Civil Disobedience

Today we discussed Civil Disobedience. We discussed two major topics today- the first was whether civil disobedience typically is a successful form of protest and the second topic was whether the constitution should protect the burning of the American Flag. I agree that burning the American Flag in protest should not be punished. Even though, seeing the flag burned would upset me, I think that it would be hypocritical to not allow a person to burn the flag.

If the Flag is a symbol for America, then I think that by banning flag burning we would be banning one of the fundamental rights that we have and may be symbolized in the flag itself. It is freedom of speech (this would fall under symbolic speech.) What do you think about this? Should burning the American Flag be illegal? Could flag burning be considered civil disobedience?

Kelsey

6/10/09

Today in class we discussed Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance. We talked about the quote, "To be great is to be misunderstood." However, Emerson's definition of great could be very different from some one else's definition. So we ask the question, what defines being great? Emerson gives examples of people who were misunderstood during their time but he defines them as great. He only gives a few examples and leaves out people who were considered great and understood. Another thing that we pointed out was that a theme of the Romantic writers was that they weren't appreciated or understood until after they died. So did Emerson just have this belief because he was a Romantic writer?
We also talked about the quote, "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." It is hard to define being a nonconformist because can anyone really be original? Everyone always seems to follow what some one else that they have seen before is doing. So why would being different make you a man? And also what is Emerson's definition of a man? These are questions the reader has to decide for themselves.

-Callie

minutes june 9th

Continuing on with trancendentalism, we started dicussing " Self Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was rejected by the clergy because of his radical ideas, and was proclaimed as a heretic. He was influenced greatly by Buddishm and Hinduism. Emerson adovcated the idea of the oversoul, in which everything even the trees and rocks has God in them. So, we are all apart of the oversoul. Although his beliefs were not widely accepted in his time, after his death his views became more popular.
His rationale for the oversoul was that God created man, by making him in his image and giving him a soul. If we are created by God in his image, then how are we different from God. Assuming that God didnt create man as an inferior beign, then a part of God is in all of us. Also that there is no absolute truth, you find your own path to God.

Note: If I left anything out feel free to comment. Thanks Ashley.

Justice and The Law

One segment of Billy Bud that the class seemed to find particularly interesting was the deliberation scene. After completing the movie, we began discussion about that trial and its significance. Two main points of interest that were considered were Danskurt's quote and the difference between justice and the law. We reflected on how everyone on the ship felt guilty, in one way or another, for the death of Billy. However, although we agreed that justice and the law should go hand in hand, it seemed that this movie did not represent this point. Are there any instances today where this still applies? Or has the law evolved to more fairly handle criminals?

Mike B.

Billy Bud, Day 1

Hello all, just wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts in relation to the first part of the movie? It'd prob be good to discuss it fairly well on the blog seeing as we'll be tested on in afterward. I'll just give a brief plot synopsis for the first half an hour or so -

Billy Bud is a ship's mate on the English merchant ship, the rights of man. He seems to be very adept at the skills of a sailor. His captain soon sees a warship on the horizon, and immediately knows it will be impressing his men soon. He avoids their advances as long as he can, until an officer from the man of war boards his ship and inspects his men. He sees Billy Bud, and takes him aboard. We soon find out that Billy does not know how old he is or where he was born. He was found in a basket, seemingly dropped off by parents who could not care for him. This indicates a possible wanderer lifestyle that brought him to the merchant ship in the first place.
It becomes apparent that Billy has adapted well to his duties on the new ship. However, he is horrified to see a sailor whipped in public for no reason. He simply cannot understand the logic of whipping an innocent man, and becomes disturbed. He recognizes the power and no-nonsense attitude of the man who ordered the whipping (Captain John Claggart). In the mess hall, Billy meets several other ship mates, including an old Danish man who has the task of showing him the ropes. Billy reveals that he stutters profoundly in certain occasions, a behavior he rationalizes by saying it only occurs when he cannot find the words for an emotion. Another sailor named Jenkins picks a fight with him for this, though Billy makes quick work of him. The two compromise, though right after it ends Claggart investigates the feud and emphasizes his authority. He is angered by Jenkins for the fight, and proves this further when he knocks over Billy Bud's and several other food bowls during mealtime and makes him clean it up even though he is very sick.

That's all I have for today's viewing. Feel free to comment on any emerging themes/motifs, plot characteristics, etc.

-Colin

May 27 Minutes

Today we continued talking about Ethan Brand:

We started off with a continuation of our discussion on what the unpardonable sin was that Ethan Brand was searching for. It was decided that it was intellect taking precedence over morality as well as a preson's decision to expel himslf from the rest of humanity. When Ethan returned to the kiln, he no longer cared about others and is basically no longer human. This is symbolized by his heart turning to marble. 

We also discussed the part in the story in which Ethan sacrafices himself into the fire and becomes high-grade lime. With this, Hawthorne is saying that even though he is dead, he is putting his atoms back to work. Ethan Brand is more useful dead than alive. The concept of death being a return to nature is very romantic.

We talked about why Ethan even bothered to return to the kiln. Brand returns as a sort of closure to his journey. He began his search for unpardonable sin after talking to the devil he saw in the flames of the kiln and he ended his journey in the same place. The fire in the kiln represents a contained version of hell, in which Brand willingly throws himself into. 

We ended our discussion with a debate over whether a person is innately caring or caring is learned through experience.

Feel free to elaborate on the above topics. 

-Julie S

May 19 minutes

After Mr. Laz being absent for a few days we got right back on track with 'The Minister's Black Veil' -- we talked about how the veil not only alters others perceptions of Mr. Hooper, but also taints everything he sees as well. Here are some more bullet points from today's discussion:
-he does a church service, funeral and wedding all in one day (elements of life, daily ritual, beginning and end)
-corpse doesn't actually shudder, everyone wants to look for a reason for wearing the black veil-- however Mr. Hooper never looses his reputation
-this is an indictment of Hawthorn's ancestors -- the Puritans
-people act as if they have no sin -- holding it inside their hearts
-gothic image = Mr. Hooper being buried wearing the black veil
-would it have been honorable to reveal the sin (take away the veil)? -- Possibly, however would not prove Hawthorne's point -- God is the only one who knows
-"earth, too, had on her black veil" -- Romantic perception ~ earth and humanity go hand in hand

HW: Refresh on 'The Birthmark'

-Sammi

Philosophy of Composition contd.

While we stopped talking about Poe's philosophy of composition in class, I felt there might be some potential for further discussion online. One of the things we discussed was how the technique of the writer sets them apart from is. The fact that "nevermore" came to Poe naturally is what separates him from the average writer. I would have to agree. However, I think that it is irrelevant how an artist got to the point of creation. All that matters is what the artist created and how much of his emotions, his person, his soul, if you will, was expressed in the work. I mentioned William S. Burroughs as an example of this. William S. Burroughs' writing, especially his masterpiece "Naked Lunch" is incoherent, disjointed, and generally disregards most rules of the structure of the English language or fiction writing. However, despite its technical faults it is a masterpiece. In fact, the technical faults are largely irrelevant in my opinion. I'd say that the technical faults would even aid the book. What most importantly matters is that the book is an earnest expression of emotion. Even Anthony Burgess, who was well-trained on the so-called "classics" of English literature and was a fan of "Naked Lunch" as well. I would say that an immensely well-trained person, who knows all the tricks of the trade in writing, who can rhyme extraordinary melodically, but writes of nothing emotionally heartfelt or powerful is inferior to one who lacks said training, writes in grammatically incorrect sentences, writes in barely readable scratches, but puts his soul into his writing. (Excerpt of "Naked Lunch")
I've found that emotional expression overrides technical finesse is a belief more common in music criticism. Many musicians have lacked technical finesse, yet created immensely well-respected works. Perhaps the best example of this would be the band "My Bloody Valentine" and their album "Loveless." "Loveless" routinely makes the rounds of best albums of all time list and is considered an unrivaled masterpiece in the shoegaze genre, despite having been made with a low budget and certain technical complications. For instance The guitarist and composer, Kevin Shields, wasn't skilled at guitar playing in the traditional sense and therefore relied on using a few key chords and the whammy bar. As is apparent, however, if one listens to the album, is that it's practically bursting at the seams with emotion. (Song from album)
Film also has similar works. The French New Wave produced very cheaply made films that were immensely emotional. The film "400 Blows" is perhaps the greatest example of this. (Trailer)
So that's my opinion. What's yours? What importance do you feel technique holds on how competent (for lack of a better word) a work of art is.

-Alexander

The Raven and Other Things

This is probably one of the busiest times in our high school academic careers right now, but I thought it'd be prudent to resuscitate the blog for the time being. We've been going over the Poe packet in class the past week or so, and so far we've read the Cask of Amontillado, The Masque of the Red Death, the Fall of the House of Usher, and the Raven. We have discussed that the first three short stories rely heavily on Gothic themes and the human psychological condition. The Raven continues these themes, in a narrative poem format.

In class today, we discussed several aspects of the poem. One, it explores the effect of grief and how people may try to relieve themselves of this. The narrator of the poem finds solace in books of forgotten lore, trying to use rationality and logic to fix an emotional problem. Two, there are two prominent symbols in the poem - the Raven, and the bust of Athena. The Raven sits atop the bust at one point in the poem, showing its dominance over wisdom. Three, we explored the repeating "Nevermore." This one word, quothed by the Raven throughout the poem, is the only thing it can say. The author is aware of this, but nonetheless he continues to ask it questions that can only be answered with "Nevermore." We came to the conclusion that the narrator did this to convince himself of Lenore's fate, since he was in a state of denial.

We will continue to discuss this poem tomorrow. Feel free to discuss anything Raven related here as well.

-Colin

April 27, 2009

Today in class we began our discussion about "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Longfellow. The class agreed that the poem is progress oriented, but also that the poem is about living in the present and abandoning worries of what is to come in the future. This is interesting because progress is based on the understanding of what is needed or could be needed and how to accomplish this for the future. Without looking into the future and what may be required, projects that lead to progress would be more dificult to imagine and progress would take a much longer period of time. Another point that we discussed was that the reason why people don't live in the present is because they are too busy worring about what progress they are going to make as individuals. Without planning ahead, people become more uneasy and therefore worry about the future rather than living in the moment. This means that, in today's society, progress and the present go hand in hand. This makes for an interesting paradox within the poem.
-Jen

April 21 minutes

William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis (a meditation upon death):
-Transcendental-- nature, very lush language
-about death and dying, positive aspects
-won't die alone, everyone dies, even if you are alone in life there will be company in death -- earth as a gigantic tomb
-calmness and comforting
-meditation clears out the badness (of souls)
-death is the great equalizer
-very Romantic, use of nature and imagery

To a Waterfowl:
-nature, duck is beautiful, has its place in the world
-the duck is a metaphor
-derives lesson to humans -- especially shown in last stanza
-the duck is wandering, everyone gets lost and eventually find our way
-fourth stanza: "Power".. could be God, fate, over soul, natural instinct, or yourself -- it is up to the reader to decide what the ultimate power is
-This is very transcendental; the value of "I" (the individual)
-power of natural instinct -- ducks fly south, people over think things (logic and reason)
-Romantics say logic and reason are unnecessary when you have natural instinct and emotion-- there are some things we are meant to do
-through studying things that only act on instinct you understand yourself

HW: Review readings from Longfellow

-Sammi

RVW - Diverging Themes

One of the major themes we covered in class recently was Rip's 20 year sleep and what it may show or symbolize. We agreed it showed that rip was in his own little world ignorant to the changes around him and caring very little. In the story he sees that all he once knew has changed and adapts to his new surroundings, content. I believe this may either be influenced by or a different take on events near the Romantic literary era.

The Romantic era was preceded the revolutionary war and the politic ridden neoclassical era. Events at the time, specifically the war, could be easily related to in the Romantic era. To the ordinary person either in Europe or in the United States the idea of someone disappearing for years at a time was probably all too familiar. In addition to this the idea of coming home to an entirely different place than one remembers may not have been too foreign to people either. The story told in Rip’s case seems to parallel this in many aspects but puts it into an entirely different context.

When one thinks of a war veteran they usually see someone courageously fighting for a cause or what they believe in. Rip’s character conflicts with the typical idea of a soldier in many ways. First of all he lacks a productive discipline and pursues his own desires rather than the groups. While a soldier is thought to believe in what he is fighting for and the political changes in the world, Rip tends to stay ignorant to the world around him. While a soldier loses his time to war, Rip lost his time to spirits (pardon the pun).

Despite the huge differences in character Rip is put into a situation similar to that or a returning soldier. To both coming home was like visiting a new place filled with old familiar faces.

Do you believe that the story of Rip was at all influenced by the historical context of the Romantic era or even a new theme diverging from it all together? Is the story free from this influence?

Rip Van Winkle

Some of the characteristics of Romanticism that are present in Rip Van Winkle are the common man, nature, and a focus on the individual. Irving attempts to make a story of the mythology of America (about a man who meets the ghost of Hudson and then sleeps for 20 years.)

Rip Van Winkle is described as a simple, good natured man and a kind neighbor. Rip acts as an example of the "common man." Throughout the story there are many depictions of nature- especially positive descriptions of the landscape. These depictions also include backwoods descriptions of the village, swamp, and woods. Rip also goes out into the woods to escape the tyranny of his wife (he goes seeking individual freedom.)

One additional thing I noted was a shift from the small village to a more urban environment when Rip came back from his sleep which seems to parallel the changes in America.

In the end of the story, Irving furthers the concept of American Mythology by having Rip tell his story to the neighbors establishing the idea that tale was one of oral tradition.

-Kelsey

4/2/09

Today in class we continued our background history of Romanticism. We began with talking about what was going in Europe at the time. Napoleon was trying to take over Europe and Ireland had a terrible potato famine. This created a large movement of immigrants to America. The majority of these European immigrants were Catholic and the majority of Americans were Protestant so as you can imagine this didn't work out very well. This created a nostalgia for the old days. People wanted it to go back to when there were no railroads, no Catholics, and people only spoke English. Americans not only treated the Catholics terribly but also the Native Americans. Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke up for them in his writing. Next we discussed the Mexican War and how it was too far away for anyone to care about it. However, slavery was close and many people cared about it. Mainly the American writers. Most of them hated slavery and showed that in their writing. Sadly, the Civil War brought an end to Romanticism. Many of the writers died but Walt Whitman was the voice for the war because he was there. Most writers couldn't write about the war because they didn't experience it but Whitman was a nurse and he saw things that most people can't even imagine. He was one of the last writers of Romanticism.
-Callie

Star Wars and Romanticsm

I'm not that knowledgeable about Star Wars but from what I have seen of it, I was able to recognize multiple parallels between the original trilogy and characteristics of American Romanticism. (corrections and elaborations are welcome!)

The American Romantics: the Jedis. 

Romanticism emphasizes the elevation of the humble and the common man: in Star Wars, Luke Skywalker came from humble beginnings and was raised as a moisture farmer on a desert planet. He went on to become a powerful jedi master.

Rejoicing of nature: A major theme in Star Wars is the superiority of nature over technology. The Jedi strive to live in harmony with nature. They use technology but they do not rely on it as much as the rely on senses and feelings. On the other hand, those on the dark-side are very technologically dependent. Darth Vader is very machinne like; he has robotic limbs and relies on built-in life support. In one Star Wars scene, the Ewoks defeat the technologically advanced imperial troopers with sticks, stones, arrows and spears.

The oversoul in transcendentalsim unites everyone and everything: the force in Star Wars. The Force in Star Wars is omnipresent and bindsthe universe and everything and everyone together. 

Do you see any more characteristics of the romantic period in Star Wars? or in any other movies?

- Julie S.

Class Notes 4/1

Today in class we went over more details about the outline that will be due for us. First of all, the outline is going to be a full sentence outline. That means each and every point has to be a full sentence. Also the important rules to remember are every A has a B and every 1 has a 2 for each point we make on the outline. The headings for the outline are as follows: I, A, 1, a, (1), (a), i. The roman numerals are multi paragraph ideas or could be just a single paragraph idea. The A is always the topic sentence for the paragraph. We went over three more important rules today in class.

1. Each point should be one sentence with the exception of quotes which can be up to 4 lines. If the quote is longer than 4 lines then it is a block quote and we would only write the first line and a ..."
2. Each of our quotes that we introduce need to be anchored by expressions such as as the author says and similar phrases.
3. The third point is that we need to put in a parathetical citation in for each of the quotes we put into our outline. You do this by putting (last name, pg #).

-Joe

Outline Notes

3/31
Today we started learning about the term paper outline. This outline is full sentence outline , which means that every point made in the outline must be a complete sentence. We learned about the basic structure of the Outline. (see diagram)
I. (multi-paragraph idea)
A. (topic sentence of a paragraph)
1.
a.
(1)
(a)
i.
(every line is indented further)
The roman numeral should demonstrate a multi-paragraph idea. The capital letter is a topic sentence of a paragraph. Every indent, indicates that the point beneath is a direct development of the previous point. so, the points build on each other. A rule that should be observed when completing the outline is : when there is an "A" there is ALWAYS a "B". This the same for numbers in which, when there is a 1 there is always a 2. Basically, a point should never be in isolation.
We also reviewed the Paragraph structure.
1. topic sentence
2. a sentence that developes the topic sentence
3. support-a quote, paraphrase, or summary that supports the topic sentence.
4. explanation-explains the support
5. conclusion/transition sentence
A rule concerning the paragraph is that you always MUST explain the support. A paragraph isn't necessarily 5 sentences, you could have multiple quotes, as long as they're explained.

Additional announcements
We also have homework concerning the term paper, the annotated bibliography. The purpose is to show the reader, a brief summary of each of your sources,(there was a handout showing examples, see Mr. Lazarow if you didn't get it). Each entry should start with the MLA citation of the work. Followed by a brief, 4-6 sentence, summary of the work and how you used it in your paper. The citations should be in alphabetical order. It should be typed using a 12-point font. Also like a MLA citation, the second line should indented, and then followed by the summary. Only 2 spaces should separate the citation and the summary. This is due next Tues.

Ashley Hill

Romanticism notes 3/30

We started discussing Trascendentalism today. During this period the press was dominated by Protestant critics. Transcendentalists would comment frequently on the Protestants because they believed they lacked a sense of joy and relationship with spiritual beings. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that is a revolution against Christian beliefs. It views God as a bully. God symbolizes that there is only one mode of religion and the people rebeled against that, thus Transcendentalism.
The Transcendentalist looks for an oversoul. He or she believes that all things have God in them and that somewhere there is an oversoul that unites all of us. Transcendentalists show no outward signs of religion. They don't go to ceremonies or say prayers. There is no need to go to a church or place of worship as a Transcendentalists because people are always in the presence of God. Each day is an endless sabath and church is everywhere. People made fun of the Transcendentalists and the movement lacked immediate effect. It was seen as a joke by the mainstream.

-Melissa

Neoclassicism Review

I thought that it might be a good idea to create an overview of some of the neoclassicism notes from class:

Neoclassicism was an urban movement that looked back at the classical world (Greeks/Romans). This "age of reason" marked a huge shift because the world became understandable. Characteristics of neoclassicism include simplicity, balance, moderation, clarity, order, logic, and wit. Deism was an intellectual movement of the time; the tenets of Deism were:

1. Presence of the universe itself proves the existence of God
2. Man is not perfect, but perfectible
3. Nature- value increases (human nature)
4. Truth/Virtue
5. Evil is that which destroys happiness
6. Duty to God
7. Education and Science are essential
8. Civil/Religious Liberty
9. No human authority

Many of the pieces that we read in class were propagandistic, emphasizing that revolution was the only available option. The four major audiences for this propaganda were nationals, allies, neutrals, and enemies.

The first work was London Correspondence 1757-1775 by Benjamin Franklin. The format of this piece was a numbered list (order) of rules to turn a great empire to a small one. Franklin understood his audience which was reflected in his cake analogy and his statement that he was a "modern simpleton." Franklin uses wit when describing how England treats the colonies. He wants this letter to be used to evoke political change- the two intended audiences were the neutrals and the enemies. Franklin uses logic to sway the neutrals and demoralizes the enemy by describing the ways in which Britain has failed to take care of the colonies, although this information is very slanted. It should also be noted that Ben Franklin was a deist and several tenets can also be found in this letter.

Next we read the speech "Give me Liberty or Give me Death." This speech was very emotional, however, it is disguised as logic. Henry uses rhetorical questions throughout the speech and improves clarity through the use of short bursts rather than long drags. One major argument that Patrick Henry makes is that we must follow the divine order which is a nonsense argument because it cannot be proven wither way. He creates an "either-or" situation involving too much absolutism to be a logical argument. We discussed in class today that the intended audience was the neutrals while the nationals and allies were more minor audiences.  

Characteristics of the Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson) include: clarity, order, and logic. The declaration creates order with a bulleted list with repetition of length and form. The audience also leaves with the feeling that the result (revolution) will be inevitable. The audience in this case would be primarily the enemy which is demoralized by the list of complaints. It begins to raise the questions of whether they are responsible or not. The piece also has a nationalistic view.

In Thomas Paine's American Crisis there is a major focus on the allies and the enemies. He frowns upon the "summer soldier" and the "sunshine patriot" (consonance) who shrink from service to the country. He tries to convey to the allies that America will be the winning side come spring. In "The American Crisis," Paine is able to make a retreat sound glorious which demoralizes the enemy.  

Next, we discussed three poems by Phyllis Wheatley. "On being brought from Africa to America" says that she is glad that she was taken to America. A theme of the poem is the deistic tenet that man is not perfect but perfectible. "On Imagination" is a pre-romantic poem uses a progression of mood to finally build up to her sabotaging her poem in the end. (not perfect) 

Letters from an American Farmer by J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur is a nationalistic attempt to define the nature of America. America is seen as the "land of opportunities" because it does not have the same rigid class restrictions as do European countries.  

The final writer who's works we have read was Philip Freneau. As with the works of Phyllis Wheatley, Freneau's poems could be considered pre-romantic. He describes more of nature, written in response to beauty. The poem "The Republic Genius of Europe" reinforced the idea of the inheritance of the classic model. 

I think that this is a pretty good outline of what we have covered, but please comment if I missed anything.

-Kelsey

 

3/25 notes: Romanticism ctd.

-People go on longer than the movement and keep writing until the end of the century, for example Whitman (a transcendental) and Melville (a Gothic).
-Key Romanesque concept: no one understands you and appreciates you until after you're dead. Romantic poets lived a misunderstood live and then everyone laments the fact that they were not understood during their own lives
-These two authors are the beginning of great American literature , however, the educational system wasn't changing-- it is identical to the education of the Europeans
-Taylor Edwards and Ben Franklin are not published yet
-American's had access to European literature about a month after it was released in Europe

-The biggest issue was the gender difference in education. Both men and women got rudimentary educations, however past that it was unequal. It was not the reason of women belong in the household and don't need an education, it was more based on a censorship value. Men did not want women reading what they deemed inappropriate. The men found sexual references to be immoral for women to read. Higher class women had more of a chance to be educated. Another strong feeling was that women should not be allowed to read fiction. It is keeping the Puritan notion of fantasy and lies = evil. Since fiction is fantasy it had the power to inflame womens' passions, which were believed to be uncontrollable by women. Women were belived to be very vulnerable to these fantasies, which is why the father's main goal for his daughter is to find him a husband to take care of her. Women could not read novels as well.
-There were these same warnings for men, however it was believed men could control themselves
-This idea continues to the Civil War
-Poetry is the highest of civil virtues, it is amazing to most how poets can put great moments in time into literature
-America wanted a National Poem, but it turned out awful and was stopped by Walter Scott.
-Walter Scott was the prototype of American Prose. He was the single most popular writer in America. Scott put fiction in historical settings -- it gave people something they understood and something they didn't -- the first historical drama
-Walter Scott switched the focus of writing a National Poem to novels.
-James F. Cooper: wrote the "first" successful novel, although he took basically all the same ideas from Walter Scott's 'The Pirate' and wrote 'The Spy'
-This novel was so well recieved because it was about the frontier, which people in Europe knew nothing about. Cooper could virtually make everything up and the Europeans wouldn't know the difference.

-Neoclassism Test Friday!!!

-Sammi