Transcendentalist.

I am not a complete transcendentalist, because being so would be conforming. Transcendentalists do not conform to groups or society so I guess I am a transcendentalist. But by not conforming I am conforming, along with all the others who are not conforming. I have my own beliefs on life, a little transcendentalist and a little bit not. I believe in personal thought and self reliance. I feel that I have to trust myself.  I love nature and I live close to it. I always reject the past. I do not think about the past and if I do not like the past, if there is even the slightest amount of discomfort with the past, it never happened. I live in the moment and for today. I do not believe that you have to go to church to have a relationship with god, but I don’t believe the only way is through nature and personal. I do not think I have to go live by a pond for two years like Thoreau. I am not an extremist. I think I am a transcendentalist within reason. To me, sometimes it feels like transcendentalists go to extremes, but everything is not what it seems. You can live a transcendentalist lifestyle without having to go out into wilderness wearing one shirt and living on six weeks of pay. There is no need for torturing yourself. Just live with what you need to live safely and healthily. Give back to the community and share your knowledge. Spread the word of the happy lifestyle you live. Be an artist. Create. Imagine. Think not enough and over think. Mess up. Do it perfectly. Do not just sit there and learn. Discover until you are out of discoveries. Most importantly, “Know thyself”. This is your life motto. Live it.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting.

This poem “A Psalm of Life” is glorious.  Longfellow does such a great job. It’s a wonderful piece of literature. I have many things to say about it. First off, this poem is my favorite poem ever. There is no doubt in my mind that this poem has had the most impact on me than any other poem ever has, and I read a lot of poems. In my opinion, Longfellow was basically trying to say be open to any fate. Never stop giving, always keep giving. Be patient. Live your life, and achieve great things in the process. Like the bible verse “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid.” Longfellow writes “Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!” This means do not be a crazed person who loses sight of the goal. Be a hero. Go through trouble. Know your goal. Achieve it. My two favorite parts of the poem are: 1) “Art is long, and time is fleeting, and our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave” To me, that means that our hearts may be beating now but time is inevitable who knows how long you will last. What if tomorrow was your last day? Have you done all you’d hoped to do? Have you achieved greatness? 2) “Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.” This quote means we all have the power to achieve greatness. We can do absolutely anything. With everything the world has to offer you, be a hero. Have you left your name in the sand? Did you have an impact on the world? Will you be remembered for all the good you have accomplished? This poem made me think about what people would remember me by. I do not want to be remembered as the selfish person that did not care. I want to be the girl that made a huge impact on the people around her. I want people to think highly of me when they no longer see me. "We can make our lives sublime." I want my gravestone to be embellished with memorial flowers and looked at remembering how I helped others not to be knocked down, kicked, or vandalized. I want future generations to fight to keep my stone there when companies want to take it down. I want to be remembered for achieving my goals. If my name can’t be remembered then I want whatever I do to help everyone in the future. I want to be an inspiration.

Hear You Me.

Outside we see the truth. It is the one place where beauty overtakes us. Even the ugly things are beautiful. Today while we were outside many things came to mind songs, city noise, branches, pure static and complete silence. You see, it all started with a bird. I saw this one bird and it made me think of that song Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World. It goes, “So what would you think of me now, so lucky, so strong, so proud? I never said thank you for that, now I'll never have a chance. May angels lead you in? Hear you me my friends. On sleepless roads the sleepless go. May angels lead you in?” It makes me think of all the things I never did that I wish I had. Somehow I got to thinking about chaos. I think maybe I heard a siren far away in the distance. I think about how there could be people so devastated in your own town and you wouldn’t ever know. It is terrible. How can we be so oblivious to what is going on? How can we not care? Things like that barley cross our minds half the time. Cities havoc vs. country’s calm: how does that come about. What makes the city so visibly crazy and the country appear so calm? I saw a leaf bending and broken there with the mulch and a branch forcefully being pushed downward by gravity and then I looked to my left and saw a piece of metal rusting.  That’s another thing out of our control. Time was passing and I watched as it took shape, forming with the contours of the mulch morphing with the air. Nature was shifting and bending kind of like I am for society to be accepted. Things evolve and things change out of our control whether we are ready or not. Just like cars die, so do animals, and bugs. Color and light fade as months and days go by. Its just pure static in the way it life moves, the way we move.

Romanticism

In the Short story “The Devil and Tom Walker” there are many examples of the society shifting from the age of reason and classicism to romanticism. They no longer focus on reasoning and order. They appreciate nature and balance. They enjoy art and poetry. They focus a lot on individuality. Nature is one of the elements of romanticism that is displayed the most in the short story. “Tom had long been picking his way cautiously through this treacherous forest; stepping from tuft to tuft of rushes and roots.”  In this case, I feel that the forest is society and its saying tom was sifting through the tough spots of society and straying away from it. It seems to me that Tom is practically the only one at this point trying to physically get close to nature. He seems to be at one with nature, more so than the others. Slowly we start to see the woods becoming symbolic of individualism.  Also, in the short story the characters care about past and legend, just as romantics do. In this story they talk about Captain William Kidd, a pirate. “There was a great amount of treasure buried by Captain Kidd” they base their beliefs around Captain Kidd and what he has done. And, another instance, in “About the year 1727, just at the time that the earthquakes were prevalent in New England, and shook many tall sinners down upon their knees, there lived near this place a meager, miserly fellow, of the name of Tom Walker.”  Also, the characters are very passionate about things whether it is shown through love or hate, it is still passion. “The lonely  wayfayer shrunk within himself at the horrid clamor and clapper clawing; eyed the den of discord askance; and hurried on his way, rejoicing, If a bachelor in his celibacy.” (pg 243) Although this is fighting it still shows passion enough to fight for something. Your individual beliefs and that is what romantics believe. They believe in personal thought and free will. They are the people that stand up for what they believe in.

This relates to literature class

The Fall of the House of Usher displays subtle hints and situations suggesting that the narrator has gone mad just like Roderick. At some points, it also suggests that maybe the narrator is Poe and that Madeline and Roderick are how he sees himself. That maybe Roderick is his physical side that is broken and Madeline is a character portraying the mental state that he is in. The narrator of the story suggests that Madeline and Roderick are twins and this could mean that the narrator’s physical and mental state are equally disturbed. Madeline is silent and incoherent. ““Her decease,” he said, with a bitterness which I can never forget, “would leave him (him the hopeless and the frail) the last of the ancient race of the Ushers.” While he spoke, the lady Madeline (for so was she called) passed slowly through a remote portion of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence, disappeared." I think, going with the theory that Madeline and Roderick represent the narrators state, that Madeline is the mental side. This passage suggests that the narrators state of mind is shut off and silent. She was hopeless and so is his mental state. Roderick is sort of extra sensitive to everything. He has the same traits as a modern day schizophrenic but back then it was undiscovered. It had no name. Therefore he looked insane. “Yet the character of his face had been at all times remarkable. A cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison; lips somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of a delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations; a finely molded chin, speaking, in its want of prominence, of a want of moral energy; hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity; these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of the temple, made up altogether a countenance not easily to be forgotten. And now in the mere exaggeration of the prevailing character of these features, and of the expression they were wont to convey, lay so much of change that I doubted to whom I spoke. The now ghastly pallor of the skin and the now miraculous luster of the eye, above all things startled and even awed me. The silken hair, too, had been suffered to grow all unheeded, and as, in its wild gossamer texture, it floated rather than fell about the face, I could not, even with effort, connect its arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity." This very long quote shows those schizophrenic characteristics. The awareness he faces. Every move he makes, everything he says, he says with caution. He is like a cadaver. He is a deadly looking creature, but he sure is aware. I think that the narrator is trying to say that he is physically aware and mentally unaware. His mind and body are in very different states, but they both add to the madness within him.

Romanticism in the Scarlet letter

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many examples and instances of romanticism. It is all about individualistic expression. The actual plot of the novel is not normal it goes against the normal way of writing. The novel was written during the crossover between the age of reason and the romanticism time period. Hester vs Society is a great example of this. In my eyes, Hester’s bold personality and strong physique represents romanticism while the church and government town represents the age of reason. I can not really pick a single example. Hester's response to her punishment is a great one though. She stays there and does not visibly react to her punishment. In her eyes she is a horrible sinner. She has committed the largest sin, but at the same time she does not care. She goes against all the towns’ morals and goals. Her actions are rebellious. Also, Pearl is another example of romanticism types. She throws stones at adults. Pearls actions are not very puritan and she is not very logical. The age of reason is about organization, balance, and order. Pearl and her mother are elegant and intricate, not simple. The towns people display the age of reason and its way of life because they are about order, balance, and scales.

symbolism: A

In the novel the Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester is punished for sinfully committing adultery. She has to wear a scarlet letter everyday to punish her. At first everyone frowns upon her and she has to deal with all the disdainful looks towards her. They feel like she does not have a large enough punishment. The townspeople feel the “A” should be branded on her forehead. She is isolated for seven years. Her only hint of another person being around her is pearl. She is literally alone with nobody. She has punishment all in herself. Towards the end of the novel the scarlet letter becomes a sign of forgiveness. It also acts as a code of honor. It symbolizes all her charitable work in the past seven years. The once infamous scarlet letter is now a sign of her great doings. The People introduce her as “our Hester”. They see her as new again and they respect her once more. “"Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge?" they would say to strangers.”It is our Hester, —the town's own Hester, —who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted!"” This is when they are introducing her to new people and visitors. Though they forgive her, Hester does not. “The days of the far-off future would toil onward, still with the same burden for her to take up, and bear along with her, but never to fling down; for the accumulating days, and added years, would pile up their misery upon the heap of shame.” She will always have that shame within her.

SIN.

Sin is inevitable. It is in everyone. It is in every character in The Scarlett Letter. Hester, Pearl, Dimmsdale, and Chillingworth are all guilty of sin. Hester and Dimmsdale are guilty in the fact that they both committed adultery. Hester is hated and Dimmsdale goes virtually unknown. He got it easy. He only has to deal with the punishment and guilt he has thrown upon himself while Hester has to deal with public and private punishment. She has to wear the A and she punishes herself. She lives in isolation with only one person who does not look at her with a face of disapproval. That one person is another sign of her own sin. The baby is a gift from god and a punishment. She is all she has. “… a lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion. How strange it seemed to the sad woman, as she watched the growth, and the beauty that became every day more brilliant, and the intelligence that threw its quivering sunshine over the tiny features of his child! Her Pearl!”(Hawthorne, 82) Pearl may not be directly guilty of a sin, but she is the result of one. Also, she throws rocks at birds and disrespects people while going against society like her mother. Like I said, sin is inevitable. She will have her sins in life too. Dimmsdale is also a sinner. He is the master Dimmsdale. He is the Pasteur, a church leader. He is part of the ministry. He does wrong by committing adultery and by lying to his peoples. He is one of the biggest sinners in the novel. Oh right, Chillingworth. To me, he is the biggest sinner of them all. He is Hester’s husband. He hides that from the whole town to avoid shame. Along with that he leaves Hester to rot alone while society strips her of any difference she once had. He Leaves his wife to die. Not literally but you know, shes dying inside. That beautiful, elegant, luscious person is just a thing of the past. “She who has once been a woman, and ceased to be so, might at any moment become a woman again, if there were only the magic touch to effect the transfiguration”(Hawthorne, 148) Hester is both a sinner and a saint.

Pearl and Her Name.

Pearl is both a symbol and a character because she represents Hester's sin and she also represents gods love and forgiveness, Along with the good of the whole affair. Hester’s thing with Reverend Master Dimmsdale is seen as a horrible and shameful thing by the judges and townspeople. They give her mean looks and they barley give her the time of day. Her, the letter, and pearl are all reminder to her and the town of her wrong doing. “One token of her shame would but poorly serve to hide another. (Hawthorne, 46)” Here she is walking in front of all the people holding pearl tight to her chest. It is kind of ironic because she is doing it out of affection and to try and cover the letter but pearl also proves Hester has done wrong. God has given her a child. Society is contradicting god in the way that it is trying to take away her child by following rules and conformity. If god is rewarding her with a precious beautiful baby, is it possible that this event is not a sin? Pearl is a precious thing to Hester. She is all she got and at the same time she is all her “troubles” but that does not matter to Hester because she doesn’t feel she has done wrong. “But sometimes, once in many days, or perchance in many months, she felt an eye—a human eye—upon the ignominious brand, that seemed to give a momentary relief, as if half of her agony were shared. The next instant, back it all rushed again, with still a deeper throb of pain; for, in that brief interval, she had sinned anew. (Hawthorne, 77)” Here she sins again. From this I see that she does not care. Pearl is a symbol of sin to all others but Hester. In Hester’s eyes she is a gift from god, a beauty and her whole life. Her name even proves it. Pearl is Hester's pearl.

Hester is strong. She is a sinner and a prisoner. She is treated unjustly in my opinion. She is stripped of her humanity and made to serve the needs of the community. She has to wear that Scarlett letter and she is punished for being an adulterer. Every one around her is ignorant. They judge her based off of not herself but other people. They hardly look at just her situation. The townspeople see her as a girl whose mistakes and transgressions outweigh their own errors. She believes in her humanity rather than fighting it. Hester feels that Chillingworth is the “Black Man” because he is responsible for luring others into doing bad things. In other words: Sin. He was involved in Hester’s issue and that is just one example where Hester’s theory about him is proven right. I feel like Hester is going to stand up for what she believes in. ““Ask me not!” replied Hester Prynne, looking firmly into his face. “That thou shalt never know!”” ( Hawthorne,67). This quote shows that Hester will not budge. She believes what she believes and she is going to keep her mouth shut. So far in this book I see a girl, Hester, that is trying to hide but she secretly has very strong opinions about the things and the treatment towards her and others around her. I can see that she is strong and she is very wise.

My Heart

I typically use my heart. I make stupid impulsive decisions and I do not listen to anyone. In a way I am especially stubborn when it comes to decisions. I like to do things on my own and figure them out by myself. My heart is basically a big mass of bad decisions out of love. If I love someone enough I totally shut off my brain when it comes to them. I almost never use anything but my heart to make decisions. Unless, on that rare occasion I have a magic eight ball. I tend to forget all logical reasoning when it comes to my heart and what it wants to do. I guess that means I am emotional. Being this way, I get hurt a lot. Sometimes I unintentionally hurt other people. I hate when this happens and it happens a lot. Oftentimes I wish I did not have a heart at all. That way I would not be capable of making those really regretful impulsive decisions so often. And then I get to thinking that if I used my head all the time I would be like a robot. If we all used our heads, we all would be the same. We would all be robots. We would all be lifeless ordinaries. Life would be boring. So, even though sometimes listening to my heart gets me in trouble, I am still really glad I follow my heart. I even have a necklace with an owl on it and on the back it says “listen to your heart” because I strongly believe that if you listen to your heart you will reach your goals and follow your dreams.

puritans

Puritans are very religious. They have one main goal and that is to purify the English church. They wanted to establish a city on a hill. They believed that everyman should read the bible. They believe that people can only change through god and they believe in pre destination. They believe in theocracy, plainness, and simplicity. They dress simply their religion is simple and they life simple lives. Also, their art and culture are very simple. Their literature is also very simple. In Anne Bradstreet’s poem “Upon the Burning of Our House”, her house gets burned down and shes asking god to help her see the good in the situation. She is asking for strength and help. In the poem she is struggling with her puritan beliefs. She is very un-puritan in some parts of the poem. For example, “but yet sufficient for us left. When the ruins oft I pass. My sorrowing eyes aside did cast, and here and there the places spy where oft I sat and long did lie” Here she is struggling and you can see that because she looks away and can not stand to look at her burning house and belongings. Also another way she is un-puritan is that she is upset because all of her stuff is gone. Puritans are not materialistic and here she is. Especially when she says “My pleasant things in ashes lye and them behold no more shall I. Under thy roof no guest shall sit, Nor at thy Table eat a bit. No pleasant tale shall ‘ere be told, Nor things recounted done of old.” She can not stand losing her valuables. Many puritans do not mind losing valuables and she does. This poem is about her confusion towards her religion.

Essay!!!

My essay is about Cannery Row. No, not about the actual plot.... It is about the quest and how the quest is tied to the novel. For my examples, I am using Docs adventure to the boulder –strewn inter tidal zone down near La Jolla to collect small octopi as well as Mack and the boys attempt at adventure. I feel that parts of my essay so far a pretty good. The rest is what I need to improve. My summer reading essay is going okay. I think its going pretty slow. I am having troubles getting it started. I also am not satisfied with my essay right now. In my opinion, my essay is lacking good structure. I just do not think it flows. I think there are minimal stylistic elements included in my cannery row essay. I need to add my own personal voice to my paper because I feel like it reads like a robot wrote it. Not a human being with a mind of their own. Considering I only have to paragraphs that are completed, I would say that I should work a bit on the other paragraphs along with doing my absolute best to write a good essay. I can do this by editing my existing two paragraphs until they can not be fixed anymore. haha. :) I really want to attempt to put quotation into my text more smoothly than I have in the past. I want to make sure that the reader is not confused as to why I put the quote in the text or essay. If I need to change something I want to use brackets or ellipses to indicate a change in the quote. Essentially my goal for this essay is to try and capture the words of Thomas Foster and connect them to Cannery Row.

Cannery Row

In cannery row there is this feeling of brokenness throughout the book. The novel is about the people of Cannery Row and their fear of breaking free from the comfort of their town and find out who they are. How do they do this in the novel? They go on an adventure. A "quest" as foster would say. Foster says that the quest is basically having a place to go and a reason to go there. "The real reason to go on a quest is always self knowledge" (Foster, 3). There are many quests in the book. For example, Doc goes on an adventure to the boulder –strewn inter tidal zone down near La Jolla to collect small octopi. This was a tough, long journey. He had to travel 500 miles each way and he had to arrive at the correct tidal times. He is very brave for taking on this journey. The reason doc goes on this journey is not simply to get small octopi. Steinbeck made him go on this quest for a reason. We as readers were supposed to see that doc is a little bit of everything and this journey symbolizes him finding himself. Another quest is when Mack and the boys decide to go on a journey. They ask lee if they can use his truck. In order to do that, they have to fix it. They do not have enough money for gas or the right tools to fix the car. It could take them forever. They also don’t have the right tools for travel. I think this tells us that maybe its easier for some people to get out of town or discover themselves. I think everyone has a little trouble finding out who they really are the only difference between novels and real life is that most of us don’t literally go on a quest and some people are lucky and know who they are.