Reflection

I think that it is significant that all of the writers that we have read had either an extremely difficult life, were addicted to some type of drug, were promiscuous, or suffered from mental illness. This certainly leads me to hypothesize that one or some combination of all of these are instrumental to the creative process for what comes to be known as good literature. Of course, the other side to that equation is that the creative process is the cause rather than the manifestation. I would never suggest to know the answer....I just find it strange.

If you haven't already guessed, I tend to take a simplistic view of things...I believe that good literature is anything that causes....or allows the reader to think. For me, it doesn't require that the subject of the thought provoked be of any particularly philosophical or historical consequence...just that the reader expand their thinking to include just one, previous unacknowledged thought. I must say that most of the authors we have read provoked new thoughts for me.

Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?

Maybe I should have been....but I wasn't. After reading In The Lady in the Looking-Glass: A Reflection, I must admit that I was pretty much left with the same feeling I had after reading many of the poets. What is she trying to tell me?

"The house was empty, and one felt, since one was the only person in the drawing-room, like one of those naturalists, who, covered with grass and leaves, lie watching the shyest animals . . . " (p. 1225). Is there actually someone in the house? Or is the mirror merely describing what is seen in its reflection? My first instinct was that the mirror was the narrator, yet later one I realized that some things being described could not have been reflected in the mirror; therefore it could have no knowledge of them.

Regardless of who is telling the story, Isabella Tyson, the owner of the house is described as 55-60 years old, never married, rich, and well traveled. As the reader I see her as living a satisfied life. The narrator then elicits my sympathy for Isabella when Woolfe writes, " . . . and yet, judging from the mask-like indifference of her face, she had gone through twenty times more of passion and experience than those whose loves are trumpeted forth for all the world to hear" (p. 1226). So she has loved, but her love has not left her happy...rather it has left her afraid to show emotion, least she be hurt again.

Woolfe's description of Isabella's reflection as she returns to the house is incredibly exciting. I could almost see how other things in the landscape were blocked by her as she came closer and closer. Finally, as she enters the room, we are told that Isabella is not the creature previously described from a distance. " . . . there was nothing. Isabella was perfectly empty. She had no thoughts. She had no friends. She cared for nobody" (p. 1228). I see a connection between Woolfe's analysis of Isabella and what she referred to as "The Angel in the House" in the excerpt from Professions for Women. She seemed to feel that this type of woman is left empty inside from giving so much to others.

T.S. Eliot - American or Britian?

Ever the literary infant, I was surprised to learn that even though Elliot is included in our review of British Literature, he was born and raised in America. True to form for me, I am quiet unsure what to make of his "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The poem starts "Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is spread out against the sky / Like a patient etherised upon a table;" (1-3). This implies to me that we are going to take some type of journey in somewhat of an anesthetized state. As we go along this journey we encounter the usual experiences of a trip such as the "cheap hotels" (6) and "sawdust restaurants" (7). I suppose I see this portion of the poem as the journey that we take through life, and how sometimes the insignificant moments can gain significance in our memories.

I am no prophet - - and here's no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

Surely, Eliot refers here to having lived the better days of life. The snicker of the eternal foot man indicates how he thinks God views his accomplishments as worthy only of a snicker. This causes him to fear death....or maybe causes him to fear living out the remainder of life, having little left to contribute.

A direct statement of how he views growing old, he says "I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled" (121). I can envision both of my grandfathers in their later years sitting with their pant legs rolled up....I never really thought about why they did this...did they actually shrink in height in their old age that their pants were too long? I don't know, but it is interesting to see the use of the phrase.

This poem left me feeling sad, and caused me to remind myself yet again of the necessity of enjoying each day, to only do the things that add meaning to life, and to set aside the trivial.

Clay

In this short story about a woman named Maria, James Joyce gives us a character who is well loved and respected. He does this through the words of those with whom she lives and works as well as with the family she later visits. The matron said to her: " - - Maria, you are a veritable peace-maker!" (p. 1134). Living and working in the laundry shop, Maria is proud of her independence even though Joe "had wanted her to go and live with them . . . " (p. 1134).

Joyce's story is told from the position of a third person who is watching Maria as she moves through the evening and records her activities. The narrator seems to feel a benevolence toward Maria, as if to portray her as someone deserving of our sympathy...but who certainly doesn't desire it. We are shown Maria's emotions such as pride (in being well regarded) and confidence (in remaining independent), Maria is also portrayed as humble, somewhat shy and reluctant to speak up for herself. This is evidenced when she purchased the plumcake and the clerk became annoyed, yet Maria's reaction was to "blush and smile at the young lady . . . " (p. 1135). Again we see her reluctanct to firmly state her position when after expressing that she would rather not have a drink she tells us that " . . . but Joe insisted" (p. 1136).

The title of the story, Clay, is only explained in the footnote which explains the significance of choosing a plate with clay during a game played by the children. We are not told outright, but I inferred that Maria had indeed choosen the plate with the clay indicating that she would soon die. As we were told to expect, James simply stops the story; rather than giving us an ending. He leaves us to complete the story according to what we have learned of the characters, and it involves the reader in determining control of the story.

Blast,Curse, Damn & Bless

As I read through the excepts from Lewis' magazine Blast, I was reminded of the tone that I attribute to the beatnik/anti-war activists of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Certainly, my impression of that time was shaped more from what I have since seen on television and read in magazines or books, rather than any real first hand knowledge of that time. But I can almost hear these pieces being read in a small coffee shop to an audience who shakes their head in agreement and snaps their fingers as applause.

"Blast sets out to be an avenue for all those vivid and violent ideas that could reach the Public in no other way" (p. 1082). This statement clearly articulates the author's dedication to providing a voice for the radical who seeks drastic change from the current state. Their position strikes me as rather arrogant in that they seem to belief that it is they, rather than some other type of medium, who should give voice to 'The Individual.'

The authors generally take the position that what they hold in contempt is to be blasted, cursed, or damned....and you can feel the hatred and vitriol in the language. In 5 BLAST HUMOR they write, "Quack ENGLISH drug for stupidty and sleepiness. Arch enemy of REAL, conventionalizing like / gunshot, freezing supple /REAL in ferocious chemistry of laughter" (p. 1087). Yet in 3 BLESS ENGLISH HUMOUR they seem to be contradicting their earlier admonisment of humor as they write "It is the great barbarous weapon of / the genius among races" (p. 1091). British humor is certainly different from American humor so maybe the blast to humor is directed at humor from other countries or cultures.

Overall, the Blasts, Curses, Damns, and Blessings and especially the Manifesto seem to be a call for change...a change from emphasis on collective thought to emphasis on Individual thought...and beyond just thought, there is the expectation that the individual should take action on their thoughts.

William Butler Yeats

Yeats laments the passage of time in The Wild Swans at Coole. He sets the stage by saying "The tress are in their autumn beauty / The woodland paths are dry" (1-2). We expect from these opening lines that he is going to tell us of something that occurs outdoors...in nature. Explaining that he is witnessing a scene which is familiar to him he adds "The nineteenth autumn has come upon me / Since I first made my count" (7-8).

Yeats reveals the emotion he feels by saying "I have looked upon those brillant creatures, / And now my heart is sore. / all's changed since I, hearing at twilight, / The first time on this shore" (13-16). Yeats never tells us how old the narrator is, simply that he has witnessed the swans on the water for 19 years. Actually, I realize in re-reading that Yeats doesn't say that he sees them each year...I made that assumption. The speaker seems to take heart in the consistency of the swans and their appearance each autumn.

Describing the swans as "Unwearied still, lover by lover / They paddle in the cold" (18-19) Yeats may be envious of the swans as they pair up to mate. The background material provided on Yeats explains his unrequited love for Maud Gonne to whom Yeats repeatedly proposed, yet he was repeatedly refused.

In contrast to his earlier mentioned melancholy about the passage of time he says "Their hearts have not grown old" (22). He admires the beauty and the grace of the birds but feeling the heavyness in his heart once more, he wonders where the swans will go " . . . when I awake some day / To find they have flown away" (30).

The Wild Swans at Coole certainly took place in nature, but the emphasis is not placed on nature itself...rather the feelings that are invoked by observing nature. In particular, I think it speaks to the smallness that one can experience when surrounded by nature. As Yeats is reminded that 19 years have passed since he 1st counted the swans, much has changed....still much remains the same.

Thomas Hardy

Ever the one to approach things in a backward manner...or maybe needing the respite of prose, I read Hardy's "On the Western Circuit" before either the background material or his poetry. For me, the story started out rather slowly but Hardy paid great attention to developing each character and bringing them to life. I suppose that I must have grown up incredibly protected as I didn't realize that writers produced what must have been considered racey stories in the Victorian Age. But alas, the story is one of tragedy with both Raye and Mrs. Harnham ending up without the one they truly desired.

Similarly tragic is Hardy's The Convergence of the Twain (Lines on the loss of the "Titanic"). Here he writes "In a solitude of the sea / Deep from human vanity, / And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she" (I, 1-3). He infers that man's desire to build something so magnificant must have surely played a role in the tragedy which befell the ship. He wonders if the ship and the iceberg were on an unchangeable course toward one another from their earliest beginnings when he says "Alien they seemed to be: / No mortal eye could see / The intimate welding of their later history," (IX, 1-3). This reminded me of the tragedy of Raye & Mrs. Harnham and how they were set on their course toward one another as soon as Raye steps into the market and toward the merry-go-round where he first sees Anna.

Of course this brings me to my often stated belief that everyone we come in contact, no matter how great or small the contact...somehow becomes a part of who we are and our total life experience. Fortunantly, most of our contacts do not lead to tragic ends...but even those that do somehow leave us richer or better for them...

Okay, I'm getting off my pontificating box for awhile...'til next time of course.

Poetry Purgatory

In No Worst, There Is None Hopkins says ". . . I must be brief" (p. 778). I too, must be brief for after reading just a few short lines of Hopkins work I truly felt that I had entered Poetry Purgatory and fervently hoped that someone was 'praying me through.'

I know...I know....that is a distressing perception for me as a student of literature. Again, I had been refreshed. After Wilde's interesting, witty, and often insightful observations I was ready to move to the Modern writers. Reading through the background information on Gerard Manley Hopkins did nothing to prepare me for the unbelievable difficulty that I experienced trying to read his work.

In God's Grandeur, which I certainly found the most straight-forward of his works, he says

The world is charged with the grandeur of God
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then not reck the rod?

Hopkins appears to be questioning why men, in the face of the world which God has made for us to live in, insist on disbelief in his authority. Most of use have seen the reflection (or shining) which occurs when foil is reflected in the light, so I had little difficulty with his analogy between the "shining from shook foil" (2) and the spreading of God's grandeur. However, I do have difficulty with the analogy he chooses to compare and contrast the "gathering to greatness" (3) of God's grandeur and "the ooze of oil / Crushed (3-4). I understand that oil will run together but the image of the ooze of oil, especially with the addition of the word crushed which implies obtained with violent action, left me with a slimy feel...rather than in terms of a benevolent God.

Parts of the other verses of this poem and especially some of his other work was basically unintelligible to me. I felt as if I were reading some random combination of words and obtained no real sense of what Hopkins hoped to convey.

The "Wild" Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was quoted as saying "I hate vulgar realism in literature. The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for" (p. 887). After reading the background information on Wilde, I began the reading with great anticipation. Surely a man who lived such an 'in your face' lifestyle would not disappoint in his writings....and he did not!

Wilde immediately drew me into the conversation between Cyril and Vivian by giving us a look at their lifestyle and their relationship. Knowing that the names Cyril and Vivian are his children's names, one leaps to the conclusion that the characters are brothers and while their banter appears brotherly, it could just as well be two close friends sharing a day in the country.

Cyril want to sit, smoke, and enjoy Nature but Vivian response is "Enjoy Nature! I am glad to say that I have entirely lost that faculty" (p. 832). Cyril plays the role of 'straight man' to Vivian's somewhat comical satirical responses early in the play. Soon, Vivian goes on to explain that he believes individuality is lost when in nature and says "Nothing is more evident than that Nature hates Mind. Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world, and people die of it just as they die of any other disease. Fortunately, in England at any rate, thought is not catching" (p. 832). I literally laughed out loud - the idea that thought is not catching is at the same time so very true and so very false, so...what's the word pardoxical?

The crux of the play is the article that Vivian is writing in which he protests the dying art of lying. Taking a habit that most people would agree is without redeeming social or moral value, Wilde puts forth a valiant defense for the use of a well told lie. He manages to present his position with great imagination and conviction. He took me along for his ride and made me curious to see his next argument. One of my favorite lines was when Vivian says "If a man is sufficiently unimaginative to produce evidence in support of a lie, he might just as well speak the truth at once" (p. 833). Vivian tells us that art is not supposed to be realistic, but rather based more on well portrayed lies or at least exaggerations. As evidence he offers a list of authors and their works and then concludes " . . . facts are either kept in their proper subordinate position, or else entirely excluded on the general ground of dullness" (p. 837).

Later, after Vivian quotes Shakespeare to make the point, Cyril says "But you don't mean that you seriously believe that Life imitates Art . . ." (p. 839). Upon which Vivian launches into the defense of this well known position. I did a little research, but was unable to determine if this statement was original to Wilde, or if it had been floated by others before him. Either way, Wilde gives both credible and whimsical evidence to support his position.

The conversation between Cyril and Vivian was presented in such a way that it was relatively easy for me to imagine their faces, their dress, and their mannerisms as they explored a philisophical discussion of lying. As far as I am concerned, Wilde painted a portrait with his pen in this piece and was true to the theme....he created something unique!

Ahhh...The Logical mind of John Stuart Mill

Throughout the three excerpts from Mill's work in our book, he develops well conceived, thought provoking thesis' about how people should interact. In On Liberty, Mill delivers a convincing argument that all opinions whether we judge them to be right or wrong should be heard. On the evils of silencing opinions, he says "If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error. When thinking through his argument, it is impossible to disagree, yet we see examples every day of the efforts which are made to silence or ostracize those who would dare to question the morality or rightness of one position or another. I feel fairly confident in saying that we Americans who have probably the most freedom of any people to stand up for our ideas, often stand silent as the vocal minority or at times the stampeding majority determine a path with which we disagree.

In "Of Individuality, as One of the Elements of Well-Being, Mill champions the cause of those who would dare to step outside the acceptable norms of the time. I especially enjoyed the 1st paragraph where Mill when examining moral and social reformers says, "The majority, being satisfied with the ways of mankind as they now are . . . cannot comprehend why those ways should not be good enough for everyone . . . . " (p. 517). Yet, he acknowledges that these social reformers are doing what " . . . in their own judgement, think would be best for mankind" (p. 517). Mill argues that genius can only be formed in an environment where individuality is not only allowed, but encouraged. He seems to encourage ignoring the moral and societal norms in order to potentially bring some significant change to the current point of view of acceptable society behavior.

The Subjection of Woman, Mill's argues that the treatment of all persons, especially woman should be based upon the " . . . principle of perfect equality" (p. 521). While, I have no doubt to the sincerity of Mill's position, the fact that he had fallen in love with a married woman who was unable (due to current law) to obtain a divorce, cannot go unnoticed. Based on his body of work, his stated belief in the equal treatment of women is not surprising, yet this piece has a tint of emotion along with Mill's usual logic. As a man of principle and firm belief, his Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands lends credence to his stated position of the equality of women.

Looking a the writings of Mill's compared to those in the section on Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen, it is easy to identify the strong belief in the need for some changes in society. The Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen section gives us a personal feel for the men and women of that era and how they interacted and viewed themselves and their roles. The logic in Mill's writings gives us the philosophical reasoning and intellectual arguments for the changes to come.

Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen

Most of the authors in this section deal with the condition of women in Victorian era England. They seemed to hold to one of two very differing schools of thought on how women should be viewed or rather of how women in this period saw themselves.

Sarah Stickney Ellis view women as the moderator of the behavior of men. She says "how often has man returned to his home with a mind confused by the many voices, . . . he has stood corrected before the clear eye of woman . . . " (p. 557). She takes the position that women have great influence and should be well prepared to handle this role. I interpret her to mean that women have only to embrace their role as influencers of opinion in order to feel empowered. She does not see women as victims, rather as active participants in their lives.

On the other hand, Charlotte Bronte presents herself as being a victim. She says " . . . it is dreary work to look on and listen . . . and further that " . . . a private governess has no existence, is not considered as a living and rational being except as connected with the wearisome duties she has to fulfil." (p. 560). While I have no doubt that she feels unappreciated and disrespected, the underlying tone of her letter is one of being victimized.

Yes, it is certainly true that the laws in place at the time were unfair to women...most especially married women. Yet, most ot the women who write about unfair treatment in this section, Charlotte Bronte and Anne Bronte, and even Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) are unmarried, rather than married woman. The only married woman that we heard from who was espousing the evils of the treatment of women was Caroline Norton, who was certainly trapped in a horrible marriage, yet we are given no information as to how she ended up in such a bad marriage.

As I have said before, as I finished reading these pieces I was reminded yet again of how even though things change...they remain the same. There will always be those who embrace their position or status in life, never seeing themselves being victimized by some unjust system...and there will always be those who feel victimized. Such is the way of the world.

"And yet God has not said a word!"

I must say that after reading Elizabeth Robert Browning and never having read Robert Browning before, I was expecting their work to be similar. From my reading, nothing could be farther from the truth. I certainly was prepared from the background information provided on Browning for a different type of work; but even still I was surprised as I read Porphyria's Lover. Browning sets the scene saying,

"The rain set early in to-night,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worse to vex the lake:"

This description immediately gave me a sense of foreboding. My sense of dread was lightened reading the description of Porphyria, seemingly a beautiful woman whom the speaker has pursued. It seems that finally she has come to return his love. He says

"Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshipped me; surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair, "

The speaker says that her statement of love makes him happy, yet the line "While I debated what to do" returned a little of my uneasiness, I was not at all prepared for what came next. Browning does a brilliant job of keeping the reader off guard...never knowing from one minute to the next what to expect.

The last line of the poem "And yet God has not said a word!" left me questioning what the speaker was expecting to hear from God. Was he expected to be stricken down for his crime of murder? To be honest, I was never completely sure that he had killed Porphyria...what was his motivation?

The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed's Church, was another of Brownings poems that I found interesting. I wondered if Browning held the church in disdain, because he surely portrayed this Bishop as a worldly rather than a holy man. I found this particularly of interest, because I would expect that we (people in general) tend be more reflective on our life in the face of death, than concerned with the physical tributes to us such as our tombs, headstones, etc. However, I suppose this was reflective of the time.

I especially shocked when the Bishop appeared to be describing the location of a lump of lapis stone which he had buried. His descriptions of the stone as

"Big as a Jew's head cut off at the nape,
Blue as a vein o'er the Madonna's breast . . ."

seem especially vile coming from a man of his position. He seems to go even farther in his pompousness (not sure that is a word...) when he compares the lapis with the globe as if to say that he loves the stone as God loves the earth

"So, let the blue lump poise between my knees,
Like God the Father's globe on both his hands"

At the end of this poem, I was left feeling that I had read the somewhat pathetic ramblings of an old man...a man who facing death is somewhat bitter and extremely petty having never come to realize that joys that life is suppose to hold.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"Quick-loving hearts, I thought, may quickly loathe;
And, looking on myself, I seemed not one
For such man's love! -- more like an out-of-tune
Worn viol, a good singer would be wroth
To spoil his song with, and which, snatched in haste,
Is laid down at the first ill-sounding notes.
I did not wrong myself so, but I placed
A wrong on thee. For perfect strains may float
'Neath master-hands, from instruments defaced, - -
And great souls, at one stroke, may do and doat."

In this 32nd stanza from Sonnets from the Portugese, Barrett Browning tells of her fears that this relationship with Robert Browning will not last. She also addresses her feelings of insecurity. She compares herself to a musical instrument that is out of tune and is quickly tossed aside once its imperfection is realized. This lack of self confidence may be tied to her physical health. As a virtual invalid it seems logical that she might see herself as unworthy of the love and attention being given to her by Browning.

In the second portion of this stanza she doesn't seem to change her opinion of her worthiness of Browning's love, but rather she says that she wronged him for not realizing that he would love her as she is. Again she uses the analogy of the out of tune musical instrument and compares Browning to a master musician who can play beautiful music even with a faulty instrument.

In the sections given in our text, you can almost feel Barrett Browning gaining strength and momentum from her new found love of Browning. At the beginning she speaks of feeling that she was being held by death, as if she is resigned to her death probably due to her physical ailments. It is interesting that comes back to this point in the final stanza when she says " . . and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death." Her thoughts of death don't hold the same dread or sense of resignation as at the beginning of the poem. Now she has loved, and she is hopeful that her love will continue even after death.

I found her words inspiring...in the sense that we each should love passionately and without fear.

Tennyson's - "The Woman's Cause Is Man's"

"For woman is not undevelpt man,
But diverse: could we make her as the man,
Sweet Love were slain: His dearest bond is this,
Not like to like, but like in difference."

I read Tennyson's "The Woman's Cause Is Man's" as an incredibly moving tribute to the inherent differences between women and men. Rather than seeing these differences as bad or a cause of strain, Tennyson sees the differences between the sexes as good and complimentary to one another. I believe that he is speaking of married couples when he says

"Yet in the long years liker must they grow;
The man be more of a woman, she of man;
He gain in sweetness and in moral height,
Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world;
She mental breadth, nor fail in childward care,
Nor lose the childlike in the larger mind;"

Here Tennyson explains that after years of living together and loving one another, the husband is gentler, while still maintaining his role of protector and the wife had expanded her intellectual self without loosing her maternal instincts.

In the final few lines when the speaker asks if people can understand and live by his image of how marriage can be, his wife answers no. They then resolve as a couple to respect each others individuality while working to truly become as one. Tennyson writes

"Nor equal, nor unequal; each fulfils
Defect in each, and always thought in thought,
Purpose in purpose, will in will, they grow,
The single pure and perfect animal,
The two-cell'd heart beating, with one full stroke,
Life."

While Tennyson's words sound very romantic, I also see them as being based in the reality, that 2 working in unison can accomplish much more than 1 alone. Merely feeling that you are not alone in your pursuits brings encouragement.

The speakers wife response "A dream
That once was mine! what woman taught you this?"

I found this to be a playful response...maybe even her way of acknowledging that her husband has become more gentle...more like her. The appeal of this piece to me surely comes from my hopes for my sons recent marriage. As I read this poem, I was reminded of the minister's words to them, and of their vows to one another and I realized that these words written about marriage in the mid-19th century are as applicable today as they were then.

Boz's Visit To Newgate

What starts out as a narrative describing in sometimes minute detail a London's Newgate prison ends with a fascinating trip into the mind of a man condemned to death and living out his last night on earth. Writing as Boz, Dickens begins the piece explaining how the continual exposure to situations or experiences which we would ordinarily deem unacceptable, become, over time totally ordinary. In fact, we experience this today with the widespread acceptance of social norms that were not socially accepted less than 3 decades ago...or even 2 or 1 decades ago in some cases.

It is the mundane or cursory response and the denial of the suffering inside Newgate prison which Dickens sets out to eliminate. Yet, through much of A Visit To Newgate, the details do not represent anything of particular interest. As Dickens introduces us to the women prisoners, none stand out as someone who demands our interest. Each inhabitant of the prison seems much like the next except of course for the differences in their age and appearance. Describing the inmates as "Hardened beyond all hope of redemption . . ."(p. 3), their only concern is for their own needs. They don't even seem to show appreciation for those who have come to visit. In fact, it is the visitors whom Dickens presents as worthy of our sympathy. Their anguish at the situation of their loved one is evident and while the law punishes the guilty, those who love the guilty suffer as well.

From the women's quarters, we are shown the school where the boys under 14 are kept. Saying, "There was not one redeeming feature among them-not a glance of honesty . . . "(p. 5), Dickens again gives the reader the idea that there is no need to feel sympathy for this group. From the school we travel to the men's quarters. Here everything is much like in the women's area except that Dickens notes that unlike the women who occupy themselves with sewing or some other activity, the men have nothing to occupy their time. Is he saying that given the opportunity men will sit idle, while women seek out something to occupy themselves?

The meat of this story for me is through the man condemned to die the next morning. As Dickens has walked us through this prison, we have witnessed details which are visible to the eye. With the condemned prison, we are taken on a tour of the mind...to the places where we can't possibly be privy, yet we are. Dickens takes us on an emotional journey as the condemned man's thoughts wander back to his life as a child. He resists the urgings for repentance from the clergyman. Exhausted from his never ending thoughts, he falls asleep....and in this sleep he has a visit with his wife. Even though while awake, he could not ask God for forgiveness, in his dream he asks it of his wife. His dreams turn ugly as he is again at trial and is convicted. But rather than fear, he feels excitement with knowledge that he will escape. He does and finally feels safe and happy. It is at this point that he is awakened, possibly by the strikes of the clock and feeling very disoriented must face that he is not free and will die very soon.

The feeling of waking from a wonderful dream....being thrust into the reality of real life has surely happened to all of us. Dickens leaves unanswered the question of whether the condemned man was better able to face his death with the shadow of his recent dream fresh in his mind? . . or does his awakening from the wonderful dream world leave him less resolved with his life?

The Industrial Landscape

I found this section in our text to be incredible helpful in gaining insight into life in early to mid 19th century England. I was unsure if The Steam Loom Weaver ballad was meant as a ballad like I think of a ballad, as a song, but it was an interesting read. Without the introduction to the piece, I doubt that I would have picked up on the "bawdiness" of the piece. This being the case, I couldn't help but smile to think that even in circumstances as difficult as working in this cotton mill, people manage to find some sort of happiness or lightheartedness in their circumstances.

The Natural Progress of Society, was an unexpected change of pace from the other pieces in this section. Macaulay's position is that yes, things are difficult and inequitable right now, but that this will pass and in the grand scheme of things he believes that this industrial age will be of great benefit to England's peoples. It reminds me that throughout history, people have grappled with difficult times and yet each society after the other appears to be improved.

In the testimonies found in the Parliamentary Papers ("Blue Books") and later in London Labour and the London Poor, the stories told of the children are heart wrenching. For us today to imagine this kind of life for ourselves or worse yet for our children is unbearable....much as I'm sure it was for the parents of these children. The insights to what their days and nights were like is vivid and telling. Yet, as difficult as their lives were I still came away from these readings with the impression that they did not spend their time feeling sorry for themselves. Rather, they did what was necessary to sustain themselves. This speaks greatly to the human spirit and how much it can and does survive. Hope doesn't die easily for us today and it is refreshing to know that the hardships they faced notwithstanding, they persevered.

In Charles Dickens Coketown and Friedrich Engels the Conditions of the Working Class in England in 1844, we find the descriptions of the dismal lives experienced by the poor, downtrodden working classes. Particuarly in Engels passages, he clearly holds distain for the upper classes who seem to ignore the plight of the unfortunante. I couldn't help but think of the phrase from the Statue of Liberty " . . ."Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" (The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus, 1883). Through Engels strong descriptive language I could invision the dreadful state that so many lived in...and even smell the putrid odors in the air. However I can't shake the feeling that his purpose was as much to expand his political philosophy as it was born of genuine concern for those living there. Granted, this is probably due to his later association with Karl Marx.

I tend to give more credence to the words of those who actually lived the life of the underclass...and while their lives were certainly difficult and very precarious, they did not seem to harbor great animosity toward the upper class, rather they seemed to appreciate (probably too strong a word) what limited opportunities this capitolistic environment offered them.

Excited Again

After struggling to find meaning in the writings of the Romantics, I have to say that I was more than a little anxious about starting the reading for the Victorian authors. Thankfully, after reading Thomas Carlyle I found myself excited once again about this class.

The background information on Thomas Carlyle was interesting and left me excited to read his pieces. Carlyle writes critically of life in England. He speaks of how "full of wealth" (p. 476) England is, yet many of its citizens go hungry and uncared for. Of the poor he says " . . . glad to be imprisoned and enchanted, that they may not perish starved" (p. 478). Some of Carlyle's wording gets flowery, yet much more than the Romantics he speaks in language that is easily understood. Rather than weave his meaning into words which require the reader to search out his meaning, he states his position clearly. I found the story of The Irish Widow who having pursued every means to feed herself and her 3 children contracted typhus-fever very compelling. The sarcasm is barely beneath the surface when he says "Very curious" (p. 480) in reflecting on how rather than help this poor widow, they refused and from typhus 17 others perished.

In Captains of Industry, Carlyle blasts the leaders for failing to lead in such a way that all could reap the benefits of the industrialization going on in England. I was however a little confused with what I interpreted as a positive references to the feudal barons as better for the surfs than the current state. His likening industrial leaders to Bucaniers and Chactaw Indians who simply take what they want (money and scalps). He feels that the lessons of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror have not been learned and that revolt of this type is inevitable unless the leaders take heed.

In Know Thy Work, he speaks of the necessity of meaningful work to humans. He says, " . . . in Idleness alone is there perpetual despair" (p. 481). When reading this, I couldn't help be relate this to my own life. Regardless of what else may be going on in my life, if I have work, or school to immerse myself into whatever my difficulty of the moment is, fades away. I can focus on the task(s) at hand and face my difficulty with a more positive approach having "proven" my worth through successful completion of the work.

Carlyle is by far, my favorite author to date. Even though I disagree with some of his positions, I found myself drawn to the simple eloquence with which he made his points. One of my favorite lines was "Government can do much, but it can in nowise do all" (p. 482). Considering his passionate criticism of capitalism I found this statement somewhat contradictory, yet was impressed with his realism. All in all, I suppose his sense of realism is what I found most exciting about his writing. He is writing about real problems in English society and he is offering real suggestions and solutions along with his admonitions and criticisms.

Dorothy Wordsworth

References to the illnesses which plagued Dorothy Wordsworth are evident in both Thought’s on My Sick-bed (pg 293-294) and When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path? Yet, in both poems she refers to her love of nature and the outdoors to remind her of happier, healthier times…and she wishes or hopes for their return.

Speaking of her youth, she says “With busy eyes I pierced the lane I quest of known and unknown things, - The primrose a lamp on its fortress rock, The silent butterfly spreading its wings, . . .” I can visualize her eyes darting from one side of the landscape to another…looking to absorb everything possible. She knows that there are sights present that she has seen before, yet she also looks for “unknown” things, or things that perhaps she never saw before because she failed to see, or simply because they weren’t there. Either way, she views this as an exploration of sorts. Possibly referring to the brightness of the primrose, Dorothy calls it “a lamp.”

She then turns to her current condition and refers in both poems to her couch where she has rested. From 1832 when Thought’s on My Sick-bed was written until 1835 when When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path? Dorothy seems to have grown wearier of her illness and the thought of nature and gardens no longer lift her spirits.

Thoughts on Wordsworth

I found myself drawn to Wordsworth’s We Are Seven…maybe because I am one of six. After reading the brief introductory biography of Wordsworth, it was hard not to wonder if the loss of two of his children was reflected in the poem. Only after I reread the poem and the biography did I realize that the poem was written many years prior to the death of his children….making it feel somewhat prophetic.

This poem appeals to me because it is easy to read and as a narrative, it tells a story. Wordsworth immediately expresses concern that a young child’s life should be touched by death. He says, “A simple child, . . . What should it know of death?” Since his mom died when he was eight, he has intimate knowledge of what it is like to have to deal with the death of someone you love.

Wordsworth says of the girl, “Her eyes were fair . . Her beauty made me glad.” His description allowed me to visualize the conversations relayed in the poem. The questions posed to the little girl appear to be merely conversational, yet her answers enticed the writer to delve deeper. Even though the girl isn’t immediately forthcoming that two of her siblings are dead, when pushed she does responds that “Two of us in the church-yard lie . . . .” Yet still she counts them among her siblings.

This implies to me that children are remarkably resilient and again, Wordsworth knows this from his own life. It also speaks to the strength of family ties. Considering Wordsworth's apparently close relationship with his sister, I didn’t find this surprising.

A Poison Tree

After reading nearly 20 pages of William Blake, I finally came across a short poem that I felt I might actually be able to interpret. In A Poison Tree (pg 92-93) Blake talks about how oftentimes if we vent our anger to the person who caused us anger, the anger will dissipate. If we choose rather to hold our anger inside more times than not, rather than going away...our anger continues to grow. Blake uses poetic language to describe how wrath is grown using terms which we all associate with growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables. We all know that plants require water and sunlight to grow. When Blake says "watering it in fears, Night & morning with my tear" he speaks to how we allow our fears to increase the significance of the cause of our anger and how we remain upset, even to the point of tears. When he speaks of wrath being sunned "with smiles. And with soft deceitful wiles.", I interpret this to mean how we cover our anger with smiles to the offenders face, but plan our revenge in private.

But, alas as it usually happens with me and poetry...I got lost. I understand that the "apple bright" is the fruit of the angry person's wrath...and I get that when the person who was the target of the anger saw the bright shiny apple, he wanted it. At this point, the confusing part to me is why would the target of the anger and the bearer of the anger see the fruit as something to be desired? If I could get over this obstacle, I can understand how desiring the apple, the "foe" coveted it and took it....much like Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden...and, as with Adam and Eve, the foe perished.

Blake writes "In the morning glad I see." Is this supposed to infer that God was pleased that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? It has been my experience that the person who harbors the anger is the one who is harmed...much more so than the one against whom the anger was harbored.

Most of what I have read of Blake leaves me confused about his meaning. Fortunantly, many of the footnotes in the book along with the podcast helps in understanding. Actually, without both...I doubt I would feel that I had any real understanding of Blake's motivation. Much of his work seems to refer to other literature...which leads me to believe that his writings were not intended for the common folk of his time as many of them were uneducated.

So...I keep reading...and trying to understand...

Clarification of a Statement

"Not many of us today have the passion or stomach necessary to follow our convictions if it has severe consequences...I have to admire anyone who does that." I made (typed) this statement in our chat on Wednesday and some of you agreed with me. Almost as soon as I had sent the comment, the duplicity of my statement hit me. I am an adamant critic of anyone who would strap a bomb onto their body and proceed to blow up themselves and as many others as they can...or drive a truck full of explosives into a building full of government workers and their children and detonate the bomb. But as twisted and demented as I see these actions, generally speaking, I do believe that these people are acting on a strong conviction that their position is correct and they see themselves as making the ultimate sacrifice so that change can come. It appears that my admiration of people who act on their passion is restricted to those whose belief systems and values agree with mine. Go figure!

So...I suppose herein lies my tendency to support Burke's arguments that the path of revolution is not the most preferable path...while accepting the reality that sometimes history shows it to be preferable and important for future progress.

In reading Thomas Paine, he remarks that the revolution was not aimed at the monarch, Louis XVI, but rather at the institution of the monarchy. He goes on to say that "The King was known to be the friend of the Nation, and this circumstance was favourable to the enterprise." (p 66) My interpretation of this statement is that leaders who do well by their people, rather than ruling with an iron fist, offer the best opportunity for revolution. Interesting, eh?

Each time I study history...and I have to admit that I see this as a study of history, I am ever amazed at how we humans seem to require that the same lessons be taught over and over again. Not to diminish the progress that we have made from those long ago times, but as a good friend of mine says...we do tend to keep walking down the same roads, and falling in the same holes.

Stay safe!

Introduction

Hi everyone and thanks for visiting my blog for ENG 264. I have returned to college after 20+ years to complete a business degree. I am a senior at Mercer and need 11 more classes to complete my degree. My concentration is in accounting and I hope to eventually sit for the CPA exam.

I also work at Mercer on the Atlanta campus in the Physical Plant. I've been at Mercer for 4 years and enjoy working there very much. I have 2 children, the youngest of which (my son) was just married this past weekend. My daughter has been married for 7 years and has two young children.

I am very much looking forward to the on-line experience of this class. I've always enjoyed reading, both fiction and non-fiction, but have never considered myself very knowledgeable about literature....so in addition to picking up my literature requirement, I look forward to reading and learning about English literature.

Have a great day!