Felicia Hemans, had a very impressive biography. Under the teaching of her mother, by age fourteen she had learned four languages and quickly developed a talent for writing. Unlike Dorothy Wordsworth, she sought fame for her work and published numerous publications. Lord Bryon, a critic of her's thought it was out of the ordinary for a woman to write poetry criticized her work. He stated, 'I do not despise Mrs. Heman- but if she knit blue stocking instead of wearing them it would be better" (page 404), suggesting that women should not aspire to be writers, this should only be done by men. This, I disagree with.
Also I have noticed in the introduction that she has had some negative experiences with her father and husband, and had to raised five children on her own. These experiences has really influenced her work as shown in her gruesome writing of "The Wife of Asdrubal."
I had mixed emotions while reading, "The Wife of Asdrubal." On one hand I felt Asdrudal's wife rage towards her husband but on the other hand I could not understand understand why she could have killed the children. This does not make sense to me. Sometimes in rage we do terrible things to repay others for what they have done to us, so I guess she felt that she had to repay her husband for the hurt and pain that she was going through. She was determined to take her revenge, she would not back out. This was obvious in the following verses;
"But a wild courage sits triumphant there,
The stormy grandeur of a proud despair;
A daring siprit, in its woes elate,
Mightier than death, untameable by fate......
She seems th' avenging goddess of the scene." (page 407)
Also from these lines, it seems as if she was being heroic in bringing to her husband's attention that she was hurting, because the author uses words as courage, triumphant, proud and daring life spirit to validate this point. In her rage to get even with her husband she killed the children as stated in these lines "Bright in her hand the lifted dagger gleams, swift from her children's hearts the life-blood streams" (page 408) I am not clear if it was her children or not because the poem did not answer that question.
"Are those her infants, that with suppliant cry
Cling round her, shrinking as the flame draws nigh," (page 407)
It is unclear if the children that were killed were Asdrubal wife's children because the poet did not give an answer when the statement was made "Are those her infants." Might be they were not her children but his, and in her rage to take revenge she killed his children. One can only wonder. However, it is clear from the poem that she did perish in the flames as was evident in the last verse.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Dorothy Wordsworth 1771 - 1855
Dorothy Wordsworth, one of five children, was born in the Lake District of England in 1771. After their mother died in 1778, their father felt he was unable to sustain the household, sent the four boys away to school and Dorothy to live with a series of distant relatives. However, as faith would have it , she was united with her brother William, with whom she was closest, and lived with him even after his marriage. Dorothy did not think of herself as a writer and did not aspire to publication. Even when her friends urged her to publish her remarkable work, she would respond by saying, "I should detest the idea of setting myself as an author" (page 290). In humility, as was evidenced in much of her writtings, she insisted that she had written only for family and friends.
Dorothy began her Grasmere journal in May 1800. She told herself that she was writing to give William "pleasure", but her journal was more than pleasure to William. "The Grasmere Journals" gives a wonderful account of her day-to-day life in the Lake District, the long walks through the countryside with the detailed descriptions of nature. She also mentions the displacement of people who were suffering because of the economic distresses of rural England.
"A beautiful yellow, palish yellow flower, that looked thick round & double" (page 294)
"The mountains...look much greener & I think the valley is more green than ever" (page 295)
Words such as "yellow", "palish yellow", "greener" and "green" reminds me of spring with the lush green leaves on trees and the beautiful flowers in all of their glory. Dorothy's keen attention to details and love for nature brings life to her journal entries. "The corn begins to shew itself. The ashes are still bare," reminds me of a farmer who had recently planted his field and the seeds were just beginning to sprout. Whereas, "weltering on the shores" (page 294), "waves roared & brake against the pier" (page 298) capture the sound of the place and "smelt very sweet" (page 294) capture the aroma of the day. "I never saw daffodils so beautiful....some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness & the rest tossed & reeled & danced & seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind" (page 296), reminds me of the innocence of youth. A child playing outdoors with no cares or worries in this world calling to her mother to come and play with her.
Besides recording observations of nature, her journal entries provided glimpses of displaced paupers as I would term it, who were passing through. Dorothy, who I am assuming was now part of the middle class family, was very compasonate towards these beggers. Never passing judgement as to why they were in that state but going the extra mile to help those in need. She was especially generous to those who were from her home town as evidenced in these words, "On the Rays we met a woman with 2 little girls, one in her arms the other about 4 years old walking by her side......I was moved and gave her a shilling- I believe 6 more than I ought to have given" (page 297).
The effect of these beggers apprearances and their words contrast the beautiful, abundance and positive aspects of nature that she described in her journal, giving her journal entries a reality of what was happening in her time.
Dorothy began her Grasmere journal in May 1800. She told herself that she was writing to give William "pleasure", but her journal was more than pleasure to William. "The Grasmere Journals" gives a wonderful account of her day-to-day life in the Lake District, the long walks through the countryside with the detailed descriptions of nature. She also mentions the displacement of people who were suffering because of the economic distresses of rural England.
"A beautiful yellow, palish yellow flower, that looked thick round & double" (page 294)
"The mountains...look much greener & I think the valley is more green than ever" (page 295)
Words such as "yellow", "palish yellow", "greener" and "green" reminds me of spring with the lush green leaves on trees and the beautiful flowers in all of their glory. Dorothy's keen attention to details and love for nature brings life to her journal entries. "The corn begins to shew itself. The ashes are still bare," reminds me of a farmer who had recently planted his field and the seeds were just beginning to sprout. Whereas, "weltering on the shores" (page 294), "waves roared & brake against the pier" (page 298) capture the sound of the place and "smelt very sweet" (page 294) capture the aroma of the day. "I never saw daffodils so beautiful....some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness & the rest tossed & reeled & danced & seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind" (page 296), reminds me of the innocence of youth. A child playing outdoors with no cares or worries in this world calling to her mother to come and play with her.
Besides recording observations of nature, her journal entries provided glimpses of displaced paupers as I would term it, who were passing through. Dorothy, who I am assuming was now part of the middle class family, was very compasonate towards these beggers. Never passing judgement as to why they were in that state but going the extra mile to help those in need. She was especially generous to those who were from her home town as evidenced in these words, "On the Rays we met a woman with 2 little girls, one in her arms the other about 4 years old walking by her side......I was moved and gave her a shilling- I believe 6 more than I ought to have given" (page 297).
The effect of these beggers apprearances and their words contrast the beautiful, abundance and positive aspects of nature that she described in her journal, giving her journal entries a reality of what was happening in her time.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
William Blake 1757 - 1827
It was very difficult, for me, reading William Blake's writings because most of the time I was confused about the meaning of what he was trying to convey. I think of Blake as a very complicated author, so thanks to the footnotes and podcast which really helped with understanding some of his writings.
"I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow."
Finally, I came across this poem "The Poison Tree" (pages 92-93) and really loved it. The reason I loved it was that the poem attempt to explain one important aspect of human nature, anger, which I can definitely relate to. Anger is an important area of a person's life, which must be dealt with immediately. As stated in the Bible, "Be angry and sin not." In the first stanza, the speaker is angry and does not want to be angry because he is angry with his friend and so his anger dissipate. However, most of us choose to hold our anger inside, eroding the compassionate, loving and caring nature of all human beings to one of wanting to take revenge.
How does our anger grows is clearly portrayed in the other stanzas of Blake's poem, "A Poison Tree." Noticed that it took about three stanzas to explain how anger grows because it is a process. It does not happen overnight; whereas letting go of your anger happens immediately. Blake uses metaphoric writing style to describe how anger is grown, using terms which are associated with planting a tree or a flowering plant. As we all know, plants need water, sunlight and nutrients to grow. So, when Blake speaks of "waterd it in fears, night & morning with my tears," he speaks of how our anger caused us to remain upset, even to the point of tears. Most of us can relate to this, in that when we are upset we sob and get depressed stating that how could this person have done this to me. When Blake speaks of "I sunned it with smiles and with soft deceitful wiles", in my opinion, I interpret this to mean how we cover up our anger with smiles and pretend that all is well in front of the offender, but when we are not in their presence we planned our revenge.
Then the religious context of the poem was evident in the next two stanzas. "An apple bright...beheld it shine" tells of the event of the biblical story of Adam and Eve, man gives in to the weakness of sin and falls. However, Eve was not Adam's foe so I was a little confused. Based on my interpretation of these two stanzas, I am assuming that the angry person was at a point where the foe was now trapped and he or she could now take the revenge. In life this is not always the case. Most times, the person who is angry is the one who suffers the most. Overall, I think Blake was trying to speak out against anger and not trying to celebrate it.
"I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow."
Finally, I came across this poem "The Poison Tree" (pages 92-93) and really loved it. The reason I loved it was that the poem attempt to explain one important aspect of human nature, anger, which I can definitely relate to. Anger is an important area of a person's life, which must be dealt with immediately. As stated in the Bible, "Be angry and sin not." In the first stanza, the speaker is angry and does not want to be angry because he is angry with his friend and so his anger dissipate. However, most of us choose to hold our anger inside, eroding the compassionate, loving and caring nature of all human beings to one of wanting to take revenge.
How does our anger grows is clearly portrayed in the other stanzas of Blake's poem, "A Poison Tree." Noticed that it took about three stanzas to explain how anger grows because it is a process. It does not happen overnight; whereas letting go of your anger happens immediately. Blake uses metaphoric writing style to describe how anger is grown, using terms which are associated with planting a tree or a flowering plant. As we all know, plants need water, sunlight and nutrients to grow. So, when Blake speaks of "waterd it in fears, night & morning with my tears," he speaks of how our anger caused us to remain upset, even to the point of tears. Most of us can relate to this, in that when we are upset we sob and get depressed stating that how could this person have done this to me. When Blake speaks of "I sunned it with smiles and with soft deceitful wiles", in my opinion, I interpret this to mean how we cover up our anger with smiles and pretend that all is well in front of the offender, but when we are not in their presence we planned our revenge.
Then the religious context of the poem was evident in the next two stanzas. "An apple bright...beheld it shine" tells of the event of the biblical story of Adam and Eve, man gives in to the weakness of sin and falls. However, Eve was not Adam's foe so I was a little confused. Based on my interpretation of these two stanzas, I am assuming that the angry person was at a point where the foe was now trapped and he or she could now take the revenge. In life this is not always the case. Most times, the person who is angry is the one who suffers the most. Overall, I think Blake was trying to speak out against anger and not trying to celebrate it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Welcome
Hello everyone,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anthony O. Porter and I am a senior at Mercer University pursuing an undergraduate degree in the BBA program. This is my final semester before receiving my diploma and I am so thrilled to be completing my degree.
An online class was not my first option since I have never done one before, but I am very excited to be apart of this new learning experience. Making sure that my assignments are completed and submitted correctly in a timely manner, while at the same time meeting my deadlines at work will be my greatest challenge; however I am up to the challenge, to take the risk and reap the rewards. Yes, I do work. I am the Accountant at this wonderful Health Care Consulting Company and I love working with such wonderful people. My hope and expectation is that this class will be both educational and enjoyable.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anthony O. Porter and I am a senior at Mercer University pursuing an undergraduate degree in the BBA program. This is my final semester before receiving my diploma and I am so thrilled to be completing my degree.
An online class was not my first option since I have never done one before, but I am very excited to be apart of this new learning experience. Making sure that my assignments are completed and submitted correctly in a timely manner, while at the same time meeting my deadlines at work will be my greatest challenge; however I am up to the challenge, to take the risk and reap the rewards. Yes, I do work. I am the Accountant at this wonderful Health Care Consulting Company and I love working with such wonderful people. My hope and expectation is that this class will be both educational and enjoyable.
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