in "Birches" wished for his childhood, but instead, must do the task he's been assigned. Perhaps there is something to say in that the job ends in his demise.

"Design" is another easy-to-understand piece that reminded me of a fairly common saying: big things come in small packages. Whether it be the spider or the flower, Frost has witnessed a gloomy scene that he turns into something of awe. He seems to take on the cold-blooded pallor that he has seen in the force of nature when looking at the scene, the contrast of the course of natural events that is so dreary. Once again, Frost is analyzing a simple event in nature and describing it so uniquely, in such a way that only Frost can do. This poem, though, has definitely taken on a deeper element, much like the mind of Robert Frost in his own simple world.

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if I had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

- Robert Frost

Life's Handbook: Blog 2

In the event that this blog turns somewhat inspirational and more like a therapy session, I'd like to apologize. I am still on the rather new notion that I am enjoying these literature stories we are reading and it is all a bit new to me. I have found while reading and discussing these tales that there is a lesson to be learned and something to relate to in almost every story. Some of these things have come naturally to me; others have been through some deeper digging in class. The title of this particular blog post is very much inspired by Kate Chopin, whose stories tend to take an unexpected turn or ironic flip of events, such as in the short work The Story of an Hour. 

Though we have defined irony in a few different ways in class (once upon a time), I figured I should include the professional definition again.
Irony (noun): The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically  for humorous or emphatic effect. 
Most certainly in The Story of an Hour there was an element of surprise and when the expected widow, Mrs. Mallard, becomes the deceased of the couple, there was shock. To me, this is the definition of irony, but to others, this ending was expected. The evidence comes in the form of language - something that is extremely indicative in the time period of the stories we've been reading. For instance, before Mrs. Mallard's husband returns, at her point of "freedom," she is referred to as "she" and "her." After his unexpected arrival, she is named and called the "wife," as if she is not a singular, recognizable woman, but only Mr. Mallard's wife. During the time, women were pioneered by their men, and as referenced in history, married women disappeared in the eyes of the law. Keeping up with reputation and acceptance, before her husband's return, Mrs. Mallard was expected to grieve and mourn her husband (and sole supporter) and his absence in her life. Here you will find further scholarly, interesting discussion of other themes and opinions of The Story of an Hour.

Keeping up with reputation and expected roles, Booker T. Washington brought a dynamic approach to the position of black Americans in society. In advocating a path for new (and previously very oppressed) citizens, he writes in Up From Slavery that they must accept their lesser place in society and grow from it. Without first understanding where you are, you will never fully reach the place you're destined to go. Though it is a hard concept for anyone to grasp, this is similar to the suggestion Chopin was making in The Story of an Hour. Mrs. Mallard never fully accepted her place and was not happy, and it ultimately ended in her demise. Washington pushes the idea home that you musn't be unsatisfied with the lower end of things if you are doing your best, because after all, a big idea in life is that we shouldn't take the little things for granted. There was an example we used in class that really struck home for me in this instance: Someone put that toilet paper there. I realized that I never truly think of that and how much I just expect things as trivial as toilet paper to be there whenever I need it. We should all be more appreciative and thankful for those small things and the people who do those little things for us should definitely be proud of the position they hold.

Taking a slightly darker turn, The Blue Hotel by Stephen Crane teaches us, among other things, not to jump to conclusions. As spoken in class, "Everyone has a reason for telling the stories they do." Though the Swede in this instance was clearly not the most likable guy, there was a reason for the way he acted. He wasn't the most awful person in the world, either, and no one deserves the treatment he received even if he had a bad attitude. In this case, his demeanor got him into the position he held relative to everyone else, but that is to open a new discussion. I have always been interested in the battle of Nature vs. Nurture. How much of which determines what a person is made of and the things they choose and prefer? Though this is really a subjective story, could the Swede have been driven to act the way he did because of heredity, or were his actions completely a result of the influences he'd had in life?

I suppose there is some point in the discussion where the answer arrives that it simply does not matter. Like Mrs. Mallard, his ending was determined by the position he held (granted that his was most likely chosen, not given to him, much like the African Americans referenced in Washington's short story). Regardless, I found the recurring them to be interesting, especially given the circumstances under which each was given. Whether a victim of circumstance or maybe even a martyr of chance, these characters were similarly subjected to an overall very careful battle between who they were and what they could be.

"Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. "- Robert Frost

A Pessimistic View: Blog 1

So far in American Literature we have read pieces by Sam Clemens (Mark Twain), Bret Harte, and Ambrose Bierce. With each story, I thought I had not found a recurring theme, but looking back now, I believe I have found what I cannot believe I missed at first glance. Pessimism may not be the theme of the stories, but ultimately, there is the element in each of the stories we have read thus far. For instance, in Mark Twain’s Journalism in Tennessee, though somewhat meant to be humorous, the main character gets shot and bruised and broken and ultimately ends up in a hospital without a job. In The Luck of Roaring Camp, it appears as though a rowdy group of roughnecks have finally found the source of calm and pride to their camp and it not only slips away from them, it is taken from them in the form of a freak accidental death. What is perhaps my favorite selection we have read so far is called The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. This dictionary is the definition of pessimism in my opinion; it contains clearly one-sided, albeit sometimes true, meanings of many words.

The Devil’s Dictionary is what some (or most) people would call extremely cynical. It is a rather subjective view on words, good or bad, but in all actuality, it is also brutally honest. I guess I found it to be somewhat humorous because we all think these harsh things about day-to-day events or objects every now and again. Just as an example, on a bad day where everything is going wrong, your cat might be called a “soft, indestructible automaton provided by nature to be kicked when things go wrong in the domestic circle” when you just need someone to take your struggles out on after the long day.

It may be easy to make fun or think of how awful these definitions are when you are in a good mood, but to see them while you are in a foul mood or maybe a cat gets in your way at the right (or wrong) time, they make perfect sense.

To think this way in every moment of life, though, is a different story. It is what I call pessimism and it is something I come across all too frequently. It is the “cup’s half empty” view that some people take. Judging by some of the author’s short biographies before our stories, there is not information to tell whether or not they wrote only stories with such “bummer” scenarios, but reading all of these stories at once kind of starts to have an effect on the enthusiasm! Good thing I love to read.

Here is a link to what others thought of The Devil’s Dictionary and at times, some of their favorite words from the “awful” book. For some reason, I think their favorites tell a lot about the kind of person they are, especially whether or not they found it funny or just plain ruthless. It is interesting to see the personalities come forth and pick out the pessimists of the group, even if you do not plan to add your opinion.

This is a photo of one interpretation of The Devil’s Dictionary. I found it to be extremely haunting, though I am not sure why. Maybe it is just fitting with the inside of the book. I think it is safe to “judge a book by its cover” in this instance.

This is a photo of Ambrose Bierce. Though I mostly just really like his mustache, I find his eyes to be especially telling (as they usually are of everyone) of what kind of person he might be. He looks a bit cynical, don’t you think? Or am I being too judgmental? Perhaps it is because I know some of his innermost thoughts... and those are not wonderful.

Throughout the stories, I found that humor and pessimism are equally prevalent in each. I am left to wonder whether or not many of the stories of the time period had the similar feel to them because of happenings in the world that affected the feeling of the writing. Perhaps not, being that some of these authors are "worlds" apart in their own minds and distance, but I did want to leave some food for thought, or perhaps a topic for research on a later date.

The Luck of Roaring Camp

Due to the weather today, I wasn't able to attend class. My commute plus snow and ice don't really add up to be anything safe, but a summary and "connections" about The Luck of Roaring Camp will hopefully make up for the quiz I missed. Just a little insight about me before I start: I've found that I'm enjoying the literature we're reading in class more than I've ever liked any type of literature before. I'm not sure if it's just because American literature is more appealing to me or what, but I'm glad I like it because it makes it easier to do the assignments and more fun to test my knowledge about them.

The Luck of Roaring Camp was set in 1850 California in a rugged mining camp. After a prostitute from the settlement, Cherokee Sal, gives birth to a child, she passes away and leaves the men of the camp to take care of the baby. The child, later named Thomas Luck, is a new thing to the men, whereas death was a common occurrence. Stumpy, a man of the camp, decides to take the baby under his care with the help of an ass's milk, but the entire settlement of men took to the child immediately. He somewhat civilized the men and the entire Roaring Camp; even the dirty miner Kentuck would wash up just to be able to hold him. Everything was changed about the rowdy place just to fit the needs of the child, and Luck seemed to bring good fortune to the settlement.

At the end, a flood comes to wash away their prosperity and it seems to prove that even a regenerated community is not immune to disaster. In the water, everything is crashed and destroyed and no one is able to find Stumpy, Luck, or the house they resided in. Stumpy is found to be dead and a relief boat brings about a man and a child, which turns out to be Kentuck, who had apparently been with Luck as soon as the flood hit. The baby did not survive and Kentuck was on the edge of his life, saying as he passed that the child must have needed him to go with him and he had The Luck with him now.

To me, The Luck of Roaring Camp seemed to somewhat try and break down the stereotypes of the typical "Western" mining character. Somehow, it seems that Bret Harte didn't want to deny that his characters were rough and tough but that didn't have to be in all walks of life. It seems as though Harte wants us to believe that to write a story of gambling, irresponsible men would be boring; the change in them provided the excitement. As stated in the biography introduction, many people believed that Harte wanted to "challenge accepted beliefs." It was surprising to me at the end of the story just how much his characters lasted; usually, at the end of a novel, I hate for the story to be over because I want to know more of what happens to the people in it. I felt the same way with this short story; these men and this child were so everlasting. I think that had somewhat to do with the shift in their moral compass.

Secondly, going out on a limb here, I believe his writing may have even had some reflection on Harte's life. Though it may be completely by coincidence and even sort of ironic, Harte's huge success and just as extreme downfall seemed to eventually typecast him into a struggling author. Despite the love he'd once received from his readers, he was forgotten and easily discarded when he strayed away from his "norm." He had received the stereotype of a Western writer and no one expected anything except gamblers and myths of the Wild West. So when he shied away from that, it just wasn't what he was supposed to be doing. Instead of like in his stories, though, his big change wasn't exactly exciting to his American audience and he eventually lost his consulship and died in 1902.