“Two Calla Lillies on Pink” by Georgia O’Keefe

Lucas boarded the train at 8:00 am. He took a seat, setting his briefcase down beside him. People talked around him. Lucas sighed and thought about the long, boring day ahead of him. It was always the same at the office, people worked in cubicles next to each other, avoiding eye contact with one another as they drank crappy coffee.

Lucas got of at his stop and was about to start making his way to the office when he saw her; the most beautiful girl in the world. She was standing in front of a flower shop, looking at the flowers. The flower shop keeper handed her a bundle of white flowers, calla lillies. She smiled, thanked the man, and continued on her way. It was only until she was out of Lucas’s sight did he realize that he had been staring at her for an awfully long time with his mouth wide open.

The next day, when Lucas got of at his stop, he saw the girl again.She was buying the same flowers at the same shop. Lucas felt his heart beat fast in his chest. He decided to take a chance and go and talk to her. Lucas slicked his hair back and made his way through the crowd, but by the time he got the shop she had left. Feeling a bit disheartened, Lucas went to work. However, he was determined to try and talk to her the next day.

That morning Lucas put on his best suit, just for her. He caught an earlier train as well because he did not want to miss his chance to talk to her. Lucas waited for her. It felt like years had passed since he had her face. At last, she showed up at the shop and bought her flowers. This was his chance! But in the end Lucas chickened out.

“By Emma. See you tomorrow,” the shop keeper said.

“Bye Mr. Smith,” she waved and walked out. She brushed past Lucas without giving him a second thought.

Lucas sighed. Oh well. Maybe next time, he thought. If there was a next time…

Runaway

The train station is full of people coming and going. As I wait for my own train, one particular couple caught my eye. A woman with a large hat is waving a map around yelling at a man with a rather large box clutched to his chest. Frustrated, the woman ended up throwing the map at the man and looked out the window, trying to ignore the man’s existence. As she turned her face, I saw the huge sunglasses that covered her eyes and her lips that were painted a deep shade of red. Around her neck she wore a very expensive looking necklace.

I looked back at the man, trying to see his reaction to the woman. The man’s eyes kept moving back and forth, as if he was paranoid that someone overheard them. He looked terrified. Perhaps they were doing something illegal.

Caught up in watching the couple, I forgot about my baby, until he started to cry. I rocked him, hoping he would stop, but he wouldn’t. I tried to find his bottle, but my bag was a huge mess. After a couple of minutes of searching, I realized I had forgotten the bottle at home. By the time I had calmed him down, the train was pulling out from the station.

As I looked back at the car with the couple one last time. The man has the map wide open, and the lady was yelling at them again. I was thankful that we were not on the same train. The ride would have been miserable. However, I wonder what they were up to….

Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying

The Big Questions: What are the big concerns reflected in Keats and Longfellow’s poems?

Answer: In both poems, the poets reflect on unfulfilled dreams, but their thoughts on the subject are different.

Title Meaning: When I Have Fears- How a person copes with their fears

Mezzos Cammin-Something related to music

Thesis Statement: Both poets reflect on unfulfilled dreams and death, but Keat’s appreciates the wonder of life while Longfellow fears death.

Topic Sentence 1: Imagery brings about the questions that linger in the back of people’s minds.

Example 1 and Commentary: “Night’s starred face” (Keats)- The sky is full of mysteries and makes you wonder about the world and life.

Example 2 and Commentary: “A city in the twilight dim and vast” (Longfellow)- The use of “dim” and “vast” makes the city feel big and lonely. Questions about death could emerge.

Topic Sentence 2: Personification adds life to the party.

Example 1 and Commentary: “Their shadows with the magic hand of chance” (Keats)- Shadows are personified, which gives them a “magical feel” with their “magic hands”.

Example 2 and Commentary: “But sorrow, and a care that almost killed,” (Longfellow)- Personified sorrow as a “care that almost killed”. Gives a lonely feeling to the poem.

What does Hamlet say about suicide?

The first person to commit suicide in Hamlet is Ophelia. Ophelia is portrayed as a beautiful, innocent girl who depends on men for guidance. The three main men in Ophelia’s life are Hamlet (her lover), Laertes (her brother), and Polonius (her father). They all betray her. Laertes is the first to betray her. He physically leaves Ophelia behind to go to Paris. Then Hamlet abandons her as a lover and mocks her. The last straw is Polonius’ death. To make matters worse, Polonius was slain by Hamlet. Now Ophelia is alone in the world and therefore she commits suicide by drowning. Also, since Ophelia’s life was controlled by the men in her life, the suicide is the only real thing Ophelia had control over. She got to make the choice of living or dying.

The idea that the women were only in control of their lives when they were taking it brings us to question Gertrude’s death. Did Gertrude know that the poison was in the cup? Personally, I think she did. Gertrude was also dependent on the men in her life. This made her obedient to Claudius. During the scene where Hamlet and Laertes are fighting, Gertrude drinks from a cup meant for Hamlet. Claudius tells her “Gertrude, do not drink” which she replies with “I will, my lord. I pray you, pardon me” (V. ii. 286-287). The one time she is disobedient to Claudius, she ends up dying. I think this act of committing death was again, a way for her to control the outcome of her life, but also she might have been trying to do one last good thing in the world, saving her son, Hamlet (even though that failed).

The only person who thinks about suicide, but does not actually commit it is Hamlet. During Hamlet’s soliloquy “To be, or not to be? That is the question-“, we hear the Hamlet’s contemplation over whether life is worth living (III. i. 58-91). Hamlet considers ending his life, but he also think by taking his life he will suffer in hell because it is not a “Christian” thing to do (Hamlet is very religious). Hamlet is so worried about the judgement and suffering, I don’t think he actually wanted to commit suicide. Gertrude and Ophelia on the other hand don’t care about the afterlife as much because to them life was already unbearable so what difference did it make as to how they died, as long as they did die.

Fame<Infamy

Honestly, I just don’t get this kind of “art”. It’s just a punch of random paint splatters strewn across a canvas. What makes it so amazing? Any two year old could do that. People try to make “meaning” out of nothing if you ask me. When I look at this painting, I see a huge mess. It’s frustrating to look at. I would think this painting is famous because the painter is already famous. The size seems overwhelming. It I were to see it in person I might feel anxious because it’s a bigger mess than I imagined.

“Number 1 by Jackson Pollock (1948)” by Nancy Sullivan.

No name but a number.
Trickles and valleys of paint
Devise this maze
Into a game of Monopoly
Without any bank. Into
A linoleum on the floor
In a dream. Into
Murals inside of the mind.
No similes here. Nothing
But paint. Such purity
Taxes the poem that speaks
Still of something in a place
Or at a time.
How to realize his question
Let alone his answer?

 

Sullivan’s poem is so much better than the painting. If her poem was part of the painting, I would like the painting more. Honestly, I think she was either too kind or she was forced to write something nice about the painting and she BS the meaning. She describes the painting as a maze, saying that though it looks so simple and pure, there is more that meets the eye. She makes her point through comparisons and contrasts. For example, “A linoleum on the floor In a dream”. A dream is fun and whimsical. Linoleum is a flooring that is made from natural materials and is naturally anti-bacterial and biodegradable. A dream would not have such a “natural” feel to it because dreams are all about the unrealistic.

All That Matters

This weekend my grandmother is coming back home. She’s been living with my mom’s brother for the last month. My mom’s mom and my dad’s mom will be with us another two weeks before they go back to India. I won’t get to see them again until August maybe. The house will be empty without them since they live with us for about 7-8 months of the year.

The thing I am most looking forward to is summer!!!! Not just because I’ll be done with high school, but because of what I hope I’ll be doing. There is this camp in Bradenton, Florida called Dream Oaks Camp. It is a camp for children ages 7-17 with special needs and chronic/terminal illnesses. I have applied for a residential camp counselor position. Now I’m just waiting for an email back asking for an interview and hopefully one after that telling me that I have got a position there.

Bad Hamlet

The biggest difference between the two versions is the lack of detail. For example, when Claudius is escorting Cornelius and Voltemand to Norway, Claudius’ monologue included the facts and explained the origin of the battle. It also included a detailed plan of how he was going to prevent the battle from actually happening. Without these details, we wouldn’t understand who Fortinbras is and his importance, the mixed feelings within the kingdom of Denmark, the loyalty the king has for Polonius and his family, or why Laertes has been pardoned to France. The shortened monologues also cause lack of detail. Monologues are an important part of Shakespeare’s play because that is when the audience learns about the characters, their connections, and the importance of their role in a play.

Another difference is that the play moves at a much faster pace. This also causes it to loses some details along the way. For example, the scene where Polonius and the king spy on Hamlet comes in earlier. By jumping to this scene, we lose the the reason for Hamlet’s madness. To the reader, it just seems like a spur of the moment idea instead of something that was planned out.

Literary Devices #3

Allusion Examples:

“I loved him in that moment, love him more than I’d loved anyone and I wanted to tell them that I was the snake in the grass.” -Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

“Cause you were Romeo…” -Taylor Swift, Love Story

 

Hamartia Examples:

“‘I wish I had light hair and a fair skin, and was dressed, and behaved as well, and had a chance of being as rich as he will be!” -Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.” -William Shakespeare, Othello

Writings

In First Folio by Brandeis University, I noticed that some the character names were shortened after being introduced. For example, Roderigo was Rod. However, even that was not consistent since Rod. changed to Rodo. Another thing I noticed was that in the text, the letters were different! Whenever the letter should have been “u,” it was a “v” instead. For example, instead of spelling “up” it was “vp”. Also, There was no “s” there was only the letter “f.” “Despite” was spelt “Defpife.” I thought that was really interesting, because though I understand what the word was, it felt like I was looking at something different because of the strange spelling.

The other version of Othello I looked at was the Quarto 1 from the British Library. The first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful text. The old feel of the book intrigued me. The book looks old and valuable. My favorite part to look at was the big, beautiful “T”. It truly incorporates art into the book. That style always intrigued me because it reminds of one of those fairy tale books. Sometimes I wish modern books would use that style too.

Literary Devices #2

Pun Examples:

“The next few months were a blur of tests on Soraya: Basal body temperatures, blood tests for every conceivable hormone, urine tests, something called a ‘Cervical Mucus Test’, ultrasounds, more blood tests, and more urine tests.” -Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

“’You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its axis-”Talking of axes,’ said the Duchess, ‘chop off her head!'” -Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

 

Sarcasm Examples:

“‘Are you insinuatin’ that my daughter is a liar?’ ‘Oh, no, not at all. I’m saying your daughter is a liar. Surely you can appreciate the difference.” -Kami Garcia, Beautiful Creatures

“You’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug.” -Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games