Week 3 Blog- Critical

1/ Can you say briefly (in around 250 words) how the thoughts and images of either Emerson or Thoreau (or both) have given you a clearer sense of what it is you are looking for in your own life. Maybe the sentence from Walden might be a catalyst for this: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. (Chapter 2 Where I Lived, and What I Lived For). Or maybe the sentences from Nature captures what you wish for: “I become a transparent eye-ball. I am nothing. I see all. The currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am a particle of God.” (Chapter 1)

Through an examination of Emerson’s philosophical metaphor of the transparent eyeball, it has established a clearer sense of meaning and purpose in my own life. Emerson’s philosophical metaphor of the transparent eyeball engages explicitly with me in such a way that it facilitates a state of self-reflection, and catalyses new understandings about the nature of self and existence. This all leads to what I am looking for in my own life—happiness and peace.

Emerson’s “transformation” into an eyeball conveys he is an observer of nature but he is also transparent in the sense that he is just a visitor. By representing himself as an observer in nature, it illustrates Emerson’s value of appreciating nature rather than demanding something from it. This accentuates the underlying importance of nature for mankind to rediscover himself. Emerson’s philosophical metaphor has undoubtedly developed a deeper sense of appreciation for nature within me. I personally feel that this is an invaluable approach to nature that everyone should adopt because we can learn so many things about ourselves from just being in nature.

Through Emerson’s transparent and disembodied state of total union with nature, Emerson is able to let go of his sense of “self”. In modern-day society, I think it is because of this lack of union with nature is what gives rise to egotism. I personally think if we all make a conscious effort to live in a selfless and appreciating manner towards nature and each other, we can all achieve a happy and peaceful life.

 

Image Sourced From

http://www.muk.ac.at/uploads/pics/transparent_eyeball_Ralph_Waldo_Emerson.jpg

Week 2 Blog- Creative

3/ Take the first line of any one of the poems we have looked at in the last two weeks and use it as the first line of a poem of your own.  Where possible try to use the shape, the form of the original poem that triggered your attempt.

The poem that I have chosen is Eva Johnson’s “A letter to my mother” (1985)

 

A letter to my land

I not see you long time now, I not see you long time now

White fulla has taken possession of you, I don’t know why

Give me new home to claim

Give me new culture and name

All time I say, I want you back, they say  -‘no way’

I go to you, but you no longer here

I miss you and all them dreamtime stories

Gone is you, gone is myself and my spirit

Gone to these white people of greed

They gave me nothing compared to what they have taken

All time I say, I want you back, they say ‘no way’

I not see you long time now, I won’t see you long time now…

 

Image Sourced From

http://www.robpackerphotography.com/assets/images/front/PQL013L.jpg

 

Week 2 Blog- Creative

3/ “The delight alone or in the rush of the streets, or along the fields and hill-sides”. Use this line from Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself to compose your own short poem about what most delights you in and through your own experience of being alive.

 

Delight 

How shall I tell thee what most delights me?

From a warm embrace to a gentle smile,

To love and be loved, this sets my soul free;

A few things I’ve been longing for a while,

Sometimes I sit alone, and wonder why,

Hecate, is solitude delightful?

When all I do alone is weep and cry,

Perhaps, solitude can be insightful?

My experience of being alive,

Taught me, the lovely gift of existing,

Without living is to merely survive,

Ah Metis, is this just wishful thinking?

And thus, my experience has proven,

The delight in being a human.

 

Note: This is my extremely bad first attempt at writing a Shakespearean sonnet. I apologise.

Image Sourced From http://images.rapgenius.com/381bc14b06f4b4acce2437ed579b16e3.200x300x1.jpg

 

 

Peer Review #8 (Ngaire Ale)

Link to comment:

https://www.ngaireale1.wordpress.com/2017/09/27/the-waste-land/comment-page-1/#comment-393

Hey Ngaire!

I really enjoyed reading your piece as to how the modernist poem “The Waste Land” by T.S Elliot (1922) has moved you. I appreciate how you gave some historical context in your introduction as it gave me a sense of what you wanted to discuss about in your piece. Your analysis of “The Wasteland” was also done quite well as you explored various literary techniques that Eliot has utilised and explained its technique. However, I felt like you have not really answered the question and that was how Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” has moved you. Rather than writing a sentence at the end to “answer” the question, I think you should have integrated your points as to how the text has moved you throughout your analysis of the poem. In saying that, I think you did a great job in analysing the poem!

Summative Entry (American Literature)

“American Literature helps me to expand the boundaries of my own experience.”

This was the focus of this semester’s work in American Literature. The work and understanding I have obtained from this unit over the course of the semester have led me to believe that American literature has the capacity to teach us, as humans, something about our own lives and consequently ourselves—spiritually and physically. These lessons, which I am eternally grateful for, at first seem so simple and became more complex the more I studied them. For example, when we were learning about Transcendentalism, we were taught the significance of nature as an aspect of our lives and its potential to cause self-actualisation and enlightenment were remarkable. We began with Emily Dickenson, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, Martin Luther King Jr, James Baldwin, Du Bois and ending with Robert Frost, Robert Lowell, T.S Eliot, William Faulkner and postmodernist artists and authors such as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, John Ashbery and Jackson Pollock. Despite the time difference (from almost one to two centuries apart) of these brilliant authors, poets, and artists existed in, it astounds me to believe that their works are still relevant in contemporary society. Ultimately, all these dynamic poets, authors, and artists who defiantly challenge their societal values and culture has led to many great works that are universally relevant to contemporary society. That is, these works assisted me in expanding the boundaries of my own experiences.

We began our journey in American literature with American Indian Writing. Professor MG contrasted the spiritual emptiness of contemporary American culture and the spiritual richness of what is left of American Indian culture. This alone has made me question, why can’t American culture be more open to the lessons and culture that American Indians practice? I personally don’t think that there is a “superior” culture or tradition, more so, the existence of many diverse cultures and traditions allows other cultures to learn and appreciate something that they never once thought of. For example, contemporary American culture should expose themselves to the richness of insight and understanding about the significance of our relationship with the land (as American Indian culture has practiced). By doing this, not only both cultures benefit but also the planet along with future generations. I also found our analysis of Native American Indian Writing had a clear subversion of the dominant materialistic culture. Their writing was also in harmony with many “main-stream” American writers such as Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and Dickinson.

Next, we made a brief stop to the transcendentalists in 19^th Century America. It’s spiritual aspect and the push for authenticity in human experience is what I found extremely engaging. We then examined two influential individuals that “led” the transcendentalist movement—Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. The exposure to this topic has inspired me to strive for a meaningful life and at the same time, to seek understanding in myself and the world around me. Emerson and has inspired me so much that I decided it would have been a great essay topic. We were given readings of Emerson and Thoreau and It was perhaps the more enjoyable readings I have ever come across in a literature unit. A sentence (in Chapter 2 ‘Where I Lived, and What I Lived For’) from Thoreau’s novel “Walden” has personally moved me: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see If I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”. Thoreau’s sentence has inspired me to live my life deliberately and with purpose. Ultimately it has helped me to expand beyond the boundaries of my own experience to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

After revisiting Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson, we moved on to Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Reading Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn gave an insight to the racism that still lingered after the abolishment of slavery. We continued to discuss free expression and total acceptance of genders and cultures in America. This week, we explored the great works of Martin Luther King Jr, James Baldwin, Du Bois and Toomer. I distinctly remember discussing Du Bois quote “The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line” for one of my weekly blog topics. I personally think the term “colour line” is something we invent to discriminate others and illusion ourselves to believe that we are “above” another human. Hence, I encourage everyone to help this as it is everyone’s issue, not just the issue of the discriminated. I personally believe that everyone is created equal regardless of their difference. Needless to say, American Literature has not only expanded the boundaries of my own experience but has also encourage me to abolished racist limitations that can result in the acceptance of individuals from various cultures and backgrounds.

Afterwards, we explored the contrasting worlds of Robert Frost and Robert Lowell. They are both iconic poets of North America in the Twentieth Century. I personally found Robert Frost more appealing since he was the inheritor of the transcendentalists and possessed the energy of Walt Whitman to express his deep connection to the American landscape and its power to open the human spirit. This, of course, was what Emerson attempted to discuss in his essay “Nature”. Contrastingly, Robert Lowell was deeply enmeshed in the tyrannies that controlled his whole life. In his Confessional Poetry, his profound exposition of these tyrannies is his way to express his deep appreciation and gratitude for his given life. We then made a quick stop at American Modernism. We looked at William Carlos, Charlie Chaplin and lastly T.S Eliot’s Four Quartets. The semester ended with William Faulkner and The Beats, New York School and Postmodernism. Ultimately, this semester has been a wonderful exploration of America’s history and the magnificent works of great American poets, writers and artists. With this unit coming to an end, I wanted to express my gratitude for the lessons that Professor MG and Dr. JB has taught me. Lessons that have and forever will expand the boundaries of my own spiritual and physical experiences.

 

Links to my Blogs:

Best Creative Blog:

http://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/american-literature/creative-blogs/

Best Critical Blog: 

http://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/american-literature/best-critical-blog/

Peer Reviews: 

http://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/american-literature/all-peer-reviews/

Summative Entry:

Summative Entry (American Literature)

Peer Review #7 (Christella Bade)

Link to comment:

https://www.christellabade.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/blog-9-american-literature/comment-page-1/#comment-66

Hey Christella,

I enjoyed reading your piece on how the poet Allen Ginsberg has inspired you. I definitely agree that Ginsberg’s poem  “A Supermarket in California” captures the ideas that he is attempting to convey to his readers, that is, the poem illustrates our obsession with consumerism and materialism. Ginsberg’s decision to address this problem of being enslaved to consumerism creates this sense of urgency to act now in the present moment and change ourselves for the better before its too late. I personally think your piece was well written and your decision to juxtapose Whitman’s criticism of his society and Ginsberg’s criticism of his society (by contrasting the themes in their poetry) has consolidated your ideas. To improve on your piece, I think you could have elaborated more on your points and expand further on your ideas. Apart from that, I think you did a good job with this week’s topic.

Week 10 Blog- Creative

Alternatively, try imitating any one of the poems or prose texts that you have read for this week. See whether their creativity has kindled something new in your own imagination.

I will be trying to ‘imitate’ Roethke’s poem “Root Cellar”. However, I want to keep the theme of the original poem. The prominent theme of this poem that stood out to me was the poet’s celebration of the determination of life forms (despite its “insignificance”) to survive in rough environments.

 

Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke

Nothing would sleep in that cellar, dank as a ditch,
Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark,
Shoots dangled and drooped,
Lolling obscenely from mildewed crates,
Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.
And what a congress of stinks!
Roots ripe as old bait,
Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich,
Leaf-mold, manure, lime, piled against slippery planks.
Nothing would give up life:
Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.

 

Life

Nothing could escape from the grasps of life, dark as dread,

Man runs out clutching onto his will chasing for purpose in the dark,

Breathless and exhausted,

Sprinting iron-willed from nowhere

Sweat down warm forehead, like rainfall

And what a smell he exhausted

Nothing would give up life:

Even the fish out of water clings on to life.

 

 

Week 9 Blog- Critical

1/ Select the one modernist poem or text that you found spoke to you most directly. Quote the text and tell us how the text moved you.

One of the modernist poems that spoke to me the most directly was T.S Eliot’s Four Quartets: “Burnt Notion”. Specifically, I will be going through section V, lines 140-146 of T.S Eliot’s Four Quartets.

Words move, music moves
Only in time; but that which is only living
Can only die. Words, after speech, reach
Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern
Can words or music reach
The stillness, as a Chinese jar still
Moves perpetually in its stillness.

Lines 140-146 in Section V of T.S Eliot’s Four Quartets: “Burnt notion” moved me in a spiritual way because he explores ideas of art forms (music and poetry) and its impacts on humans and the world they exist in. The poet’s attempt to suggest that there is something more significant than music and poetry is intriguing as it leaves me questioning whether there is something other than music and poetry that has the ability to feel or inspire people despite living in such a chaotic world. Modernist poet T.S Eliot tries to probe the essence of music and poetry and its effects on humanity in section V of Four Quartets: “Burnt notion”. This can be shown in the line “words move, music moves”. Eliot’s repetition of move places an emphasis on the effects of these art forms on people. Whilst the author seems to understand the impact of music and poetry, he seems to be questioning whether they have the same effect beyond our fragmented destructive world. We can assume that T.S Eliot is probing the essence of art and poetry and its ability to “reach” humans in another realm.

Summative Entry (Australian Literature)

“Australian Literature helps me to expand the boundaries of my own experience.”

I remember my first day entering the lecture room for Australian Literature at 8am on a Tuesday morning feeling rather nervous of what the unit could possibly entail and anxious of how I was possibly going to survive 12 weeks of learning about Australia’s history and culture through literary and non-literary texts. After 12 weeks, I noticed not only a shift in my perspective and thinking towards various aspects of my life such as a deeper sense of appreciation for the works of talented Australian literary authors, poets, artists, and musicians but also the Australian landscape and Indigenous culture. Something of great significance that also stuck to me from day 1 (that I wish to share with everyone) was Professor Griffith’s words of wisdom: “There is a lot we can learn from Indigenous culture” and over the course of the semester, his words have manifested to “There is a lot we can learn from everyone and everything”. Initially, MG was referring to the Indigenous way of living, which was only to take enough resources from the land to survive (a completely different value to western culture which involves a lot of mass production and exploiting the land of its resources). Likewise, this has inevitably given me an invaluable insight into the importance of understanding and appreciating the importance of people beyond racial boundaries and literature and its power to propel mankind into a state of enlightened thinking.

We began our journey in Australian Literature with a few Indigenous paintings and a selection of poetry and writing extracts from Australian authors. We looked at artworks from Margaret Preston, David Boyd, Russel Drysdale, John Glover and Fred Williams. I remember I felt a sense of discomfort looking at these paintings initially as it portrayed the Australian landscape as untamed and wild; something that I never thought I would associate with a beautiful landscape. Revisiting these paintings, I can say that there is beauty in the untamed and wild and this is especially true with the Australian landscapes. I definitely agree that Judith Wright was onto something when she said “I’ve no wish to chisel things into new shapes. The remnant of a mountain has its own meaning”. By observing my initial and current reactions to the selected artworks, I concluded that I have developed a deeper sense of appreciation for the Australian landscape and its uniqueness through the course of the semester. After exploring the artwork, we looked at a selection of poetry and writing extracts from Judith Wright’s “Rock face”(1985), Marcus Clarke’s “Adam Lindsay Gordon” (1876), D.H Lawrence’s “Kangaroo”(1923), David Malouf’s “Fly Away Peter”(1982), and Eva Johnson’s “A letter to my mother”(1988). I distinctively remember Eva Johnson’s poetry “A letter to my mother”(1988) evoked a strong sense of emotion in the lecture room as MG read it. The poem is about an indigenous protagonist which we can assume they are of indigenous background (considering the context of the poem where authors background is Indigenous descent) unable to be reunited with her mother after the “White fulla” took the children to the Missionary’s an attempt to wipe out Indigenous Australians. I felt angry and upset as this was very discriminating and it almost resembles a genocide. Instead of shaming people for their culture and background, I felt they should have celebrated the diversity of human cultures and backgrounds.

We then moved on to Kim Scott’s brilliant novel “That Deadman dance”(2010). At first, I was utterly excited but it soon began to decay as I attempted to read the novel. It was a difficult read but at the same time, I found it rewarding. My excitement rose as I read the last sentences of the novel with a stammering question that I wanted to ask Kim Scott personally—“Did Bobby Wabalanginy die?” Towards the end of the novel, I felt a deeper sense of appreciation for not only the novel but also Indigenous Australians and their culture. I am not sure how I could explain how or where this feeling came from, and if anyone were to ask me I would possibly say “it just happened”. I really appreciate MG’s selection of the text and I wish I could thank Professor Griffith in person. In the next 2 weeks, we were subtly hinted by our lecture and tutor to read the novel and were asked to answer relevant questions in our tutorial classes. A quote that I extremely liked from the novel was “Bobby Wabalanginy never learned fear, not until he was pretty well a grown man”. I personally believe that fear is something that we create for ourselves in our own minds and consequently, we stop ourselves from truly living. As Scott suggests, fear is not inherited it is “learned”. We also touched upon the topic of postcolonialism and European colonisation in Australia. This gave a contextual background to our Assignment 2 which was a research essay. I am definitely going to take the marker’s feed mark into mind when it comes to essay writing but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel happy about my mark (a high distinction!) The research essay provided me insight as to how writing about indigenous Australians embody the wish to engage with and understand a way of life that is deeply connected with the Australian landscape. After Assignment 2 was due, we took a trip to the NSW Art Gallery.

In the last few weeks, we explored various Nineteenth Century Early Colonial Poetry and Twentieth Century Poetry by and about Indigenous Australians. This included the works of John Shaw Neilson, Miles Franklin, Frederic Manning, M.Barnard Eldershaw, Patrick White, David Malouf, Les Murray, Michael Dransfield, Kevin Hart and Kate Grenville. I particularly liked John Shaw Neilson’s “The Orange Tree” as it was an extremely sensitive poem that involved the “educational enquiry” into the perceptions of a child and an adult. From analysing the text, I can definitely say that there are certain things that can only be understood through feeling instead of identifying, categorising and evaluating. In conclusion, my study of Australian Literature involved a lot of hard work and dedication and the lessons learnt in this unit was profoundly meaningful on an existential level.

Links to my Blogs:

Best Creative Blog: https://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/australian-literature/best-creative-blog-australian-literature/

Best Critical Blog: 

https://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/australian-literature/best-critical-blog-australian-literature/

Peer Reviews: 

https://www.lostinliterature1.wordpress.com/category/australian-literature/alll-peer-reviews/

Summative Entry:

Summative Entry (Australian Literature)

 

Week 9 Blog- Critical

I decided to make my own topic for this week because I wanted to explore a particular artwork that I came across in an Australian art gallery I visited a few days ago.

Write a brief summary focussing on the one or two works that you found most challenging or interesting.

The painting that I will be focusing on in this week’s topic is called “Fire’s On: Lapstone Tunnel” (1891)  by Arthur Streeton. I personally found this painting the most interesting because it beautifully captures Australia’s heat and “unique” landscape through the utilisation of oil paints. But I had a subtle feeling there was something more to this painting than meets the eye! By conducting independent research, I found that this painting captured a critical moment during the construction of a railway line across the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Moreso, the painting can be interpreted in the sense that it captures the death of a railway worker in an explosion. We can assume that it conveys the death of a railway worker in an explosion by analysing the title of the painting. “Fire’s on” was a warning call before an explosion blast, as the gang dynamited the lapstone tunnel through the hillside. Hence, it captures a sense of Australia’s beautiful landscape and human drama.

 

Image Sourced from:

http://www.media.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection_images/8/832%23%23S.jpg

Peer Review #7 (Aylin Julie Analin)

Link to comment: 

http://www.aylinjulieanalin.wordpress.com/2017/10/03/blog-7/

Hey Julie,

Your piece on the significance of the last line of  John Shaw Neilson’s “The Orange Tree” was very engaging and interesting as it addressed very relevant and thought-provoking points. I think another reason why I found your piece engaging was that I chose the same topic and I was definitely curious as to how you and many others approached the topic. I think your thoughts and ideas are very well developed, especially the connection you drew from the line “Is it east or west”  to the human brain and how it influences human behaviour was incredibly brilliant. I think your analysis would have benefitted from utilising more textual evidence. I also think there were points that you could have elaborated more on. Also, I think you should have tried to link your ideas back to the question at the end of your analysis to consolidate your piece. Apart from that, I think you did a great job with this topic!

Peer Review #6 (Michael Harb)

Link to comment:

https://www.michaelharb.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/american-literature-week-9/comment-page-1/#comment-18

Hey Michael,

I just wanted to begin my comment with how I really enjoyed reading your piece on T.S Eliot’s “The Waste Land”. I liked how you chose to discuss a specific part of T.S Eliot’s piece (The 4th part of T.S Eliot’s “The waste of land” tilted “Death by water”) as it gives you the opportunity to explain and quote the text in depth. Your points as to why it “spoke to you the most directly” was also very interesting since you explained them well and incorporated an example for each of your points to consolidate your analysis. Your selection of examples that you paired up with your points was also very effective. Overall, I personally think you nailed this weeks topic question and I hope to see more from you!

 

Week 8 Blog- Creative

1. CREATIVE: Using any one of Faulkner’s 15 character voices as a guide, create a paragraph in the voice of a character totally different to yourself. Think about people you might have overheard on the train or bus, or someone you might have seen randomly on a street corner. Invent their life, their consciousness in a paragraph. Who knows it might become the start of a larger work!

Erica: She sat quietly in her mother’s garden, eyes closed and smiling modestly as if she was surrendering her very soul to the nature that was around her. As the birds chirped melodically, her thoughts began to settle like the leaves in Autumn. She breathed deliberately, she always breathed deliberately because she believed all of her actions in life had to be deliberate. It had to be deliberate because that gave her the feeling that she had control of her life and every aspect of it. It was a way to confirm herself that she was, indeed living a life that she had hoped for. She did not want to be on a boat adrift in the endless ocean that was life. Instead, she wanted to be the captain of her boat, constantly sailing towards “destiny”.