Niala

Fall

2006-10-19T02:47:04Z

I love seeing the leaves on the ground, makes me think of halloween and fun parties. But i much rather seeing the snow fall thant he rain..gosh i hate the rain now..im sick and tired of it..i much rather be in buffalo with all that snow...you trying standing outside in the rain after the flipping go-bus driver has turned you down from going on the bus because he claims it is full....even tho i saw 4 empty seats in the back...stupid go bus drivers...lol anyways that is my rant for now...

void & the con

2006-05-27T23:51:45Z

So its been a while since you guys have last seen me. But then again, poetry is over and summer fun has begun! So far in the last two months, i've formed a band, made a dress for the anime convention which was today and just had pure absolute fun and randomness. It the con was really loads of fun. It was my first time there, i'd have to say i never knew that soo many people would want to take a picture of me...the dress did turn out real well actually i was happy with the outcome! Cris and I's brain child as we like to call it. Well i was Kairi from Kindgom Hearts 2, which is an awesome game. And omg the keyblade that my cous made was just the baddest muthafucka out there..Everyone asking what it was made of, continutally have to tell them it was just cardboard and fiber glass..welps im off the day is still young so time to party hardy with my buddies..ttyls..toodles

nylon_07 @ 2006-04-27T17:25:00

2006-04-27T21:27:27Z

OK did these quizzes i saw on mel's blog page..hahah this is interesting:

Which Harry Potter Guy (the actors) Will You Marry? by SarahWood
Username:
Who:	Rupert Grint (Ron)
When:	May 25, 2015
What it will cost:	$105,699
People attending:	413
Why:	He got you pregnant

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Who is Your Harry Potter (The Actors) Husband? by Sklar_Cameron
Name
Age
When You Will Meet Him	February 28, 2006
Your Harry Potter Husband is	Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood)

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Wallace Stevens: Myth or no?

2006-03-28T01:38:20Z

First of when Jeremy, the guest speaker, told us that Key West as an actual place and at night as the sun sets the darkness fell upon the water it melted into one. I thought checking out a picture of Key West would depict how it romantises solitude was conveyed in the poem. I stumbled upon many different snapshots of the beach; however, this one picture grabbed my attention and it truly epitomizes the element of solitude combing the metaphysical thoughts with sensuality as stated in lecture:

From just looking at the picture itself, you can see where the mystic is coming from in Wallace’s Work: The Idea of Order at Key West. The interdependence of reality and imagination drawing the connection of how we make a mental construct of what is there and the recreation of our imagination. Ok, this is going to sound very cheesy but those people from Aqua was right according to Mister Stevens, and I quote, “Imagination, life is your creation / I'm a blond bimbo girl, in the fantasy world” - Aqua. Rather interesting, I think Wallace Stevens would have liked this song very much putting aside the cheesy and corny basis of the song. From this perspective, you can argue that because of our imagination and the way our mind works, our reality becomes fantasy to a certain extent.

To think about it, his poem does seem a lot similar sort of like lyrics in a song, which was stated in both lecture and tutorial, which reflects the song motif throughout the poem. Upon listening to the poem as Jeremy read it aloud in class, it did sound like a song because of the romantic style. The moving flow of the words similar to fluidity and naturally; sort of reminiscent of the ocean itself. Yes, the ocean can be rapid and violent at times; however, with the sense of order and constant placement it seems to me that with perfect order comes calm docile times.

Why do we desire order? As Stephen stated in class, we do have this system of order to put things into place and now where everything is because if it is misplaced it could possibly be lost forever which is on the microcosm level. This reminds me of my TA from my business class because she makes us “structure” ourselves into groups and delegate different sections among ourselves; which brings a certain ORDER for us to follow. And the macrocosm would be reminiscent of the world and the purpose of having everything structured and order. Everything is placed specifically the way it is, even in the GREAT CHAIN OF BEING of the lowest to the highest life forms on the planet. However, then again that “GREAT CHAIN OF BEING” was constructed by humans. Consider this then, maybe it is just human condition to order things which always draws back to blogs somehow. We have a certain limit of blogs to write each interval and have a minimum to write each week.

On that note I think I should end with saying, that is it for this YEAR. I may write an optional blog just for the fun of it. But, this class has been a blast and great working with my fellow group mates, JO, RITA, JUSTIN & MEL. Stephen is a great TA and draws good references to contemporary stuff. Thanks guys for putting up with me.

Niala

Boy do i love Monty Python and the Holy Grail

2006-03-21T00:37:24Z

Before I began, i would like to say Kudos to Professor Kuin for doing a superb good on giving a voice to the poem. I think he really captivated the serval different voices in the poem and brought it to life in my head. I really enjoyed it, although there were two very inconsiderate people sitting in front of me who were talking most of the time i really did not like that much.

How fitting was it, that I watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail yesterday. Maybe sub-consciously I was thinking about the movie after reading "The Wasteland" last week. Luckily my cousin brought it over. Kuin brought up an interesting concept today in lecture and it was how the knights have to be chosen by God to fully embark on their quest for the Grail. I could not help thinking about the scene in the movie where the animated God peering over the clouds and bestowing the quest on the King Author. I find it very satirical mainly because the fact that the cartoon that represents God is very poorly drawn and well very amusing the way he has his hands on the clouds. (Shown Below)

Good scene, although scene 24 while watching the movie I had a question about because they had a prophet, and I turned to my cousin and had asked her if he was suppose to be Tiresias the blind prophet. Its funny, I find myself analyzing satirically movies now and trying to figure who and what the writers are attempting to poke fun at.

I will talk about another scene which is sort of a allusion to the Fisher King. The last scene when King Arthur and Sir Bedevere are going to Castle Aargh and the place is very baron and they have to take a shit across I believe that symbolizes the baroness of sterile land. The section that we were to examine today in class hinted to the baroness of the infertile land and the empties of no live around because of the maimed Fisher King.

A Brief history on Arthurian Legends: Where are legends that are about King Arthur who is a historical figure who was probably not a king and did not have the name Arthur either.
As stated by my Professor:
He was likely a Welsh or Roman military leader of the Celts in Wales who resisted the Germanic invaders who overran Britain in the fifth century. . He provided a glorious past for the native Britons to look back upon. The legends of King Arthur also developed to include a group of great knights connected to his court. These knights of the round table came to be representative of all that was best in the age of chivalry.

So in a nut shell, the only way for the land to become fertile again is for someone chosen by God to embark on the quest for the Grail and restore the vitality of life, in “The Wasteland”. Which also makes me allude to Perceval which is a chivalry story that I read last year in my Humanities class. He set off on the quest for the grail and become a king at Arthur’s round table. However, when he goes to the Fisher King castle and sees the baron land he neglects to ask three question that will help find the Grail:
why does the lance bleed;
where does the grail procession go,
what rich man is served from the grail?
I remember reading about how the Fisher Kind was maimed because he could not make the land around him reproduce and blossom. Yet, naïve Perceval who just wanted to be a knight because he liked the red knights armour neglected to ask the questions and the next morning when he woke up everyone from the castle had vanished and he was alone. Nonetheless, as he gets older and becomes an adult he realizes his folly and once again embarks on his quest for finding the grail because it is his family that the Grail belongs to.

While reading the text and listening to the way Kuin read it this morning really established a reference to this chivalry story I had read last year, now I really am glad that I took Medieval Renaissance Literature because he does help understand some of the text because of the literary history that is reflected in the works of anonymous writers. Welps, that is it for this week guys.

Niala

T.S. Elliot

2006-03-14T02:13:41Z

I thought I would dedicate my blog to the sonnet in “The Wasteland” by Mister T.S. Elliot. I know that he is a literary man and is a good poet and everything but, what is up with that sorry sex scene in his poem. I am deeply embarrassed for him because he could have done a lot better with that. I know maybe at the time it was probably very provocative but I totally skipped over that, “sex” scene Stephen pointed out in class today. Maybe I am just being critical because I missed this, but it is nice to see some light-heartedness in the poem. In addition, in this scene there is the reference to Tiresias the blind prophet, from Ancient Greek, which also reiterates the fact that this poem does have a lot of knowledge that not every person have besides Elliot himself.

Perhaps, the purpose of spewing out all his thoughts and impeccable knowledge is to remember the past and what has happen, as the world we must remember these things and keep them recorded in history for people later on will have the same knowledge available to them to receive. For now, I will just focus on the sonnet and the theme of sex. People find it is hard to take about this subject, but for me, I think each poem that we read does have a sexual connotation to it and an underlying dirty thought or two. After reading this poem repeatedly, I realize the purpose of putting the sonnet in here for 14 lines and then it is over. It is suppose to represent events in the past that was once will continually be reoccurring in life; however, with the progression of time and distance from the conventional and formalities of what is proper in poetry will disappear.

The time is now propitious, as he guesses,
The meal is ended, she is bored and tired, <-- Best line ever by Stephen,
Endeavours to engage her in caresses    and “Yeah whatever just screw me!”
Which still are unreproved, if undesired.
Flushed and decided, he assaults at once;
Exploring hands encounter no defence;
His vanity requires no response,
And makes a welcome of indifference.
(And I Tiresias have foresuffered all
Enacted on this same divan or bed;
I who have sat by Thebes below the wall
And walked among the lowest of the dead.)
Bestows on final patronising kiss,
And gropes his way, finding the stairs unlit... (Does this mean that he was her first?) <-- Going into uncharted territory and taking her virginity

In addition, to the sensual theme is evident in this poem, but subtle. It is not very overpowering but there are such words that implicate a sensual act such as, “The Time is now propitious”, (In other words, they are ready to get it on!) “He assaults at once” (This one is self-explanatory). This poem is very subtle compared to Dorothy Livesay’s poem:

Bartok and Geranium

She lifts her green umbrellas <-- This is where the author describes the girl or the “geranium” giving her
Towards the pane flowery behaviour
Seeking her fill of sunlight
Or of rain;
Whatever falls
She has no commentary
Accepts, extends,
Blows out her furbelows,
Her bustling boughs;

And all the while he whirls <-- This is where they describe the guy in the situation
Explodes in space, <-- vivid imagery as he explodes and bursts with passion
Never content with this small room:
Not even can he be
Confined to sky
But must speed high and higher still
From galaxy to galaxy,
Wrench from the stars their momentary notes
Steal music from the moon.

She's daylight
He is dark
She's heaven-half breath
He storms and crackles <-- as night and day come together
Spits with hell's own spark. they will create a rage

Yet in this room this moment now
These together breathe and be: <-- this is the pivotal point in the
She, essence of serenity,                  poem when the two come together
He in a mad intensity
Soared beyond sigh
Then hurls, lost Lucifer,
From heaven's height.

And when he's done, he's out: <-- this line is self-explanatory
She leans a lip against the glass
And preens herself in light.

This poem is from my Canadian Literature class and it has a very sensual theme in it. The imagery is very vivid and descriptive of the two coming together and becoming one. As you go throughout the poem, the passion grows and the poem intensifies as the two do. To compare them is to, the girl being “deflowered” in a sense because of the metaphor as the girl as a geranium.

If anyone finds a poem by T.S Elliot that is very sensual sent it my way I would recant, but as for know I maintain that this is a very subtle “sex” scene.

Brooke and Owen

2006-03-12T05:25:50Z

First off, I just want to say Kudos to Stephen for doing a great job in lecture. Monday, I had a headache and did not feel like coming but I am sure glad I did. The whole lecture was like a throwback to my grade 10 history class and World War 1. Funny thing is we did not really talk about the poetry at the time. I really enjoy the fact that the poets recorded the poetry from the beginning of the war and grew with time as the war continued and dragged on. Like Stephen said, Brooke does get a hard time for writing fantasized poetry for glorifying the war; however, everything thing at the time was about the glorification of the war so therefore that would typically reflect itself in the poetry. So I say give the person a break. I would compare it to blogs because just like war poetry it is a natural progression. At first when we are all new to something we do not know what to expect, but over time and getting feed back we grow and adapt and adhere to the situation. It seems as though everything I can link back to blogs in some way and I would say it was a great way to understand things thoroughly because it is an innovative way to do work.

Well, let us take a gander at Mister Brooke and his poem, “Peace”

Now, God be thanked Who has matched us with His hour,
And caught our youth, and wakened us from sleeping,
With hand made sure, clear eye, and sharpened power,
To turn, as swimmers into cleanness leaping,
Glad from a world grown old and cold and weary,
Leave the sick hearts that honour could not move,
And half-men, and their dirty songs and dreary,
And all the little emptiness of love!

Oh! we, who have known shame, we have found release there,
Where there's no ill, no grief, but sleep has mending,
Naught broken save this body, lost but breath;
Nothing to shake the laughing heart's long peace there
But only agony, and that has ending;
And the worst friend and enemy is but Death.

Clearly, the glorification of the war is the force that is driving this poem and Brooke’s motivation for his work. “God”, “Who” and “His” are all capitalized to show that Brooke is very passionate about the war and fighting for a purpose; God’s purpose. This is a typical misinterpretation of war because of government brainwashing by using propaganda on the soldiers in fighting for them. Why, do innocent people have to fight for a cause that they are lead to believe that is right? It is also interesting that the poem is a sonnet because he is so passionate about war it seems as if he is in love with the idea of fighting for peace and justice. The poem is pure and innocent; see that he does not know what lies ahead and the massive destruction that it will bring for countries.

To compare Brooke to Owen, I will look at the last few lines, “Anthem For Doomed Youth”

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

The difference between this one and the one by Brooke you can clearly see the theme and subject matter are dissimilar. It is no longer a war that you can fantasize over, but rather something that is there and let us just get it over with and done. This rather reminds me of, the book by Timothy Findley, “The Wars” we read in Canadian Literature class. There is this one particular scene where Robert’s mother is in the church where a service is taking place for the soldiers who are off to war. She is thinking to herself, what is the point of glorifying these soldiers who are so young and have to set out on the battlefront and risk their lives. I would compare her outlook on the war to that of Owen since he wrote mostly in the latter part of the war. Almost every time a war is ignited, everyone is heated and passionate about going to fight for a good cause, which is always in the name of peace. However, eventually over time and the truth comes out it just seems pointless because it has been going on for so incredibly long and you just want to get the soldiers out of there and home where they belong. I cannot remember, but someone said that the war was rather a necessity for there for peace to be re-established; it was probably Stephen who said it. Therefore, I thought I would sum up this weeks blog with the famous quote,

“Give Peace a Chance.” - John Lennon.

Niala

blogs

2006-03-01T02:03:28Z

So guys, if we go along lines of the Victorian period and express ourselves this is my blog:

<-- Click here if you do not see my blog

The Victorians

2006-02-27T01:50:06Z

As discussed in lecture and tutorial last day we talked about Elizabeth and Robert Browning. Very amusing the way in which they fell in love. As Kuin stated in lecture, Browning wrote Elizabeth a letter and the very next day they were married; well evidently that man had the power of language on his side. I find that a little too creepy for my liking. Anyways, moving along and getting to the poetry at hand. I thought I would look at another poem from the Elizabeth. We did scansion in tutorial but I just wanted to look at the themes and the poetic aesthetics (STYLE, that is the word I was looking for) the way in which they constructed their poems.

First off, to look at Elizabeth and one of her sonnets, From: Sonnets from the Portuguese:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. side note: comment on the anaphora, "I Love thee"
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height.
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old grief’s, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, -I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!-and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Well unmistakably the poem being a sonnet, it is only fitting that this poem is about love; however, I have seen some well written sonnets that have strayed away from the main motif. In addition, this particular poem has certain aspects of it that jump out to the reader very quickly upon the initial read. First of all, the poem is sort of a list. The speaker, is listing the ways in which her love has filled her life with passion and grace and has touched her soul in the process. It blatantly says that in the first line, and the description is very feminine in sense because of the soft language which relates the love with metaphors that describe compassion and emotion. For example the line, “My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight/ For the ends of Being and ideal Grace”. I also pick that line because Being and Grace are capitalized, those two specific words are capitalized because they deal with the bigger picture in which it conveys life in general.

They are akin together by being love. They are the two halves of a whole and whilst together they are complete and bring ideal grace and the ideal being and nothing is able to take that away from them. As we move along in the poem two more words are capitalized again in the two metaphors, “I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;/ I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise”. Once again comparing their lives together as to men who strive for perfection, but even though those mean may turn from God their love is still as one. Hmm, As I continue to pick at this poem I find this poem one major motif that is represented through metaphors is about love, live and death. Talking about the here and now being and living together and if God permits in the afterlife, their love will flourish as it is summed up in the last couple of lines.

Also, there is the “th” sound in the poem with the words like, “depth”, “breadth”, “faith” and “breath”. The soft “th” sound does carry the poem through with the help of the enjambment and makes the poem soft, passive almost female like. The sound of this poem is really nice and melodic when read aloud, it does really help to read the poem aloud no matter how dumb you may look. Going back with the three words, depth, breadth and height they work very effectively in the beginning, it is a very powerful way to say, “I love you from your heart to your toes” something like that. I find the comparison of loving the partner in the old age with the same youthful way they did when they first fell in love. Good poem I would have to say, sure enough it is clear and straight to the point. Well, that is it for this weeks I wanted to look at another poem by Robert Browning but that would be very long so maybe next time, Enjoy!

Niala

Playing Catch Up!

2006-02-21T01:18:57Z

Hey guys, I am going to do the last two blogs as one big one. Sorry for the delayed post; however, I have not been in the mood much to school work. Upon going to school today though, I realized I should at least put an effort in and post. I feel like I am lagging behind everyone else.

Monday January 30th, 2006
Melancholy
How perfect for me to start off with the elegy. I am going to take a different look at this poem to be honest. Upon reading it and knowing now that it has melancholy and as reading Mel’s blog it is somewhat like nostalgia and reminiscing what once was. It seems to me that this poem is quite the sensual one and yes guys this is one of my interpretations so bare with me. The vocabulary of this lament is some what passionate in the diction and the way the memories are retold. Before I go and dissect the diction and state my case, this sense of melancholy is somewhat pleasurable for the speaker as he remembers what has happened. In my interpretation, this speaker has just lost their lover and now well lamenting their time together.

Ok now for my interpretation of these few lines:

“Oft did the harvest to their sickle yield,
Their furrow oft the stubborn glebe has broke,
How jocund did they drive their team afield,
How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stoke!

Let not ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys and destiny obscure,
Nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile,
The short and simple annals of the poor.

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th'inevitable hour,
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”

Maybe it is just Thomas Gray’s word choice and diction compared to our slang and lingo these days. However I find these words that the person’s word choice does make the lament a happy sort of lament looking back on the times he and his lover has spent together. For instances, the line, “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power”. I really see this line representing the power of love and something that once was passionate between two people who were deeply in love with each other. So, I can see how nostalgia and melancholy can be a state of happiness and blissful reminisces on the behave of the speaker. At first reading, such words and phrases jumped out at me, “homely joys”, “destiny obscure”. I would associate such things that go with love and the act of being intimate with another person. The first word that did it in for me was "harvest" i really would say harvest, the two people are ready to be intimate with one and other and it is the perfect moment for them to be together at this time. Then going to take about the pomp of power which i would say symbolizes the passion that is being conveyed between the pair. In short melancholy is a good emotion and it should be a happy that is remembered whether it is a lover remembered the one in which he loved or just someone in general you love dearly. Well that is it for this section.

Monday February 6th, 2006
Romantics and Nature Poetry
Ah nature and the romantics. So typically these poet of this general talk about going back to nature and symbolizing its beauty at its best. Got to love the industrial age and how it made people realize what they were able to lose forever. I really like the romantics because of their elevation of nature and representation of what is pure and beautiful at its best. I especially liked the Wordsworth poem about “Michael” and backing the city the villain. Every time I see those two words together I get cold sort of “Industrial Age” it gives me the chills for some strange reason. Yes, on one hand it brought a new age and area which created technology; however, I find it is our own demise the fact that we are destroying our natural resources and raw materials from the planet the essential things in life that we take for granted. Yes we are taking these things and using them for the here and now, but what about down the road and knowing that there are non-renewable resources and renewable ones that do take a long time to renew over time.

This makes me think of a poem we read in Canadian Literature class back in the first term. This poem is titled, “The Shark” by E.J Pratt. This poem uses the symbol of the shark to represent the coldness of the metallic, sleekness and machine like destruction of the industrial age and technology. The movement with the irregular rhyme and rthymn of the shark itself symbolizes the terror of new age technology and it shows the absence of feeling. It is pretty neat that Pratt being the imagist using the shark as a character of the industrial age. To look at a shark, almost metallic and sleek as it separates the water with its motion. Sort of separating nature from progression and development of the new age. As the poem describes the, “Tubular, tapered, smoke-blue” all these words I would associate with the new age of technology and the opening of industrial factories and the way the owners would work their labourers to the bone and make them conform to the no-feeling type of life.

The Shark
By: E.J.Pratt

He seemed to know the harbour;
So leisurely he swarm; <-- I would say this is sort of like the recruiters who wanted people to work in the factories
His fin
Life a piece of sheet-iron,
Three-cornered,
And with knife-edge,
Stirred not a bubble
As it moved
With its base-line on the water.

His body was tubular
And tapered
And smoke-blue,
And as he passed the wharf <-- sense of activity and penetration of what is natural
He turned,
And snapped at a flat-fish
That was dead and floating.
And I saw the flash of a white throat,
And a double row of white teeth,
And eyes of metallic grey,
Hard and narrow and slit. <-- the representation of harsh working conditions in the factories

Then out of the harbour,
With that three-cornered fin
Shearing without a bubble the water <-- comes in unseen and then hits with force
Lithely,
Leisurely,
He swan---
That strange fish,
Tubular, tapered, smoke-blue,<-- repetition of this reiterations the fact that something terrible is approaching
Part vulture, part world, <-- metaphor
Part neither --- for his blood was cold.

Well that is it for now, i will finish this weeks blog at the end of the week, ENJOY!!!

Life sucks right now

2006-02-13T04:31:52Z

Hey guys,

This blog will not be about poetry but I would really like to take this time to express my feelings about what has happened in my family in the past week. Well on Monday, that horrible day going home being stuck on the bus for 2 hours, getting stuck on the train tracks and getting home to get a call that your cousin died. Yes it is a blow to me. You know you always take people for granted and think that they will always be around and then bang, they pass just like that. I was totally a loss for words for once in my life and I could not concentrate on anything. School work just seem soo incredibly trivale compared the bigger picture of life.

My cousin was 38 years old, and she died with cancer. The hardest thing that I can not get over is, the fact that I was not able to know her better. In 2000, when i went back to Trinidad for a vacation with my family I met her the first time. She was a really great person to be around and had such a great laugh, always reminded me that laughter is the best part of life. She lead a very humble life and then bang she gets cancer. I really do not know what type of cancer she had but she was ok for three years. We kept on calling to check up on her and to see how she is doing. Then, in one instance she takes in and dies. My dad did not take well, mainly cause he helped raise her as a child and thought of her as a daughter. My dad broke down and began to cry, this was the third time in my life that i have ever seen my dad cry like that. That did not go to well with me the next day being my mom's birthday and well i broke down in school as Mel knows and well i was not able to handle.

But as the week progressed I felt a bit better and it was going well come this morning we get a call that my uncle died as well. Pardon my language but it is all FUCKED UP. Two deaths in less than a week, this one i could not control my emotions and i broke down. My uncle who I once again took for granted and thought he would always be around. The funny thing is, when i was little it his name in which i said first, "PAOLO". I have been being told that, he would walk infront of our house before heading off to work everyone morning and whistle and i would look at him. And that one day I called out his name and he came back and was really happy. Things like this got to me today and well i broke down. So guys I am really sorry for this sappy blog this week. I am unable to concentrate on anything right now and I just feel everything is just going really fast. I feel as if i just need to talk, rant and rave about everything that has happened. I just can not keep it in anymore. As i read this whole blog I have used soo many "I"s. Am I being selfish? I just do not know anymore. Sorry for this blog guys.

I would just like to end this blog with this song by Jack Johnson "Times Like These":

In times like these
In times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes on and on...
On and on it goes

And there has always been laughing, crying, birth, and dying
Boys and girls with hearts that take and give and break
And heal and grow and recreate and raise and nurture
But then hurt from time to time like these
And times like those
And what will be will be
And so it goes

And there will always be stop and go and fast and slow
Action,Reaction, sticks and stones and broken bones
Those for peace and those for war
And god bless these ones, not those ones
But these ones made times like these
And times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes on and on...
On and on it goes

But somehow I know it won't be the same
Somehow I know it will never be the same.

Thanks for listening, if you took the time to read.

Satire

2006-02-02T03:58:10Z

" Oh! Celia, Celia, Celia shits!" just thought i would start this blog with this line from "The Lady's Dressing Room", Mel and mine's favourite quote.

While talking about my presentation for our Can Lit class, Mel brought up something interesting. Over time many woman are considered to be something of desire and placed upon the most highest desire. Leave it to Swift to ridicule this ideal, just like the "Modest Proposal" we talked about in Literary Genres last year. Explaining well if you do not like the Irish just eat the babies. Most definitely I would say he is the most brilliant poet of them all. The dry, Juvenalian humour he writes with is just perfect and brings out the stupidity society pressures onto to people and make them behave a certain way. To be honest, personally I believe that we should mock society a bit more and pick out our social values and the way behave and we will see how truly ridicules we act just to fit in the social norm.

The new John Swift is John Stewart. Hey what a coincidence, they have the same initials now that is very weird. What are the odds of this, anyways that guy knows how to ridicule the new industry and basically everything about American life. That whole thing on the Canadian election was just brilliant, we are too modest we can not even bash people properly. That makes me think of the show also on the comedy channel, "Pop Culture" which satirizes everything about our well pop culture and those entertainment shows and talk shows that talk about the lives of celebrities.

Another show that comes to mind that goes a long with satire and ridicules certain events would have to be “History Bites” the show on the History channel. In short, the show basically make up a telecast things as they happened whether it is in Ancient Rome, Greece, Medieval Times etc. One recent episode that I saw during the break when I had time to watch television was the one in Ancient Greece and Rome. There was this one particular scene, it GNN and it was the execution of Socrates. And you know like CNN when there is breaking news, the highlighted bit goes across the bottom. Well it read, “Socrates dead at age so and so, he was survived by…etc” It was quite funny when I saw it, I can not remember the full extent of the dry humour but it was brilliantly written. The idea of having this concept of television in those days, does show how our lives are based on television and it is our only form of the know how even though it might be biased.It is sad to say but I know I am sucked into television and watching what is on.

Drama, Verse & Depp

2006-01-25T05:07:44Z

The two concepts of poetry and drama do go hand in hand. Drama as Kuin said in lecture is something that creates images by lighting. Looking back to the Horation interpretation of poetry is exactly that; creation of poetry is like making a picture in which one is speaking through imaginative literature. So, to put poetry on stage and be acted out it brings our imagination to life. To be honest, I never thought of the songs in which fools and jesters in Shakespeare's plays are poetry. Most of the time it is introduced by something like, in his drunken stupor or something like that. That is the power of his ability to incorporate such powerful verse in a play. This reminds me of the fool in King Lear. The scene where he is dancing around the king and calling him the fool for disturbing the land the way he did. It may appear as something that the reader oversees; however, looking back now it was the smartest thing said in the whole play. The power of poetry comes alive in this form.

I would have to say, the picture Kuin drew on the board of the normal clothing of males at the time was actually well done, kudos to Kuin. I guess there is a bit of a distance to the elevated style and form of verse poetry. With that being said, the Elizabethan fashion or style was aristocratic and fancy. The difference between them and us would have to be their focus on structure, formalities and perfection. Yes, you get these things in our society today but we have a slightly less formal well mannered society. We do find ways to deviate from certain formal things, i.e. this blog (everyone associates themselves with freedom and liberties), slang and profanity. The dreaded essay can be the equivalent to that of this form of verse poetry. It has structure, form and requires concise word play. These things tend to scare people because of rule that they must follow. Everyone likes these blogs, there is not decided date that they must hand it in, and you can be personal in it.

Moving along, the examples that Stephen showed us in class were quite interesting. To put the face and voice to the poem, instead of reading in your own head and giving it your own voice. The verbal aspect of hearing the poem emphasizes things that i might not have. Especially that one poem with the girl sort of rapping the words as they come out. The repetition of the certain phrase do bring her meaning across, rather than me just reading the thing and going through it once. For me personally, i really like hearing the words come from the author's own mouth it gives me a sense of what is being said.

Finally, the Johnny Deep one. That was good. I can not remember who said it but they said that it is not typical for the author of the poem to read it the way he did. But I guess the way Johnny Deep read it was from his perspective of the way it should be read. Could also be throwing out the conventional way of reading or depicting the poem and emphasizing other aspects of it. And besides its Johnny Depp, on a personal note, he can say anything it would be cool.

Niala

Sonnets: Petrarch

2006-01-16T03:02:50Z

Well i must confess, procrastinated until the weekend and then it was fill of family events to go to. So I’m sitting home now writing up this blog. So Love poetry in sonnet form. At first, i totally forgot that we were reading sonnets this week. However, this is my favourite form of poetry. The fact that these writers are able to write such formal poems with keeping the rhyme and meter flowing easily. Without having the rhymes seem child-like. Yet they are very masculine in which they are just a single syllable, evidently these writers are quite masculine thematically as well. Making this unattainable woman as the object of their desire. In addition to my Medieval Humanities class i took last year, we did Petrarch extensively. Like Dante, writing verse poems about Beatrice he wrote the Canzoniere on one unattainable woman, Laura.

Although, as my Professor pointed out last year that some believed that Laura might have come from the term L'amor which means love. It could have just implied as generic term and in translation might have been misinterpreted. Comparing love in first stages going through the process of ending once the person has passed on. Personally though, this poem like Dante's Beatrice has a woman of desire or should I say an "object" of desire. The woman in these poems clearly do not have a voice to be heard. They are treated as someone who has wounded them by her beauty when they first meet. "Love at first sight" type of thing, where you know instantly that is the person you will live and die for.

An example of this type of undying desire or love is shown in Petrarch's 3 sonnet about Laura, the big comparison of Christ on the crucifixion and the crucifixion of his love:

It was the day sun's ray had turned pale <-- symbolic as the crucifixion of Jesus
with pity for the suffering of his Maker
when I was caught, and (I put up no fight,
my lady, for your lovely eyes had bound me.) <-- Martial Imagery

It seemed no time to be on guard against
Love's blows; therefore, I went my way
secure and fearless---so, all my misfortunes
began in midst of universal woe.

Love found me all disarmed and found the way
was clear to reach my heart down through the eyes <-- The act of seeing one
which have become the halls and doors of tears.          another and uses
                                                                                     images to reflect
                                                                                   how it affects
                                                                                     their hearts; sort
                                                                                    of like an
                                                                                    exchange of souls
                                                                                    through the eyes.

[It seems to me it did him little honour
to wound me with his arrow in my state
and to you, armed, not show his bow at all.] <-- love is unjust
                                                                         cause he is
                                                                         already weaken
                                                                         by it and
                                                                         it seems unfair
                                                                         for love to
                                                                         do this to him,
                                                                         as if love
                                                                        has wounded
                                                                        him with the
                                                                        arrows (Cupid)
                                                                        but Laura is
                                                                        not affected by
                                                                        this because
                                                                        she has her
                                                                        defence is up
                                                                        and the arrows
                                                                        are unable
                                                                        to penetrate to
                                                                        her heart. This
                                                                        love does not
                                                                        do anything
                                                                        to her.

Therefore, interpretation love as something that wounds you and only you. The person that you are in love with does not love you back because they are unattainable in both Dante's and Petrarch's case and they are protected by their love for another.

WOW!

2005-12-19T23:01:51Z

It is hard to believe that this year has gone by so incredibily fast. It is almost christmas and then new years. Geez, where has the year gone by. Especially, these thats couple of month once school begins the pace of everything picks up very fast. Oh welps, bring on the new year! New beginnings and a fresh year, for me to do my mischief. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays all!

nylon_07 @ 2005-12-08T17:43:00

2005-12-08T22:42:56Z

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

Last week I ruled Iran as a kind and benevolent dictator (700 points). Last Friday I pushed eve22 in the mud (-17 points). Last Monday I put money in thaone's expired parking meter (14 points). In October I committed genocide... Sorry about that, kisses4kay (-5000 points). In February I punched rita1986 in the arm (-10 points).

Overall, I've been naughty (-4313 points). For Christmas I deserve a spanking!

Sincerely,
Nylon_07

schweet & twisted

2005-12-08T03:37:24Z

So according to mels, im schweet and twisted. So we saw HP 4 on tuesday, i told her to becareful at the end cause its really emotional, even i cried. hahaha her belguim bon bon...lol...yes as i told her i want to be the only girl that goes to that all boys belguim school...damn those guys were HOT...right mel? bouncing bubbling baafoon..i love it...hahah yes pratt..your such a Pratt...does that make them an imagist?...lol...

The Beginnings of Love Poetry

2005-12-04T21:04:28Z

Wow, how time has flown by so this is my last official blog for this year. Here I go.

Ok upon reading these poems at first, they did not seem to be homo-erotic at all. I thought it was more of maternal poetry. Not so much that Sappho is jealous about losing these girls off her island but rather losing her daughters. I really do not know, as Justin said as a response to my blog lately everything has been about subjectivity and they way you perceive things. Did anyone see this in these poems, or was it just me?

Well love poetry and it’s beginnings. Sappho’s poetry is very personal and introverted which is clearly passionate. Just to go on my idea, it would be the bitter sweet in which lose of a daughter to a man. Now Sappho is no longer the primary care-giver and no longer the primary love in their lives. Yes, it can be jealously I am not going to rule out that. She could be really and remorseful for losing another pure innocent woman to mankind. As talked about in lecture, the highest apple of desire. Clearly, in her poetry she is tormented by some kind of loss of love, depending on which way you look at it. Due to the fact, love makes us irrational and cause we like to have control over everything.

As for Catullus, he is really wrapped up with his love while being cynical, witty and intelligent all at the same time. Stephen showed us a couple of translated versions of his poem in class. Catullus is a cocky-bastard, sorry for the language. I really like the second version he read, knowing that Catullus was impressed with Greek Literature and wanted to adapt his style to it. The Greeks were very sensual and sexual and I think the second translated version probably is the closet translations as they come.

Comparing the both, Catullus is very masculine in his writings and Sappho has a very feminine tone to her poetry. Catullus is very bold and expressive, in your face kind of and just comes out speak his emotions. Unlike Sappho who has hidden messages and subtleties, which really reminds me of Cereta from my Humanities course last year. She had hidden messages in her works taking about her constraints of time, and being restrained as a woman during her time. It is becoming more apparent woman writing is more subtle and have hidden meanings, whereas men they are just in your face. Looking at the history of literature, it takes while for women to be acknowledged as excellent writers. Writing for a dominant male audience they had to have the hidden meaning so it would not appear to be feminine and anything to do with woman. Therefore, maybe thats the difference between the pair of innovative love poets

Okay that is it for now, Happy Christmas and Holidays guys! This has been a good term guys see you next year.

Niala

Death Poetry: Elegy

2005-11-23T16:49:22Z

Elegies the non-narrative writing style in which it expresses profound regret or sorrow in result of losing a person or a position. The style of elegies and the elevated formal tone and diction is fused together to make a poem about loss. Interesting, in connection to some cultures death is the what we are seeking and striving for so it is only fitting for this style of poetry to be given the high fundamental writing structure. Although, death is hard to understand and grasp the idea of. It does take us beyond our everyday lives, cause we truly do not know what is after death. On the other hand, death of a position for instance in the job market. After having this job for so long makes you wonder what happens next? Where do I go from here?

I really liked the questions Kuin posed in class today, about death poetry, “What death poetry really is?” and “What poetry really is?” Hmm, I am wondering. Does this mean that death is bridging the gab of truly understanding what poetry really is. Cause I mean if you just look at a poem on a piece of paper its just words. Words put together to formulate a structured piece of writing. Look at death, do we truly understand death, do we truly grasp the idea of the ART of dying is. Are we all just like a poem that is being written by a superior being and the true understanding and meaning of our lives are when we reach the end of it?

Anyways, I especially liked the Merwin poem. I how it is just:

ELEGY

Who would I show it to

Nothing else after that no period, nothing. It does leave room for people to have many different interpretations of it. Like Justin and Andrew in tutorial, they had two totally different analyses of it because of the way it is written. No one person has the same understanding of something, maybe that is what the poem is trying to get across. Merwin could have just wanted to prove there is no one way to look at things. I really liked Stephen’s explanation, the fact of how the poem itself is mourning elegies in the whole. As if, who would want to read elegies in our day and age. Leaving the dead space underneath to represent the absence of language in our society. Maybe even the death of poetry. People hardly read and engage themselves in a conversation about poetry nowadays. Perhaps that is the point Merwin is bringing across.

Niala

scared

2005-11-23T05:09:15Z

ok for Canadian Literature i am a bit nervous now. After that our TA said i am thinking i did horribly bad. I probably failed it, as a matter of fact i know i did bad. Even though i spent a lot of time of that thing. Gah! We have to wait until next tuesday to find out our marks from our papaers.

Niala

Ben Jonson

2005-11-20T22:25:23Z

Hey guys! I just saw Harry Potter 4. It was good, the special features and plot wise. I loved how the characters have developed through the process of the book and the depiction of the characters were well done. I would have to say. HP4 ROCKS!

Anyways, it is time for me to blog and talk about the things at hand. Its Ben Jonson, the name makes me think of that runner dude. Okay Poetry time.

Poetry about ordinary events and things. I really like this concept of making normal everyday things become elevated. Unlike, most of the other types of poetry talking about larger than life things using an elevated format; the conventions of poetry. But Kuin did pose the questions: "What is art? What is it not? What makes something art?. Do we really know what is art? We can make art out of anything, like the example Stephen showed us in class the urinal that Marcel Duchamp submitted to the museum. Normally, the conventional use of this urinal is for peeing into in a men's bathroom. When the officials in the museum did not know who the artist was they wanted it out of their exhibit. However, when they found out that is was by Duchamp a well known artist it was considered to be as art. Makes me question, does the art itself constitutes as art or the actual the creation of a well known artist?

The fact how the poet directs our attentions of the reader to the daily activities of people. That are incredibly common yet we just pass it off as nothing. Makes us truly see our daily lives and how simple it is. The comparison like poetry is like a speaking picture. The connection between the still-lives by Chardin who painted Still Lives, the apples in the bowl on the table. Making our dull lives seem vibrant and creative, compared to the ways we perceive it. Verse letter seems common using colloquial language to depict things for us as the readers to see things in their light. I really liked how Ben Jonson, did this by talking about a dinner date. It does deal with everything associated with having guests over at your house. It seems so common and something people do all the time, yet there is something about it that makes us human. I think that is the purpose of this type of poetry. It represents what it means to be human and things we do in our lives.

Niala

Horace

2005-11-15T03:13:13Z

Okay sorry guys for the late blog but here i go again,

So we are talking about Horace and the art of writing poetry. Comparing the ability of the poet to the craftsman as to someone who is able to learn a skill or trade. Now its easy to see how it brings unity and coherence to the whole aspect of writing a poem. Just like any trade anyone is able to learn they must to have something efficiently produced. Consistency is key, just like everything that is done in daily life. When something is constant over time with practice that will be good at a great skill and with great efficiency.

I like how Horace talks about knowing yourself and knowing your ability and choosing a type of poetry you are capable of doing. Not only does that applies to poetry but also to our lives in general. If you attempt to do something you know you are not capable of doing, it will crash and burn. You have to know what your abilities are to definitely have a creative result. I have an incredibly amount of business on my mind so I will draw an analogy. When you start up a new job or trade to have an efficient product you must achieve greatness in your trade. You have to specialize in something your are greatly good at and with that knowledge you can accomplish a lot. Okay, too much business and now tie this in with Horace.

Horace’s analogy of making the poem speak to you is really good. I like the fact that he says that is a conversation between the poet and the actual poem. To follow the structural aspect of a certain type of poem and let the actual poem tell you what the conventions are. Obliviously, it is not right to write a satirical elegy about a topic. Mainly because its reflecting upon the life of something, with an elevated style that marks that remembrance. Although, if it could be done would it be taken seriously?

Oh yes, its funny how my Medieval literature is being brought up a lot. I have relative information for once. So we did this study on Abelard and Heloise. It was about this guy who wrote verse letters for his girlfriend, Heloise. Describing their life together and their time apart as well. Now I know its Horace, he got the style of writing from. It is all becoming clear now, its all from the grand daddy master Horace.

Final word or should I say sentence, it is really neat on how most of the poet masters after Horace read is letter. So basically, Horace is the Godfather of poetry.

Okay that is it,

Niala

Beowulf

2005-11-02T21:42:11Z

Hey guys, this will also be a fairly long blog sorry.

Class on Monday was a recollection of the first part of my Medieval Renaissance Humanities course I took last year. The tradition of oral poetry rather than written one. You can tell that this poem mainly affects your sense of hearing because of the spoken tradition the way things are said are meant to emphasize various events. In this case, the bard is attempting to gain the kingship of the Thanes.

However, we did a more in-depth look at Beowulf, we read the whole entire epic poem in class. As a genre Beowulf is a long narrative poem that has epic features. The superhuman character of Beowulf and hid ability to have the strength of 30 men. Which makes him a semi-divine figure as we talked about in class. Typically, in a epic poem the main character has an elevated sense of divinity versus the common people he must protect from the wrath of a monster. It gives them a heighten sense of worthiness and superior power to eliminate the bad. In this case, Beowulf must take down Grendel for he is the bad or “other” in this poem.

The significance of Grendel is he tears apart the bonding place of these men; Hereot. I remember last year talking about how Grendel akin to Cain, because he is evil and wants to destroy Hereot. The sense of otherness is used here, because Grendel is something these men are not. He is different because he has the ability to eat and destroy men very easily. I never thought about the scale issues but, you never really know the actual size of Grendel because at one point the he is able to eat 30 men, yet when Beowulf comes he is able to easily tear off his arm. Makes one think, what is really the other? What is really something that is different than us? If we can not describe it, why labialise it?

Now, I remember reading Song of Roland, also in my Medieval Renaissance class around the same time as we did Beowulf. The topic of the kingship was discussed in that piece of literature (I remember my prof saying that it is not a novel so I would not do that here). There was this thing about the glove and sword relationship. Someone must receive this glove and sword to show their loyalty to the king. Like the Bard says while reciting the poem at Hereot they must serve the king (Cynning I believe is the term). Evidently, Beowulf receives the trust of the Lord upon arrival at Hereot; the feast and part signifies this.

So many things I did last year in my Humanities class is being brought again this year. That humanities course does come in handy once in a while. Okay, that is it for this week.

Niala

It is all about the NONSENE

2005-10-30T04:24:32Z

Hey guys my entry will be a bit shorter than last weeks so here i go,

Lets start of this blog with a quote from Kuin:

"The ability to combine the conscious and the unconscious while having intellectual relaxing fun".

One word that can describe this poem, would have to be awesome. I really like the nonsense style. Why make sense of something that is supposedly is doing the opposite. I say enjoy the Portmanteaus and the light verse poetry. Carroll’s plays on his words is brilliant once again this type of hybridized language in comparison to prose poetry. The ultimate description of language, how the English language itself is taken from Latin and various other romantic languages; French and Spanish. The essence of language and the change over time. Nothing stays the way it exactly is and over time slowly one thing will "interbreed" with another and generate a hybrid.

The interesting concept of the literal reversal that was talked about in tutorial is distinctive. The connection of reading it backwards which is the reverse of sense. That is very interesting, sometimes you need a little insanity in life to really appreciate sanity. Does that make sense? Just throw away all the systematic method of sense and sanity and just be for a while. Enjoy things the way they naturally are and leave out distractions of what is suppose to be the "norm".

That example of DADA that we listened to reminded me sort of scat. The first thing I began to do was tapping along as though it was a song of some sort. It was quite light and it had this kind of bopping beat to it which gave it a nice flow. Just like Jabberwocky when read out of loud, I kept on tapping along with reading giving it a sort of a beat. Nonsense poetry to me to sum up, is as if a quite relaxing soothing fun just like Kuin stated in lecture. It is extremely nice to listen to, and has a sense of calmness and brings everything serious in life to a halt and just makes you let go.

Okay thats it for this week guys,

Niala

nylon_07 @ 2005-10-25T23:16:00

2005-10-26T03:16:27Z

Poetry is showing up everywhere now guys. Canadian Literature all about the poetry. Got to love our discussions before class eh?