Reflection on the Course

During this class I have definitely learned to use less summarization in my writing and instead, talk about things like the purpose and meaning of the writing (with evidence provided). I also learned how to operate a basic blog, which might be cool for a personal venture in the future. I felt that some of the technology used in the course was a little over the top for an English course, but I made it through. I had online English 101 to compare it to which mostly consisted of blackboard usage and discussion boards for communicating with our peers, rather than blogs. Sometimes the links and visuals and videos and other media gave me a bit of a headache, and that is my two cents. The technology did not take away from my learning though, perhaps only enhancing it. Lastly I have again been reminded of the importance of revision, which I will definitely take with me for future college courses.

I was content with the reading for this class. It seemed more purposeful than a lot of the reading I did in high school, or maybe it was just the way we were taught to look at the writing that made it better. Surprising to me now, I think my favorite thing to read was the poem I chose towards the begging of the semester, Field of Skulls by Mary Karr. I feel this way because the first time I read it, I felt utterly confused. But after having read it a few times I feel like I was able to come up with a really original thesis about it.

After having reviewed the syllabus, I would indeed say that I have met the learning outcomes for the class. Interesting how it seems like the semester flew by and at other times it seemed it would never end. I am impressed at how the learning outcomes were imbedded into our assignments.

My writing has changed just slightly, I feel like with any writing course the practice gives you a boost. I feel like there were very adult expectations of us students in this class, and that helps with mature writing, too. I challenged myself to not procrastinate so much in this course. I was successful sometimes, others not- it’s a start. Like I mentioned I had some troubles with the blogging stuff, especially in the beginning, but I worked those kinks out. During the second semester of the class, life happened, and keeping up with all assignments was difficult. I am going to pass though, and (though it’s not as if I’ve ever failed a class) I feel pride in that.

Critiquing a Critique

Image Source

Zombies: A Summary and Reflection

After having read the literary critique, I feel affirmation in the fact that the zombie craze in the media continues to do nothing for me. I see so much evidence that zombies have caught on, and American viewers are paying attention. It is interesting how influxes of zombie movies have correlated with war time, and I think patterns like this make for zombies being a valid subject to research, report, and critique. But I still question, am I the only one who doesn’t care?

Jerrold Hogle presents readers with a full report on zombies and their history, but also breathes life into the reasons why zombies have captured the attention of Americans in the last seventy years. They’re the newest monster; they transitioned to film straight from folklore, skipping major literature. I think that one of the reasons that Americans devour zombie movies the way they do is because they wish to find more answers to their questions. There doesn’t seem to be a “bible” for zombie facts, or at least if there is, it’s a modern publication. All these films create a hodgepodge of ideas for how zombies look, how they act, and what a zombie apocalypse would look like.

Another reason why zombies have become such an interesting monster to Americans is because of the post 9/11 paranoia. As Hogle points out, movies as of late have frequently shown scenes of empty, deserted cities: the modern world amounting to nothing. September 11^th instilled a fear in Americans- a fear of destructive powers out of their control. I think zombies probably are the ultimate representation of humans turning on humans and wreaking destruction.

Though it makes sense that Americans are interested, I just don’t feel that same level of intrigue. It makes me want to find out how many others out there look at this fad (or has it become a trend?) to be boring, annoying, silly. Are we outnumbered, or are there just as many people feeling disinterested as there are people feeling intrigued? I wonder how to find that out.

-I do sort of enjoy the zombie movies from the 70's just because I enjoy viewing popculture and movie technology from the time. Here's a link to the 1978 Dawn of The Dead trailer.

Annotated Bibliography

Breslin, James E. "Whitman and the Early Development of William Carlos Williams." PMLA. 82.7 (1967): 613-621. Print.

   In this article are many details about Williams’ life which influenced him as a poet. This article is where I am pulling most of my biographical information from for my paper, because Breslin has already done the work of choosing events that pertain to Williams’ poetry. The article is also describes how Williams was heavily influenced by the poetry of Walt Whitman among other poets, and the idea that in his poetry he was attempting to keep a similar spirit alive.

Myers, Neil. "Sentimentalism in the Early Poetry of William Carlos Williams." American Literature. 37.4 (1996): 458-270. Print.

`  This piece is almost in defense of William Carlos William’s style- the sentimentalism which does sometimes overwhelm his poetry. The defense is something I can relate to and support, and I will write about this in my paper. Myer’s references past negative criticism of Williams with grace, but describes how this style worked for him and the world of poetry. Included are prime examples of sentimental poems. I believe this article will be very helpful with supporting my thesis.

Pinsky, Robert. Ed. Selected Poems/ William Carlos Williams. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 2004. xv-xxviii. Print.

The pages I used for research in this book make up the Introduction. Editor Robert Pinsky effectively describes the personality of William Carlos Williams, using support from William’s life and his poetry. Pinsky points out the quirky, smart, and spunky poet that was Williams during his time. This source is a concise article that I will refer to in my paper. When I am working on describing how Williams’ personality directly influenced his poetry it will help me a lot.  It also details a few different themes and tones within Williams’ poetry, which will add content and complexity to my paper.

Final Project Proposal

Image Source           

I am going to complete Option #1. I chose this option because I do not have any passion about monsters, which was the alternative option. I like that Option #1 was a little more open-ended. I decided to do my project on the canonical author, William Carlos Williams. I chose him after doing some brief but sufficient research, because his poetry is readable and contemporary enough for me. The American subject-matter is relatable, and I generally enjoy is style. I also chose him because even though I am having to dive deep into the book of poetry I am reading, it’s not as much to read as say, a novel might have been by another author. It was tough fitting Frankenstein into my life. The primary text I have chosen is Selected Poems by William Carlos Williams, edited by Robert Pinsky. I plan to finish reading the book this weekend, as our rough drafts for the project are due next week. I am hoping to accomplish a satisfactory grade, for sure. But beyond that I hope to connect to and understand William Carlos Williams to the best of my ability… I also hope to have a strong thesis about him, as I have not felt too great about my previous theses in this class. Conducting research with secondary sources is something that I have a few questions about, mainly about how to find what I am looking for, and also- what is a database in relation to this project? I will email Mrs. Cline soon to have my questions answered. This biography on William Carlos Williams, as well as selected poetry on the same website led me to choose him for my project.

Mid-Term Check In

Dear Mrs. Cline,

I believe that during the first half of English 102 I have been successful first and foremost with turning things in. I think that sometimes it is all too easy to feel the stress of an assignment and its due date and let it pass by altogether. I have not done that at all- I’ve turned in every assignment. I have been successful because I am reading the material and trying hard to come up with my own original conclusions, which I think you have encouraged us to do. I have also been successful because I want to receive a “good” grade, I hope that is evident.

Some of the challenges I have experienced definitely include weekly deadlines and feeling like I am never caught up. Though I have obviously been able to turn everything in, I always feel like I have never-ending work for this class. Though I do feel this to be a labor intensive course, in all fairness, the assignments are all already posted, and so I can’t claim to feeling like you pop surprises on us. I just don’t have enough time in my life to ever get ahead.

I’ve enjoyed all of the readings. It was neat to really analyze a poem (Field of Skulls), and that is perhaps my favorite thing I have read so far. Frankenstein was also good; I was pleasantly surprised with its readability. I feel much more informed about the true story now, and I am glad I’ve been able to drop all the myths about Frankenstein that I was previously carrying around with me. I am currently reading a collection of selected poems by William Carlos Williams, and enjoying it!

Literary analysis is… difficult. I feel like it has really only applied in my English classes, as my other classes often call for more of a report or summary. I can definitely recognize how when writing about literature, it’s often the truly appropriate way to do it. I have bettered my understanding of the process of literary analysis in this class.

During the second half of this course, I hope to make an effort to feel less behind all the time, should my busy schedule permit. I hope that I am truly pleased with my final project, and with my portfolio… looks like some major points are found in the portfolio grade. I will definitely try to revise to my full potential.

Sincerely,

Margaret Lind

Frankenstein In Context

Margaret Lind

Cline

ENG 102

15 October 2011

Frankenstein: Shelley’s Creation

            Frankenstein is a book with a central theme of creation and reproduction, specifically of unknown creation. The book also ventures into the world of fear of the unknown, revenge & blackmail, and love & companionship. When analyzing a piece of literature, it is valuable to put the story in context, and to examine the author’s life and the time period in which it was written. For instance, the discoveries and milestones in science in 1818 were new and exciting. Shelley used science as a major support to her story. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is meant to be a scientific breakthrough. The monster which he tirelessly fashions, turns out to be nothing as he had hoped. His disappointment quickly turns to fear as his monster comes to life, representing emotions that readers across the centuries have been able to relate to. What if what we have looked forward to doesn’t turn out the way it’s supposed to? What if this turns out to be horribly, horribly wrong? Mary Shelley is able to capture the precarious moments and emotions of creation, though “its emphasis is not upon what precedes birth, not upon birth itself, but upon what follows birth: the trauma of the after-birth” (page 218, para 2). Shelley painted a story of creation and its consequences.

Mary Shelley created this piece of work during a time in her life when she herself was creating life, growing uncertain beings inside of her (page 220, para 4). This fact almost certainly contributed to the novel. An author with a passion, knowledge, or curiosity of a subject is sure to have fuel in writing a story. Shelley was extremely unlucky, losing all of her infant children to death. If grief over the death of a child isn’t enough to spurn a great classic novel, the world doesn’t know what is. Shelley expressed “that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless matter, I might in process of time renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption” (page 222, para 1). There is so much connection here to the story of Frankenstein. Victor suffers the loss of his mother, and shortly thereafter sets off on his quest to create a new human being. Though more implied than anything, he would love to be able to bring his mother back to life. To have this power would end much of human suffering. It is interesting that the very thing with which Victor wishes to end suffering is what brings about most of the suffering in his life that ensues, therefore demonstrating creation and its consequences.

Frankenstein has quite a complexity about it. The reader gets the privilege of hearing several characters narrate the story, with the bulk of it being Victor Frankenstein’s duty. One character we hear from to start the novel off is Robert Walton. As he sets out on adventure at sea, he writes letters to his sister. Walton’s most pressing desire during this time is to have a friend, a companion. He writes, “I have no friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of disappointment, no one will endeavor to sustain me in dejection… I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me; whose eyes would reply to mine” (Shelley, pg. 10, para 1). This very much foreshadows the coming events of the novel. The monster that Frankenstein creates ends up confronting his creator and asking for a companion, for that very reason- he has no one’s eyes to reply to his own, being a frightening monster. If he had a companion that looked like him, it would be different. “You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This alone you can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse” (Shelley, pg. 98, para. 2). Companionship is displayed here, or the desire for it, throughout the novel.

Victor learns hard lessons in the revenge department. The monster kills William, and then Justine, the family’s servant, is blamed for the murder and sentenced to death. The monster first kills William, not knowing his own strength, sort of a state of confusion about his identity and where he has come from. The monster kills Victor’s dear friend, and his bride Elizabeth at the end of the novel. So many people near and dear to his heart, all dead. Victor experiences intense regret because of this. “A bad conscience! Yes, I surely had one. William, Justine, and Clerval, had died through my infernal machinations” (Shelley, pg. 127, para. 2). Perhaps Mary Shelley felt some guilt and regret over not being able to sustain life in her babies. She definitely felt strange about the fact that it was her own birth that ultimately killed her own mother (Moers, pg. 222, para. 2)

Fear of the unknown weaves through the novel in several places. Robert Walton, at sea, is searching for the North Pole. He wants to be the first to discover it and though he is extremely ambitious, he is often weary of the trek. The unknown comes up again when Victor’s mother dies. Grief as an emotion is an unknown realm, even to those who have experienced it before. Victor has to deal with the loss of his mother, flying by the seat of his pants. Next, Victor creates the monster. Upon seeing him, he feels fear and flees. “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued  a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep” (Shelley, pg. 34, para. 4). Here it is, things not turning out the way he had hoped. How do we as human beings deal with this?  Victor reacts by running away, which ultimately proves to fail when his problems catch up with him. Did Mary Shelley feel this way, a desire to run from a slew of tragedy in her early life?  Lastly, fear of the unknown, or fear of what we do not understand, is demonstrated in the fact that the monster does not know who he is, and he is scared. He is received adversely by all he comes in contact with, because they do not understand why he appears so frightening.

Love and companionship are important themes in Frankenstein. In some moments, it is a love story, in others a tragedy. Shelly blended early science fiction with romance and gothic styles, achieving a work for which “there is perhaps no reader who will not feel a responsive string touched in his inmost soul.” We as humans feel love for our families, friends, and lovers. Each relationship is explored in the novel, as were they in Mary Shelley’s life. When the monster retreats to the mountains, he educates himself by learning to read. This is when he is able to realize that he desires love in his life. Mary Shelley had a similar experience, reading the works of her parents, especially her mother’s, during her childhood (Gilbert & Gubar, pg. 227, para. 2). Perhaps she formulated some of her own ideas about love by reading these works, later pouring them out into the pages of Frankenstein. Several characters in the novel want a companion, some romantically and some for friendship. All characters love their family members. The monster weeps over the dead body of Victor at the end of the story, basically meaning that he realizes that Victor is kind of the only family he has. Victor is his creator, his mother. The novel shows that that we all need human interaction and love, whether or not we are of this natural world or not.

Mary Shelley’s creation, Frankenstein, is truly an impressive work of literature. When we look at it in its context, it makes more sense, and the pieces fall together. It was said that Shelley essentially wrote a story that was first created by the people she surrounded herself with during the time she was writing it, specifically her husband Percy, and Byron. This cannot be true, in examining her life. She was influenced by her life and was able to produce a classic in the midst of that. Classic novels don’t become this way for no reason. She wrote the novel “with a firm and steady hand” (Shelly, Percy, pg. 185, para. 1), ad we are happy she did.

Work Cited

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and J. Paul Hunter. Mary Shelley, Frankenstein: the 1818 Text,

Contexts, Nineteenth-century Responses, Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. Print.

Critical essays:

Moers, Ellen. Literary Women. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1976.

Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar: Mary Shelley’s Monstrous Eve. The Madwomen in the

            Attic. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe: On Frankenstein. The Athenaeum Journal of Literature, Science and the Fine Arts. 1832.

Summary of a Critical Response

Image Source

Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote his critical response,  ” On Frankenstein”, in 1817, presumably in England, shortly after Mary Shelley completed the novel. His response was published in 1832. Percy Shelley was Mary Shelley’s husband. An inference could be made that because the two were married, Percy most likely read the novel with care, and closely interpreted it. His opinion is almost certainly reliable.

Percy first writes of Mary’s accomplishment, talking about its originality and honorable writing style. He also mentions the pace of the novel, how “the interest gradually accumulates and advances towards the conclusion with the accelerated rapidity of a rock rolled down a mountain.” Next Percy writes about the reader’s emotional response to Frankenstein, saying “there is perhaps no reader who will not feel a responsive string touched in his inmost soul.” Readers also respond to the universal moral of the novel, “treat a person ill, and he will become wicked.” Next, Percy admits that the monster is a “tremendous creature” and therefore it is no wonder he was received the way he was in Mary’s story. Percy then mentions some examples of the monsters interaction with humans throughout the novel. Percy ends his response by saying that the “exhibition of intellectual and imaginative power” in the novel is something “we think the reader will acknowledge.”

I think that Percy Shelley and I read the novel similarly. I definitely felt impressed by how well the novel advanced towards the climax. It drew me in. By reading this and other critical responses, I just understand Frankenstein a little better. It’s nice to read other people’s opinions to aid in forming your own. Yes, I will most likely use portions of Percy’s response for essay #3, especially because it was a response that I could comprehend pretty well.

Here's Wikipedia on Percy Bysshe Shelley. I love wikipedia.

Reflections on Revision

Image Source

It takes me a while to write a paper. For a three page paper, I usually need to set aside at least six hours. Writing is rather annoying to me, because it is such a timely process. I think I’m an okay writer, though. I think that what I write usually sounds intelligent, and I have an understanding of basic grammar and sentence structure.

I never revised in High School. I guess I just was never really forced to do so. Editing was passed off for revision. The first time I really revised was last summer, when I took English 101. I had to turn in two of my best papers for a final portfolio, worth 40% of my grade, so I was pretty motivated to really take a look at the papers and try to make them better. That is the first time I really noticed the value in revision, because I could tell that my papers had become much better when I was finished, and I got a 95% for my portfolio grade : ) Still if I can get away without revising, I’m not going to do it. I think this is OK because I am certainly not going to be an English Major. I am willing to revise when it’s necessary!

I haven’t gotten my graded essay back yet, so I am sure there are going to be some specific things I need to work on and I look forward to the feedback so that I can get started with a clearer idea of what I need to do. As far as my own plans, I will hopefully spend some major time on my thesis. I had a lot of great ideas in my first paragraph that I wanted to write about. I created a paragraph or paragraphs for each of those ideas within my paper, which created good content, but I don’t know what my thesis was really… out of all those ideas. I need a more specific purpose for the entirety of the paper.

The other thing I want to work on is making sure that all of the content of my paper is purposeful. Most of what I wrote is… but on the third page I did find myself struggling for length. I hope that I am able to do this revision and sit back afterwards, feeling I have made some really good changes. Fingers crossed.

Here's a video on how to do revision.

A Passage from Frankenstein

Image Source

                “The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, and continued  a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep” (Shelley, pg. 34).

I found this passage to be important because it describes Victor’s emotions the first time he sees the monster come to life. It is pivotal as the moment that joins “before monster” and “after monster” in the novel.  I remember thinking it was an abrupt description. Right before this, Victor is working tirelessly to put together his creation and bring it to life. Suddenly, things have gone all wrong, as this passage tells. I chose this particular part out of others on that same page because it talks about how fearful he is. Speaking of fear, I think Frankenstein has an overall message and meaning that People fear the unknown, or what they do not understand. This passage is all about fear, “breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” Also, Victor is seeing something he was not expecting. He is seeing the unknown, and is let down by this! “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished.” All this time he has spent on his creation seems for nothing now. At the end of this little passage, Victor runs out of the room. This effectively puts the reader’s sight of the monster to rest until later in the novel, closing the door on him until his re-entry. The first sentence of this passage is meaningful, “the different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.” I take this time mean that one of the things in life that is easiest to so drastically change or affect is human emotion.  His excited feelings go south quickly. This speaks to the rest of the novel… sensitivity of human feelings. This will not be the only time that disappointment is felt.



Immediately after starting to read this novel, and talking to other people who have aswell, I picked up on just how many misconceptions there are about Frankenstein. Here's a good article describing them.

Draft of Essay #2

Field of Skulls: A Closer Look

Field of Skulls, by Mary Karr, is quite relatable, despite its dark imagery. Three main themes it has are monstrosity, death, and paranoia. Paranoia itself is the monster in Field of Skulls, taking the imagined form of skulls in the character’s mind. This is also where death comes in. The poem explores fear of death and of the dead. It paints a picture of what the mind’s eye might see when feeling scared of the dead; a field of skulls perhaps. Karr effectively seeks to separate that sometimes wavy line between life/death as well as reality/imagination. She points out that humans have the ability to control one’s thoughts, even during those especially dark nights. Paranoia is but a feeling, and it is weaker than our able bodies. Karr uses dark imagery which helps to create a somewhat evil/wicked mood.

  The way the poem is written, the reader becomes the character. “For you: a field of skulls, angled jaws/ and eye-sockets, a zillion scooped out crania” (Karr, lines 10-11). Writing like this speaks to the reader directly and allows them to better relate. Paired with the fact that having full control of our thoughts is a common human desire, the poem becomes especially relatable. Even if we are not thinking up jaws and eye-sockets, everyone has experienced trying to block out a thought. In these lines, the speaker exhibits such a time: “You caress the thought,/ for it proves there’s no better spot for you/ than here, your square-yard of chintz sofa, hearing/ the bad news piped steady from your head” (Karr, lines 20-23).

Paranoia is a powerful emotion. It comes to bother us especially on those dark nights, when we “Stare hard enough at the fabric of night … sleepless, drinking gin after the I Love/ Lucy reruns have gone off- stare” (Karr, lines 1, 5-6). This beginning to the poem presents the setting, one in which a common person could find themselves paranoid. What was that noise out there, the “rustling in the azaleas” (Karr, line 20)? Paranoia is a monster because it is an imaginary “creature” and it is frightening. In Field of Skulls, the image of skulls is a vehicle for paranoia to attack.  Karr gives life to skulls making them The Paranoia Monster, as it were. She then proceeds to demonstrate that the idea that paranoia is tangible and out to get us holds little water. “If the skulls are there-/ let’s say they do press toward you/ against night’s scrim- could they not stare/ with slack jawed envy at the fine flesh/ that covers your skull, the numbered hair,/ at the force your hands hold?” (Karr, lines 28-33). Logic is used here to say that even if your fears are real, if these skulls were to “press toward you”, what could they do, really? Your human flesh holds so much more power than their unadorned bones. All these skulls can do is stare envious of your power.

Skulls play double-duty in this poem, also representing death. Death is a universal concept which many people struggle to wrap their minds around. Many people have a fear of dying, and of the dead. Dead people are scary to American society. We fear the forms in which they may come back to haunt us, like ghosts and zombies. Hollywood has only fueled this fire. An average American’s typical bad dream might consist of graveyards and skeletons. We fear these images. Skulls hold the shape of what they once were: someone’s living, breathing face. It scares us that essentially, a layer of skin is all that separates our own faces from becoming what we fear. But not only do we fear the Halloween-esque aspect of death, we are also terrified of those we love dying. When we have experienced loss, grief eats at us for a long time. Death is something that we must all come to accept, as Karr explores. “You stare and furious stare,/ confident there are no gods out there. In this way/ you’re blind to your own eye’s intricate machine/ and to the light it sees by, to the luck of birth and all/ your remembered loves” (Karr, lines 24-28). These lines mean that we must honor our deceased loved ones by fully utilizing our living minds, because they no longer are able. We must live on for them, and forget our attachment and fear of the empty space they used to hold. This is actually a really deep concept, housed nicely in just a few lines.

Imagery is rich in Field of Skulls, as each line really guides the reader on a path of clear images. The setting of the poem is in an archetypal person’s home. “Drinking gin after the I Love/ Lucy reruns have gone off/ … your square-yard of chintz sofa” (Karr, lines 5-6, 22). Karr also uses the words “night”, “dark”, and “black” setting the mood. “Stare hard enough at the fabric of night,/ and if you’re predisposed to dark- let’s say/ the window you’ve picked is a black/ postage stamp” (Karr, lines 1-4). These words help us to see a dim scene, clearly Karr’s intention. These are also words that tie in with death. Though the poem as a whole conveys messages of overcoming paranoia and fear of death with an overall calm after-effect, whilst one is reading it, the imagery is pretty dark. “Plus minor baby-eaters/ unidentified, probably in your very midst.”

The themes of monstrosity, death, and paranoia are well-explored in Field of Skulls. Karr takes each theme full circle, describing how they affect people and how people can overcome these obstacles in life. Field of Skulls is an appropriate title, representing those many people who have died but are still present in our minds. This relatable poem can help its reader to realize that we have control of our own thoughts, and even though there are many things that might frighten us, the “force your hands hold” (Karr, line 33) is stronger than fear’s grasp.

Works Cited

Karr, Mary.  “Field of Skulls.” Poetryfoundation.org. Poetry Foundation, 2011. Web. 18

            September 2011.

I am having trouble with the thesis sentance. I feel like I have a thesis paragraph, but I don't know which sentance within the paragraph I am trying to prove in the paper.

Response to a Poem

Image Source

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never liked poetry much. I find it difficult to write about, and that probably has a lot to do with it. I am aware that I’ll have to be writing about poetry in this class, so I will give it my best shot. One poet I randomly discovered in high school and liked was Rod McKuen. Specifically his book Caught in the Quiet. I highly recommend it. But that’s beside the point. The point is that I don’t like poetry too well and also have trouble understanding it. For that reason, I chose the poem Field of Skulls, by Mary Karr, as I understood and liked it the best. I can relate to this poem, maybe not with as dark of imagery, but still. A big part of this poem is that we have control over our thoughts, and that I have experienced, or experienced battling.

There is the theme of monstrosity in Field of Skulls. There is also the theme of paranoia, I believe. I think that paranoia is the monster, taking the imagined form of skulls in the character’s mind. The way the poem is written, we’re the character, “For you: a field of skulls, angled jaws/ and eye-sockets, a zillion scooped out crania” (Karr, lines 10-11). Writing like this speaks to the reader directly and allows them to better relate. Though it is never stated, this poem is about overcoming fear and paranoia. The beginning of the poem presents the setting, one in which common man could find himself paranoid. The middle of the poem serves to feed the paranoia with lines like “plus minor baby-eaters/ unidentified, probably in your very midst” (Karr, lines 16-17). Finally, the end of the poem fights back with logic. “If the skulls are there-/ let’s say they do press toward you/ against night’s scrim- could they not stare/ with slack jawed envy at the fine flesh/ that covers your skull, the numbered hair,/ at the force your hands hold?” (Karr, lines 28-33). The logic here is that even if your fears are real, if these skulls were to “press toward you”, what could they do, really? Your human flesh holds so much more power than their unadorned bones. All these skulls can do is stare envious of your power.

Works Cited

Karr, Mary.  “Field of Skulls.” Poetryfoundation.org. Poetry Foundation, 2011. Web. 11 September 2011.

THIS is quite cool. You can read Caught in the Quiet in its totality here.
THIS helped me to understand paranoia as a theme.

Summary Vs. Analysis

For your listening pleasure:

Using my prior knowledge and having watched the video, I feel like I have a good enough understanding of summary vs. analysis to be writing a page on the subject. ( :
Summary and analysis similar, this is true. That’s the reason the differences between the two can sometimes be unclear. In my opinion, they support each other. Each is important to the literary world and I don’t see one as better than the other. Yes, analysis is… deeper and therefore I think it is often seen as better, but I disagree because summary and analysis each serve a purpose. Analysis is often times not appropriate, summary will do the job just fine.
SUMMARY answers basic questions about a story, like who, what, where, when, why, and how. It sequences major plot points, describes characters on a surface level, and in general includes information that would be obvious to anyone that read or watched the story. Summary is so tempting for writers to use in place of analysis because essentially it is just purging what we already know, rather than thinking of deeper, more original ideas, as is done with analysis. But summary is very useful when we are trying to describe what a story is about. Like I mentioned there are many times when analysis would be inappropriate.
ANALYSIS answers deeper questions about the story, and the main thing is that it presents an argument. The argument needs to be something not completely obvious. Argument needs to be arguable, that’s the point. Arguments are supported by facts of the story, often things that would have been included in a summary. I see analysis as an interpretation of the summary. Analysis dives in, talking about things like relationships and roles of characters, causes and effects, and strengths and weaknesses within the story. Analyses are often harder to come up with because the writer must think hard, and formulate opinions about why specific elements of the story are the way they are. These opinions or ideas must not be stated in the text, but observed by the reader/(writer of the analysis) and then interpreted into an argument. Analysis I believe is inarguably more interesting than summary, but no more important.


A book I enjoyed in high school was To Kill A Mockingbird. This is a summary and analysis of the first chapter from SparkNotes. It is a good example of the difference between the two.

Image Source

Good Readers and Good Writers

In “Good Readers and Good Writers”, Nabokov makes a list of ten things that make up a good reader; ten things they should be or have. Some qualifications off that list that I agree with most are: “should have imagination, should have memory, and should have a dictionary.” I think that imagination is extremely important while reading a book. Nabokov points out that writing is an art. Authors write out a story for us, giving us the tools to imagine the scenes they have set. Without our imaginations, that teamwork between author and reader would not be possible.

Having memory ties into a couple areas within reading. Nabokov states that “a good reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is a rereader.” He explains that we must read something once, go through the motions of laying our eyes on each word once, before we can reread it and grasp it more fully. So there our memory plays an important role. I’m not sure if I agree 100% with his rereading idea, though. I do consider myself a good reader, and I don’t reread most things (except maybe instructions). Memory is also important to reading in relation to imagination. I know I’m not the only one who does this: I’ll read of a garden, a house, a person, a city, and it will remind me of something I’ve seen before. I will then imagine that thing whenever it is mentioned again throughout the story.

I think having a dictionary makes a good reader because it provides the ability to look any foreign word up, then adding it to one’s vocabulary. Having a broad vocabulary is something I feel makes a good reader, and reading more and more, dictionary in hand, can only expand it. I also think that willingness to learn makes a good reader. Everything teaches us something, and without a willingness to absorb the lesson, words are for nothing. I do consider myself a good reader because I possess some of Nabokov’s characteristics, as well as all of my own.

Image Source: http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=nabokov&order=9&offset=24#/d3l61aa

Nabokov touched on this some, but on the flip-side, here is an article on what makes a good writer:
http://www.oprah.com/money/What-Makes-a-Good-Writer-Career-Advice-for-Writers

About Me Video