Toma George Maiorescu

My grandpa George is one of the most influential Romanian author, poet and philosopher of his time. He is both spare and precise with his use of words. His 40+ books have been translated into 20 languages and his Anthology “The Prince of Metaphor at the Metaphysics’ Court” has just recently been published in English. The material in the Anthology was carefully selected, along with a change in title from the original, “Poet - Between the Courts of Metaphysics and the Cagoule Universe.” Just as in the title, you’re instantly challenged to parse his words. They don’t simply pour over you. The first poetry section, “Poems - Beyond the Seven Rivers” is divided by selected Synapses, one of which reads: “Chaos is the maximum order/of an absolute disorder.” Always provocative, George is most animated about his recent works, which have focused on the revolutionary changes in science and technology. He remarked, “Just think about the new words and concepts that have crept into our lexicon in the last 25 years coupled with their heretofore unimagined discoveries.” His writings ask, what is the relationship between humanity and the “new”?  What’s the relationship between the old and the “new”? What should the relationship be? I don't have the new book currently with me but for my next blog i will post one of his poems.


PS. This past week he was informed that he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature. Yay (:

conformity VS freedom

I believe that schools, as institutions, facilitate conformity through the strict rules and regulations that they place upon students. But these rules function as a barrier and structure to guide us, not constrain us. Inside of this barrier is where we have the freedom to grow as thinkers and to develop our own methods on how to function in different situations and solve the problems that life presents to us.

Tone / Mood

Tone is a reflection of the speakers attitude towards the subject of a specific work and mood is the feeling that a reader receives as a result of the tone from said work. Tone and mood are the emotional backbones of a work and they are created through a writers specific stylistic choices. In the poem Daddy by Sylvia Plath, as I stated in my previous blog, she used very melancholy and grim words to set the somber mood of the poem. And her aggressive tone can be revealed through her angry language such as "Daddy, daddy you bastard" and her repetition of "I'm through."

Diction

Diction is essentially the choice of words by an author to convey a specific meaning. Words can have many different meanings and associations beyond their literal definition so precise combinations of words and phrases can add hidden and alter meanings to a poem. Authors work very hard when writing, especially poetry, to find the perfect words to create the base on which they can lay their message on top of. In the poem Daddy by Sylvia Plath she uses the phrases "black man" , "a man in black" , "black telephone" and "fat black heart." The repetition of the word "black" reveals her sadness that is haunted by darkness and her use of such grim and bleak words add to the darkness.

Imagery / Figurative Language

Imagery creates appeal to any of the five senses through verbal description of sensory experiences. Figurative language is simply language that is not literal. Figurative language can also sometimes be referred to as metaphorical language because it explains and expands on an idea by comparing it to something else. In the poem The Bagel by David Ignatow, he makes use of simple words and descriptions such as..
"Bent low, gritting my teeth,
and I found myself doubled over
and rolling down the street"
This creates an easy appeal to the reader that allows them to create a mental image that connects them to the poem. And the use of such undemanding language adds to the playfulness and lightness of the poem that creates effortless enjoyment.

Poetry Sounds

Sound is basically the musical characteristic of poetry. Through using methods of writing such as rhyme, enjambment, and caesurae you create sound in poetry. In the poem Out Out by Robert Frost the lines..
"His sister stood beside them in her apron

To tell them "Supper." At the word, the saw,        14

As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,

Leaped out at the boy's hand."

The period after the word "Supper" in Line 14 creates caesura, therefore adding a layor of melody onto the poem. In addition to creation of melody, the melody in itself and the rapidness of the words between the caesura add to the suspense of the poem before the climactic moment that the boys hand gets cut off.

Symbol / Theme

Symbols are what point the way to the meaning of a piece of work. Theme is basically the meaning of a piece of work. Therefore, you can say that symbols in a piece of work are basically representatives of the theme. In a drama such as Hamlet, the symbol of the ghost reflects the theme of appearance versus reality that penetrates through the play. In a novel like Pride and Prejudice, the symbols of dress and clothing demonstrate the theme of dominating social statuses and the class separation in society.

Setting

Although setting by definition is simplified to be just the description of surroundings, setting is actually one of the most important aspects in both drama and fiction because ultimately it is what sets the mood. In a play such as Hamlet, the setting would be dark, gloomy, stoney, and cold which not only adds to the story but actually completely sets up the dark-natured mood of the play. In contrast, a novel like Pride And Prejudice is set on a countryside with fields, mansions, and gardens that all work together to encompass the lighthearted nature of the story.

Character

The way characters operate in fiction and drama are relatively the same. There is usually always a protagonist and an antagonist and then the plot revolves around the two. In Hamlet, Hamlet would be the protagonist and king Claudius would be the antagonist and the entire drama works around those two characters. Similarly in Pride And Prejudice, Elizabeth would be the protagonist and Darcy would be the antagonist and the novel is built around their conflicts and interactions.

Plot

Essentially, plot is what happens in a narrative. However, where the specific plot points (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement) are placed is what defines the narrative. From our readings I have observed that in fiction (such as Pride And Prejudice) the plot points happen in a relatively symmetrical form, with the climax towards the middle. In Pride And Prejudice, the climax occurs when Elizabeth receives the letter from Darcy which leads her to state that she has finally discovered who she truly is, and then the rest of the novel deals with her struggle due to that realization. On the other hand, I have noticed that drama's (such as Hamlet) have very uneven placement of plot points which add to the drama itself. In Hamlet, the climax occurs when Hamlet finally kills king Claudius but that does not happen until the very end of the play. Thus, the entire play was the rising action that was filled with suspense, anticipation and hesitation towards Hamlet's goal, but when the climax finally came at the end it made it so the play ended with achievement. 

Essay Comments

I am happy with the way my essay came out and I am proud that I was able to successfully communicate my main point and provide clear and strong analysis to support it. But the biggest area that I need to work on and improve is definitely when it comes to revision. After finishing an essay I don't spend enough time looking over it and checking for the small grammatical and syntactic mistakes and sometimes, even when I do re-read over an essay multiple times, I don't even notice the mistakes and small errors. That's why I think the best feedback I got was the suggestion that I should have someone else read over my essay before I turn it in. This would really help me because someone else who is reading my essay would be more likely to catch the mistakes that I missed.

Introduction : The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock + As I Walked Out One Evening

Both "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "As I Walked Out One Evening" revolve around the essence of time and it's effect on the human condition especially revolving around love. However, one is written from the position of the lover, and the other from the position of an observer of love. Both poems question times affect on feelings and emotions. And also how the movement and passing of time can affect the endurance of emotions and how it can create changes whether one may chose to believe it or not. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "As I Walked Out One Evening" are two poems vested in time but received from two completely different standpoints.

As I Walked Out One Evening + The Second Coming

"As I walked Out One Evening" is a beautifully written poem that talks about not only the fact that time does not last forever, but the truth that neither does love. Time is essentially eternal and love is believed to be eternal but in reality both are temporal. Time will eventually conquer us all because with time we change and so does our life and our love. Thus, time can be viewed as a destructive force to young lovers who believe that themselves and their love will last forever. This poem describes how love starts out exciting and overwhelming but is spoiled by the realities of life and the passage of time.
"The Second Coming" is a poem that can be interpreted many different ways but I view it as a collection of symbols of change. Such as the "gyre" which represents order and growth but also chaos and decay and the word "stony" which could represent something that endures or lasts a long time but now must be changed due to the second coming the poem speaks of. Also, the title of the poem is an allusion to the reappearance of Christ as stated in the Book Of Revelation.

Ozymandias + Ponder These Busted Statues

Both of these poems revolve around the essence of time. The main message both authors are trying to get across is that time is not ever-lasting and we must live in the moment because life is like a coin, you only get to spend it once. Time can move both fast and slow, depending on the position of the observer, but regardless, time is always moving along. 

Performance Choices

My group and I chose to act out the scene where Polonius confronts the king and queen about why he thinks Hamlet has gone mad. I chose to act the part of the king and some of the performance notes I made in my text were that although Polonius is Claudius's friend and he is not mean to him, Claudius's sense of arrogance doesn't fade just because he is being understanding when listening to his friend. I also chose to speak with the manliest voice I could during my groups performance to add to my character.

Pg. 833 : Question #3

The motif of appearance versus reality emerges numerous times throughout Hamlet and contributes greatly to the meaning of the play. Hamlet himself is one of the finest examples of the motif. He appears to be have lost his mind and gone mad off the wall but in reality he is just using that as a cover so he can pursue revenge for his father. Hamlet uses his appearance to disguise reality.

Pg. 833 : Question #7

One of the largest conflicts in the play would have to be the one Hamlet harbors which is between his head and his heart. His heart tells him to listen to the ghost and get revenge for his father by killing Claudius. But at the same time his head gathers his better judgment and makes him doubt whether the ghost is telling him the truth and also makes him consider how grand the idea of killing someone is. This creates an internal conflict within Hamlet and it's the reason behind why he puts off actually going through with the revenge for so long.

Pg. 832 : Question #9

I chose the soliloquy from Act I Scene II Lines 129-159 because I feel that the diction, figurative language, and imagery used in this monologue work perfectly to illuminate Hamlet's meaning and purpose. In this soliloquy, Hamlet emotes and uses words that don't actually exist such as "Fie on't! ah fie!" to express his anguish and confusion and his need to exert and vent even if what comes out of his mouth has no meaning. Also, Hamlet repeats a lot of ideas to express the obsession he has with his own thoughts and the fact that he can not move on from them. Hamlet's soliloquy is very emotional, and due to the fact that it is so overly packed with feelings, some of his inner thoughts come out incoherently and so when he says them out loud they are just a hodgepodge of random phrases and sentences. And so, with all this confusion, Hamlet interrupts himself and his thoughts many times throughout the monologue which leads him to having an even more un-cohesive thought process. Thus, this monologue of Hamlet's is not a speech and definitely not an address to someone, it is him venting his thoughts and feelings to himself and so it serves as a window straight into his mind and soul.

Pg. 830 : Question #14

Hamlet says, "When, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." What Hamlet means by this is that ever since his father died and everything changed in Denmark he feels like it has become a prison and he no longer loves it as a home. I do agree with Hamlet because not only did he have to deal with the death of his father but he had to watch his uncle become king and see his mother marry his uncle, so it makes sense that Denmark is no longer a desirable residence for Hamlet.
Hamlet then says, "I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw." With this quote Hamlet is hinting to his friends that he is only partly mad and he is mostly acting.

Pg. 830 : Question #7

Hamlet tells his companions that he is likely to put on an "antic disposition" because he plans to start acting mad (in the crazy sense, not angry.) His behavior is partly a natural reaction to his anger and grief but mostly a deliberate strategy because he plans to use it as a distraction while he figures out if the ghost was telling him the truth about Claudius, and if it was then he would need to figure out how he would go about gaining revenge for his father.