1. At the beginning of the course, you mentioned two or three aspects of your writing that you most wanted to work on. How well have you met your goal of improving in those areas?
2. At this point, what would you say are your strengths as a writer?
3. What do you need to improve in your writing in the future?
At the beginning of the semester, my main goal with writing was to better understand its forms in order to make my work easier to understand. Through this class and the process of development, I do feel that I have grown as a writer in both analytic and creative works. Also, I think that this class has taught me how to incorporate my own feelings and past experiences to my writing in a way that validates or adds to the piece rather than distracting from the argument.
I still think that my strength as a writer is being able to find inspiration anywhere. However, I have learned that I am capable of taking a piece and analyzing it to the extent that I find new ideas and can also back them up with other facts from the source used. Before this class, my weakness was writing analytic essays, as my inspiration and past experiences caused me to make my writing more flowery than it should, preventing the essay from moving forward to prove an argument. This is quickly becoming one of my strengths as I push myself in analytic projects to incorporate my inspiration, past experiences, and insight of the piece in order to make a captivating project for the reader.
In the future, I think that I will need to re-learn creative writing to a certain extent. I have become so comfortable with analytic assignments and that style of writing, that I find my creative work resembling that style more than its own. However, as I have always been enamored with creative writing and have done my best to avoid analytic essays, I think that this price is well worth the result of being able to succeed when writing anything even remotely argumentative for a course assignment. Also, I still have a long way to go in removing everything from my analytic essays that is not completely necessary or halts the forward movement of the paper. My goal for next semester and any assignments I may receive in other classes is to conquer this challenge and express only those thoughts and ideas that push the argument forward and prove it, moving the reader through the essay.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
What does it mean to understand someone?
Yolland Poteen - poteen - poteen. Even if I did speak Irish I'd always be an outsider here, wouldn't I? I may learn the password but the language of the tribe will always elude me, won't it? The private core will always be...hermetic, won't it?
Owen You can learn to decode us.
Translations, 2.1.48
~*~
I think it is fascinating to watch Yolland's love for the Irish land and culture grow throughout the play. So often we see outsiders in literature as nothing more than that: static characters whose status marks them apart from society. In this case, Yolland has more love and fascination with the Irish heritage than Owen, a native to the island. It seems as if what Yolland is saying in the quote above is that he could never completely understand the society, culture and mindset behind the language. He recognizes that, without this understanding, knowing the language would only give him the power of words, not the power to remove his outsider status.
In some ways, it seems as if Yolland has done a better job decoding the Irish people than Owen has. Owen left by choice, and Yolland found himself in Ireland by accident, but the Englishman is the more Irish at heart. While Owen focuses on renaming the locations and takes pride in his work, Yolland realizes that there is something being lost that should be protected. Such a distinction is rather surprising, as I would not initially expect an outsider to realize the treasure being ignored. However, upon further thought, this idea makes sense. Yolland, as an outsider removed from the Irish society, he is one of the only people who sees that there is some act being committed against the people of this country that should be stopped. I can not help but wonder if his love for the culture combined with his placement as an outsider gave him the eyes to see what was being willingly lost.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
"Theirs is the power of death and disappearance"
I find it fascinating to try and reason through why Ama killed the panther and why she did not produce the body when she so easily could have produced it and lessened her judgment. For me, I think it was the tribe mentality; to bring back a beast who symbolized the essence of their tribe and was held in such reverence, and yet was dying of sickness, would have weakened the resolve of an already disappearing people.
I think that Ama offered herself as a scapegoat so that the people of the Taiga tribe would not have to face the decay around them. Also - as the judgment upon Abraham earlier in the novel shows - with the expression of the power held by the tribal leaders, many young people started following the ways again. Perhaps Ama reasoned that if she allowed herself to be judged, remaining silent so as to not tell them about the panther's true condition, that this would give the tribe the chance to grow and flourish once more due to their expression of power.
How is the Panther itself a symbol of the taiga tribe?
I think that Ama offered herself as a scapegoat so that the people of the Taiga tribe would not have to face the decay around them. Also - as the judgment upon Abraham earlier in the novel shows - with the expression of the power held by the tribal leaders, many young people started following the ways again. Perhaps Ama reasoned that if she allowed herself to be judged, remaining silent so as to not tell them about the panther's true condition, that this would give the tribe the chance to grow and flourish once more due to their expression of power.
How is the Panther itself a symbol of the taiga tribe?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Shades of Grey
It is interesting to note that, in Power, the people around Omishto are trying to follow their beliefs and what they believe to be true. However, Omishto has a very different approach to life. Within Power, we see that Omishto is struggling to find her own understanding of faith versus knowledge, and is trying to understand her own opinions and the opinions of those around her.
An article from Vladmir Antonov, written in 2008, speaks about the conflict between faith and knowledge. Based on our discussions in class over Power, do you agree or disagree with his views on the subject and why?
Vladmir Antonov - Faith Versus Knowledge
Thursday, October 29, 2009
It may not be daffodils, but it is just as beautiful.
I should probably tie this to the class...
What cinematic tools are used to help create the atmosphere of this movie?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Impressions of Beauty
In Lucy, I could not help but notice all the references made to beauty. Jamaica Kincaid presents images of beauty in the sun, flowers, and even other characters present within this novel. It made me wonder if the character of Lucy does not think that she is beautiful. She hates what is beautiful and simple (daffodils) but says that anything would have sufficed. Apparently she just needed something to hate.
If you hate what you are not then it makes sense that Lucy could be blind to her own beauty or has denied it in an attempt to hold on to her identity. She seems to think that beauty often only serves to cover up a deeper truth as with the daffodils being "made to erase a complicated and unnecessary idea". As an eighteen-year old adrift in a new society, being a stranger and therefore somewhat of an outcast seems to have adversely affected her opinion of the world around her. Therefore, it seems as if the true beauty of the world around her is hidden by her first impressions. However, it may in fact be possible that through being blind to beauty she is free to see the true ugliness of the situations around her.
If you hate what you are not then it makes sense that Lucy could be blind to her own beauty or has denied it in an attempt to hold on to her identity. She seems to think that beauty often only serves to cover up a deeper truth as with the daffodils being "made to erase a complicated and unnecessary idea". As an eighteen-year old adrift in a new society, being a stranger and therefore somewhat of an outcast seems to have adversely affected her opinion of the world around her. Therefore, it seems as if the true beauty of the world around her is hidden by her first impressions. However, it may in fact be possible that through being blind to beauty she is free to see the true ugliness of the situations around her.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A force to be reckoned with...
While watching O, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play Othello, i could not help but wonder what the significance of the name Odin was as intended by the director. For once I got to use my arcane knowledge, and assumed that Odin (as Othello) was meant to refer to the ancient god Odin, leader of the Norse pantheon.
I started researching this idea by comparing what i knew about Othello to what is known about the god Odin. The results were startlingly accurate.
Similar to Othello, Odin was a wanderer of the earth and would appear among men although they viewed him as a stranger and therefore as an outsider. Interestingly enough, the god Odin is associated with war, battle, wisdom and death (among other things) which Othello shares. Also, some stories say that Odin was tricked by Loki - god of deception - into killing someone he dearly loved. In addition it is said that Odin was deceived by his wife and her acts of infidelity, which led to his downfall. This is very much like the story of Othello in that someone versed in lies and manipulation (Iago) made him believe that Desdemona was betraying him and led Othello to kill Desdemona, even though he loved her very much.
And on the note of Desdemona, i found it interesting that "Desdemona" means "of the devil". This simultaneously points toward deception as the devil is associated with lies, and also to her love for Othello as devils are seen as dark creatures just as Othello is referred to as a Moor. As Shakespeares plays are filled with symbolism, I am led to believe that he chose this name knowing what it meant and found it very appropriate in lending depth and meaning to the character of Desdemona.
Upon further research of Norse mythology, I found that the gods Odin and Loki were first seen as the same god - one of power and battle and of lies and deceit - lending support to the idea of Othello as the god Odin as Othello deceives himself through his doubts of Desdemona's fidelity. The idea of Othello as Odin is also supported by Odin's physical characteristics. It is said that the god Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to achieve the wisdom of the ages and therefore walks this earth with only one eye. This relates to our discussion over reputation and perception and equating that with the structure of an eye: how a person's impressions of you are not who you are but are colored by outside factors beyond your control. Similar to Odin, Othello does not have complete sight and is therefore not able to see everything that is going on around him and falls prey to Iago's lies.
Something that I found amusing was that Odin was accused of witchcraft even though witchcraft was considered to be a woman's work. Odin denied this accusation just as Othello was accused of witchcraft in the act of winning Desdemona's love and denied it vehemently. Also, Odin is associated with two ravens: Hugin (thought) and and Munin (memory) just as birds (both doves and hawk) are used for imagery within the movie O. Both are dark birds and lend support to the comparison of the two characters due to Othello's appearance and being referred to as a "Moor" within the play.
I began to wonder if Iago's adaptation within O also referred to the stories of the god Odin, as his name within the adaptation is "Hugo", very similar to Odin's raven. Perhaps - although this could be stretching the similarities a bit - he is named Hugo in reference to Hugin (thought) in the sense that it is his thoughts and actions that bring Odin down within the movie and Iago's actions that are the demise of Othello. Also, in decieving Othello, Iago simply opens the door for Othello's own insecurities to sow seeds of doubt and to take away all trust in his thoughts of Desdemona.
I have no way of speaking to the director and proving conclusively if this was the reason they chose the name Odin for Othello in their adaption of the play. However, upon taking everything into consideration, the facts seem to suggest great parallels between Shakespeares original character of Othello and the ancient Norse god Odin. Therefore, it seems safe to assume that the choice of names within O was indeed meant to suggest the great similarities between Odin and Othello. Perhaps - as I would like to believe - Shakespeare himself intended the similarities to be apparent and formed his character Othello around the stories of Odin. There is no knowing for certain if this was his intent, but I would certainly like to believe that Shakespeare was pulling from ancient gods in the formation of his characters and that the director of O noticed the parallels and brought them to the forefront.
websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin (used only points that were cited)
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/odin.html
http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/scandanavia/vikings/norse05.htm
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Odin.html
http://www.behindthename.com
I started researching this idea by comparing what i knew about Othello to what is known about the god Odin. The results were startlingly accurate.
Similar to Othello, Odin was a wanderer of the earth and would appear among men although they viewed him as a stranger and therefore as an outsider. Interestingly enough, the god Odin is associated with war, battle, wisdom and death (among other things) which Othello shares. Also, some stories say that Odin was tricked by Loki - god of deception - into killing someone he dearly loved. In addition it is said that Odin was deceived by his wife and her acts of infidelity, which led to his downfall. This is very much like the story of Othello in that someone versed in lies and manipulation (Iago) made him believe that Desdemona was betraying him and led Othello to kill Desdemona, even though he loved her very much.
And on the note of Desdemona, i found it interesting that "Desdemona" means "of the devil". This simultaneously points toward deception as the devil is associated with lies, and also to her love for Othello as devils are seen as dark creatures just as Othello is referred to as a Moor. As Shakespeares plays are filled with symbolism, I am led to believe that he chose this name knowing what it meant and found it very appropriate in lending depth and meaning to the character of Desdemona.
Upon further research of Norse mythology, I found that the gods Odin and Loki were first seen as the same god - one of power and battle and of lies and deceit - lending support to the idea of Othello as the god Odin as Othello deceives himself through his doubts of Desdemona's fidelity. The idea of Othello as Odin is also supported by Odin's physical characteristics. It is said that the god Odin sacrificed one of his eyes to achieve the wisdom of the ages and therefore walks this earth with only one eye. This relates to our discussion over reputation and perception and equating that with the structure of an eye: how a person's impressions of you are not who you are but are colored by outside factors beyond your control. Similar to Odin, Othello does not have complete sight and is therefore not able to see everything that is going on around him and falls prey to Iago's lies.
Something that I found amusing was that Odin was accused of witchcraft even though witchcraft was considered to be a woman's work. Odin denied this accusation just as Othello was accused of witchcraft in the act of winning Desdemona's love and denied it vehemently. Also, Odin is associated with two ravens: Hugin (thought) and and Munin (memory) just as birds (both doves and hawk) are used for imagery within the movie O. Both are dark birds and lend support to the comparison of the two characters due to Othello's appearance and being referred to as a "Moor" within the play.
I began to wonder if Iago's adaptation within O also referred to the stories of the god Odin, as his name within the adaptation is "Hugo", very similar to Odin's raven. Perhaps - although this could be stretching the similarities a bit - he is named Hugo in reference to Hugin (thought) in the sense that it is his thoughts and actions that bring Odin down within the movie and Iago's actions that are the demise of Othello. Also, in decieving Othello, Iago simply opens the door for Othello's own insecurities to sow seeds of doubt and to take away all trust in his thoughts of Desdemona.
I have no way of speaking to the director and proving conclusively if this was the reason they chose the name Odin for Othello in their adaption of the play. However, upon taking everything into consideration, the facts seem to suggest great parallels between Shakespeares original character of Othello and the ancient Norse god Odin. Therefore, it seems safe to assume that the choice of names within O was indeed meant to suggest the great similarities between Odin and Othello. Perhaps - as I would like to believe - Shakespeare himself intended the similarities to be apparent and formed his character Othello around the stories of Odin. There is no knowing for certain if this was his intent, but I would certainly like to believe that Shakespeare was pulling from ancient gods in the formation of his characters and that the director of O noticed the parallels and brought them to the forefront.
websites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odin (used only points that were cited)
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/odin.html
http://www.astronomy.pomona.edu/archeo/scandanavia/vikings/norse05.htm
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Odin.html
http://www.behindthename.com
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