1. “Now, you see my dilemma. Perhaps I am a bad man – the victim of my impulses – led away to do what I ought to leave undone.” (pg. 202)
2. He sank upon his knees with an indefinable union of remorse and reverence upon his face, and, bending over Fanny Robbin, kissed her, as one would kiss an infant asleep to avoid awakening it. (pg. 262)
3. Troy found unexpected chords of feeling to be stirred again within him as earlier in the day. She was handsome as ever, and she was his. (pg. 303)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, November 24, 2008
Macbeth questions
1. Yes, I feel sorry for Lady Macbeth. Some people may think that her wrongful and distorted thoughts resulted to her demise. That, to a great extent is true. However, when I think about it, we as humans are all "tragically flawed" just like Lady Macbeth. So often our greed overcomes us into doing incredibly stupid things - Hopefully not murdering anyone like in this case. Her flaw as a person is identical as mine. I feel sorry for her mistake because when she realizes what she had done to other people, it is already too late and she becomes mentally unstable. I'm a person who believes in second chances and also try to give other people second chances. In this case, before Lady Macbeth could repent, she unfortunately hangs herself to overcome the guilt. Another reason why I feel sorry for her is because she is so much like myself. My greed produces irrational and unhumane thoughts exactly like Lady Macbeth.
2. I think Macbeth is a perfect example of how humans are fundamentally flawed. Though I'm not a committed believer, I do share the notion that humans are born a sinner. This is shown everywhere and to everyone - even among children. Scientific research has already proven that humans are completely capable of lying even at a very young age. We were never taught how to lie but I guess this sinful nature is innate. I believe Macbeth (and of course all humans) was from the beginning a very sinful man. Yes, the witches are evil but if the words had not affected Macbeth like it did in the story, his life would not have ended tragically. Banquo, who is frequently known as the righteous man is not so righteous when looking at the text. As Banquo witnesses the witches prophecy becoming true, he too is incredibly confused and at first tempted. However, he quickly dismisses the idea of being disloyal. So although he did not actually carry out his "ambition" like Macbeth did, he had the potential to become like Macbeth.
I don't think the witches in the story are to blame because if Macbeth decided to be loyal and fight off his horrible temptation, the witches would've never succeeded into making Macbeth's life miserable.
3. I think I wrote this down when I had to write a journal response during the "Master Harold and the Boys" unit, but I'll share it again because it was one of the horrible moments in my life. In 6th grade, for a brief period of time I attended KIS in Seoul. In the school there was this one kid who came from Malaysia. He, I think, was a committed Muslim and didn't eat beef at all. That's why he always sat outside the cafeteria eating his sandwich because the school almost everyday served beef or pork. I guess because of this (and his ethnic background) he never had much friends. So my friends and I took advantage of this and started to isolate him. For no reason I would make fun of him and tried to agitate him. I still clearly remember his disturbed look and it is a segment in my life where I just want to cut and throw it away.
I think Lady Macbeth's response to her crime and guilt is completely plausible. It's hard to understand that anyone with a decent mind would commit such a horrible deed and still live on perfectly fine. If I were her I would be haunted by the images of the dead. Not only that I would be terrified of getting caught. However, the human mind plays in mysterious ways and there are people who slowly become addicted to murdering people. Now since I've never really killed anyone (thankfully) I have no clue how I would react or respond after. But I can't say for myself that I would completely break down and be remorseful. Rather, I myself can turn into a hideous and horrifying murderer. Well, who knows. Let's just say that I wouldn't kill anyone in my lifetime.
4. I've never had any predicted dreams. Nor did anyone predict what would happen to me in the future. Or... maybe I forgot. I don't really remember. But if anyone did vividly portray a picture of myself in the future, I think I would listen to what he/she had to say. I don't think the person's prophecy would immediately affect my acts. However, if the person's prediction comes true as intended, then I guess I would be more careful and also be kind of cautious at what the person had to say.
Wait, as I was about to hit the 'Save Now' button, I suddenly thought of something. My mother sometimes goes to a fortune teller to see what kind of future lies ahead for my family. She once said that the fortune teller told her that I was going to have a certain job, get married and have a pretty decent earning. For some particular reason, that kind of stuck in my head and whenever I was worried about schoolwork (haha) I would assure myself by thinking what the fortune teller told my mother. Call me irrational and I normally don't believe in those things but I guess it does have a great impact. Kinda scary.
2. I think Macbeth is a perfect example of how humans are fundamentally flawed. Though I'm not a committed believer, I do share the notion that humans are born a sinner. This is shown everywhere and to everyone - even among children. Scientific research has already proven that humans are completely capable of lying even at a very young age. We were never taught how to lie but I guess this sinful nature is innate. I believe Macbeth (and of course all humans) was from the beginning a very sinful man. Yes, the witches are evil but if the words had not affected Macbeth like it did in the story, his life would not have ended tragically. Banquo, who is frequently known as the righteous man is not so righteous when looking at the text. As Banquo witnesses the witches prophecy becoming true, he too is incredibly confused and at first tempted. However, he quickly dismisses the idea of being disloyal. So although he did not actually carry out his "ambition" like Macbeth did, he had the potential to become like Macbeth.
I don't think the witches in the story are to blame because if Macbeth decided to be loyal and fight off his horrible temptation, the witches would've never succeeded into making Macbeth's life miserable.
3. I think I wrote this down when I had to write a journal response during the "Master Harold and the Boys" unit, but I'll share it again because it was one of the horrible moments in my life. In 6th grade, for a brief period of time I attended KIS in Seoul. In the school there was this one kid who came from Malaysia. He, I think, was a committed Muslim and didn't eat beef at all. That's why he always sat outside the cafeteria eating his sandwich because the school almost everyday served beef or pork. I guess because of this (and his ethnic background) he never had much friends. So my friends and I took advantage of this and started to isolate him. For no reason I would make fun of him and tried to agitate him. I still clearly remember his disturbed look and it is a segment in my life where I just want to cut and throw it away.
I think Lady Macbeth's response to her crime and guilt is completely plausible. It's hard to understand that anyone with a decent mind would commit such a horrible deed and still live on perfectly fine. If I were her I would be haunted by the images of the dead. Not only that I would be terrified of getting caught. However, the human mind plays in mysterious ways and there are people who slowly become addicted to murdering people. Now since I've never really killed anyone (thankfully) I have no clue how I would react or respond after. But I can't say for myself that I would completely break down and be remorseful. Rather, I myself can turn into a hideous and horrifying murderer. Well, who knows. Let's just say that I wouldn't kill anyone in my lifetime.
4. I've never had any predicted dreams. Nor did anyone predict what would happen to me in the future. Or... maybe I forgot. I don't really remember. But if anyone did vividly portray a picture of myself in the future, I think I would listen to what he/she had to say. I don't think the person's prophecy would immediately affect my acts. However, if the person's prediction comes true as intended, then I guess I would be more careful and also be kind of cautious at what the person had to say.
Wait, as I was about to hit the 'Save Now' button, I suddenly thought of something. My mother sometimes goes to a fortune teller to see what kind of future lies ahead for my family. She once said that the fortune teller told her that I was going to have a certain job, get married and have a pretty decent earning. For some particular reason, that kind of stuck in my head and whenever I was worried about schoolwork (haha) I would assure myself by thinking what the fortune teller told my mother. Call me irrational and I normally don't believe in those things but I guess it does have a great impact. Kinda scary.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
#3
Hamartia - a tragic flaw. Every single poem in the packet expresses some sort of 'tragic flaw'
The one poem that I picked was Margaret Atwood's "Marsh Languages"
Here, the poem discusses the disappeareance of languages in this world for a better and faster life. I think this is incredibly true because of the rapid development of technology over the past 20-30 years. A majority of things now have to be faster and save 'capital'
The beauty of literature isn't necessarily appreciated unless it is on New York Time's bestseller list. Now, it is even difficult to have spare time to read and write.
Margaret Atwood cynically criticizes the world today for eliminating the complexity of old languages and try to replace it with easier and simpler ones. Ones that can be just interpreted on the surface level. This is a 'tragic flaw' to humanity itself because our civilizations today was built on the greatness of our culture. We exchanged our ideas and thoughts through language and without that mediator, there can be no progression or development of society.
Another important factor that was not mentioned is the 'dominant language'. As we know Margaret Atwood being a feminist (really?) it is obvious that her reference to a dominant language is the 'male language' as we see it today. "The language of hard nouns", "Language of either/or", "Language of metal" all refer to the aggressive nature of it. Feminine language is being ignored and often looked down upon in society. However, the 'tragic flaw' that lies here is that without any balanced relationship between these two big concepts, there can be no 'languages' and peace. We, as people, should appreciate the variety, complexity and deepness of each language and help to save and preserve it - In order to avoid the downfall of humanity or hamartia!
The one poem that I picked was Margaret Atwood's "Marsh Languages"
Here, the poem discusses the disappeareance of languages in this world for a better and faster life. I think this is incredibly true because of the rapid development of technology over the past 20-30 years. A majority of things now have to be faster and save 'capital'
The beauty of literature isn't necessarily appreciated unless it is on New York Time's bestseller list. Now, it is even difficult to have spare time to read and write.
Margaret Atwood cynically criticizes the world today for eliminating the complexity of old languages and try to replace it with easier and simpler ones. Ones that can be just interpreted on the surface level. This is a 'tragic flaw' to humanity itself because our civilizations today was built on the greatness of our culture. We exchanged our ideas and thoughts through language and without that mediator, there can be no progression or development of society.
Another important factor that was not mentioned is the 'dominant language'. As we know Margaret Atwood being a feminist (really?) it is obvious that her reference to a dominant language is the 'male language' as we see it today. "The language of hard nouns", "Language of either/or", "Language of metal" all refer to the aggressive nature of it. Feminine language is being ignored and often looked down upon in society. However, the 'tragic flaw' that lies here is that without any balanced relationship between these two big concepts, there can be no 'languages' and peace. We, as people, should appreciate the variety, complexity and deepness of each language and help to save and preserve it - In order to avoid the downfall of humanity or hamartia!
#2
The poem that I would like to TPCASTT is 'I Meant to Have But Modest Needs'To me, the poem delivered an incredibly strong message of a speaker who, in the past had strong faith, now feels incredibly betrayed by the God she believed in. I think it conveys a universal message of people coping with tragedy or personal losses and thus blaming it on an omnipotent power we so rely on. Inevitably, we as humans, are bound to face some sort of hardships in life and that kind of painful yet unavoidable experience relates to the theme of the poem. My personal experience, as an awkward kid in junior high, kind of relates to the very message of this poem (Although I am quite reluctant to share this. Err.)As a young child (and even today) my parents were not very religious. Although we did go to church after dad's sickness it never really placed a huge place in our lives. When my father relocated to America, we still went to church but it was one of the ways to socialize with other Koreans living within the community area. Then, I came to Korea and until I came to TCIS, I went to a secular elementary and middle school. When I transitioned to this school, I was utterly shocked by what people had to say. My knowledge of Jesus was just a man who demonstrated and taught 'love' and wanted nothing in return. But here, it seemed that Jesus had died to pay for people's sins and that we now in return have to love and worship Him. This was a very strong and powerful change for me since I knew nothing... NOTHING about Christianity. The message that I received was beautiful, especially in a world like this. I loved the idea of caring and loving others without expecting anything in return. However, I was confronted by the harsh reality of the world. I started to witness hypocrisy among Christians and sometimes the words of the Bible didn't seem to make sense to me. I didn't get the sacrifices of the animals or how it seemed that polygomous relationships seemed to be condoned in the scripture. Soon, I felt betrayed by what I thought was a caring and loving God. I felt that he had let go of my faith and abadoned me.Recently, though, I did decide to open up to the idea of God and I still respect many Christian beliefs. However, the sense of betrayal and utter dissapointment I felt is in direct relation to what Dickinson seemingly experienced. I think this kind of message applies to everyone in this world, whether a believer or not.
#2
The poem that I would like to TPCASTT is 'I Meant to Have But Modest Needs'
To me, the poem delivered an incredibly strong message of a speaker who, in the past had strong faith, now feels incredibly betrayed by the God she believed in. I think it conveys a universal message of people coping with tragedy or personal losses and thus blaming it on an omnipotent power we so rely on. Inevitably, we as humans, are bound to face some sort of hardships in life and that kind of painful yet unavoidable experience relates to the theme of the poem. My personal experience, as an awkward kid in junior high, kind of relates to the very message of this poem (Although I am quite reluctant to share this. Err.)
As a young child (and even today) my parents were not very religious. Although we did go to church after dad's sickness it never really placed a huge place in our lives. When my father relocated to America, we still went to church but it was one of the ways to socialize with other Koreans living within the community area. Then, I came to Korea and until I came to TCIS, I went to a secular elementary and middle school. When I transitioned to this school, I was utterly shocked by what people had to say. My knowledge of Jesus was just a man who demonstrated and taught 'love' and wanted nothing in return. But here, it seemed that Jesus had died to pay for people's sins and that we now in return have to love and worship Him. This was a very strong and powerful change for me since I knew nothing... NOTHING about Christianity. The message that I received was beautiful, especially in a world like this. I loved the idea of caring and loving others without expecting anything in return. However, I was confronted by the harsh reality of the world. I started to witness hypocrisy among Christians and sometimes the words of the Bible didn't seem to make sense to me. I didn't get the sacrifices of the animals or how it seemed that polygomous relationships seemed to be condoned in the scripture. Soon, I felt betrayed by what I thought was a caring and loving God. I felt that he had let go of my faith and abadoned me.
Recently, though, I did decide to open up to the idea of God and I still respect many Christian beliefs. However, the sense of betrayal and utter dissapointment I felt is in direct relation to what Dickinson seemingly experienced. I think this kind of message applies to everyone in this world, whether a believer or not.
To me, the poem delivered an incredibly strong message of a speaker who, in the past had strong faith, now feels incredibly betrayed by the God she believed in. I think it conveys a universal message of people coping with tragedy or personal losses and thus blaming it on an omnipotent power we so rely on. Inevitably, we as humans, are bound to face some sort of hardships in life and that kind of painful yet unavoidable experience relates to the theme of the poem. My personal experience, as an awkward kid in junior high, kind of relates to the very message of this poem (Although I am quite reluctant to share this. Err.)
As a young child (and even today) my parents were not very religious. Although we did go to church after dad's sickness it never really placed a huge place in our lives. When my father relocated to America, we still went to church but it was one of the ways to socialize with other Koreans living within the community area. Then, I came to Korea and until I came to TCIS, I went to a secular elementary and middle school. When I transitioned to this school, I was utterly shocked by what people had to say. My knowledge of Jesus was just a man who demonstrated and taught 'love' and wanted nothing in return. But here, it seemed that Jesus had died to pay for people's sins and that we now in return have to love and worship Him. This was a very strong and powerful change for me since I knew nothing... NOTHING about Christianity. The message that I received was beautiful, especially in a world like this. I loved the idea of caring and loving others without expecting anything in return. However, I was confronted by the harsh reality of the world. I started to witness hypocrisy among Christians and sometimes the words of the Bible didn't seem to make sense to me. I didn't get the sacrifices of the animals or how it seemed that polygomous relationships seemed to be condoned in the scripture. Soon, I felt betrayed by what I thought was a caring and loving God. I felt that he had let go of my faith and abadoned me.
Recently, though, I did decide to open up to the idea of God and I still respect many Christian beliefs. However, the sense of betrayal and utter dissapointment I felt is in direct relation to what Dickinson seemingly experienced. I think this kind of message applies to everyone in this world, whether a believer or not.
Poetry Blog... Again!
#1
Of the three poets that we studied this unit - Emily Dickinson, Margaret Atwood and Sylvia Plath - I guess I can say that I can relate to Emily Dickinson the most and maybe some of Sylvia Plath's dark side. Emily Dickinson, according to a majority of historical sources, has been reclusive for almost her entire life. She was not shown in public much and preferred to write poems in her room all by herself. In a way, I too enjoy solitude. There are moments in life when I JUST want to be alone which is why I sometimes stay up until very late at night. The quietness inspire me to think, read and write more (This is why I sometimes write like crazy during the night.) So, when historians conclude Dickinson as being a very reserved and quiet person I feel like I can understand her, to some extent.
When Mrs. Lavender (who probably would be reading this by the way) talked about Sylvia Plath as being very outgoing but at the same time a very dark person, I thought to myself that I was very much like her. It seems that Plath consumes her energy by socializing with other people, while she regains her energy by being alone. I too like to be very engaging but at the same time, I desperately need a time for myself which is exactly what Sylvia Plath was like. Also, in terms of the struggle she had to go through, I had a very similar experience as a young middle schooler. As a student going to a very (academically) competitive school, I always struggled between the need to study and the want to be... well, 'free' from the boundaries that society had set me. For Plath, it was society's restrictions laid on mothers that made her incredibly suffer which in some way worsened her depression.
Of the three poets that we studied this unit - Emily Dickinson, Margaret Atwood and Sylvia Plath - I guess I can say that I can relate to Emily Dickinson the most and maybe some of Sylvia Plath's dark side. Emily Dickinson, according to a majority of historical sources, has been reclusive for almost her entire life. She was not shown in public much and preferred to write poems in her room all by herself. In a way, I too enjoy solitude. There are moments in life when I JUST want to be alone which is why I sometimes stay up until very late at night. The quietness inspire me to think, read and write more (This is why I sometimes write like crazy during the night.) So, when historians conclude Dickinson as being a very reserved and quiet person I feel like I can understand her, to some extent.
When Mrs. Lavender (who probably would be reading this by the way) talked about Sylvia Plath as being very outgoing but at the same time a very dark person, I thought to myself that I was very much like her. It seems that Plath consumes her energy by socializing with other people, while she regains her energy by being alone. I too like to be very engaging but at the same time, I desperately need a time for myself which is exactly what Sylvia Plath was like. Also, in terms of the struggle she had to go through, I had a very similar experience as a young middle schooler. As a student going to a very (academically) competitive school, I always struggled between the need to study and the want to be... well, 'free' from the boundaries that society had set me. For Plath, it was society's restrictions laid on mothers that made her incredibly suffer which in some way worsened her depression.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Poetry Blog
#1. Emily Dickinson
I think Emily Dickinson and I have a lot in common. First, we are both pretty much reserved and quiet (even though it might not look like that.) I love to be by myself and ponder although I don't necessarily enjoy writing poems. Also, since I'm not really a feminist, I can relate to her poems theme-wise. I especially like what she says about 'death' because that is partly my interest. I always wonder what it would be like on the verge of 'death' and how I can overcome it.
#2. "I Meant to Have But Modest Needs"
I really like this poem because it reflects upon a universal experience of humans struggling in terms of 'faith.' In my humble opinion, I think everyone on this planet has "faith" whether it be on an omnipotent God or anything else. And when humans face adversities in life (which we all do) we normally turn to our faith and have that sense of anger or utter disappointment. Here, her poem vividly depicts the betrayal she feels towards God whatever the reason may be.
#3
The tragic flaw - I think - that is shown in this poem is human vulnerability. Vulnerable to tragic happenings, vulnerable to betrayal, vulnerable to our faith. Inevitably, obstacles become a huge part of our lives as humans and everytime, because of our reliance to our faith, we blame.
I think Emily Dickinson and I have a lot in common. First, we are both pretty much reserved and quiet (even though it might not look like that.) I love to be by myself and ponder although I don't necessarily enjoy writing poems. Also, since I'm not really a feminist, I can relate to her poems theme-wise. I especially like what she says about 'death' because that is partly my interest. I always wonder what it would be like on the verge of 'death' and how I can overcome it.
#2. "I Meant to Have But Modest Needs"
I really like this poem because it reflects upon a universal experience of humans struggling in terms of 'faith.' In my humble opinion, I think everyone on this planet has "faith" whether it be on an omnipotent God or anything else. And when humans face adversities in life (which we all do) we normally turn to our faith and have that sense of anger or utter disappointment. Here, her poem vividly depicts the betrayal she feels towards God whatever the reason may be.
#3
The tragic flaw - I think - that is shown in this poem is human vulnerability. Vulnerable to tragic happenings, vulnerable to betrayal, vulnerable to our faith. Inevitably, obstacles become a huge part of our lives as humans and everytime, because of our reliance to our faith, we blame.
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