Poetry = Music

A very interesting class that spoke to my mind was Poetry. Hard to say but i really enjoyed the discussions and ideas of poetry relating to music. Many artist such as Lil Wayne, Train, Elvis Presley have proven that their music is a form of poetry. Poetry provides the listener the ability to understand the feelings and emotions that the artist or writers were going through.  One thing that was very important was that not all poetry has to rhyme or have a particular stanza. Different artist have had their audience truly feel the emotions that were felt and that were meant to be expressed. I really enjoyed this lesson even as a male, but the relationship of music and poetry was very strong as emotions are felt in both.

Train - Hey, Soul Sister

Best song ever

Analysis Eng 102

My overall analysis to my spring 2011’ English 102 Course.

One of the many challenges of my life has been English. Through the spring 2011 semester I have learned numerous things that have improved the quality of my essays and my critical thinking. One of those is an effective outline. I have heard about outlining but before never truly put in it to work. One of the things that really helped me get to the point I am in literature was also tutoring. Going to a tutor helps me understand my flaws and ways of overcoming and correcting for mistakes.

I really enjoyed our classroom discussions. Professor Brady had us try these “Fishbowl” discussions in which we are all facing each other. I felt that these “Fishbowls” are very productive and effective to helping with public speaking and developing ideas. Often times I would feel very good after participating in a discussion because I knew that my ideas were heard. These “Fishbowls” allowed for everyone to participate and have an opinion of the argument by the time we were done. The ideas and discussions we had on Post Modernism really stood out to me especially while reading “Interprets of Maladies” by Lahiri.

The types of discussions will defiantly be something I can take with me through my professional career as an effective debate over a topic. I find the Instructor of my course another main example I can’t take with me in the future for her strong excitement, passion, and dedication towards each one of her students. In five years I hope to be getting a Job in an Airline or Airport and with my developed Literature and expansion of my English vocabulary my character and career will have a great turnout. I have felt extremely pleased with this course and especially with such a bright and unique group of colleagues.

Paper #1 (Tolerance)

Nefi Navarro

Prof. Brady

English 102

March 17, 2011

Tolerating the Opinions of Others

            Women tolerate many issues these days, where it comes to a point that enough is enough! Tolerance is clearly presented within the stories The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway, and the movie Enough directed by Michael Apted. The females within each story tolerate the judgment of their life style and getting out of their current situation or breakdown and get stuck in a situation that they do not want to be in.

            Throughout “ The Yellow Wallpaper” , the woman feels the need to obey her husband in order to make him happy. Although she is often inspired to write, John continues to discourage her by explaining that her medical condition will worsen if she continues to write. As a result, she gives in to his discouragement of what is supposdly best for her.  The women states “I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to write a little it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me” (Gillman). She is having problems balancing her desire for literature and performing the household duties which society expect of her. She is isolated from society until her husband feels is getting well, which makes her feel worse. While being locked away in a room she begins to become annoyed by the yellow wallpaper that does not help her situation, as stated within the novel, “This wallpaper...a particular irritating one” (Gillman). John does not allow her to write or interact with other thus; suppressing her ideas. John as a physician believes that with plenty of rest will help make a speedy recovery; However, John has a problem with treating her as both a wife and as a patient. This ultimately destroys her as she tends to loose her sense of reality. “The faint figure behind seemed to shake the patterns, just as if she wanted to get out” (Gillman). Over time this isolation begins to affect her brain, as she begins to see this image behind the Yellow Wallpaper’s patterns which is a symbol of society’s view on women. Even though this female did attempt to do something other than what John asked of her she always ended up pleasing her husband’s ideas. The idea of her being isolated, was the major problem to why she began to fall apart. At the end of the story, the women in the yellow wallpaper escapes and crawls over her husband’s unconscious body. She feels relieved from her oppressor as she rips the wall paper to shreds. Although the women did feel released she allowed herself to become mentally unstable as she continued to allow John to oppress her.

Paper # 2 (Elements of Literature)

Nefi Navarro

English 102

Prof. Brady

February 15, 2011

Symbolism and Motifs

            Symbols and motifs are highly important elements that the author may determine as necessary in order to illustrate higher ideas. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams presents two key elements within the role of his character to really get his point out to his audience. Those two aspects include the symbol of the Polka music as it relates to Blanche, and the motif of the light in regards to Blanche.

            Blanche, after being fired from her job, moves to New Orleans where her brother- in- law and her sister live. Besides Blanche’s sufferings having experienced numerous deaths and being evicted from her wealthy plantation, she fails to get a glimpse at reality. From the second Blanche moves in with Stella, she presents herself as if she were this wealthy, higher than average person; she even begins to judge her new home and Stanley, her brother-in-law, despite the fact that she is a guest in their home. Being much older than Stella, Blanche feels terrible and hurt by her horrible past, so she decides hiding in dim lighting will hide her true self. Williams illustrates this symbol of light as a great way to show a character who is afraid to reveal her true inner self.  Blanche says, “I can’t stand a naked light bulb” (Williams 60). She is afraid of her age and her past and masks her age and experience by remaining in the shadows. The light is destructive because it reveals who she really is. Blanche has convinced herself that the past ten years of her life have not affected her or did not occur. Blanche creates a defence by try to follow up in life has if she is this hot shot and creates all these lies to help her self esteem. This imagination or magic in which Blanche tries to live by would become almost impossible with Stanley shedding light in her every move reveling her inner self. He discovers her pinpoints and pressures her till the point she actually regains her sense of reality. Stanley’s savage, brutish behaviors towards Blanche, leads to her downfalls. This is when she hears the Polka music from her past.

Paper #3 (Grievance)

Nefi Navarro

Prof. Brady

English 102

April 18, 2011

Grievance: The Pathway to Acceptance

            Psychologists have determined over the years of studying the human mind that, grief is a process that occurs in the life of every person in many ways. Studies have shown that five stages of grief are present in the life of a person who becomes impacted by a loss. Whether or not this loss is a death or a breakup of a romantic relationship, the stages are still very similar. While a person is in grief they may feel denial, anger, bargaining, depression or acceptance. The theme of grief is evidently presented in the poems “Stop all the Clocks, cut off the telephone” by W.H. Auden, “The Leaving” by Colin Jarratt and the song, “Missing You” by The Black Eyed Peas.

            In the poem “Stop all the Clocks, cut off the telephone” by W.H. Auden, the speaker has suffered a loss which had clearly affected him and proves that everyone goes through stages of grief. In this poem the speaker speaks about a person who is very valuable in their life. “He was my North, my South, my East and my West” (Auden Line 9). The symbol of a compass is used to express a sense of direction which was lost when the person passed away.  “I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong…/ for nothing now can ever come to any good” (Auden line 12 & 16). The person has proven that they have given up stating nothing will be better without the other. The speaker has realized that they will no longer be with the loved one and becomes depressed. Depression can strike in many different ways, sometimes it may last for a short period of time or it may last years. However, this speaker becomes depressed which is the tone of the poem and also is one of the stages of grief. Auden writes this poem clearly showing that the speaker is impacted by the loss, and is suffering the stage of depression on the road to acceptance. Like W.H. Auden, Colin Jarratt writes a poem about grief and the effects of losing someone special in life.

Heroic Tragedy

Heroic tragedies have been one of the discussions went over class that really struck my mind. I agree completely with many of the arguments stated with in the play Antigone. In regards to the conflict between Antigone and Creon a major contributor would defiantly be the fact that Antigone is a female rather than a male. Within the story we all know that Antigone is a leader of what she believes in, the morality and that, she values family greater than the written laws. Being bonded with such great leadership skills not a follower affected the way Creon felt towards her. Antigone would beyond anything assure that her brother would be buried properly, even if it cost her her life. She also wouldn’t deny it either but what struck out to Creon was the fact that this strong willing person was a female. As Creon states in line 577 “When I am alive no woman shall rule”. Creon already states that he has a conflict with having a female at power and he simply is just scared for a women leader. Later on in the play as Creon specks with his son Haemon whom is supposed to be marrying Antigone, he states “We cannot give victory to a woman. If we must accept defeat let it be by a man;” (Lines 729-730). Again the evidence that Creons major concerns is that Antigone is a female. This ongoing battle of the sexes is what thrives Creons to assure that Antigone even though his niece is enforced with the laws she broke. 

            In the play with the Sentry’s initially tell Creon that a man not a female had buried Polyneices, the Sentry was a bit concerned by the fact that a female had done such a thing. One of the major conflicts between Antigone and Creon is not only that Antigone went against the written laws but that a female had the guts to do what no man was supposed to do.  Fearlessness for her actions even though it will cost her her life was what made Antigone a strong leader figure within this Heroic Tragedy.

Post Modernism

An intresting topic I learn over the course of this semeter was the ideas of Post Modernism. We live in a Post Modern world which really connects to things we learned in class. The abilities of the human to create a fantasy, based on a single statement is what Post Modernism is all about. The ideas of Post Modernism  are quite complex in how they relate to the human conditions as seen through the characters in the short story Interpreter of Maladies by Lahiri. The human capacity with all its complexities truly does prove this theory of Post Modernism. In the short story Mr. Kapasi a tour guide, and a Doctor's interpreter, besides not having the most greatest marriage meet a Indian-American family who are in India to explore the country.  The idea of Post Modernism wraps around the character of Mr. Kapasi and his illusion of Mrs. Das. The wife seems to be having trouble in her relationship with her family in regards to communication. From the beginning of the story the relationship between the husband and wife were very unfortunate. While in the car the husband and wife hardly spoke. When a daughter of the couple showed and interest  to interact with her mother, Mrs. Das rudely dismissed her by stating "Leave me alone"(Lahiri).

            In the story Mrs. Das demonstrates and interested in Mr. Kapasi's job. This triggered a illusion of Mr. Kapasi that went  far beyond what any one can imagine. Mr. Kapasi began to fall into this world of make belief that involved Mrs. Das.  When the conversation of Mr. Kapasi's other job begins Mrs. Das said, "But so romantic"(Laniri). Mr. Kapasi proves the theory of post modernism as he allows this interest towards his life lead him to believe of a happily ever after story with a married female. The man allows this illusion to get to the point that he becomes restless to  have the chance to spend more time in private with Mrs. Das. Post Modernism is clearly presented in the way Mr. Kapasi interpretations allow him to imagine beyond what the human can see.