Catcher

I have decided i am going to read Catcher in the Rye again. About a month ago i found myself playing alot of games on my phone and i s=realized that I was wasting valuable time. So i downloaded Catcher in the Rye. I wanted a book I had already read so that i could read it a few pages here, a few pages there and still know exactly what was going on. My last reading "session" of about 15 minutes or so actually made me so happy with my decision. I was reading Holden Caufield's account of his time spent with Mr. Spencer. What i loved was simple, Holden let nothing go. I understand and respect our societal need for acceptance of things that are different. However, I believe that as a society we have grown soft. We are so scared to offend that no one has true opinions, or should i say no one has the audacity to express them. Ill admit, saying these ideas to that person might be harsh, but to write it down is perfect. It is not the worst thing in the world to be critical. Holden talks about Mr. Spencer and describes the thoughts of any teenager in that situation. It is that here we go again feeling. That, can this old guy just get on with this? Can he for once just toss the paper far enough? I love it. its the perfect thing to read if you're having a bad day. Holden pulls out all the stops. It is how we all feel when things aren't going our way. We just want to criticize everyone for every little thing. Honestly, I have been feeling a lot like this lately. You may wonder where this is going, and I am getting to the point. Writing can be a great outlet for frustration, however, so can reading. When we read of a character similar to ourselves, doing things we wish we would do, there is a since of relief. There is some admiration. Reading this short portion i felt like i was getting all my frustration out. As i enter my last quarter in high school, i think i have put my finger on my favorite type of book. I like books that have characters that I relate to, who do things that I wish i could. Whether it be circumstance, or money, or even time period, I live my life through them in that moment. It can be good or bad, but i have to be in their shoes, even if its just for a moment. That is one of the many beauties of books. Books can relieve stress or produce happiness. They can calm fears or ignite hope. No matter what, if your emotional reaction is strong, the author has served his or her purpose.

A Farewell

Another one of my favorite works by Tennyson is "A Farewell." Simply put this poem is right down my alley. It is all about human existence and the questions we seek answers for even if there is no answer. Like why do we exist, whats the point, and how can we enjoy a doomed life? Tennyson starts out by talking about a rivulet flowing into a river. This serves a few purposes and makes a few points. First off, we are all part of something bigger.  Although it may seem like a negative to all come together considering how highly individualism is looked upon in American culture, it is not. It must be remembered that a river has more of an impact than a stream. This makes the point that together we are capable of much more collectively than by ourselves. It also serves the purpose to show us that no matter what we do we will be consumed. Unfortunately this is the truth of the world. Only those who have a large effect or have a huge impact on a large group of people will be widely remembered. As AP literature scholars this may offend us, we may think that is wrong and offensive. In literature, often those who go against the current are remembered. However, even they must gain attention to be remembered. They may not be with the largest river, but they are more than one drop of water. Today one person can have more of an impact. But it must be remembered that in Tennyson's day there was no social media. There was no instant communication. Only those who did something truly worthwhile were remembered. The third and final point of this stanza is one of a gloomy perspective. It is a darker interpretation to the work, but nonetheless realistic. This view is that all we do will one day be swept in to the river that is death. Therefore, our life truly has no meaning. A case can be made for this. However, as i have previously discussed and as i believe Tennyson would have wanted the reader to believe, this fragile nature of life is actually what does make it worth while. Either way, stanza two works to calm those fears. It uses the word softly. This is as if to say there is nothing to be feared, the world will be gentle. However, Tennyson closes the stanza with the same old lines. This tells us yes it will be gentle, but don't forget what the world is all about. The last two stanzas speak to the beauty of life. Tennyson's point here is the one i made earlier. It is a fragile world that can be truly cherished. Even in our unstoppable flow to the river, we can enjoy the tress along the way. We can enjoy the trees and the bushes. We can enjoy life, no matter how short it is. Tennyson also again mentions the footsteps. These speak again to the length of our life. This is the resounding message of the poem. No matter what we do, one day our footsteps will be gone, but the essence of the natural beauty around us exists eternally. It is important to notice that i said the essence. Tennyson isn't saying he knows exactly what plants will make it, or what animals will never be extinct. His point is that there will always be beauty in nature, and hopefully, we will always be engulfed in it.

Break Break Break

I truly enjoyed writing about Alfred Lord Tennyson. The way he is able to tackle, or touch on, tough subjects in the simplest of ways never ceases to amaze me. Although he wrote some long poems like The Charge of the Light Brigade and Ulysses, his simpler poems had more of an affect on me. Break, Break, Break is a perfect example of Tennyson's genius. He displays complete mastery of the language through simplicity. He also demonstrates that he has the ability to align syntax to subject matter. Here he talks about waves crashing on a rocky shore. Obviously he is talking about much more than just water, but ill get to that a little later. At first i did not realize is, but when i read it out loud it was revealed to me that the flow of the language is that of waves breaking on the shore. The poem builds suspense like a wave right before it crashes against the shore. However at the last second it calms, it breaks. It is like going up a mountain and then feeling a sudden drop off. Tennyson does this intentionally. It is as if the reader is there reading that poem out loud. It is obvious that Tennyson spent many a day  by the waters edge. But not any waters edge. This is not a shore in New Jersey or Delaware or Maryland. These are sharp crags. This is Maine or Massachusetts. These are cold dark rocks getting slammed by relentless waves. Tennyson paints that picture. The tempo is up and down, the intensity is unsteady, however the waves are constant. This also helps to develop the meaning of the poem. Like these waves, no matter the suspense or energy a day brings, it breaks, it ends. And when it ends it will never be again. Just as a wave flows back in to the ocean after it crashes so does a day flow into time, into memory.  No matter how excited one line makes us it can never stay. Everything that goes up must come down. It also seems that the first three stanzas are all building up to the fourth, the ultimate break. "Break, break, break." All the energy is gone. All the suspense is ruined. All the joy that the first three stanzas brought, that that day brought, is all gone, never to be reproduced. We may get close, we may see a similar wave, we may experience something similar, however it is never exactly the same. We never get that moment back. This idea is both the beauty and tragedy of human existence. Like everything there is good and bad. The sea may be beautiful, but if the aforementioned ships hit the aforementioned rocks, (both beautiful in their own right) there would be catastrophe. This idea plagues human existence, but it also makes every day worth living. I think that is Tennyson's point. It may be presented in a somber way, but it is a statement of fact. If the same wave broke twice, what would be the joy in watching the ocean? Something needs to be temporary to be worth while.

I couldn’t be happier I chose Lord Alfred Tennyson. I love his poetry. To me it is almost like the Socratic method of teaching. His poems make you ask questions, and the conclusions that you draw can be so insightful, not just in his poetry, but into your life. The feelings you get after are a mix of his own thoughts and your subconscious reaction to them. I don’t enjoy poetry wear everything has a “theme” and it is all poured out right in front of you. I also don’t like 10 word poems. I always feel like the author is giving me too little or spoon feeding me. Tennyson is neither. He is perfect. He gives me just enough ideology and detail to point me in the right direction, but enough freedom to decide my own path. I also love that it seems that neither Ulysses nor The Charge of the Light Brigade have a “theme.” This is not to be confused with purpose. Both writings are packed with purpose and meaning. From glory, to honor, to fate, to ignorance. Both poems are action packed with ideas. However, what you take away from them is all up to you. Which aspect of the poem you focus on, the part you really dissect, is up to you and what’s going on in your life.  That is what I have come to find and enjoy in these poems. I am able to learn something from them, however, only because of the personal truths I find out about myself from my experiences. Isn’t that what writing is all about? Screw that. Isn’t that what the world is all about?

               

I believe the whole point of David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech was the importance of education, and how far it spans from any textbook or classroom. Wallace spoke at length about life in general. Many of the ideas he shared I can relate to as a senior in high school. However, what stuck with me the most was his point about the monotony of our lives and the type of slump we can fall in to.  This makes perfect sense to me. Obviously I have felt a little bit of senioritis. I have been just going through the motions a bit. My grades are bad. I am not getting all I can out of high school. However, when I say I am not getting everything I can I in no way mean academics. Obviously I need to, and plan to, pull my grades up. As my parents would say it “I am trying to get my act together.” But honestly I couldn’t care less about grades. This effort is for them. Now that in no way serves as a spite to my teachers. I have the upmost respect for them and still learn from them. Perhaps I am just immature or unmotivated, or both. However, I seek knowledge of a higher value than calculus, or Economics, or physics. I seek the knowledge of experience and perspective because I believe that is the knowledge that leads to happiness. That is the knowledge that leads to a fulfilled life. There are people who feel incomplete with a Doctorate and people who are content with a GED. To me that is proof that there is something more, something deeper. That is what I’m searching for in this last semester in high school. I may find it, I may not, I may have already, I am not sure. But this speech made me realize that I must put forth that effort to gain that knowledge. The speech itself is the perfect example. Thanks Ms. Healey

Something about Tuesdays with Morrie hit me hard. I'm not sure what it is. I cant put my finger on it, and i don't know that I will ever be able to confine it to one single thought or idea. I believe it was the overall magnitude of the book that hit me. I could relate to it, but also learn from it. But i didn't have to learn from it, no message was being shoved down my throat, I could pick and choose exactly what i wanted to take from it. It is truly amazing when a book has a profound impact on you, an immediate impact. I don't think I have ever experienced anything like it. Tuesdays with Morrie made me want to improve myself. It made me want to be a better man, student, athlete, son, brother, boyfriend, person, learner, teacher, and overall being of nature. The way Mitch Albom rights is unlike anything I have ever read. It is the style of a common man. My favorite books are those that tackle tough subjects with common language. Why must a books language be difficult, the problems it expresses are difficult enough. The way Albom wrote this is perfect. It is like he just wanted to lay everything out. There is nothing underlying. Everything is out on the table. Take it or leave it. It doesn't require thought to understand, instead it plants seeds of thoughts that will be on my mind forever and I love it. You can feel, through this work, what kind of person Morrie is. It is truly amazing how through literature, you can feel like you've known someone your whole life. I felt this way. I felt as though Morrie taught me about life. However i think the biggest lesson that should be drawn from this story is that we can always improve. We can always be a better person, and we must strive every day to do so. It is not every day that words, compiled into sentences, organized into paragraphs, combined to make chapters, and place together can affect me this much. Words, simple characters, can cause the most complex being in the universe, to want to change his or her life, it is a truly incredible concept.

Blog 1 Quarter 2

The reason Shakespeare's works are remembered is because they play on ideas that transcend setting. The issues involved  are issues of people from all time periods and geographical locations. This proves to be true in Othello. Being in high school, I can relate to Othello. If you truly think about it makes sense. More than once, I have hurt someone i love because i have believed a third party. Surely, everyone can relate to this. Obviously we share the same feelings, embarrassment, betrayal, anger, etc. But what does it say about humans that we can all relate to this. Is it a matter of human nature or learned behavior? Why is it that we take the word of an outside source over the words of the one we love. Even if the outside source has circumstantial evidence, is that truly enough to outweigh the word of our closest confidant. Logic would tell us no, but time and time again we don't believe those we love, and we hurt them. I believe it is a bit of nature and a bit of nurture. Surely, the constant stream of scandals in our news cant help. When we here about people cheating all the time, we get so afraid that we will be another case that we believe any accusation made. We are conditioned to believe that things are "too good to be true." But there is also a human nature aspect of it. As humans, we have learned that we must be strong to survive. Survival of the fittest, right? But how does this show itself in our every day life. I believe there is a direct connection between natural selection and the idea that well believe anyone over the person we love. We want to be strong. We fear seeming weak so much, that we would rather risk a relationship with, or even the life of, a loved one. This may seem like rambling, and to an extent it is. But it is with thoughts like these that Shakespeare stays alive. When you delve into his works and get not one, not two, but 3, 4, 5, levels deep, that is when true thought happens. Shakespeare brings this out in every person when given the right amount of time and effort to take in. This is what makes Shakespeare immortal. This is what literature is all about, being able to connect with so many different people, from so many different time periods, on so many different levels. It truly is a beautiful thing.