Caroline Norton married George Chapple Norton in June 1827. The marriage was a disaster because they had nothing in common. She was outgoing, witty, and headstrong while he had no personality. After two months, he became abusive to keep her in line. Caroline began to write for pleasure and to support her family. She also pressured friends and family to give her unemployed husband a job. By her third child, the abuse had become unbearable. They separated after having an argument about the children’s vacation location, which led to George removing the children from the home and evicting Caroline. The fate of this marriage would be decided in court. Caroline realized for her to survive she would have to fight the court to change laws that were bias against women.
I saw Caroline as a hero for women because she set out to change history and the laws which governed our people. All laws benefited the rich and men. Her first step was the draft of a letter. This letter was to the Queen about Lord Chancellor Cranford’s Marriage and Divorce Bill.
In reading this letter, I chose to focus on three of the laws that deny women their rights.
(1) A woman is denied the right to own possessions whether received before marriage or as gifts. I believe an old saying “what is mine is mine and what is your is yours”. No one should be able to take this from you. It says that a woman does not exist. The laws of England felt otherwise. “A woman’s person and property were at her husband’s disposal…The thinking was that”husband and wife are one person and the husband is that person” (564).
(2) A woman can not legally receive a salary for work performed. I feel that the job is hers and all work completed was done by her so the money does not belong to the husband. In a marriage, you should work with your mate to provide a staple home which can include contributing to the financing of it. “Whether wages for manual labour or payment for intellectual exertion… her salary is the husband’s; and he could compel a second payment, and treat the first as void, if paid to the wife without sanction” (565).
(3) A woman should have the right to be part of the divorce proceeding and the right to initiate them. A marriage is what you make of it. If all parties involved are not in agreement with its status, then either should be able to dissolve it. There is such a thing as piece of mind. If you do not have it, problems could arise. “If a husband take proceedings for a divorce, she is not …allowed to defend herself…She is not represented by attorney…she cannot divorce...and she cannot claim support” (565-566).
Caroline was responsible for the passage of the Divorce and Matrimonial Cause Act (1857) because of the injustice she received from her husband. Her letter became the focus of the public eye. She assisted in removing hurdles that stood in our path for women’s rights to equality.
Monday, June 29, 2009
“The Book of Household Management”
Isabella Beeton is the author of “The Book of Household Management”. This book’s sales came in second only to the Bible and were published after her death by her husband. Isabella was the mistress of her home and held the title “the commander of the army”. Considering her self an expert on the management of a home, Isabella wanted to help middleclass wives understand the necessary technique for success. She therefore wrote down instructions for each job. You have heard the saying “a way to a man’s heart is his stomach” well in Isabella’s case; she wanted to make sure the man came home for the food instead of elsewhere.
To me the instruction manual was no more than the idea of the self help books on the market, today. I am certain that Isabella would have received credit for her contributions. I will elaborate on three duties within her book.
(1) In any position, work or home, there must be someone in charge of the operation. I call my self the CEO and Isabella used the military position of “Commander of an Army”. I must be willing to be an example for others therefore earning respect through my work and reputation. At the end of the day, a leader has been established. “Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment; and just in proportion as she performs her duties intelligently and thoroughly, so will domestics follow in her path” (574).
(2) As an employer, it is my obligation to be time conscience. I must be timely in all aspect of my job. Also, I should arrive at my job before my employees so I can evaluate the workload for that day, staffing, and any necessary adjustment needed to succeed. By establishing this routine, my employees will more than likely value the company time and know what is expected. It has been said “you lead by example”. “When a mistress is an early riser, it is almost certain that her house will be orderly and well-managed…On the contrary, if she remains in bed till a late hour, then the domestic will surely become sluggards” (574).
(3) There is a limit to the bond of friendship that can be form in an office environment. As the CEO, I must respect my coworkers and employees privacy. No information beyond work should be discussed in the office and if the lines are cross, that information must be kept between the individuals involved. When friendships are form within the workplace, make sure no special favor are required by both parties. “Friendships should not be hastily formed…to every new-comer….The friendship of such persons is without attachment and their love without affection or even preference” (574).
Isabella Beeton, a devoted home maker had no ideas towards fighting for women rights where as Caroline Norton wanted laws changed to benefit women. They were both part of the Victorian era in which social divisions for equality of women begun.
To me the instruction manual was no more than the idea of the self help books on the market, today. I am certain that Isabella would have received credit for her contributions. I will elaborate on three duties within her book.
(1) In any position, work or home, there must be someone in charge of the operation. I call my self the CEO and Isabella used the military position of “Commander of an Army”. I must be willing to be an example for others therefore earning respect through my work and reputation. At the end of the day, a leader has been established. “Her spirit will be seen through the whole establishment; and just in proportion as she performs her duties intelligently and thoroughly, so will domestics follow in her path” (574).
(2) As an employer, it is my obligation to be time conscience. I must be timely in all aspect of my job. Also, I should arrive at my job before my employees so I can evaluate the workload for that day, staffing, and any necessary adjustment needed to succeed. By establishing this routine, my employees will more than likely value the company time and know what is expected. It has been said “you lead by example”. “When a mistress is an early riser, it is almost certain that her house will be orderly and well-managed…On the contrary, if she remains in bed till a late hour, then the domestic will surely become sluggards” (574).
(3) There is a limit to the bond of friendship that can be form in an office environment. As the CEO, I must respect my coworkers and employees privacy. No information beyond work should be discussed in the office and if the lines are cross, that information must be kept between the individuals involved. When friendships are form within the workplace, make sure no special favor are required by both parties. “Friendships should not be hastily formed…to every new-comer….The friendship of such persons is without attachment and their love without affection or even preference” (574).
Isabella Beeton, a devoted home maker had no ideas towards fighting for women rights where as Caroline Norton wanted laws changed to benefit women. They were both part of the Victorian era in which social divisions for equality of women begun.
“Symphony in Yellow”
Oscar Wilde wrote this poem in 1889 as his symbol of interest in the Decadent and Aesthetic movement. It is presented to the world as a poem, but that was not his intention. It is instead a descriptive work that allows the reader to view a picture. Even the title has reference to an art collection by James Whistler with the color of yellow focusing on the Aesthetic era. Wilde was also fascinated with the contradictory artistic creeds of John Ruskin and Walter Pater. Ruskin believed “that all good art is moral art” while Pater fancies “the love of art for art’s sake”.
As I read this poem, a vision comes to mind. I am traveling in a small boat on the Thames River towards the last leg of my journey. My destination is the England coastline. “And at my feet the pale green Thames lies like a rod of rippled jade” (831).
When the boat maneuvers, a curve in the river, a view that one could only imagine, comes to my sight. There are rays of the color yellow all around me in the early morning light. The waterfront contains a bridge that is filled with traffic of individuals conducting business with the barge owners. They are selling hay. “An omnibus across the bridge crawls like a yellow butterfly, and there, passer-by shows a little restless midge. Big barges full of yellow hay are moored against the shadowy wharf, and like a yellow silken scarf, the thick fog hangs along the quay” (831).
I also notice a Temple surrounded by elms tree with their leaves color fading flying in the wind. “The yellow leaves begin to fade and flutter from the Temple elms” (831).
The beauty of my vision has made me appreciate that all things in life must be cherished and life is a blessing.
As I read this poem, a vision comes to mind. I am traveling in a small boat on the Thames River towards the last leg of my journey. My destination is the England coastline. “And at my feet the pale green Thames lies like a rod of rippled jade” (831).
When the boat maneuvers, a curve in the river, a view that one could only imagine, comes to my sight. There are rays of the color yellow all around me in the early morning light. The waterfront contains a bridge that is filled with traffic of individuals conducting business with the barge owners. They are selling hay. “An omnibus across the bridge crawls like a yellow butterfly, and there, passer-by shows a little restless midge. Big barges full of yellow hay are moored against the shadowy wharf, and like a yellow silken scarf, the thick fog hangs along the quay” (831).
I also notice a Temple surrounded by elms tree with their leaves color fading flying in the wind. “The yellow leaves begin to fade and flutter from the Temple elms” (831).
The beauty of my vision has made me appreciate that all things in life must be cherished and life is a blessing.
Letter to Emily Bronte` (The Horrors of Governessing)
Charlotte Bronte` wrote this letter to her sister in reference to her job as a governess. She endured inequality, inadequate paid, and rudely treatment. Charlotte was very unhappy with her position and felt the need to talk to someone.
In her letter, she tells about the beautiful countryside and the grounds surrounding her employers’ home, but never having time to explore them. “But, alack-a-day! There is such a thing as seeing all beautiful around you…
and not having a free moment or a free thought left to enjoy them in” (560). The children are with her constantly and are unmanageable. She can not chastise them for fear of losing employment. Their mother has no campaign plan to get familiar with Charlotte and strives to squeeze an enormous quantity of cheap labor from Charlotte. From her attitude, Charlotte knows she is not cared for. She has learned high society is not her kind of life. A private governess has no existence until work has to be done. “is not considered as a living and rational being except as connected with the wearisome duties she has to fulfil” (560). The father is amicable and does not issue any orders concerning the children.
Charlotte is socially separated from the world. She uses her letters as means of communication and combats from loneliness.
It would have been hard for me to continue in employ with someone that did not respect me. I know that a job is important to your livelihood, but in the case of Charlotte she was not allowed to do her job. She is the governess, but not allowed to discipline the children. Her job was more along the line of being the mistress maid. After being a servant during dinner parties, she also lost all interest in being a part of Society. The women role of hostess was of little importance. Her mistress lacks the knowledge or interest to succeed. This was the life of the middleclass working woman.
In her letter, she tells about the beautiful countryside and the grounds surrounding her employers’ home, but never having time to explore them. “But, alack-a-day! There is such a thing as seeing all beautiful around you…
and not having a free moment or a free thought left to enjoy them in” (560). The children are with her constantly and are unmanageable. She can not chastise them for fear of losing employment. Their mother has no campaign plan to get familiar with Charlotte and strives to squeeze an enormous quantity of cheap labor from Charlotte. From her attitude, Charlotte knows she is not cared for. She has learned high society is not her kind of life. A private governess has no existence until work has to be done. “is not considered as a living and rational being except as connected with the wearisome duties she has to fulfil” (560). The father is amicable and does not issue any orders concerning the children.
Charlotte is socially separated from the world. She uses her letters as means of communication and combats from loneliness.
It would have been hard for me to continue in employ with someone that did not respect me. I know that a job is important to your livelihood, but in the case of Charlotte she was not allowed to do her job. She is the governess, but not allowed to discipline the children. Her job was more along the line of being the mistress maid. After being a servant during dinner parties, she also lost all interest in being a part of Society. The women role of hostess was of little importance. Her mistress lacks the knowledge or interest to succeed. This was the life of the middleclass working woman.
“No Second Troy”
“No Second Troy” by William Butler Yeats is a romantic poem that relays the suffering he has endured from loving Maud Gonne all his life. The poem has abab ,cdcd, and efef rhyme patterns with decasyllabic line patterns.
Maud is a divorcee that has return to her father’s home. Upon seeing her again, Yeats love for her revives. He has made various advances with little results. Maud has begun to consume his every waking hour. “Why should I blame her that she filled my days with misery” (1118)? After the divorce, Maud became a headstrong Irish nationalist from nobility. “ That she would of late have taught to ignorant men most violent ways or hurled the streets upon the great” (1118). Yeats realizes that he has to show courage with no doubt of his love for her, but can he reveal this.
Maud’s beauty is such that he compares it to Helen of Troy and the destruction that was caused by it. “With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind that is not natural in an age like this…why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn” (118)? To me he appears to be afraid of her beauty. I feel this is due to him being concern of others interest towards her. Can he trust that she want leave him? Can he make her happy? There are a lot of unanswered questions that must be analyzed.
I feel Yeats exhibit a lack of faith in his abilities as a suitor and will never be able to keep the attention of Maud or any woman unless he gets rid of his doubts.
Maud is a divorcee that has return to her father’s home. Upon seeing her again, Yeats love for her revives. He has made various advances with little results. Maud has begun to consume his every waking hour. “Why should I blame her that she filled my days with misery” (1118)? After the divorce, Maud became a headstrong Irish nationalist from nobility. “ That she would of late have taught to ignorant men most violent ways or hurled the streets upon the great” (1118). Yeats realizes that he has to show courage with no doubt of his love for her, but can he reveal this.
Maud’s beauty is such that he compares it to Helen of Troy and the destruction that was caused by it. “With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind that is not natural in an age like this…why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn” (118)? To me he appears to be afraid of her beauty. I feel this is due to him being concern of others interest towards her. Can he trust that she want leave him? Can he make her happy? There are a lot of unanswered questions that must be analyzed.
I feel Yeats exhibit a lack of faith in his abilities as a suitor and will never be able to keep the attention of Maud or any woman unless he gets rid of his doubts.
“HAP”
Thomas Hardy composed this poem in 1866 at the age of 26. It was not published until1898. Poetry was his second career while being a novelist came first. He dedicated 30 years to each. He was a part of the Wessex community and an architect by trade restoring churches. His work was the discontinuities of the Victorian era into the Modern era. No two poems had the same structure of stanzas. Hap is a poem from his Wessex Poems.
The poem is written as an English sonnet. The fourteen lines are recorded in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, and gg. The first 4 stanzas talks of god calling him, but doubt is drawn because he does not have the word god capitalized. “If but some vengeful god would call to me from up the sky” (1073). The individual doing the talking is not calling to offer support, but to add to his suffering. “and laugh:”Thou suffering thing, know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, that thy love’s loss is my hate’s profiting” (1073). The poem continues with no understanding or concern for his suffering, but does imply they are enjoying his torment. “Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I had willed and meted me the tears I shed” (1073).
Hardy is pessimism with no religious faith that has the belief that if there is a God, he does not concede man existence or profess any feelings toward him. If things are bad, they will get worse. This is based off past experiences.
Gerald Hopkins and Thomas Hardy were architects, poets, and novelists. Hopkins believed in God. His poetry was intense, while Hardy was simple and to the point. He used a standard structure for his poems and Hardy was unique.
After reading this poem by Hardy, it made me think that his lack of love from his parents created his doubt of the belief in God. He was taught all the subjects of life, but never that of love. In a family environment, parents must instill certain criteria to their children. They retain these criteria because it is constant and always present. One’s faith or belief in God is also a lesson; a lesson learned over time. There are times in ones life when problems take over our existence, but in time those problems decrease or evaporate completely. I wonder if he ever gave God a chance.
The poem is written as an English sonnet. The fourteen lines are recorded in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme abab, cdcd, efef, and gg. The first 4 stanzas talks of god calling him, but doubt is drawn because he does not have the word god capitalized. “If but some vengeful god would call to me from up the sky” (1073). The individual doing the talking is not calling to offer support, but to add to his suffering. “and laugh:”Thou suffering thing, know that thy sorrow is my ecstasy, that thy love’s loss is my hate’s profiting” (1073). The poem continues with no understanding or concern for his suffering, but does imply they are enjoying his torment. “Half-eased in that a Powerfuller than I had willed and meted me the tears I shed” (1073).
Hardy is pessimism with no religious faith that has the belief that if there is a God, he does not concede man existence or profess any feelings toward him. If things are bad, they will get worse. This is based off past experiences.
Gerald Hopkins and Thomas Hardy were architects, poets, and novelists. Hopkins believed in God. His poetry was intense, while Hardy was simple and to the point. He used a standard structure for his poems and Hardy was unique.
After reading this poem by Hardy, it made me think that his lack of love from his parents created his doubt of the belief in God. He was taught all the subjects of life, but never that of love. In a family environment, parents must instill certain criteria to their children. They retain these criteria because it is constant and always present. One’s faith or belief in God is also a lesson; a lesson learned over time. There are times in ones life when problems take over our existence, but in time those problems decrease or evaporate completely. I wonder if he ever gave God a chance.
Virginia Woolf’s Professions for Women (1942)
The writing style of Virginia Woolf deals with the concept of time, memory, and people’s inner consciousness. She saw that men were a dominant force who reins enslavement over women. In her essays, a little drama is involved to captivate the audience.
Professions for women essay tell the story of young girl starting a career in writing. She is thrilled of the possibilities of doing reviews of authors’ work and looks forward to the pay she will receive. Her excitement grows short when her constant companion, the phantom, arises. She calls her The Angel in the House. The phantom is all she is not and goes against all Virginia beliefs. “She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily.—in short she was so constituted that she never had a mind or wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others.” (e-text)
Virginia attempts to write her review of a novel by a man, but The Lady interrupts and torments her. The Lady is concern about the way Virginia perceives things. She wants her to remember her statue in this world. “My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own.” At this point, the phantom leans over Virginia’s shoulder to take possession of the pen.
There is a hush that comes over the room and Virginia looses all control. She has to make a stand for what is important to women survival. The survival of women to have the same equality as men. “I now record the one act for which I take some credit to myself…. I turned upon her and caught her by her throat. I did my best to kill her. My excuse, if I were to be had up in a court of law, would be that I acted in self-defense. Had I not killed her she would killed me. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing….She died hard.”
In my opinion, Woolf had made one step towards the future of womankind. Woolf continues her review knowing that she has rights as a woman and that no man should have control of these rights over her. Her freedom of speech would be seriously compromised, if she bases her reviews of what they wanted to here instead of what she read.
Woolf showed me that anything worth having you must fight for. The phantom had to die so that, we as a society of women could achieve the goal of equality.
Professions for women essay tell the story of young girl starting a career in writing. She is thrilled of the possibilities of doing reviews of authors’ work and looks forward to the pay she will receive. Her excitement grows short when her constant companion, the phantom, arises. She calls her The Angel in the House. The phantom is all she is not and goes against all Virginia beliefs. “She was intensely sympathetic. She was immensely charming. She was utterly unselfish. She excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She sacrificed herself daily.—in short she was so constituted that she never had a mind or wish of her own, but preferred to sympathize always with the minds and wishes of others.” (e-text)
Virginia attempts to write her review of a novel by a man, but The Lady interrupts and torments her. The Lady is concern about the way Virginia perceives things. She wants her to remember her statue in this world. “My dear, you are a young woman. You are writing about a book that has been written by a man. Be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of our sex. Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own.” At this point, the phantom leans over Virginia’s shoulder to take possession of the pen.
There is a hush that comes over the room and Virginia looses all control. She has to make a stand for what is important to women survival. The survival of women to have the same equality as men. “I now record the one act for which I take some credit to myself…. I turned upon her and caught her by her throat. I did my best to kill her. My excuse, if I were to be had up in a court of law, would be that I acted in self-defense. Had I not killed her she would killed me. She would have plucked the heart out of my writing….She died hard.”
In my opinion, Woolf had made one step towards the future of womankind. Woolf continues her review knowing that she has rights as a woman and that no man should have control of these rights over her. Her freedom of speech would be seriously compromised, if she bases her reviews of what they wanted to here instead of what she read.
Woolf showed me that anything worth having you must fight for. The phantom had to die so that, we as a society of women could achieve the goal of equality.
“The Lady of Shalott”
This poem was constructed by Alfred Lord Tennyson and was edited in 1842. It is written in the romantic tradition as a ballad. It tells the story of a young lady within the confines of a tower under a curse. The poem is divided into four numbered sections which rise to a climax before it ends. Each section is broken down in stanzas (paragraphs in prose) with nine lines each.
Part one of the poems creates a picture of its setting. On the island of Shalott, there is a river and a road that passes through long tall fields of barley and rye before reaching the town of Camelot. Traffic of boats and barges coming from Camelot is buzzing. The island is surrounded by plants and flowers (willows, lilies & aspens). It has Lady of Shalott held prisoner in a building of four gray walls and towers. “Four gray walls, and four gray towers,/ Overlook a space of flowers,/ And the silent isle embowers/ The Lady of Shalott” (589). No one knows of her captivity, but the reaper’s harvesters have heard the echo of her voice from song. After a long weary day, the reaper enjoy the songs and whisper “Tis the fairy, Lady of Shalott.”
As we enter into part four of the poem, Lady of Shalott descends from her tower wearing a snowy white robe to enter a shallow boat docked under a willow. There is a storm with heavy rain, but she takes time to write (The Lady of Shalott) around the boat’s bow. She sets her eyes towards the town of Camelot with the knowledge of no return and release the chain of the boat.
“With a steady stony glance--- Like some bold seer in a trance, Beholding all his own mischance, Mute, with a glassy countenance---She look’d to Camelot. It was the closing of the day:” (e-text)
She begin to sing as the current carried her to Camelot and reclined in the boat as her time came near. After the boat arrived in Camelot, the court arrived to see the sight noticing the inscription on the boat’s bow. They read her name and made a cross against their hearts and hers for a blessing.
The lady had grown weary of being alone and after realizing she wanted companionship, she made the sacrifice of her life to embrace this.
In the 1842 version of “The Lady of Shalott”, Tennyson interchanges stanzas 3 and 4 of part I, therefore changing the sequence of events. In part IV, he deletes stanza 2 with a small part reappearing in stanza four creating stanza 3. I enjoyed the newer version, because it gave a clearer vision of the activities within the poem. I saw her grow from someone once satisfied with her solitude to one who wanted to become a member of society and one who wanted love after seeing of Sir Lancelot. She decides that no curse would stand in her way.
Part one of the poems creates a picture of its setting. On the island of Shalott, there is a river and a road that passes through long tall fields of barley and rye before reaching the town of Camelot. Traffic of boats and barges coming from Camelot is buzzing. The island is surrounded by plants and flowers (willows, lilies & aspens). It has Lady of Shalott held prisoner in a building of four gray walls and towers. “Four gray walls, and four gray towers,/ Overlook a space of flowers,/ And the silent isle embowers/ The Lady of Shalott” (589). No one knows of her captivity, but the reaper’s harvesters have heard the echo of her voice from song. After a long weary day, the reaper enjoy the songs and whisper “Tis the fairy, Lady of Shalott.”
As we enter into part four of the poem, Lady of Shalott descends from her tower wearing a snowy white robe to enter a shallow boat docked under a willow. There is a storm with heavy rain, but she takes time to write (The Lady of Shalott) around the boat’s bow. She sets her eyes towards the town of Camelot with the knowledge of no return and release the chain of the boat.
“With a steady stony glance--- Like some bold seer in a trance, Beholding all his own mischance, Mute, with a glassy countenance---She look’d to Camelot. It was the closing of the day:” (e-text)
She begin to sing as the current carried her to Camelot and reclined in the boat as her time came near. After the boat arrived in Camelot, the court arrived to see the sight noticing the inscription on the boat’s bow. They read her name and made a cross against their hearts and hers for a blessing.
The lady had grown weary of being alone and after realizing she wanted companionship, she made the sacrifice of her life to embrace this.
In the 1842 version of “The Lady of Shalott”, Tennyson interchanges stanzas 3 and 4 of part I, therefore changing the sequence of events. In part IV, he deletes stanza 2 with a small part reappearing in stanza four creating stanza 3. I enjoyed the newer version, because it gave a clearer vision of the activities within the poem. I saw her grow from someone once satisfied with her solitude to one who wanted to become a member of society and one who wanted love after seeing of Sir Lancelot. She decides that no curse would stand in her way.
Sketches by Boz-Charles Dickens (Chapter XXV-----A Visit to Newgate)
Since I was not familiar with this prison, I found the following information about it. Newgate was a prison in London located at the corner of Newgate and Old Bailey Street within the city limits. It was initially placed at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall and remained in use for over 700 years (1188-1902). It was also the site of public executions in the 19th century.
“Sketches by Boz” is a collection of short pieces of Charles Dickens published while using his pen-name (Boz) in 1836. Dickens did not believe in inhumanity and used his travel as a way to observe and report the injustices in the world. He wanted mankind to be aware of what they thought they were not a part of. Upon the entry into the gates of the prison, Dickens illustrates its view. “How dreadful its rough heavy walls, and low massive doors, appeared to us – the latter looking as if they were made for the express purpose of letting people in, and never letting them out.” (e-text) The building formed a square with various winding turns causing a maze of confusions for the visitors and prisoners.
Once inside the prison, he had to be cleared for the visit through the keepers (wardens) of the institution. They, in turn, provided an escort for the event. All occupants are unclean and dressed in tattles. The tour consisted of him seeing the separation of women, children who attended school, men awaiting their sentence, and men awaiting execution from each other. A wardswoman/man (prisoner with good conduct) is assigned to preserve order. They all had an area in the yard for visitation of family, but only the men were not allowed to have human contact. The women/men were located in the sunroom with a large fireplace. It served as their dining room and sleeping quarter (mat on the floor). A wardswoman is assigned to preserve order. The women are given jobs during incarceration. The boys under fourteen are offered a chance of redemption by going to a school within the institution, but none seen to understand its importance. The condemn area holds prisoners who have been slanted for execution and are waiting for the effected date. They are removed from the sunroom at 5:00 pm to a cell and lights out at 10:00 pm until seven the next morning. The press-room holds prisoners that will be executed that day.
The prisoners seemed not to care that they were being observed or they lacked a future. Ones who went to the chapel, they received a show of disrespect towards the individuals slotted for execution. They sat on a pew labeled “The Condemned Pew” and a coffin was placed next to them. This was their seat for that Sunday preceding their execution. This was Boz’s account from the visit to Newgate.
So when we use cliché, we need to think of what this means to us and what it means to others. “it is not a little remarkable that those who use it most as applied to others, unconsciously afford in their own persons singular examples of power which habit and custom exercise over the mind of men, and of the little reflection they are apt to bestow on subjects with which every day’s experience has rendered them familiar” (e-text)
We should look into the mind of a condemn man, the night before his execution. He thinks of ways he can escape, of favors he can request, of appears he can create, of the mistakes that got him here, of the important family he will leave behind, and dreams of all. The clock strikes 8:00 am and your cell door begins to open.
Dickens travels and articles have played a role in making people aware of the inhumanities within the world. Personally, I believe injustice must be seen to be corrected.
“Sketches by Boz” is a collection of short pieces of Charles Dickens published while using his pen-name (Boz) in 1836. Dickens did not believe in inhumanity and used his travel as a way to observe and report the injustices in the world. He wanted mankind to be aware of what they thought they were not a part of. Upon the entry into the gates of the prison, Dickens illustrates its view. “How dreadful its rough heavy walls, and low massive doors, appeared to us – the latter looking as if they were made for the express purpose of letting people in, and never letting them out.” (e-text) The building formed a square with various winding turns causing a maze of confusions for the visitors and prisoners.
Once inside the prison, he had to be cleared for the visit through the keepers (wardens) of the institution. They, in turn, provided an escort for the event. All occupants are unclean and dressed in tattles. The tour consisted of him seeing the separation of women, children who attended school, men awaiting their sentence, and men awaiting execution from each other. A wardswoman/man (prisoner with good conduct) is assigned to preserve order. They all had an area in the yard for visitation of family, but only the men were not allowed to have human contact. The women/men were located in the sunroom with a large fireplace. It served as their dining room and sleeping quarter (mat on the floor). A wardswoman is assigned to preserve order. The women are given jobs during incarceration. The boys under fourteen are offered a chance of redemption by going to a school within the institution, but none seen to understand its importance. The condemn area holds prisoners who have been slanted for execution and are waiting for the effected date. They are removed from the sunroom at 5:00 pm to a cell and lights out at 10:00 pm until seven the next morning. The press-room holds prisoners that will be executed that day.
The prisoners seemed not to care that they were being observed or they lacked a future. Ones who went to the chapel, they received a show of disrespect towards the individuals slotted for execution. They sat on a pew labeled “The Condemned Pew” and a coffin was placed next to them. This was their seat for that Sunday preceding their execution. This was Boz’s account from the visit to Newgate.
So when we use cliché, we need to think of what this means to us and what it means to others. “it is not a little remarkable that those who use it most as applied to others, unconsciously afford in their own persons singular examples of power which habit and custom exercise over the mind of men, and of the little reflection they are apt to bestow on subjects with which every day’s experience has rendered them familiar” (e-text)
We should look into the mind of a condemn man, the night before his execution. He thinks of ways he can escape, of favors he can request, of appears he can create, of the mistakes that got him here, of the important family he will leave behind, and dreams of all. The clock strikes 8:00 am and your cell door begins to open.
Dickens travels and articles have played a role in making people aware of the inhumanities within the world. Personally, I believe injustice must be seen to be corrected.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Mill was considered to be a genius with radical views. He came onto the scene drawing recognition for his outlook of social reform by promoting Utilitarianism in Victorian England. Though he never attended a public or private school, Mill’s father provided a superior education for him at home with him learning Greek at the age of three. His education was legendary, but lacked any human compassion from his father. “I… grew up in the absence of love & in the presence of fear” (514). At the age of 17, he started working for his father as a clerk at the East India Company and established the Utilitarian Society. Due to depression and the lack of fulfillment, he had a nervous breakdown in 1826. His recovery was accomplished by reading poetry from Wordsworth essays.
Mill was a supporter of the right of liberty, freedom of speech, and sexual equality. I recognized most with his encouragement towards the rights of women. In 1830, his life was changed with his meeting of Harriet Taylor. She had a radical analysis towards women’s rights which they both shared. Since Harriet was married and laws only allowed men to receive divorces, it gave Mill incentive to fight to get this law changed. They were able to wed in 1850 after the death of her husband. It was during this wedding ceremony, Mill made vows to treat his wife as an equal in all aspect of their lives.
Mill’s maintained that woman should be given a chance to be a part of the world instead of one that is a shadow of her husband. “That the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes------ the legal subordination of one sex to the other------ is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side nor disability on the other” (521).
In contrast, Sarah Stickney Ellis felt that women should know their place. “Advised women to accept their inferiority to men and devote themselves to the happiness and moral elevation of their brother, husbands and sons” (557).
In my personal opinion, a woman should be equal to man because in all things a woman helps her mate. Whether be a housewife or a working partner, contributions toward their livelihood are supplied by both. More than anything, a man and woman are suppose to complement each other. Even in the Victorian Era, a husband took his work home and talked over dinner about decisions that had to be made by him. The wife would listen giving input that could have or would have been used by her husband. Everyone assumed all decisions were thought of by the man.
Mill was a supporter of the right of liberty, freedom of speech, and sexual equality. I recognized most with his encouragement towards the rights of women. In 1830, his life was changed with his meeting of Harriet Taylor. She had a radical analysis towards women’s rights which they both shared. Since Harriet was married and laws only allowed men to receive divorces, it gave Mill incentive to fight to get this law changed. They were able to wed in 1850 after the death of her husband. It was during this wedding ceremony, Mill made vows to treat his wife as an equal in all aspect of their lives.
Mill’s maintained that woman should be given a chance to be a part of the world instead of one that is a shadow of her husband. “That the principle which regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes------ the legal subordination of one sex to the other------ is wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a principle of perfect equality, admitting no power or privilege on the one side nor disability on the other” (521).
In contrast, Sarah Stickney Ellis felt that women should know their place. “Advised women to accept their inferiority to men and devote themselves to the happiness and moral elevation of their brother, husbands and sons” (557).
In my personal opinion, a woman should be equal to man because in all things a woman helps her mate. Whether be a housewife or a working partner, contributions toward their livelihood are supplied by both. More than anything, a man and woman are suppose to complement each other. Even in the Victorian Era, a husband took his work home and talked over dinner about decisions that had to be made by him. The wife would listen giving input that could have or would have been used by her husband. Everyone assumed all decisions were thought of by the man.
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION-CLASSES
Due to the “Machine Age”, jobs that were once completed at home became obsolete therefore forcing migration into the cities. Jobs were limited to factories, mills, and mines with the cost of living being a part of the families’ existence. Eric Hobsbawn describes this era as “The most fundamental transformation of human life in the history of the world” (487). In a sense he was correct because the human classes were separated beyond repair for years.
The most important element in the class war was capital. “Power lies in the hands of those who own, directly or indirectly, foodstuffs and the means of production” (502).Therefore, the welfare of the working class did not add into the equation of life for the social elite. Their upper-classes were not and would not be concern for the belittle life of poor because it did not directly affect them. So workers were segregated in an area out of sight of the more fortunate classes of society.
The working class’ wages are deployable and working conditions are worst. They either work or steal to make ends meet. The old fable of a man providing for his family and his wife staying with the children is nonexistence. All family members over five years of age must work with the underage being taken care of by the elderly. They leave home at dark and return in darkness. The average workday is 14 hours- six days a week. Sunday is the day of rest instead of the day of worship. The women and children maintain position that should be held by men, but necessity becomes the factor for survival. Education is not part of the solution because most can not read or write.
Working conditions of the poor came under review by official fact-finding commissions when rumors spread about their outrageous hour, horrendous conditions, and unsubstantial wages. The “Blue Books” reports:
“Five-year-old children slaved in pitch-dark mines for twelve hours a day, and that pregnant and half- naked women crawled through mine shafts hauling loads of coals” (493).
This investigation established the 1833/1842 Factory Acts:
“Prohibited the employment of children under nine and limited those under twelve to forty-eight hour per week” (493)
I feel that the workers family’s structures were destroyed in this era. The role of the father as the provider and protector was nonexistence with jurisdiction of his family controlled by the elite. The mother’s role of nurturing her children could not be offered due to the brief time span spent with her offspring. They never experienced a childhood because their work was required for the family to continue. At the hands of their supervisor and coworker, juveniles were brutally beaten and young girls were raped. No support was given to them. You cannot have a quality structure in a family without having control of the family.
In contrast to other views and mine, Thomas Babington Macaulay saw this era as one of social progress with no high human cost.
The most important element in the class war was capital. “Power lies in the hands of those who own, directly or indirectly, foodstuffs and the means of production” (502).Therefore, the welfare of the working class did not add into the equation of life for the social elite. Their upper-classes were not and would not be concern for the belittle life of poor because it did not directly affect them. So workers were segregated in an area out of sight of the more fortunate classes of society.
The working class’ wages are deployable and working conditions are worst. They either work or steal to make ends meet. The old fable of a man providing for his family and his wife staying with the children is nonexistence. All family members over five years of age must work with the underage being taken care of by the elderly. They leave home at dark and return in darkness. The average workday is 14 hours- six days a week. Sunday is the day of rest instead of the day of worship. The women and children maintain position that should be held by men, but necessity becomes the factor for survival. Education is not part of the solution because most can not read or write.
Working conditions of the poor came under review by official fact-finding commissions when rumors spread about their outrageous hour, horrendous conditions, and unsubstantial wages. The “Blue Books” reports:
“Five-year-old children slaved in pitch-dark mines for twelve hours a day, and that pregnant and half- naked women crawled through mine shafts hauling loads of coals” (493).
This investigation established the 1833/1842 Factory Acts:
“Prohibited the employment of children under nine and limited those under twelve to forty-eight hour per week” (493)
I feel that the workers family’s structures were destroyed in this era. The role of the father as the provider and protector was nonexistence with jurisdiction of his family controlled by the elite. The mother’s role of nurturing her children could not be offered due to the brief time span spent with her offspring. They never experienced a childhood because their work was required for the family to continue. At the hands of their supervisor and coworker, juveniles were brutally beaten and young girls were raped. No support was given to them. You cannot have a quality structure in a family without having control of the family.
In contrast to other views and mine, Thomas Babington Macaulay saw this era as one of social progress with no high human cost.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Felicia Hemans
This prolific and patriotic poet displays her affection for England to the fullest in her piece titled, “The Homes of England”. Felicia Hemans implicates end rhyme and feminine rhyme in the selected pieces read and that just added to the tones of the work as a whole. At the beginning of each stanza she refers to a different positive status of homes in England to further highlight how prosperous she felt her home should be acknowledged. “The stately Homes…The merry Homes…The blessed Homes…The Cottage Homes…The free, fair Homes of England!”(412) With such diction involved, Hemans had the initiative to pursue the love of home further. Having that in mind, she coordinated each stanza with their corresponding adjective.
With such enthusiasm for her birthplace, why wouldn’t she also celebrate her feminity and its capabilities the acts of another woman? Through the piece, “Corinne at the Capitol”, Hemans allows her audience witness how clever, intelligent, sophisticated and powerful a woman can be with her description of Corinne. She states:
“All the spirit of thy sky/Now hath lit thy large dark eye, /And thy cheek a flush hath caught/From the joy of kindled thought; /And the burning words of song/From thy lip flow fast and strong, /With a rushing stream’s delight/In the freedom of its might. /Radiant daughter of the sun! /Now thy living wreath is won. /Crown’d of Rome!—Oh! Art thou not/Happy in that glorious lot? — / Happier, happier far than thou, / With the laurel on thy brow, / She that makes the humblest hearth/ Lovely but to one on earth!” (414)
Hemans allowed Corinne’s experience to aid her in promoting women to be strong and embrace their talents to their full potential.
With such enthusiasm for her birthplace, why wouldn’t she also celebrate her feminity and its capabilities the acts of another woman? Through the piece, “Corinne at the Capitol”, Hemans allows her audience witness how clever, intelligent, sophisticated and powerful a woman can be with her description of Corinne. She states:
“All the spirit of thy sky/Now hath lit thy large dark eye, /And thy cheek a flush hath caught/From the joy of kindled thought; /And the burning words of song/From thy lip flow fast and strong, /With a rushing stream’s delight/In the freedom of its might. /Radiant daughter of the sun! /Now thy living wreath is won. /Crown’d of Rome!—Oh! Art thou not/Happy in that glorious lot? — / Happier, happier far than thou, / With the laurel on thy brow, / She that makes the humblest hearth/ Lovely but to one on earth!” (414)
Hemans allowed Corinne’s experience to aid her in promoting women to be strong and embrace their talents to their full potential.
John Keats
In “This Living Hand”, Keats is referring to his freedom of speech through writing. He implies, “This living hand, now warm and capable/ of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold/and in the icy silence of the tomb, /So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights.” (444) Keats knows how impactful writing is from someone rather dead or living. Keats personified handwriting as a spirit in which to haunt those who do not appreciate or support his literary concepts or literature at all for that matter. In the end of this piece he goes on to state that the handwriting will never go away. In fact, he guarantees that you would want him to be alive again just so you will not be so bothered by his afterlife persuasion as much as his present one.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Shelley’s way with lyrics caused me to read it multiple times before I really knew what to elaborate on. Shelley’s definition of a poet is portrayed through her piece titled, “To a Sky-Lark”. She argues that a sky-lark and a poet, among other things, go hand in hand.
“What thou are we know not; / What is most like thee? /From the rainbow clouds there flow not/Drops so bright to see/As from thy presence showers a rain of melody:—/ Like a Poet hidden/ In the light of thought, /Singing hymns unbidden, /Till the world is wrought/To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not…”(402)
She goes on to display others’ talents that have no comparisons. Shelley refers to “a high-born maiden”, “a glow worm”, “a rose” and “vernal showers” along with their worldly purposes. Once she introduces all those who are like no other, the speaker goes on to take emphasis on the motive for the sky-lark to even want to sing something so heavenly. Shelley displays determination to discover the meaning behind such beauty being illustrated vocally. She questions: “What objects are the fountains/ of thy happy strain? / what fields, or waves, or mountains?/What shapes of sky or plain?/what love of thine own kind? What ignorance of pain?” (403) These queries were more overwhelming than anything, in my opinion. In the quest to uncover what makes others happy, the result is accepting the fact that the individual is happy at all, “teach me half the gladness/ that thy brain must know, /such harmonious madness/From my lips would flow/The world should listen then—as I am listening now”.(404)
“What thou are we know not; / What is most like thee? /From the rainbow clouds there flow not/Drops so bright to see/As from thy presence showers a rain of melody:—/ Like a Poet hidden/ In the light of thought, /Singing hymns unbidden, /Till the world is wrought/To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not…”(402)
She goes on to display others’ talents that have no comparisons. Shelley refers to “a high-born maiden”, “a glow worm”, “a rose” and “vernal showers” along with their worldly purposes. Once she introduces all those who are like no other, the speaker goes on to take emphasis on the motive for the sky-lark to even want to sing something so heavenly. Shelley displays determination to discover the meaning behind such beauty being illustrated vocally. She questions: “What objects are the fountains/ of thy happy strain? / what fields, or waves, or mountains?/What shapes of sky or plain?/what love of thine own kind? What ignorance of pain?” (403) These queries were more overwhelming than anything, in my opinion. In the quest to uncover what makes others happy, the result is accepting the fact that the individual is happy at all, “teach me half the gladness/ that thy brain must know, /such harmonious madness/From my lips would flow/The world should listen then—as I am listening now”.(404)
Lord Byron
From what I gather in the piece, “She Walks in Beauty” was that Lord Byron was a very sensual indicator. He characterizes the features on this woman so intricately that it seems as though he is touching her as he is writing. Byron is somewhat of a painter to me because he so vividly describes things. When referring to the texture and style of the woman’s hair, there is a prime example of such emphasis on detail, “One shade the more, one ray the less, / Had half impair’d the nameless grace/ which waves in every raven tress, /Or softly lightens o’er her face; /Where thoughts serenely sweet express/ How pure, how dear their dwelling place.” (358) In the end, I felt awkward to find out that he was describing his cousin’s wife and not someone who he faithfully pursue. Other than that, it was still beautifully written in the aspect of the lover who would be loyal.
In the work, “So, we’ll go no more a-roving”, Byron making a comparison to life and the bad choices made that have eventually caught up with us. It seems that the speaker is coming to terms with the fact that the fun and games are over and it’s now time to grow up, become mature. “For the sword outwears its sheath, / And the soul wears out the breast. /And the heart must pause to breathe, /And love itself have rest.” (359) Now, the conclusion has become valid that the ways of sin shall come to end and the time has come to follow the straight and narrow.
In the work, “So, we’ll go no more a-roving”, Byron making a comparison to life and the bad choices made that have eventually caught up with us. It seems that the speaker is coming to terms with the fact that the fun and games are over and it’s now time to grow up, become mature. “For the sword outwears its sheath, / And the soul wears out the breast. /And the heart must pause to breathe, /And love itself have rest.” (359) Now, the conclusion has become valid that the ways of sin shall come to end and the time has come to follow the straight and narrow.
Samuel Coleridge
Through his depiction of items within his work, it is evident that Coleridge emphasizes the little things in his poems. In the piece, “Work without Hope” attention is majorly paid toward what jobs the small animals of nature have: “All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair— The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing—” (348) An aspect of appreciation of the small jobs comes into effect. The speaker seems to want to be the only thing not being busy:
“And I, the while, the sole unbusy thing, / Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing. /Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blows, / Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow. /Bloom, O ye amaranths! Bloom for whom ye may, /For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away…Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve, /And Hope without an object cannot live.” (349)
It is highlighted that working without a purpose has no hope. There is no real way accomplishing anything if hope is not present, thus why the speaker keeps telling the unfading flowers to bloom. They still have purposes of showing their beauty and pollinating the earth; that cannot be displayed if the flowers have no hope or motivation to do so. Just like in life, individuals need to have a means to getting what they want or else, they will never obtain it.
“And I, the while, the sole unbusy thing, / Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing. /Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blows, / Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow. /Bloom, O ye amaranths! Bloom for whom ye may, /For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away…Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve, /And Hope without an object cannot live.” (349)
It is highlighted that working without a purpose has no hope. There is no real way accomplishing anything if hope is not present, thus why the speaker keeps telling the unfading flowers to bloom. They still have purposes of showing their beauty and pollinating the earth; that cannot be displayed if the flowers have no hope or motivation to do so. Just like in life, individuals need to have a means to getting what they want or else, they will never obtain it.
Dorothy Wordsworth
Through her illness, Dorothy Wordsworth persists on dwelling in the good and not the bad situation that she is in. In her pieces titled, “Thoughts on My Sick-bed” and “When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path,” Wordsworth makes an attempt to pursue the beautiful aspects of her life regardless of her being bed-ridden. There are instances in “Thoughts on my Sick-bed” that parallel toward her husband’s work and further indicate her observation of beauty:
“The violet betrayed by its noiseless breath, /the daffodil dancing in the breeze, /the caroling thrush, on his naked perch, /Towering above the budding trees… Yet never in those careless days /when spring-time in rock, field, or bower/was but a fountain of earthly hope/a promise of fruits & the splendid flower…When loving Friends an offering brought/the first flowers of the year/ culled from the precincts of our home/from nooks to Memory dear.” (293)
Dorothy considerably found her optimism from poetry that had been written by her love, William. She sought out the brighter side of her illness and it was her husband’s work. Through this poem I recognized the concept of soul-mate because in Dorothy’s work there is no direct reference to William but through her poetic gestures you notice that there was true love involved.
With her work, “When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path,” I notice that there is a longing to be well and be with nature. Dorothy seems to strive to be outdoors because she has been cooped up in the house for a long time. She states, “When shall I wander, free as air…A prisoner on my pillowed couch/Five years in feebleness I’ve lain, /Oh! Shall I e’er with vigorous step/ Travel the hills again?”(294) Such passion to get out of the state of being feeble, brought out her determination as a poet and woman.
“The violet betrayed by its noiseless breath, /the daffodil dancing in the breeze, /the caroling thrush, on his naked perch, /Towering above the budding trees… Yet never in those careless days /when spring-time in rock, field, or bower/was but a fountain of earthly hope/a promise of fruits & the splendid flower…When loving Friends an offering brought/the first flowers of the year/ culled from the precincts of our home/from nooks to Memory dear.” (293)
Dorothy considerably found her optimism from poetry that had been written by her love, William. She sought out the brighter side of her illness and it was her husband’s work. Through this poem I recognized the concept of soul-mate because in Dorothy’s work there is no direct reference to William but through her poetic gestures you notice that there was true love involved.
With her work, “When Shall I Tread Your Garden Path,” I notice that there is a longing to be well and be with nature. Dorothy seems to strive to be outdoors because she has been cooped up in the house for a long time. She states, “When shall I wander, free as air…A prisoner on my pillowed couch/Five years in feebleness I’ve lain, /Oh! Shall I e’er with vigorous step/ Travel the hills again?”(294) Such passion to get out of the state of being feeble, brought out her determination as a poet and woman.
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was thoroughly curious in how psychology could be implied through lyrical means. From his work titled, “Lyrical Ballads” (1798) and piece named, “Simon Lee”, Wordsworth is depicting how important it is to enjoy your life as it is and how it was. “Full five and twenty years he lived/ A running huntsman merry/ And, though he has but one eye left, His cheek is like a cherry.”(197) Regardless of Simon Lee enduring hardship and having everyone dies around him, he still sees the good in his life and does not dwell in the bad that has occurred. Though his spectators do pity his hard times, he still does not follow suit.
“ He all the country could outrun,
Could leave both man and horse behind;
And often, ere the race was done,
He reeled and was stone-blind.
And still there’s something in the world
At which his heart rejoices;
For when the chiming hounds are out,
He dearly loves their voices!” (198)
In the times of pity, Simon Lee still seeks out enjoyment. This is constantly highlighted in this piece to further educate the audience that you should enjoy what you have and have had because your situation may not be as bad as it seems.
From the piece, “Strange fits of passion have I known”, William personifies the moon toward the audience as a striking woman that your gaze cannot be steered away from. “In one of those sweet dreams I slept,/ King Nature’s gentlest boon!/ And, all the while, my eyes I kept/ on the descending moon.” (213) The “strange fits of passion” still seem to be between a man and a woman, but are actually between the moon and the speaker.
“ He all the country could outrun,
Could leave both man and horse behind;
And often, ere the race was done,
He reeled and was stone-blind.
And still there’s something in the world
At which his heart rejoices;
For when the chiming hounds are out,
He dearly loves their voices!” (198)
In the times of pity, Simon Lee still seeks out enjoyment. This is constantly highlighted in this piece to further educate the audience that you should enjoy what you have and have had because your situation may not be as bad as it seems.
From the piece, “Strange fits of passion have I known”, William personifies the moon toward the audience as a striking woman that your gaze cannot be steered away from. “In one of those sweet dreams I slept,/ King Nature’s gentlest boon!/ And, all the while, my eyes I kept/ on the descending moon.” (213) The “strange fits of passion” still seem to be between a man and a woman, but are actually between the moon and the speaker.
William Blake
Noticeable for his literary works after his death, William Blake took on the philosophical and imaginative view of human nature. He illustrates in his poem, “All Religions Are One”, that human nature is what an individual makes it. “The Poetic genius” has the ability to decipher through what is genuine and what is invalid. Blake believes the fact that ‘history is doomed to repeat itself’ if, as stated in ‘principle 4’: “As none by traveling over known lands can find out the unknown, So, from already acquired knowledge, man could not acquire more; therefore an universal Poetic Genius exists. (77) Blake argues that new aspects are apparent but such a concept cannot be grasped if nothing is learned from the information already known, thus imagination is valid.
Within his work, “Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Blake lyrically portrays the optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature as a whole. Complexly written pieces that parallel each other cause the audience to view these “songs” as question and answer parallels. From “The Lamb”, in the line: “Dost thou know who made thee,” Blake is emphasizing the fact that the creator cannot also be the creator. He develops a sense of wonder for the audience that has them think in a childish manner.
Within his work, “Songs of Innocence and of Experience,” Blake lyrically portrays the optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature as a whole. Complexly written pieces that parallel each other cause the audience to view these “songs” as question and answer parallels. From “The Lamb”, in the line: “Dost thou know who made thee,” Blake is emphasizing the fact that the creator cannot also be the creator. He develops a sense of wonder for the audience that has them think in a childish manner.
French Revolution
This was an interesting read. Usually when I read about history, it is boring to me, but not this time. I was notified of certain aspects of the French revolution that I did not know about. For example, I was unaware of the drastic transformations of French life and what they entailed:
“Political idealists took fire, enchanted by the bold reformation of French life, including not only a new government but also new street names, a new calendar (Year 1 beginning 21 September 1972) with new month names, new deities(the goddesses Reason, Liberty) and new national festivals to replace the old religions holidays.” (36)
Such extreme alterations brought perspectives that start out joyous, “Bliss was in it that dawn to be alive,” (36) and ended up shockingly horrific, “The scenes that I witnessed during the earlier years of the French Revolution when I was a resident in France, come back on me with appalling violence.”(36) These measures that were taken to promote further progression resulted in a chaotic regression that produced many battles between France and Britain.
In the time of this revolution, Helen Maria Williams became a prominent literary female figure who “fixed her reputation as a poet of liberal opinions.”(36-37) Through her vivid descriptions of her perspective of this revolution, “…Williams’ devotion had produced an unparalleled eyewitness narrative of more than twenty-five turbulent years.” (37) She portrayed the elements of the revolution that were considered beautiful or amazing in her work titled, “Letters Written in France, in the Summer of 1790”. Williams referred to the federation as a place she admires. She states, “I promised to send you a description of the federation: but it is not to be described!” (37) I believe that Williams was in the retrospective view of the revolution despite the various scenes of the revolution that she encountered. In her letter, “A Visit to the Bastille Prison”, she yearned to dwell in the past edifices of Paris than the “most perfect” ones. (39)
“Political idealists took fire, enchanted by the bold reformation of French life, including not only a new government but also new street names, a new calendar (Year 1 beginning 21 September 1972) with new month names, new deities(the goddesses Reason, Liberty) and new national festivals to replace the old religions holidays.” (36)
Such extreme alterations brought perspectives that start out joyous, “Bliss was in it that dawn to be alive,” (36) and ended up shockingly horrific, “The scenes that I witnessed during the earlier years of the French Revolution when I was a resident in France, come back on me with appalling violence.”(36) These measures that were taken to promote further progression resulted in a chaotic regression that produced many battles between France and Britain.
In the time of this revolution, Helen Maria Williams became a prominent literary female figure who “fixed her reputation as a poet of liberal opinions.”(36-37) Through her vivid descriptions of her perspective of this revolution, “…Williams’ devotion had produced an unparalleled eyewitness narrative of more than twenty-five turbulent years.” (37) She portrayed the elements of the revolution that were considered beautiful or amazing in her work titled, “Letters Written in France, in the Summer of 1790”. Williams referred to the federation as a place she admires. She states, “I promised to send you a description of the federation: but it is not to be described!” (37) I believe that Williams was in the retrospective view of the revolution despite the various scenes of the revolution that she encountered. In her letter, “A Visit to the Bastille Prison”, she yearned to dwell in the past edifices of Paris than the “most perfect” ones. (39)
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