1. Discuss the following passage, extracted from Dylan Thomas' 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night';
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
2. Alice Munro's 'Boys and Girls' is a depiction of the coming of age of a young woman. Discuss it's symbolism, with regards to the function of the story.
1. Thomas' 'Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night' is a comment on the meaning of life, and the 'best' way to live it. Good men, while 'good', have not lived. They have been 'good', though, their "frail deeds" might have shone brighter, burned longer. The poem is about sapping every drop out of life, and the men in the passage have failed to do so.
2. 'Boys and Girls' acts as a mirror to society; a microcosmic representation of what girls go through as they become women, the character symbolizes all women on a smaller scale. The family farm that the story takes place on is a 'smaller' society, with all of its pressures and expectations. By acting as a mirror to society, Munro's story brings attention to what girls and young women go through with age.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Onion-ey titles
U of T Extends Application Opportunities to Extra-Terrestrial Life; Campus Enforcement reports increase of Missing Persons Reports
Bell Canada reintroduces Morse Code
Laura Ingalls-Wilder making a comeback
Entertainment Weekly raves about Acetone.... "It's the new Blonde!"
Chartwells Dining Services extends menu to Include 'The Zone'
Bell Canada reintroduces Morse Code
Laura Ingalls-Wilder making a comeback
Entertainment Weekly raves about Acetone.... "It's the new Blonde!"
Chartwells Dining Services extends menu to Include 'The Zone'
Friday, 22 March 2013
Araby and Eveline
James Joyce's Araby and Eveline are similar in that both characters are looking for something. The main character in Araby wants to impress his 'true love' by picking her something out from the bazaar; however, when he gets there, it is pretty much closed, and he goes home empty-handed.
In Eveline, the main character is looking from an escape from her life; her father is abusive, her two older brothers are gone, and her mother is dead.. when she falls in love, a sort of exit-strategy comes up, but in the end, she fails to follow through with it. Her love is stranded and she stays where she is.
Both of Joyce's texts have melancholy tones; both use descriptive imagery. I found it kind of hard to read, and had to go over each story a couple of times so that I could really 'see' what was going on in the story, but after I did, I saw the images very clearly. Joyce's descriptions are both relevant to the story line and poetic. His style of writing was clear in both stories - they followed a similar track, and I liked that continuity.
Both characters fail to complete the actions they set out with. There is no follow-through in both of Joyce's stories, and that is what makes them the same.
In Eveline, the main character is looking from an escape from her life; her father is abusive, her two older brothers are gone, and her mother is dead.. when she falls in love, a sort of exit-strategy comes up, but in the end, she fails to follow through with it. Her love is stranded and she stays where she is.
Both of Joyce's texts have melancholy tones; both use descriptive imagery. I found it kind of hard to read, and had to go over each story a couple of times so that I could really 'see' what was going on in the story, but after I did, I saw the images very clearly. Joyce's descriptions are both relevant to the story line and poetic. His style of writing was clear in both stories - they followed a similar track, and I liked that continuity.
Both characters fail to complete the actions they set out with. There is no follow-through in both of Joyce's stories, and that is what makes them the same.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Describe Describe
1. I have four rats; Octavia, Juliet, Seraphina and Stardust. This journal is about Stardust.
Her name is Stardust, named after the sheen of her pale fur and the rose-red glow in her eyes; a light behind them, pulsing, pulsing, inquisitive and calm. She hides in my lap, under the warmth radiating from my laptop.
Two eyes, two ears, four feet, one tail.
Her ears are thin yet sturdy. They are delicate cones. I can see her veins beneath the skin - footpaths for her lifesource. Her fur wrinkles up around them as these pale, pink members connect to her head. The ripples of soft white fur follow down her strong, supple and workable shoulders. White, tinted gold over her back. Buttercream. Shining and healthy.
Whiskers jaunt off of her dainty nose and mouth, flicking and quivering with every sniff of her little pink nose.
The muscle in her body in dense and lean, marbles of it around her tiny frame. Her toes are a quiet surprise - tiny in comparison to the measurable mass of body. From her toes protrude small claws, thin, almost invisible. Fine bone, though capable of destruction, proven by the scars on my arms and chest and the state of my desk.
Her tail is the length of her body, and so strong from all of her firsking and climbing, course and rough - almost like fish scales. Tiny hairs protrude from this pink rope.
2.
Stardust: white fur, red eyes, pink tail. An albino rat.
3. Stardust is absolutley beautiful. Her buttercream fur and glowing eyes make her sparkle. Her whiskers are playful, her tail id strong, her claws are sharp. She is inquisitive and smart, always stealing my pens and my food. She sits on my shoulder as I'm writing this. Her fur is soft and tickles my neck, her tongue is warm, but so small you could miss it if you weren't paying attention.
4. Personally, I love description. My work is always, always flowery, even when I try to sharpen it up. I think a good writer has a fine balance of both - good description is nothing is it isn't sharp enough to leap off of the page, or is lost in a field of beautiful words. Good adjectives and poetic voice need to be offset. They deserve to stand out.
Her name is Stardust, named after the sheen of her pale fur and the rose-red glow in her eyes; a light behind them, pulsing, pulsing, inquisitive and calm. She hides in my lap, under the warmth radiating from my laptop.
Two eyes, two ears, four feet, one tail.
Her ears are thin yet sturdy. They are delicate cones. I can see her veins beneath the skin - footpaths for her lifesource. Her fur wrinkles up around them as these pale, pink members connect to her head. The ripples of soft white fur follow down her strong, supple and workable shoulders. White, tinted gold over her back. Buttercream. Shining and healthy.
Whiskers jaunt off of her dainty nose and mouth, flicking and quivering with every sniff of her little pink nose.
The muscle in her body in dense and lean, marbles of it around her tiny frame. Her toes are a quiet surprise - tiny in comparison to the measurable mass of body. From her toes protrude small claws, thin, almost invisible. Fine bone, though capable of destruction, proven by the scars on my arms and chest and the state of my desk.
Her tail is the length of her body, and so strong from all of her firsking and climbing, course and rough - almost like fish scales. Tiny hairs protrude from this pink rope.
2.
Stardust: white fur, red eyes, pink tail. An albino rat.
3. Stardust is absolutley beautiful. Her buttercream fur and glowing eyes make her sparkle. Her whiskers are playful, her tail id strong, her claws are sharp. She is inquisitive and smart, always stealing my pens and my food. She sits on my shoulder as I'm writing this. Her fur is soft and tickles my neck, her tongue is warm, but so small you could miss it if you weren't paying attention.
4. Personally, I love description. My work is always, always flowery, even when I try to sharpen it up. I think a good writer has a fine balance of both - good description is nothing is it isn't sharp enough to leap off of the page, or is lost in a field of beautiful words. Good adjectives and poetic voice need to be offset. They deserve to stand out.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Essay Outlines and Theme
1. Alice Munro's Boys and Girls is a microsmic representation of the troubles associated with traditional gender roles.
1.Avoidance of 'traditional' female roles
1. Father refferring to her as a 'hired man'
2. adventurous stories (shooting, horsebackriding, etc), singing
2. Expectation forced upon the narrator by other characters
1. Mother wanting help in kitchen
2. Her treatment by her brother changes as they get older
3. Eventual Accepance
1. "I didn't protest that, even in my heart. Maybe it was true."
2. Decorating room (with lace, a dressing table, etc.)
1. Chinua Achebe's Dead Men's Path is an ironic comment on the frustrating juxtaposition of the old and the new.
1. Michael Obi's self-righteous tendencies
1.His wife's obsession with the modern
2. "...show these people how a school should be run."
2. Exoteric views of the people.
1. "He was outspoken in his condemnation of the narrow views of these older and often less educated ones [headmasters]"
2. "What would the Government Education Officer think of this when... use the schoolroom for a pagan ritual during the inspection."
3. Retaliation to Michael
1. Visit from the village priest
2. Death of a young woman in childbirth
3. Destruction of the schoolyard, and a scathing report from the inspector.
1.Avoidance of 'traditional' female roles
1. Father refferring to her as a 'hired man'
2. adventurous stories (shooting, horsebackriding, etc), singing
2. Expectation forced upon the narrator by other characters
1. Mother wanting help in kitchen
2. Her treatment by her brother changes as they get older
3. Eventual Accepance
1. "I didn't protest that, even in my heart. Maybe it was true."
2. Decorating room (with lace, a dressing table, etc.)
1. Chinua Achebe's Dead Men's Path is an ironic comment on the frustrating juxtaposition of the old and the new.
1. Michael Obi's self-righteous tendencies
1.His wife's obsession with the modern
2. "...show these people how a school should be run."
2. Exoteric views of the people.
1. "He was outspoken in his condemnation of the narrow views of these older and often less educated ones [headmasters]"
2. "What would the Government Education Officer think of this when... use the schoolroom for a pagan ritual during the inspection."
3. Retaliation to Michael
1. Visit from the village priest
2. Death of a young woman in childbirth
3. Destruction of the schoolyard, and a scathing report from the inspector.
Review - Pleasantville
The 1998 film Pleasantville, starring Reese Witherspoon and Toby Maguire, is both a candid remark on modern society and a classically entertaining film.
When twins Jennifer and David are sucked into their television and find themselves in the world of a black-and-white 1950s sitcom, their influences on Pleasantville's pristine community begin to irrevocably change everything.
Jennifer and Daniel begin to introduce the people of Pleasantville to things that have never been explored before, things like sex, self-direction, and creativity. Books appear in the library. Double beds are developped. But most notably, people become coloured. The black and whites and the 'coloured' segregate - with half the town embracing new sides of themselves and the other half actively resisisting, the film captures well the difficulty that arises when people begin to express their true selves.
The film is a great piece of 'bubble gum culture,' that is, it is easy to watch and really easy to enjoy. The message is cear and close to home. The characters are endearing and familiar, the humour is clean and the theme is uplifting.
I highly reccommend Pleasantville to all film lovers. Not only is it something that is great for a Sunday afternoon at home, but it is thought-invoking and a curt remark on societal roles and expectations. Funny and warm, Pleasantville can be enjoyed by everyone.
When twins Jennifer and David are sucked into their television and find themselves in the world of a black-and-white 1950s sitcom, their influences on Pleasantville's pristine community begin to irrevocably change everything.
Jennifer and Daniel begin to introduce the people of Pleasantville to things that have never been explored before, things like sex, self-direction, and creativity. Books appear in the library. Double beds are developped. But most notably, people become coloured. The black and whites and the 'coloured' segregate - with half the town embracing new sides of themselves and the other half actively resisisting, the film captures well the difficulty that arises when people begin to express their true selves.
The film is a great piece of 'bubble gum culture,' that is, it is easy to watch and really easy to enjoy. The message is cear and close to home. The characters are endearing and familiar, the humour is clean and the theme is uplifting.
I highly reccommend Pleasantville to all film lovers. Not only is it something that is great for a Sunday afternoon at home, but it is thought-invoking and a curt remark on societal roles and expectations. Funny and warm, Pleasantville can be enjoyed by everyone.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
True Blood and Fanfiction
Created and originally written by Alan Ball
Sookie shut her eyes.
Instead of black, the inside of her eyelids rosed into a hue of pink. She heard the sun's heat, on her skin, in her hair, splayed out on the browning grass. It crackled under the weight of her growing body - a body for two.
Her fingers traced her hips and stomach, rippling skin, the miracle of motherhood. She thought of herself, and thought of her husband, compiling the two into what this new life would be.
Vampires are created, not born. That's what Bill said.
Sookie reminds herself again and again that the child will be human. Or at least part. The blood of the fae that runs within her has carried into the child she bears, blood irresistable to vampires - blood of light and music and throbbing life. The telepathy and ability to weild and bend light have also carried. Sookie can feel it. Her daughter will be more powerful than she is, a fae with a vampire father. The two worlds have finally embraced.
She wonders what her daughter's life will be like. With two such powerful parents, she will no doubt be special. A special girl with a special name: Adele. The name of Sookie's murdered grandmother. The child will carry her light and love into this world.
Laying on the lawn of her Louisiana home, the birds cry. The forests, thickly bestowed with the burden of summer, speak volumes in the day's heavy silence. In a few hours, it will be night. Bill will awaken.
Sookie lifts herself up from the crippling grass and props herself up on her elbows. Her summer dresses are becoming too small, she notices with the anticipation only a first-time mother can know. Her eyes squint to the trees surrounding her home, their home. Along with heavy swamp moss and vines hang beautiful lanterns that Bill picked out for her. Papers of blue and pink and silver and gold. They do not sway, do not move. The day is still. Sookie closes her eyes from the glare of the sun and smiles, awaiting the rise of the moon. The lanters will be lit. She will put on her pearls. Bill will escort her out, to dance, and sing, and smile into eachothers eyes. Husband and wife, mother and father, vampire and fae. All is right in Bontemps. It is perfect.
Sookie shut her eyes.
Instead of black, the inside of her eyelids rosed into a hue of pink. She heard the sun's heat, on her skin, in her hair, splayed out on the browning grass. It crackled under the weight of her growing body - a body for two.
Her fingers traced her hips and stomach, rippling skin, the miracle of motherhood. She thought of herself, and thought of her husband, compiling the two into what this new life would be.
Vampires are created, not born. That's what Bill said.
Sookie reminds herself again and again that the child will be human. Or at least part. The blood of the fae that runs within her has carried into the child she bears, blood irresistable to vampires - blood of light and music and throbbing life. The telepathy and ability to weild and bend light have also carried. Sookie can feel it. Her daughter will be more powerful than she is, a fae with a vampire father. The two worlds have finally embraced.
She wonders what her daughter's life will be like. With two such powerful parents, she will no doubt be special. A special girl with a special name: Adele. The name of Sookie's murdered grandmother. The child will carry her light and love into this world.
Laying on the lawn of her Louisiana home, the birds cry. The forests, thickly bestowed with the burden of summer, speak volumes in the day's heavy silence. In a few hours, it will be night. Bill will awaken.
Sookie lifts herself up from the crippling grass and props herself up on her elbows. Her summer dresses are becoming too small, she notices with the anticipation only a first-time mother can know. Her eyes squint to the trees surrounding her home, their home. Along with heavy swamp moss and vines hang beautiful lanterns that Bill picked out for her. Papers of blue and pink and silver and gold. They do not sway, do not move. The day is still. Sookie closes her eyes from the glare of the sun and smiles, awaiting the rise of the moon. The lanters will be lit. She will put on her pearls. Bill will escort her out, to dance, and sing, and smile into eachothers eyes. Husband and wife, mother and father, vampire and fae. All is right in Bontemps. It is perfect.
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