Blog #20: Final Socratic Discussion

Part 1:
Janie idealizes love
Marriages destroys dreams
Love is found

Part 2:
     Representation of culture in Mary Oliver’s The Black Walnut Tree and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God are completely reversed. In The Black Walnut Tree, the character’s debate selling their tree to pay the hovering mortgage. The tree represents their roots—not only the literal roots of the tree, but also their heritage. “What my mother and I both know is that we'd crawl with shame in the emptiness we'd made in our own and our fathers' backyard” (26-29). Although it is not easy for the family to carry the memory of their heritage, it is something that they value. In contrast, Janie’s Nanie tells her in Their Eyes Were Watching God that “colored folks [are] branches without roots” (Hurston 15). Nanie means that they have no culture—they only roots that most African Americans could trace themselves back to was slavery, and that was not a history that they created for themselves. Although Oliver and Hurston thematic display culture and heritage differently, its presence, or lack thereof, shapes the works.

Part 3:
     The main characters of both William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God both survive their trials with the help of a faithful friend. For Hamlet, this friend is Horatio, who stays by his side through Hamlet’s journey to revenge, proving that he is the only person that Hamlet can trust. For Janie, this friend is Phoebe, who gives her advice and is the first welcoming person when Janie returns to Eatonville. Similar to the fidelity displayed by Horatio and Phoebe, both characters act as orators for their friends. Hamlet tells Horatio before death, “If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart/ Absent thee from felicity a while, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain/ To tell my story” (5.2.344-347). In comparison, Janie tells Phoebe to tell her story to the gossips in town. “ ‘You can tell ‘em what Ah say if you wants to. Dat’s just de same as me ‘cause mah tongue is in mah friend’s mouf’ ”(Hurston 6).

Blog #19: Their Eyes Were Watching God Socratic Discussion #1 "Say, Mean, Story" Chart

Blog #18: Hamlet Literary Analysis

Blog #17: And the Beat Goes On... Even if the Characters Don't

                            

                                                            "My Wish" Rascal Flatts

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

yeah this is my wish

I know Hamlet doesn't approve of such a light take on death, because I heard him ask Horatio before Ophelia's burial, "Has this fellow no feeling of his business, that' a sings at grave-making?" (5.1.49).  Well, no matter. "Custom hath made it... a property of easiness" (5.1.50), and "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts perfectly describes everything that I want to say to my son.  

The song has a very sincere and hopeful tone.  Even though Hamlet refers to me with disgust-- he even went so far as to cry, "Wretched queen, adieu!" (5.2.297). after my death-- he is still my world.  "...O my dear Hamlet... (5.2.274).  I hope that if he were to ever hear this song, he would realize this.  The line in this song, "I hope you know somebody loves you..." doesn't only refer to my love for my son, but also what he and Ophelia shared.  "...I though thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid, And not have strew'd thy grave" (5.1.192-193).  I wanted to see Hamlet be happy with Ophelia, but now that possibility is gone.  Even after her death, I hope that Hamlet remembers his love the way that he forced me to remember the grace of the King in my chamber.  I've done my best to keep my word to Hamlet after that night, even if it mean defying my husband.  At Ophelia's grave, when Claudius called Hamlet mad, I said, "For love of God, forbear him" (5.1.220).  And when Claudius told me not to drink to my son's fortune, I refused with, "I will, my lord; I pray you, pardon me" (5.2. 255).  Little did I know that that sip would be the end of my life.  

All that I really want Hamlet to do after I pass is actually a line in this fabulous song, "I hope you always forgive..."-- mostly forgive me.  I thought I saw a glimpse of his returning love when he leaned over the balcony during the middle of his joust to ask, "How does the queen?" (5.2.272), but I'll never know.  Rascal Flatts has a vision for the receiver of this song that is similar to mine: "My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold...".  I tried to send this message to my son with my toast.  "Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows: The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet" (5.2.252).  I continued to insist on this, later saying again, "Come, let me wipe thy face" (5.2.258). 

Through this song, I just want my dear son Hamlet to know that I did my best, that I did everything I could, and that everything I did was all for him.

Blog #15B: Character Instagram Selfie

Queen Gertrude would be the character in Hamlet to commit the "bathroom selfie" crime.  So many times, people will post a great picture of themselves, but remain oblivious to the toilet seat in the background, ruining their photograph.  I thought it might be more appropriate to parallel the filthy toilet seat, with King Claudius's filthy act of murder, which sits right under the Queen's nose.  Gertrude's fatal flaw is that she is so concerned with the things she can see-- like Hamlet's depression and keeping King Claudius happy-- that she often remains unaware of the rotten state of Denmark.  At the beginning of Hamlet's game of charades, the new King asks Queen Gertrude why Hamlet is so depressed, and she answers, "I doubt it is no other than the main;/ His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage" (2.2. 56-57).  All of Denmark can tell that Hamlet is unhappy with his mother's hasty marriage, yet she sends his old friends to check up on him, and when Hamlet confronts the Queen in her bedchamber, she acts as though she truly has no idea what is making him so mad.  She asks her son, " What have I done, that thou dar'st wag thy tongue/ In noise so rude against me?" (3.4.40-41).  It seems as though, the Queen's flaw isn't only oblivion, but also forgetfulness.  In the selfie, she forgot to crop out the murder taking place in the background, just like Hamlet thinks that she has forgotten her loyalty to King Hamlet Sr.

  

Blog #15: To Be Or Not to Be & Analysis of Form and Mise En Scene

Claudius told me that he overheard Hamlet talking to himself again, proposing ridiculous paradoxes while in his suicidal state.  "To be or not to be-- that is [apparently his] question..." (3.1.64).  He said that he was worried about our son, because Hamlet talked with such vivid imagery about his troubled life.  "...The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/ and, by opposing, end them" (3.1. 66-68).  Apparently, the poor boy talked about the hardships of life with great ethos-- almost like he knew them himself.  And he compared the world to a "...sea of troubles..." (3.1.67) and death to an "...undiscovered country from whose bourn/ No traveler returns..." (3.1.87-88).  Just listening to Claudius tell me the story made my heart drop to my stomach, because I can remember plenty of times where I've worried about the "...dread of something after death..." (3.1.86).  Even though Hamlet's rant was full of passion, I can't ignore the reason in my mad son's speech.  "To die, to sleep--/ To sleep, perchance to dream" (3.1.72-73).  His oppositions show how he ponders reasons to live versus to die, what happens after death, and why death is so feared.  I waited in fear for Claudius to tell me that my one and only son had decided to take his own life rather than "grunt and sweat" in this one, but he didn't.  He said that Hamlet did nothing more than come to a few conclusions: life is harsh and people don't fear death itself, only the uncertainty of what comes after.

        

Laurence Olivier's take on Hamlet's soliloquy takes places on a cloudy day, on a cliff above the sea.  A spiraling view of the scene with non-diegetic music leads the viewer into the scene of Hamlet's contemplation.  A long shot of the sea below the cliff, mixed with diegetic sound from the waves emphasizes the high drop and danger presented with the setting for Hamlet's soliloquy.  The camera then angles to provide an extreme close-up of the back of Hamlet's head, zooming into his brain like an x-ray.  By using editing to layer a picture of a brain and the waves shows the viewers the danger that is on Hamlet's mind.  The music ends while Hamlet, clothed in black to symbolize death, begins his lines with his eyes closed is shown  through a medium shot, lying on a rock on the top of the cliff.  The sound is still non-diegetic, because Hamlet is thinking, and not yet talking.  He pulls a dagger out of his costume, which intensifies his thoughts on death and life.  Suddenly, Hamlet's eyes jolt open and he begins to physically speak the remainder of the soliloquy.  As this continues, he drops the dagger into the sea and turns to walk away from the camera, and down the steps to the side of the cliff.  Non-diegetic sound once again comes from the dark sound of the music as the screen fades to black.   The entire scene is in black and white, which further draws upon Hamlet's  thoughts of death.

I've heard so many stories about Hamlet's depression in past weeks, that I'm not quite sure what to believe.  Yes, I know.  The most logical way to find the truth would be to just ask Hamlet what's really bothering him, what he really said, but of course my wayward son isn't too chummy with his dear old mother right now.  So, I asked around Elsinore, and a few versions have turned up.  I hate to admit it, but I think I believe Laurence Olivier's version the best.  Between the spying Claudius, Polonious, Rosencratz, and Guildenstern have done, it seems to me that Hamlet would go so far as to actually almost take his life.  Thankfully his thinking was for the better this time and he decided against it.  I almost had the nerve to believe Kenneth Branagh's rumor.  It's true that Hamlet has been roaming the halls lately, mumbling nonsense, but through all of my research, it seems that he's been very careful not to let anyone know what's bothering him.  I just don't think he would take that risk in our home.  Mel Gibson's story was even less convincing, because Hamlet admired his dad's manliness.  So why would he plan his own suicide in front of his dead father?  Out of all of the outrageous stories I heard, Ethan Hawke's took the cake.  Hamlet hasn't even left the estate since his dad passed, I'm quite sure that a stroll to Blockbuster is what prompted him to ponder the afterlife.

      

Blog #14: Revenge and Espionage

"People who really love each other don't have secrets" (The Good Shepherd).  Despite Miriam's double life as an undercover Soviet Operative and her affair with Edward Wilson, she is one of the most moral characters in the movie, The Good Shepherd.  After graduating form Yale, Edward Wilson, is recruited by the CIA.  As the grows more loyal to the organization, his training as a spy takes over, leading him to distrust everyone, drive apart his marriage, and overlook his ideals. 


Maybe fate pushed me to watch this movie after recruiting Hamlet's friends "...to draw him on to pleasures, and to gather,/ so much as from occasion [they] may gleam,/ whether aught to [them] unknown, afflicts him thus..." (2.1.15-17).  Like Edward Wilson, they seemed so eager to start their espionage-esque work. And I, believing that I had once again done right by my son, thanked "...Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz:/ [beseeching them] to visit/ My too much changed son" (2.1.34-36).  Like Miriam said, "People who really love each other don't have secrets" (The Good Shepherd).  So why was I so willing to go behind my son's back to find the root of his madness?  "But, look, where sadly the poor wretch comes reading" (2.2.168).  He paces around these halls like a caged animal, yet he won't say one word to me.  I know he's watching too.  Was I so obsessed with my job as his mother that I deciding it was okay to throw away his right to privacy?  I don't want to be Edward Wilson, giving up his ideals to keep his job.

I went to the balcony to get some fresh air, but I overheard my "spies" talking with Hamlet.  "My lord, we were sent for" (2.2.269), said Guildenstern.  Hamlet said, "I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery,/ and your secrecy to the king and queen moult no feather" (2.2.270-271).  I can't believe my cover was blown so easily! What will Hamlet think of me?  It's for the best, that he knows the truth; no more secrets have to run in our family. But now I'll never know what's been bugging my son.

My secrets were revealed, but what about his? I pray that all the other mothers out there never have to endure what I have today,
Queen Gertrude

Blog #13: Hamlet Blog Assignment #1

Too close for comfort?

Am I a bad mother?  An unfaithful wife?  My son, Hamlet, seems to loathe me for my decision to marry his uncle (my brother-in-law).  Maybe it's just the way of his generation.  The children these days; they all clothe themselves in all black and resent the world.  I can tell that Hamlet has become quite the rebellious type.  His sarcastic and passionate remarks are not fit for a young prince.  And so soon after his father's death he wants to run off to Wittenberg to study?  I had to beg to him to stay, pleading, "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet:/ I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg" (1.2.118-119).  Thankfully, the boy came to his senses and agreed to remain home.  I don't know what has gotten into him these days.

I can tell how upset Hamlet is by his father's death.  I can't blame the poor boy for still mourning after almost two months.  He truly loved his father and this lack of a male figure in his life also led me to remarry. Claudius and I tried to reason with him, saying, "Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,/ passing through nature to eternity" (1.2.72-73) and "But, you must know, your father lost a father;/ That father lost, lost his..." (1.2.89-90), but I could see the ice hidden beneath those teary eyes.  It's my nature as a mother to notice such things.  His sorrow frightens me; it's quite normal to mourn the loss of a loved one, especially when the soul was as good and kind as the late King, but he seems to be taking his father's death to an extreme.  Earlier today, I heard him speaking to himself, "O, that this solid flesh would melt,/ Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!/ Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd/ His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God!" (1.2.129-132).

Suicide?! Oh, my dear boy!  I want to do what is best for my son.  I would give up my soul for my one and only child, if the need arose, but I feel so conflicted.  If Hamlet truly loves his dear, old mother, shouldn't he want me to be happy as well?  It's not unreasonable for me to have fallen for my husband's brother.  I can tell that Claudius truly loved and cared for his brother, but he truly loves me as well. The words he spoke at our wedding, showed both his affection for me and his brother.  "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,/ In equal scale weighing delight and dole,-/ Taken to wife: nor have we barr'd/ Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone/ With this affair along" (1.2.12-16).  Claudius has stolen my poor widowed heart.  He was there for me in the time after my husband's death, giving me the attention and vows of love that I needed.  I understand the corruption my son, Hamlet, sees in our hasty union.  Others may view it as controversial as well, but I loved King Hamlet, and now I love King Claudius, I see no casting aside of my morals in this decision.

I know that Claudius will make a fine King for Denmark.  He has already been a steady character in Hamlet's life, but I still worry that the change in his role will affect young Hamlet negatively.  My heart draws me towards the charm and seduction that Claudius has to offer, but my mind and motherly instinct beckon me to support my son no matter how reckless his words may seem.

All I wish for is a happy home,
Queen Gertrude 

Blog #12: Hamlet Character Research

In my blog, I have chosen to focus on the perspective of Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark.  I have chosen this character, because of the various roles she has in William Shakespeare's play.  As King Hamlet's widow and young Hamlet's mother, the audience would expect great sorrow at the loss of her husband and a father figure for her son.  A large amount of situational irony rests on the fact that she remarries to Claudius, the new king, and her late husband's brother, shortly after becoming a widow.  I found this extremely interesting from the perspective of one of the themes of the play, moral corruption.  Although Young Hamlet and the Ghost of Hamlet, Sr. both show disgust towards the decisions of Queen Gertrude, she cannot help but continue her vanity and satisfy her shallow needs through her marriage with King Claudius.  This quality of lust for materials and over-indulgence of oneself is a moral corruption, because it draws away from other characteristics of people.  For example, the Queen's loyalty is overlooked until later in the play, because of her vanity. As this quality is so often found in celebrities, it will be easy for me to show throughout my character tasks.

Source:  http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis/gertrudechar.html

Blog #11: Hamlet "Who's There?" Passage Analysis

Blog #10: "Dream Child; A Reverie" Thesis Statement Revision

Prompt: Carefully read the passage from “Dream Child; a Reverie,” paying special attention to descriptive details and sentence structure. Then, write an essay in which you analyze how Charles Lamb’s style contributes to his portrayal of his “dream children,” his grandmother, and his own childhood.

Original Thesis: Lamb utilizes repetition of simple words, such as good and religious; long, compound sentences; and allusions to the history and people of Norfolk to create a whimsical account of an otherwise average family for his children.  

ARGUMENT/FOCUS   

_No_ Does my thesis statement address each part of the essay question?

_No_ Is the point I'm making one that would generate discussion and argument, or is it one

that would leave people asking, “So what?"

_No_ Have I focused on an interesting contradiction, tension or paradox between two things?

Example: “Although the escalation of violence in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men eventually results in two deaths, it is through violence that compassion is revealed when George, in a violent but merciful act, saves Lenny from cruel mob justice.”

_Yes_ Is my thesis too vague? Too general? Should I focus on some more specific aspect of my

topic?

_Yes_ Does my thesis deal directly with the topic at hand, or is it a declaration of my personal

feelings (“I think”/ “I feel” statements)?

LANGUAGE

_Yes_ Does my thesis indicate the direction of my argument? Does it suggest a structure for

my paper?

_No_ Is the language in my thesis vivid and clear? Have I structured my sentence so that the

important information is in the main clause? Have I used subordinate clauses to

house less important information? Have I used parallelism to show the relationship

between parts of my thesis? In short, is this thesis the very best sentence that it can be?

_Yes_ Is the thesis statement written as a complex sentence?

Revised Thesis: Charles Lamb utilizes repetition of simple words, such as good and religious; long, compound sentences; and allusions to the history and people of Norfolk to create a long history of his family that is perceived as nostalgia, but shows his guilt towards the death of his grandmother and her good name, and the innocence he forces upon his "dream children", that are caused by the regret he carries when faced with his own childhood.

For my thesis revision, I added the first name of the author of the passage.  I also addressed the thesis prompt, unlike my original thesis, by adding how the style of Charles Lamb relates to the portrayal of his childhood, his grandmother, and his children.  I reflected a complex idea in my revised thesis by comparing how Charles Lamb's direct writing and his style show contradicting portrayals of his family.

Blog #9: Grammar Boot Camp

Blog #8: "Root Word" Presentation

Blog #7: Pan's Labyrinth Analysis

Mise en Scene Analysis Paragraphs

Settings and Props

The ending scene of Pan's Labyrinth begins in the middle of the labyrinth.  Ofelia and the other characters in the movie are surrounded by nature in the form of trees and grass.  Ancient, crumbling stone walls covered in moss enclose the setting.  The scene expands to show the old stone stairway leading into the abandoned, underground fortress.  The stone statue depicting a woman, a man and a child stands in the middle of a well filled with water, mixed with Ofelia's blood.  The earthy setting and ancient props used in this last scene of the movie parallel how Ofelia's dead body has become part of the earth, transforming her into her natural state of being, as the princess.  The scene also juxtaposes the kingdom that Ofelia is transported to, where intricate architecture lines the palace ballroom.  This setting includes a grand entrance, cathedral-like window panes, golden columns, and three towering thrones. The sharp contrast in setting from the labyrinth to Ofelia's kingdom shows that the child has finally transformed through the elaborate details that highlight the kingdom as the more pleasurable and comfortable place for Ofelia to exist.

Costumes, Hair and Make-up

As Ofelia continues to exist in the "real world", the costuming and makeup that the characters use shows how drab and unexciting that life has been for Ofelia.  Plain, dark clothing makes the characters look poor and dirty.  The torn, and bloody costumes demonstrate the hardships that Ofelia has overcome in her quest to return to her kingdom.  Mercedes and Ofelia's natural makeup and limp, messy hair create an eerie resemblance between the two characters, depicting, through Mercedes, the life that Ofelia would have had if she had given up her childish beliefs.  Ofelia continues to believe, however, and for this she is rewarded by the lavish robes and gowns worn by the Queen and King of the underground kingdom.  The bright colors symbolize a happiness that Ofelia never found while in her mortal state.  Light makeup and neatly curled hair show a togetherness for the young girl who has just found freedom.  Even the faun that Ofelia meets towards the beginning of the movie, has neatly straightened hair, showing that the harshness found in the world with the captain has vanished in everyone.

Facial Expressions and Body Language

Mercedes expresses worry as she walks slowly toward Ofelia's limp body.  She lightly touches the girl, leaning very close to her, which shows the personal bond that the two females shared.  Her face shows pain, as her eyes close, her eyebrows wrinkle, and her mouth turns downward.  Ofelia's body doesn't move in the labyrinth, but in her kingdom, her awe is shown by her large, darting eyes and slow breathing as she looks around to take in her new surroundings.  The Queen and King give warm looks to their long-lost daughter.  Smiles from the family shows a familiarity and happiness with the reunion, while back in the labyrinth Ofelia's mortal body changes.  Her eyes open, and her breathing is more even.  The young girl's mouth is open and relaxed.  She shows no signs terror-- it is almost a look of contentment that she displays, as though she has come to terms with her worldly death in order to regain her rightful place as the princess.

Lighting and Color

The colors found when Ofelia is in the labyrinth are dark.  It is night and light during this part of the scene is natural, coming from the full moon.  This casts shadows, making the background appear darker, and leaves only the faces of Mercedes and Ofelia illuminated, which allows their facial expressions to appear more prominent.  This light parallels the past and foreshadows the death of Ofelia's mortal body.  The stone statue is the last object illuminated before the scene fades to bright yellow.  This color change signals the return of Ofelia to her fairy tale kingdom.  The screen glows with warm colors, such as gold, red, orange, yellow, and brown.  Light here seems to come from nowhere at all--it just appears-- even though the rays of sunlight stream through the stained glass window at the back of the room.  The light reflects off the faces of Ofelia and the King and Queen, leaving them with an angelic glow.  The bright colors symbolize a change in Ofelia's life, as she begins anew as the "Master of  Two Worlds".

Behavior of Figures

The scene begins in the labyrinth.  The rebels stand in the background to provide respect and personal space as Mercedes approaches the body of the girl she vowed to protect.  The encounter between Mercedes and Ofelia is at a medium shot to capture every action that takes place.  An extreme close up of the blood dripping from Ofelia's fingers and into the well water suggests that this blood maybe an important reason as to why Ofelia is allowed to join the fairy tale world after the faun banishes her-- her innocent blood is able to reopen the portal.  The focus then turns the statue, zooming out to include the entire essence and meaning of the three people shown on the stone that Ofelia will soon join in the kingdom.  Another close up of Mercedes features her pained expression at the literal and metaphorical death of the girl who suffered so much oppression of her creativity and youthful mind.  In the beginning of the kingdom scene, close ups focus of details such as Ofelia's new shoes and the fairies that greet her to capture the awe and fresh perspective of the world she has just entered.  The shots alternate between close ups of Ofelia and medium-long distance shots of other characters to show what is taking place, and how the girl reacts to these events.  An over the shoulder shot from the perspective of the faun shows in greater detail how Ofelia is perceived in the environment she has been waiting for so long to call home.  As the kingdom fades, an extreme close up of Ofelia lingers on her facial expression of contentment.  The gleam in her eyes shows that she no longer fears the past world that she has left behind, but instead, she dwells on the thoughts of the future she will have with her new freedom.

Blog #6: Fairy Tale Poetry Presentation

Blog #5: Fairy Tale Presentation

Blog #4: "Roots" Extension Activity

Passage from Beloved

     "There is a loneliness that can be rocked.  Arms crossed, knees drawn up; holding, holding on, this motion, unlike a ship's, smooths and contain the rocker.  It's an inside kind-- wrapped tight like skin.  Then there is a loneliness that roams.  No rocking can hold it down.  It is alive, on its own.  A dry and spreading thing that makes the sound of one's own fear going seem to come from a far-off place.

     Everybody knew what she was called, but nobody anywhere knew her name.  Disremembered and unaccounted for she cannot be lost because no one is looking for her, and even if they were, how can they call her if they don't know her name?  Although she has claim, she is not claimed.  In the place where long grass opens, the girl who waited to be loved and cry shame erupts into her separate parts, to make it easy for the chewing laughter to swallow her all away.

     It was not a story to pass on.

     They forgot her like a bad dream.  after they made up their tales, shaped and decorated them, those that saw her that day on the porch quickly and deliberately forgot her.  It took longer for those who had spoken to her, lived with her, fallen in love with her, to forget, until they realized they couldn't remember or repeat a single thing she said, and began to believe that, other than what they themselves were thinking, she hadn't said anything at all.  So, in the end, they forgot her too.  Remembering seemed unwise.  They never knew where or why she crouched, or whose was the underwater face she needed like that. Where the memory of the smile under her chin might have been and was not, a latch latched and lichen attached its apple-green bloom to the metal.  What made her think her fingernails could open locks the rain rained on?

     It was not a story to pass on.

     So they forgot her.  Like an unpleasant dream during a troubling sleep.  Occasionally, however, the rustle of a skirt hushes when they wake, and the knuckles brushing a cheek in sleep seem to belong to the sleeper.  Sometimes the photograph of a close friend or relative-- looked at too long-- shifts, and something more familiar than the dear face itself moves there.  They can touch it if they like, but don't because they know things will never be the same if they do.

     This is not a story to pass on.

     Down by the stream in back of 124 her footprints come and go, come and go.  They are so familiar.  Should a child, and adult place his feet in them, they will fit.  Take them out and they disappear again as though nobody ever waked there.
     By and by all trace is gone, and what is forgotten is not only the footprints but the water too and what it is down there.  the rest is weather.  Not the breath of the disremembered and unaccounted for, but wind in the eaves, or spring ice thawing too quickly.  Just weather.  Certainly no clamor for a kiss.

     Beloved" (274-275).

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Summer Reading Prompted Writing Draft

           The last chapter of Beloved, by Toni Morrison, contains a passage that is effective in resolving the tone surrounding the encounter with the main character’s lost daughter based on its use of syntax and figurative language to show universal themes of love, strength, and diminished hope.

            The passage begins with a unifying quote that ties together multiple themes from the novel.  The three universal themes are married in the contrast between the two types of loneliness mentioned.  One, “…a loneliness that can be rocked” (274), festers inside its rocker, while the other “roams”, “alive, on its own”; it is a physical thing that is caused by actually being alone in the world.  This personification of loneliness, sets the scene for the entire passage by presenting the fact that the main character is physically lonely because she has lost her daughter twice, but her true loneliness comes from the fact that she has let this fester inside of her while so many others try to support her.  The love that the main character showed for her daughter made her vulnerable to her parasitic needs, leaving her both without her original strength, and the hope she showed in the beginning of the novel.

             To continue the passage, the author expands on the cause of the main character’s loneliness.  I quote, “It took linger for those who had spoken to her, lived with her, fallen in love with her, to forget, until they realized they couldn't remember or repeat a single thing she said, and began to believe that, other than what they themselves were thinking, she hadn't said anything at all” (274).  The repetition of “her” in the beginning of this quote draws upon the increasing stages of relationships that Beloved, the daughter, made as she tried to implant herself back into the main character’s life.  

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Summer Reading Prompted Writing Final

            The last chapter of Beloved, by Toni Morrison, contains a passage that is effective in resolving the tone surrounding the encounter with the main character’s lost daughter based on its use of syntax and figurative language to show universal themes of love, strength, and diminished hope.

            The passage begins with a unifying quote that ties together multiple themes from the novel.  The three universal themes are married in the contrast between the two types of loneliness mentioned.  One, “…a loneliness that can be rocked” (274), festers inside its rocker, while the other “roams”, “alive, on its own”; it is a physical thing that is caused by actually being alone in the world.  This personification of loneliness, sets the scene for the entire passage by presenting the fact that the main character is physically lonely because she has lost her daughter twice, but her true loneliness comes from the fact that she has let this fester inside of her while so many others try to support her.  The love that the main character showed for her daughter made her vulnerable to her parasitic needs, leaving her both without her original strength, and the hope she showed in the beginning of the novel.

             To continue the passage, the author expands on the cause of the main character’s loneliness.  I quote, “It took linger for those who had spoken to her, lived with her, fallen in love with her, to forget, until they realized they couldn't remember or repeat a single thing she said, and began to believe that, other than what they themselves were thinking, she hadn't said anything at all” (274).  The repetition of “her” in the beginning of this quote draws upon the increasing stages of relationships that Beloved, the daughter, made as she tried to implant herself back into the main character’s life.  The syntax emphasizes the power that Beloved held, yet the author’s choice to repeat the word “her”, showing the space that the characters have already begun to put between themselves and this mysterious girl who claimed to only offer love, but destroyed all strength.

             Separating each paragraph, the author choose to implement a form of the quote, “It was not a story to pass on” (274).  The quote shows that the speaker feels haunted by her encounter with Beloved, creating a tone of uncertainty.  This translates to readers as they, too, feel the eerie mood.  Combined with the mood created by the author's choice of repetition, the final word of the passage echoes unnervingly in the minds of readers, and plays on the universal theme of strength as the strength of "Beloved".

             The author of Beloved, Toni Morrison, effectively uses her ending passage to summarize the tone surrounding the main character's daughter.  The universal themes used in the novel, through Morrison's syntax and figurative language revolve around the novel's tone.  Repetition in her final passage built upon the feelings and understanding of the reader to create a mood based on the novel's overall tone.  Enhanced by figurative language, the author balanced love and strength in the midst of a somber and haunted world where the main character also learns to balance these values.


 


Blog #3: "The Black Walnut Tree"

   "The Black Walnut Tree"

Thesis:  The idioms “money doesn’t buy happiness” and “money doesn’t grow on trees” are well-known, yet in the poem, “The Black Walnut Tree”, situational irony occurs in the fact that selling the Black Walnut Tree would shame the family’s ancestry, but solve their financial problems.

Where am I?

The poem takes place in the fall because the “fruit [is] harder to gather away”(I. 14-15) normally harvested in autumn.  It’s in Ohio- “fresh and generous Ohio”(I. 24).  The poem describes a feeling of the outdoors and the daughter describes the life of the tree and the atmosphere around the yard bare of anything except the Black Walnut Tree- “emptiness we’d made in our own and our fathers’ backyard”(I. 28)

Who am I?

The speaker of the poem is a daughter debating with her mother (I. 1) We know it is a daughter because of her peaceful yet frantic tone as well as the description of the two women (I. 9).  The poem describes the family ancestry of the fathers of Bohemia- Czech Republic, Europe (I. 22).  The tone of the poem is described through the panic and debate of the the walnut tree to pay for the mortgage.  

What do I want?

The speaker, daughter, is debating with her mother whether they should sell their tree and relieve their mortgage or to keep the tree and find another way to pay.  The daughter wants to keep the tree, because something is moving her and her mother to keep it; they ‘talk but won’t do anything’.  

The Black Walnut Tree is a symbol for overcoming hard times and pride stored in heritage.  The author reveals through the main character that selling the Black Walnut Tree would be like selling her soul because it represents her ancestry and values.  They believe that selling the tree will leave them in shame and disappointment of the family pride.  Even though the speaker and her mother could take the shortcut to their financial problems by selling the tree, they continue to hold out against the “whip-crack of the mortgage”(I. 34-35) like they have for previous months.

WHAT IMPRESSION WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONVEY? WHY? WRITE ONE CHUNKY PARAGRAPH JUSTIFYING THIS, USING LINES FROM THE TEXT.

The impression we would like to convey through our performance to the class is that there are two women that are sitting in front of their old Black Walnut Tree and they are discussing selling the tree to pay off the mortgage and we use country accents to show they are from the farms. This is important because living on the farm shows how important the land is to them and that it is such an important resource. While they are speaking they have a little bit of a guilt tone when they describe how if they cut down and sold the tree they would “crawl with shame in the emptiness [they]’d made in our own and fathers backyard” (I. 2 7-28) They are not selling  the tree out of the guilt that they would have if they did. However they also have to worry about the “whipcrack of the mortgage”  (I. 34-35) every month.  Which carries a burden on their shoulder and they are conflicted on whether or not to sell it because they could be getting so much money from selling the tree that would “pay off the mortgage” because the burden of it is getting  “heavier”(I.13).So conveying a guilt tone will presenting it would show this to the audience.

WHICH PROPS AND COSTUMING WILL BE USED? WHAT KIND OF LIGHTING WOULD YOU USE? WHY? WRITE ONE CHUNKY PARAGRAPH JUSTIFYING THIS, USING LINES FROM THE TEXT.

To recreate the poem through acting, we would present outside to try to place the main character and her mother’s conversation near their topic.  The natural light would emphasize the nature that surrounds the family and their heritage of  “filling the blue fields of fresh and generous Ohio with leaves and vines and orchards” (I. 23-25).  For costumes, we would wear normal clothing, to highlight the fact that the mother and daughter have drifted from their farming ancestry in “Bohemia” (I. 22).  The props would reflect this history to show the shame that still burns in the characters as they decide to hold onto their values through the Black Walnut Tree.

WILL YOU DRAW ATTENTION TO CERTAIN PHRASES OR WORDS? WHY ARE THESE WORDS (OR WORD) IMPORTANT? WHY DOES THE REPETITION OF THIS WORD/THESE WORDS REINFORCE THE MEANING OF THE POEM AS A WHOLE. WRITE ONE CHUNKY PARAGRAPH JUSTIFYING THIS, USING LINES FROM THE TEXT.

We are going to try to add emphasis and draw attention to the last phrases of the poem. We are going to emphasize “So the Black Walnut Tree swings through another year.” (I.30-31) because that is the conclusion and closure to the poem. Although they opened the poem with the internal conflict between cutting down the tree for money, they end up not cutting the tree. Doing so the they are somewhat relieved because they no longer have to worry about upsetting or letting down their ancestors. Although that is no longer the problem, it seems they are going to have to find another way to deal with their financial situations. Also when talking the mortgage in the beginning of the poem, that is surrounded by words like “storm” (I.6)  and “dark” (I.7) which helps create a mood at the beginning the poem.

Group Close Reading of "The Black Walnut Tree"

   

 




Blog #2: Working with "Roots"

Blog Post #1: Design Justification

I consider myself to be a warm, inviting person, so naturally, when faced with the task of designing a blog, I levitated towards colors that reflected my personality.  Aqua is my favorite color- from my nails to my bedroom walls, it is apparent- so it was the first thing I decided to incorporate in my design theme.  Blue is more that just a color, it is an indication of serenity and peace, a reminder of security and order.  I wanted it to remind my viewers that even in a formal atmosphere, there can be familiarity and reliability.  These feelings, are also revealed in the warm, brown colors of the background.  Specifically choosing lighter shades (aqua and tan) of my two main color choices, allowed me create a light, yet earthly mood-- directly displayed by the tree blossoms in my blog's background.

To match such a light, and inviting color scheme, I chose fonts that reflect the same mood.  The title is in the largest font on the page, because it should show my viewers what to expect from so I wanted it to truly represent my personality.  "Crafty Girls" is a large, loopy type that showcases the free nature of my blog.  Although my title font is light, I chose "GFS Didot", a somewhat basic font, for my main text.  A spontaneous design and a catchy title help convey a blogger's mood, but what I though most about when I created my page was content.  "GFS Didot" provides a neutral mood, so as not to distract any viewers from the content of each post, but it's neutrality allows is to still mirror the mood of my blog as a whole.

I set out to create a blog filled with peace and serenity.  Taking one look at my page's warm colors and earthly designs transforms any viewer to a place of comfort.

Sources:
Color Psychology
Tone through Typography