LAST B BELL BLOG!!!! Martin &Keely

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man

So this is going to be a fun, creative blog! Yay!

Uncyclopedia, and other similar Wikipedia spoofs, take legitimate articles and write comedic spoofs of them. For example, the article about James Joyce is written in the style of James Joyce.

assignment?
Click on said article.
Read said article.
Write your own comedic James Joyce-esque paragraph describing either a major character or event in the novel!
Make things interesting.
That is all.

F Bell Final Blog!!

Throughout the novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus's belief and reliance on the Catholic religion slowly deteriorates as he decides to live freely as an artist. At the conclusion of the novel, Stephen's friend Cranly is questioning Stephen's belief in religion. Stephen says, "I neither believe in it or disbelieve in it" (260). When Cranly justifies the normalcies of these doubts Stephen replies, "I do not wish to overcome them" (260).

Since the decline of Stephen's belief is gradual throughout the novel, find any quote supporting his eventual wish to be completely free from the societal restraints of religion.

This will be due on Friday, May 7th

B Bell- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

In Kevin J.H. Dettmar's work entitled The Illicit Joyce of Postmodernism, Dettmar argues that much of Joyce's works are filled with an epiphany, or a moment of illumination of one's mastery over the situation. However, Joyce, being the modernist/postmodernist writer that he was, used epiphanies "to impose closure where in fact none inheres; it is, in other words, a way to fight off the intense disquiet caused by Joyce's 'scrupulous meanness.'" Therefore, Dettmar suggests that Joyce instead used what's known as an epiclesis, or a gradual submission to mystery that allows for a soft, gradual and hard won appreciation for the characters' situations and the falsehood of the epiphany. In other words, Joyce used epiphanies when in fact there wasn't one.
In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen is constantly challenged with his faith and the Catholic Church. However, according to Dettmar's theory on the use of epiclesis in place of epiphanies, many of the characters, not just Stephen, are subjected to these false epiphanies, and we in turn are subjected to a constant epiclesis. Please discuss a character or characters who exhibit this false sense of epiphany, whether it be through the Catholic Church or through politics. Quotes are welcome.


Moderated by Gary and Elizabeth. Due Friday April 30.

Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man- F Bell

Modernism is a literary movement that focuses on individualism, skepticism of institutions such as the government and religion, and the mistrust of absolute truths. As sociologist Georg Simmel once said, "The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life." Provide an example in which Stephan went against society, the government, or religion and embraced individualism. Quotes are encouraged!

Mythology- F Bell

Edith Hamilton's Mythology, is basically a huge guide of myths, offering a detailed overview of the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and a brief overview of Norse mythology. For this blog, have some fun and briefly summarize a myth that you have created on your own that involves any Greek/Roman character from Hamilton's Mythology and/or relates to any of the myths that are included in the book.

This blog is moderated my Channing, Alice, and Alyssa

B Bell Mythology Blog: Due April 23rd

Just like Hamlet, the Greek gods had relationships that were full of tension, deceit, and strife. There was revenge, lust, and humor in both worlds. Find one relationship between a Greek god/ess that you find fascinating, and compare it to another in Hamlet. Due April 23rd.

Blog moderated by Yousra, Diana, and Grace.

Hamlet Act IV & Act V - B Bell

Hamlet is rich in irony of all types. We see various examples of irony interspersed throughout each act of the play. For example, we see dramatic irony in the third act in the scene where Hamlet confronts Queen Gertrude. When Hamlet notices someone listening in on his conversation behind the curtains, the audience is aware that it is not King Claudius hiding, but rather Polonius. Hamlet impulsively murders Polonius, simply creating more conflict for himself.

Acts IV and V contain especially ironic twists of fate as the story closes in on its conclusion. Find at least one example of irony in these final two acts, identify the type of irony, and explain the ironic device's function in the plot.

F Bell Hamlet ACT IV

All of what happens in Act IV is a direct consequence of Polonius's murder by Hamlet and his subsequent outrage with his mother, which further solidified her theory that her son was mad. At the end of Act III, Hamlet confesses to Gertrude, after he sees his father's ghost during a rampage with her for her marrying Claudius after he stabbed Polonius, that he has been feigning madness the whole time. He also tells her not to give this news to Claudius. Not easily convinced after hearing her son hold a conversation with an apparition that she cannot see, the first scene in Act IV involves Gertrude running back to her husband to relay the news that Hamlet is completely insane, more so than to begin with. While it is agreeable to see how she would be led to believe this, this action can be seen as strike number two perhaps against her son, number one being her marrying Claudius. While she does not tell Claudius that Hamlet is pretending to be mad, she does slyly hand his throat over to the King, and thus begins the chain of betrayal that unfolds in Act IV. But thats not all that keeps us entertaiined in Act IV. If any of our suspicions about Hamlet actually being insane were raised n Act III, they reach a peak in Act IV. However, everything is falling apart. He is being exiled to Englad(only to return at the end of Act IV), Laertes will kill him, Ophelia drowns herself, Gertrude has sided with her new spouse, and the state of Denmark is beginning to mirror the health of its King.

Is Hamlet actually crazy, or is he the product of this destructive enviroment? How does he respond to this betrayal? Pick a quote an examine it in context that you will use to defend your statements.

F Bell Hamlet Act III

In Act III Scene I, Hamlet is confronted by Ophelia who wants to return the things he gave her. Describe Hamlet's reaction to Ophelia's sudden need to return his gifts and forsake his love for her.

B Bell - Hamlet Acts I and II

In Act II, Hamlet is considered mad by most of his peers. Whether by Hamlet's purposeful scheming or an actual madness caused by realizing his father was murdered, he decides to act the part. Compare some of the justifications that Hamlet's family and peers use to the conclusions that they draw and the actions they plan to take. Do you think they were too quick to judge or their evidence didn't match up to their conclusions? Basically, was any argument they gave to Hamlet's madness a sound one? Were they justified in their assumptions?

If you think they were quick to act, examine any evidence you find later in the novel, and how it could have provided a better argument. If you don't, could there have been a better conclusion or course of action, taking into account the characterization of everyone involved. Consider how the course of the novel would be affected by a better course of action or a difference in plot.



And here's a sneak peek at the Spectrum's cover (which is my way of saying sorry this blog is late):
http://i39.tinypic.com/n483dw.png

F Bell- Hamlet blog- due by April 2

Throughout Acts I and II, Shakespeare employs a great deal of rhetorical devices, especially figurative language, allusions, and prosody.
"A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she followed my poor father's body,
Like Niobe, all tears:- why she, even she-
O God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourn'd longer- married with my uncle..." (lines 147-151, page 1598)

By using a mythological allusion to Niobe, Shakespeare is able to more easily explain the situation surrounding the death of Hamlet's father and his mother's remarriage.

Find an example of such devices and explore how it helps to further develop the character or situation. How is it used? What is its purpose?

This blog is being moderated by Kelsey and Anne Stuart

Shakespeare - F Bell

Though Shakespeare is one of the most renowned playwrights in the English language, very little is actually known about his life. Historians know that he was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, married Anne Hathaway at age 18, had three children, and wrote some of the most famous plays in the world. However, even this has been called into question, as many scholars now claim that people like Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe actually wrote his plays for him. Because of this lack of information about Shakespeare's life, our best way of learning about Shakespeare is to read his plays. Shakespeare left behind thousands of words, and though they do not describe him directly, they offer us the chance to understand Shakespeare and infer details about his life and personality through what he wrote.

As a way to further explore Shakespeare's personality and have some fun as well, this week's blog post is going to incorporate some creative writing. Think about what Shakespeare would be like if he lived today. Would he still be a famous playwright? Would he even be a playwright, or would he have a different job, such as a screenwriter? Would he still live in London, or would he have moved somewhere else, like New York or Paris? Briefly tell us about your vision of a modern Shakespeare. Be creative and have fun with this!

This blog is being moderated by Andrea and Meera.

B Bell - Shakespeare- David & Emily

A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. Using this definition, analyze Shakespeare's plays, more specifically Hamlet, and in what aspects they are a tragedy. Use specific examples.

Maya Angelou Blog

Maya Angelou is an African American poet and novelist who was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. She has received many awards, including nominations for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Much of her work is autobiographical, such as her novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This novel depicts the challenges which she faces during her childhood. She was raped by her mother's boyfriend at a young age, and she became mute for five years after her uncles murdered him. Common themes in Angelou's work include family, identity, and racism, often supporting the African American race and women.

Read this poem by Maya Angelou and identify the message that she is trying to depict. Find an example of how Angelou uses poetic devices in order to strengthen this message.


"Alone"

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don't believe I'm wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires
With money they can't use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They've got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.


Alyssa and Alice will oversee this blog.

Owen Meany Blog, F Bell: due 2/12

"The Voice Crying Out In The Wilderness"

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim and roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same;
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves- goes itself, myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

I say more : the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is--
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.

- Gerard Manley Hopkins

This poem deals with the Calvinistic concept of predestination and the idea that all of of Owen's somewhat strange attributes have been presented to him for a specific purpose. In your response, analyze the literary devices used in the poem (allegory, theme, tone, etc.) and connect them with your own ideas about Owen acting as God's instrument, keeping in mind the different perceptions that the townspeople have about him as a result. Quotes are always delightful!

*This blog is being managed by Meera and Andrea.

B Bell Owen Meany- Grace and Emily Posted 1/29 due 2/5

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a classic example of a post modernism novel. Several characteristics of post modernism literature includes one's search for identity and truth, and the lack of a timeline which follows chronological order. Please give specific examples of how Owen Meany displays these aspects typical to post modernism.

Postmodernism by John and Tripp

The following poem was written by the postmodern poet John Wieners. Explore the conflicting parallelism presented by Wieners. What poetic devices (if any) are used? What makes the broken prose of Wieners' poem effective? Also explore the effectiveness of the poet's direct address to an unknown party.

"You Talk of Going But Don't Even Have a Suitcase"

(A series of Repetitions)

I will be an old man sometime
And will live in a dark room somewhere.

I will think of this night someplace
the rain falling on stone.

There will be no one near
no whisper on the street

only this song of old yearning
and the longing to be young

with you together on some street.

Now is the time for retreat,
This is the last chance.

This is not the last chance.
Why only yesterday I lay drugged
on the dark bed while they came
and went as the wind

and they shall come again
to bear me down into that pit
there is no returning from.

Old age, disaster, doom.

It shall be as this room.
With you by the sink, pinching your face

in the mirror.
Time is as a river

and I shall forget this night,
its joy.

B Bell- Owen Meany Blog, Posted on Jan. 22nd, due on Jan 29th

"God has taken your mother. My hands were the instrument. God has taken my hands. I am God's instrument." (87)


Owen claims that he is an extension of God Himself. This is an unusually profound and insightful thing for a child to say. It must be a heavy burden for Owen to bear as well, if he truly believes that God has sent him for a mission. Give examples of what affect Owen's belief has had on his childhood. Does he still retain youthful qualities, or is he more prone to adult-like tendencies? Use specific examples.


Moderated by Yousra and Diana

F bell modern poetry blog

P OR NOT P by Eugene Ostashevsky
1.Excuse me, is this P or ¬P, the sky or not the sky, the building or not the building?Does the building imply the sky, does the sky imply the building,what does the not-building imply?
There are waves to one side of the building and a boat.We stepped down into the boat and sailed away.
We sailed past an island where Dave Cameron stood reading his poetry.We sailed past an island where Brandon Downing stood reading his poetry.We sailed past an island where Macgregor Card stood reading his poetry.
So much poetry for one day!
2.SOME QUESTIONS:Are there books in the building? Is there a book on fire in the building?Is there a book on fire in a book on fire in the building?Is this the beginning of number?
SOME ANSWERS:The beginning of number is song. The song is not about anything. It gave birth to the world.The world is not about anything.
SOME COMMENTS:Animals gather around the song. They listen, tilting their heads.They have large eyes. We can count the animals.
3."What do we do when the song ends for somebody what do we doDo we say, Don't go what will I do if you doDo we run to the doctor and cry, Give me an MRI, doctor! What he hasI might have it too Do we lie around despondent and blueO why do you go, why do you go There's so little time left
"Let us sit down, me and you Let me help you sit downbecause I am now a man and for you it's hard even to sit downWhat do we do now, what do we do Let us speak, me and youWe never learned to speak, me and you Let us start, ma-ma da-daYou say The Metamorphosis is about dyingLet us sit on this rock, me and you I say, ma-ma da-daWe live in Brooklyn We have a dog"
This is the song as heard / unheard by the animals. By some of the animals. By none of the animals. There are no animals.
There are only points, each at the convergence of an infinity of structures. The structures appear to be of metal. They oscillate. They make noise.
4.What is mathematics to animals? Is P or ¬P truefor all animals? Does 1+1=2for all animals? Is there a me and youfor all animals? What is
mathematics to animals? What are animalsto mathematics? Take away mathematicsand there are no animals. Take away animalsand there is no mathematics.
The animals gather for a concert of mathematics. We sail past them.They are capable of love. We sail past them.
5.We sail and we repeat. What do we repeat? Words.What are these words? There is a word for skyand there is a word for building.
What do they mean? They mean skyand building. The sky is blue.The building is pink and white.


Eugen Ostashevsky teaches English at New York University. He moved to the United States from Russia to the United States with his family when he was a child. He holds a Phd in Comparative Literature from Standford University. During his time there, he delved into the complex world of early twentieth century Russian poetry. In addition to translating works, which he still continues to do today, he particularly focused on Russian absurdist poets of the 1920s and 1930s.
There are certain reappearing traits in Ostashevsky's poetry, much like there are for most poets. Some of the more complex ones deal with verbal relationships to mathematical proofs and allusions to philosophers and mythical creatures. Ostashevsky is also immensely humorous and a very satirical, witty writer. This poem is from his book The Last DJ Spinoza. The real Baruch Spinoza, if we all tap into our AP MEH knowledge, was a Dutch philosopher from that special period in time called the Enlightenment. Remember his book Ethics? In it, he asks and reasons through such simple questions as what are emotions? (He actually single handedly defined all his emotions in this book). Spinoza is a very complex person and his philosophy, however fascinating, is very hard to explain.
The reason you should know these things about Spinoza is that the speaker of this poem is Ostashevsky's voive alter-ego, DJ Spinoza. In this book, DJ Spinoza is a sort of Monty Python inspired epic hero, who is based on a lot of the reasonings of the real Baruch Spinoza. He mingles with other fictional/mythical/popular characters, including Flipper the dolphin, a Griffon(begriffon), and a creature inspired by his toddler nephew called the Peepeesauraus. Of course, it wouldn't be an Ostashevsky work if DJ Spinoza didn't run into other poets and philosophers in some of his adventures.

This is a fascinating poem. Don't read too into the faulty reasoning however; remember what was said earlier about Ostashevsky's wittiness.
Find a phrase, line, or stanza in the poem where Ostashevsky uses repitition, sarcasm,extended syntax, logic,false reasoning, or sectioning (or a combination of all of them) to create poetry and not philosophy, even though some could consider it philosophy in poetry. How are these effective ways in which to assert the overall constricting, trapped yet imaginative mood of the poem? Would it make a difference if he had used a rhyme scheme or an acrostic instead?


I encourage you, if you want to, to click on this link for entertainment. Eugene Ostashevsky reads this poem in a set of poems he delivered at the UC Berkley lunch poems series. P or not P is read precisely at the time 30:53.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIcO6JnZUkU

Modern Poetry- B Bell

Sailing to Byzantium
By William Butler Yeats

I
That is no country for old men. The young
In one another's arms, birds in the trees
---Those dying generations---at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unaging intellect.
II
An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.
III
O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.
IV
Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

This poem, first published by Yeats in 1928 in his collection The Tower, details the tension between life and art and that between the material and the spiritual. Yeats wrote that he chose to symbolize "the search for the spiritual life" as a journey to the ancient city of Byzantium because it "was the centre of European civilization and the source of its spiritual philosophy." What is Yeats trying to say about his own mortality through his journey to Byzantium? How does he accomplish this? What are some poetic devices that Yeats utilizes to convey his message?

Responses are due January 22.

B Bell Poetry Blog

I Am

I am: yet what I am none cares or knows,
My friends forsake me like a memory lost;
I am the self-consumer of my woes,
They rise and vanish in oblivious host,
Like shades in love and death's oblivion lost;
And yet I am! and live with shadows tost

Into the nothingness of scorn and noise,
Into the living sea of waking dreams,
Where there is neither sense of life nor joys,
But the vast shipwreck of my life's esteems;
And e'en the dearest--that I loved the best--
Are strange--nay, rather stranger than the rest.

I long for scenes where man has never trod;
A place where woman never smil'd or wept;
There to abide with my creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept:
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie;
The grass below--above the vaulted sky.

This poem by John Clare is a very raw and vulnerable bit of insight into the speaker's feelings and emotions. This poem was not received well by Clare's readers when it was first published. "I am" was written after John Clare was put into an asylum for insanity. His readers believed that the poem was much too concentrated on Clare's descent into "madness." What is madness, and how can madness or insanity often prove helpful in the creative process? Even though Clare was crazy, can one still make sense of his poetry? What poetic devices that we have studied does Clare use to construct his poem? Use quotations to support your answer.

Renaissance Elizabethan Poetry F Bell

William Shakespeare incorporated several poetic devices into Sonnet 130 such as metaphor, personification, repetition, and alliteration. Find a specific quote from the poem that exemplifies one of these techniques and analyze how it effectively conveys Shakespeare's message.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

This blog is moderated by Kristen, Elizabeth, and Channing.