Symbolism

I liked this small chapter on Symbolism. When you look for symbols in pictures and paintings to help you understand the meaning, you never think that these symbols exist in literature too. The poem called "Orange" is a good example. It starts with the man saying he has 2 oranges in his coat pocket and he is walking with this woman on some kind of date. She wanted some chocolate that cost a dime and all he had was a nickel, and instead, he offered the cashier one of the oranges in exchange for the other nickel owed. This was a gamble because if the cashier refuses then he looks foolish and poor in front of this girl, but if the cashier agrees then he gets her what she wants and looks cunning and persuasive. In the end he succeeds and as they walk along the streets, she eats her chocolate and he begins to eat his orange and describes it as a fire in his hands. I don't think that the orange was worth a nickel to the cashier, but it was obviously worth something to the man.

It is easy to find symbols around us everyday. America has many symbols of our freedom, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument, and Mount Rushmore. There are many different types of symbols. People can also be symbols. Martin Luther King Jr. is a symbol for equality. Hitler is a symbol for racism and hate. Books also use symbols in their text. In The Christmas Carol, The old clock ringing its bell at a new hour symbolized a new Christmas ghost coming to visit Ebenezer Scrooge. At thee beginning of this class we read a story where a bell symbolized a re-do on the conversation of a man and woman in a coffee shop. There are many symbols used in our lives day to day, and Literature also uses them.

Waiting For Godot 2nd Blog

What can we learn from the story Waiting for Godot? The characters are very unique and original and they teach us very serious lessons. The first one I learned was that we should never be alone. Even if we have no home, no where to go, and no purpose in life, as long as we have someone to share that life with, then our lives are worth living. I think the part that describes this the best is when they were discussing suicide, but didn't do it because of the chance that one might not die and be left by himself. That to me is significant. Another lesson we can learn from this story is that we should always have hope in something. When the child kept returning to tell them that Godot will come tomorrow, that gave Vladimir and Estragon some hope to stay and look forward to the next day. Even when they met Lucky, they could see that their lives were better then his and that they were not at the lowest of the low. I was just able to find small things in the story that seemed like they contained messages, but some parts still seemed weird. You would have to admit that this story has many weird bits and lines in it that made it possibly one of the weirdest stories that I have read. One of these awkward moments was when Vladimir, Estragon, and Lucky were changing hats back and forth and it seemed to go on for nearly a page and a half. I don't really see why the author had to make thus part so elaborate, but it was well detailed and made it into the story. The last lesson that I learned from this book is that no mater what you have to have respect for yourselves. Vladimir showed this when Pozzo first appeared and Estragon asked him for the bones from his meal, and Vladimir said that they were not beggars and that they shouldn't beg, even though he said he was hungry before.

Waiting For Godot

The play/story starts off with two homeless men waiting for their acquaintance Godot to arrive, even though they don't really know what he looks like. They wait their for a long time, and basically just try to keep themselves occupied while they wait. The story is based around them trying to keep themselves occupied. The two characters are named Vladimir and Estragon. While waiting for their friend to arrive they discuss salvation and the two thieves crucified next to Jesus. They sing they laugh, and play. They sleep too, but the also discuss suicide and other serious topics.

I honestly didn't really like the book that much and I have only read Act I so far. The conversations that the men have seem weird and are not really funny. Vladimir seems to be the leader of the two and bosses Estragon around. I was annoyed at how many times they had to ask themselves what the other one wanted to do, and when they were discussing the idea of suicide, I did think it was kind of humorous that they decided against it because one of them might not die and would be left alone, and not for the sake of the ending their own life. The whole encounter with Pozzo was weird for me because even though Vladimir and Estragon are obviously beggars, they didn't ask for anything and had to much pride. Lucky was kind of a humorous character because he never really said anything but just stood their being a slave, and doing what Pozzo told him to do.

Basically the story being built about trying to keep yourself occupied so not to become completely bored is what bored me. I guess you could say that you don't need a great plot or story line to create a work of literary art, since this is said to be one of the greatest.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long

I must admit this was pretty funny, I may not have liked all the singing bits, but that's just because I am not that into musicals. The small film/blog seemed to be making fun of itself, and that was what made it funny. When the movie started I was just like what the heck is this and why is he making us watch it, but then I figured out how great it was, but I still don;t know why you chose that for us to watch. I cannot see really an connection to literature besides the going against the norm in story line. It is rare though to be cheering for the bad guy, Dr. Horrible, and against the good guy, Captain Hammer. Even though most people would not like the ending, I did like the fact that nothing turned out the way he wanted it. He had to give up on his love to make way for another one of his loves, which is crime. I think my favorite thing about the story is the concept. This idiot of a scientist who can create anything apparently can't make himself a laundry machine, and talks about his feelings on a video blog. He even is dub enough to announce his plans on the Internet to everyone, including the police and his nemesis Captain Hammer. This also went outside the realm of normal superhero comic book story lines, because there was no real punishments for the crimes that he committed. He just beat Captain Hammer and killed some woman, but the police just clean up the place and do nothing. It was like the superheros and super villains just dealt with each other, and the rest of society was there to spectate. With the weird storyline and plot holes I still really liked it and was glad I watched it.

Lake Bonney Park

Sun shining, a cool wind blowing, and a Johnny Cash playing in my ear; this is a nice day outside. When I first arrived I didn't know where the nature part of the park was, because all I saw were baseball fields everywhere. Then once I found the path, I figured out where I was supposed to go. The only real outdoorsy nature things I have gone so far were more of an active, survival or hunting experience, but this kind was more refreshing. It kind of reminded me of a sing by Rush called The Trees. I will be honest and say that usually when I walk in any kind of empty natural setting I usually let my mind wander and see how it could be used as a paintball field or hunting area, but the park was calm enough to let me focus on the assignment.

The green blades of grass covered in dew reflected the bright rays of sun, while the moss covered trees drooped over my head. Bugs and insects buzzed and crawled around looking for food or any sort of peachy colored skin to take a bite of. The lizards of Southeastern were no where in sight, but the squirrels and birds were still there to accompany me. After sitting in the shade for a few minutes I decided to change my music selection to Rush and that was when I heard their song The Trees.

" There is unrest in the forest. There is trouble with the trees. For the maples want more sunlight and the oaks ignore their pleas."

That is the opening line of the song, because it makes it sound like the trees are alive. Oh wait, they are alive. That's when I realized that nature is alive and God created it as a living being for us to take care of. who needs a pet when you have a garden; although a pet would respond to you more.

Mary Oliver, "Praying"

To pray is a serious thing. We must all take prayer seriously and know that our heart and mind are focused on God when we pray. We should remember that God listens to our hearts, not just our mouths. He knows when we are just giving Him lip service. That being said, I loved this poem. I think it describes the true nature of prayer and how it isn't just a platform for people to sound religious. Our words don't have to be philosophical or poetic, but honest and from the heart. When is the last time an one of us just came to God and said, "God, I am an idiot, and I don't deserve Your grace." This to me is how we should all start out our prayers. We spend t much time asking for things and not enough telling God how awesome He is.

My favorite part of the poem is when Mary Oliver said that we don't need to give Him lilies, but weeds from open lot will do. There is a story n the Bible off a rich man who comes to the temple to give an offering and he gave a large amount, but then a poor old woman also came to the temple to give and offering, and she a gave two copper pieces which was all that she had. Jesus then asked His disciples who gave the most. The answer was the woman, because she gave something hat meant more to her than the rich man. We should take this lesson to heart. Even when we don't have the most we should give what we cherish the most, and sometimes that is just our time. What f God kept a time sheet of how much we pend on face before Him in prayer. Wouldn't it be sad if we only spent a total of a month of our lives in prayer.

State of the Planet

I have never seen the whole movie, but I like to watch some of the specials on the National Geographic channel. It always amazes me to see what God has create on this earth and the things that he can make happen. Everything works together so perfectly and to me, it is impossible for anyone to watch any of that footage and say that it all happened by chance. One of the most amazing things that I have seen on the National Geographic is when they show the ocean floor. You see the most amazing looking creatures that completely blow your mind. On one of the journeys down, the small submarine crew see this giant circle of clams and other crustaceans surrounding this black liquid like lake that seemed to be at least 50 yards wide, and the crew notices that this black stuff is a liquid that has completely separated itself from the sea water. The crew then decides that since the are in a submarine they should be able to dive into it. When they try they just ricochet off the surface, and the black liquid ripple from the impact. After the experience, they still have no idea what the stuff is and why it acts like a separate lake under the ocean.

One time I watched a special on the rain forest and its inhabitants. At one moment during the special, 2 separate chimpanzee tribes were about to war against each other over a land dispute, and the head monkey from the stronger tribe stood on a rock and held a staff while yelling and jumping and making lots of noise. He then pointed the staff at the enemy monkeys and his army charged toward them. I just sat there dumbfounded, looking at my TV screen, thinking, "How is this possible." The quick answer to that is God. He has made all things possible, and it is our job to marvel at his work. I is also our job to take care of His work, and not just the natural, but the spiritual. WE need to take care of ourselves, and make it a priority to keep our spirit one with God.