T.S Elliot
As I was reading T.S. Eliot’s writings I noticed that he uses a lot of references to other people and what they write about. For example in The Hollow Men he uses the “multifoliate rose” which is a referenced to Part 3 of the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri being used to describe heaven (line 64). He speaks a lot about heaven and uses references to the Lord (and the Lord’s Prayer, “for Thine is the Kingdom” line 77) quit a bit throughout his writings, not just in The Hollow Men.
I liked reading the Hollow Men for a few different reasons. One, it made me think and use my imagination and two, I think that T.S. Eliot has a fantastic way of using his words to describe the feelings and views that these men, who were not the best of men, seemed to have on hope and religion.
He starts this poem with talking about the effigies that the children made used to insult Guy Fawkes on the day of his execution. He writes, “Leaning together headpiece filled with straw” (line 3-4). He goes on to describe it as, “Shape without form, shade without colour, paralysed force, gesture without motion” (line 11-12). I thought about this, paralysed force, gesture without motion. How can you gesture without motion, since the definition of gesture is a movement made with a part of the body in order to express meaning or emotion? Not to mention they are comparing a dummy to Fawkes and Kurtz.
My favorite lines through the whole poem are 14-17 that says, “Remember us-if at all-not as lost violent souls, but only as the hollow men the stuffed men”. If you remember the men please do not have ill thoughts as them being violent, even though they are.
When I read the section on the prickly pear (line 68-71), it made me laugh a little bit because I was finally able to know where this came from! I heard this rhyme when I was in Jr. High from some friends who were singing it. I just thought they made this up themselves.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Feminist Manifesto
Mina Loy
I had many thoughts go through my mind as I read this piece on feminism. I have been both, a stay at home mother (for 3 years to 2 daughters) as well as the working single mom. I don’t want to make this all about my personal experience, but I do want to share some of the similarities I saw in her writing compared to my views with my life.
I understand the importance of being able to stay home and raise your own children, yet at the same time a lot of mothers who do this, lose themselves. We get caught up in being “mom/wife” that we don’t remember to take care of us.
On page 1502 it reads, “Cease to place your confidence in economic legislation, vice-crusades and uniform education- you are glossing over REALITY”. The education in this sentence is the part that stuck out to me. I was a teen mom and did not finish high school due to decisions I made. I wanted to get my GED and continue on to college, but I was told by my ex-husband that I didn’t need to do any of this because he would always take care of me. Being young and only knowing the example of my mom, who was also a stay at home mom all of my growing up years and “taken care of” by my dad, I didn’t pursue what I felt I should have done at that time. (Years later I did get my GED and went on to do what I wanted/needed to do.) Education and growth is very important and we should strive for intelligence, married or not married. I like how in different parts of Mina’s writings she will say things like, “every well-balanced and developed woman knows …” (p.1503) I also like that she is encouraging women who think it’s okay to be pushed around by the men to open their eyes.
I could relate to this next section that I read, because after my divorce I felt that I was not important without a husband. “The value of man is assessed entirely according to his use or interest to the community, the value of woman, depends entirely on chance, her success or insuccess in maneuvering a man into taking the life-long responsibility of her” (p.1504) I got the impression that women need to “trick” a man into wanting to be with them and if she does this then she will be important. I thought EVERY woman needs to know that she is of value and important. It is NOT based on any man!
I agree with a lot of Mina’s opinions. Especially when she was talking about how women need to retain their appearance, to be strong, always look perfect, be brave, and do right at all times (p.1505). If I were living back in the days when feminism first started, I wonder if I would have been like Mina Loy.
I had many thoughts go through my mind as I read this piece on feminism. I have been both, a stay at home mother (for 3 years to 2 daughters) as well as the working single mom. I don’t want to make this all about my personal experience, but I do want to share some of the similarities I saw in her writing compared to my views with my life.
I understand the importance of being able to stay home and raise your own children, yet at the same time a lot of mothers who do this, lose themselves. We get caught up in being “mom/wife” that we don’t remember to take care of us.
On page 1502 it reads, “Cease to place your confidence in economic legislation, vice-crusades and uniform education- you are glossing over REALITY”. The education in this sentence is the part that stuck out to me. I was a teen mom and did not finish high school due to decisions I made. I wanted to get my GED and continue on to college, but I was told by my ex-husband that I didn’t need to do any of this because he would always take care of me. Being young and only knowing the example of my mom, who was also a stay at home mom all of my growing up years and “taken care of” by my dad, I didn’t pursue what I felt I should have done at that time. (Years later I did get my GED and went on to do what I wanted/needed to do.) Education and growth is very important and we should strive for intelligence, married or not married. I like how in different parts of Mina’s writings she will say things like, “every well-balanced and developed woman knows …” (p.1503) I also like that she is encouraging women who think it’s okay to be pushed around by the men to open their eyes.
I could relate to this next section that I read, because after my divorce I felt that I was not important without a husband. “The value of man is assessed entirely according to his use or interest to the community, the value of woman, depends entirely on chance, her success or insuccess in maneuvering a man into taking the life-long responsibility of her” (p.1504) I got the impression that women need to “trick” a man into wanting to be with them and if she does this then she will be important. I thought EVERY woman needs to know that she is of value and important. It is NOT based on any man!
I agree with a lot of Mina’s opinions. Especially when she was talking about how women need to retain their appearance, to be strong, always look perfect, be brave, and do right at all times (p.1505). If I were living back in the days when feminism first started, I wonder if I would have been like Mina Loy.
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