Friendships mystery

" Our hearts are mutual victims laid,

While they( such powerful in friendship lies)

Are altars, priests, and off'rings made:

and each heart which thus kindly dies,

Grows deathless by the sacrifice."

- Katherine Philips

What is friendship between women and why is it so highly prised?

Well I think because we are such complex gender true friendship between women is hard to find. you might have a friend to go shopping with, or a friend you talk to about you kids, and one to talk to about you boyfriend, and a friend to talk to about school, and one you invite over for diner. but it comes to a certain point where there can't be just one friend for everything because we're all so different. We need different friends for different things. Friends are like days of the week each one is different. Friendship between women can come easily. each one is based on likes or dislikes and depending on the intensity of the like or dislike depend on the intensity of the friendship. When you find those loyal friends that will ride or die with you you've found support for life. What is a woman without her girlfriends? they give advice and they're there when you need a shoulder to cry on and they're there when your laughing too. Good friendships are hard to come by but when you find em' they're worth more then gold.

Katherine Philips found a friend whom she had to leave. I guess back in her time there was slim pickins in the friend department because women really didn't have the choices that they do now. I remember when I moved away from Massachusetts how it felt to leave my friends. I was devastated. I thought that I would never be able to live with out them. I had a best friend her name was Rachael and we did everything together. Now when I go back to MA even all these years later when we get together it's like we had never been apart because we have a lasting bond when we get together we just pick right back up where we left off. Even though time continues to move forward we will always have a lasting connection that know one can separate.

Cavalier Poems- Philips, Jonson, Herrick

Katherine Phillips "A Married State"-

“No blustering husbands to create your fears; No pangs of childbirth to extort your tears; No children’s cries for to offend your ears”

Phillips has a very interesting point of view on things. She thinks that single women have it better than married women because you don't have to worry about pleasing your husband, going through child birth, and then having to keep up with your children once they are born. I think Phillips read my mind! I know I am young and I am sure my views will change as I age, but as of right now I have no desire what so ever to have children of my own. I totally agree with her. Children can be such a burden!! I mean sure they have their perks but my friend (who is young as well) has a child and it just seems to be so much work. You have to find a babysitter in order to anything, including going to work, you have to buy so much stuff for the baby, your sleep schedule is totally jacked up, I mean the list goes on and on. Not to mention the actual labor that is involved in having the kid!! The pain, stretch marks, weight gain, lactating, and again the list goes on and on. Like I said I am young and I am sure my views will change as I age, but right now I totally agree with Phillips. Phillips seems to think that marriage is a huge mistake and that she wants to persuade single women to never get married. I think I do that to my friends when they talk to me about marriage. I feel that I am always trying to persuade them NOT to get married. I do think marriage is a beautiful thing, however there is also an appropriate age. I don't think Phillips is addressing a particular age group though, I think she is saying that you should NEVER get married. But I have a question. Did they have premarital sex back then? If they didn't does that mean she was saying that women should be virgins forever? Hmm...I don't know. Well I looked up Katherine Phillips and I found that she got married at age 17. How Ironic!!

Friendship's mystery. To my dearest Lucasia

This poem was boring to me. I didn't really understand the point of it other than to show the friendship between Lucasia and Philips. Maybe I am missing something but to me it kind of seems like they are lovers. I don't know maybe I am missing the significance of the poem.

Ben Jonson, "To Penshurst"

What or who is Penshurt?? To me it sounds like penshurst is a house. He opens the poem by saying that it is not Penshurst, and then goes on to describe marble, polished pillars, and a roof of gold. Since Jonson says that "Thou are not Penshurst", maybe Penshurst is a spectacular place and the place he is at isn't spectacular. He then goes on to talk about I guess people going there to eat under a tree. I don't really know what Jonson is trying to say but by the end it seems he has a different attitude of the place. Perhaps he is trying to say that although the place isn't beautiful from the outside, it is beautiful on the inside. He makes it seem so peaceful by saying "When she was far ; and not a room, but drest, As if it had expected such a guest ! These, Penshurst, are thy praise, and yet not all. Thy lady's noble, fruitful, chaste withal." I am guessing that he is trying to get across to us that appearance doesn't matter, but it's on the inside that matters. Just like with relationships we always say that it shouldn't matter how somebody looks, as long as they have a good personality. I guess its the same concept. I don't know though, it's just a guess.

Ben Jonson, Inviting a Friend to Supper

"I'll tell you of more, and lie, so you will come:"

That line makes me sad. Poor Ben just wants to invite this guy to his house but is scared that he will not see him worthy enough to attend so Ben says that he will lie if it will get him to come. Jonson seems to be trying so hard to make his "poor house" worthy enough for his friend to come over. He describes the food he will have there alon with the wine and it really makes me sad. I mean there are so many people out there who would be ashamed to invite I don't know say the president to their house because they would think that the president would be judging them and would feel that he/she is too good to be at your house. This puts people in an awkard position. Jonson must feel so bad about himself if he is going through all this effort just to get this guy to come over. and why would you want a friend to come over that you have to go through all this effort for just so they will attend. A true friend shouldn't care how your house looks or what you are serving for dinner.

Robert Herrick: Dreams

This is the kind of poem I like! Short and sweet! And I get it! He is saying that during the day we are all here on earth living our lives like we always do, but at night we are all curled up and we go to a different place. A different world. It can be anything you want it to be. I like this poem!

Robert Herrick:To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

I had to read this poem in my last English class. I like this one as well because it shows that all good things come to an end.

"And this same flower that smiles to-day

To-morrow will be dying."

He is saying that you should experience life because you don't know what is going to happen. In the poem he mentions go get married because you will not always have your youth. It is kind of a sad poem because it makes you start thinking about your life and what you have or haven't yet accomplished.

Robert Herrick:Upon the Nipple of Julia's Breast

I don't have much to say about this poem, but I thought this was a pretty good picture of what the poem was about :)

Robert Herrick: His Prayer to Ben Jonson

This is yet another sad poem. I am assuming Ben Jonson died because he is saying how he will get on his knee for him and give him candles and a new altar. He also referred to him as "Saint Ben". Apparantly Herrick must have looked up to him as not only a poet, but as a person.

Robert Herrick: Upon Julia's Clothes

Okay so this is weird! He wants her to take her clothes off? And when she does he loves it? I am confused about this one!

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum

This poem (along with pretty much every poem I have had to read for English classes) was hard for me to understand. I notices she uses a lot of repitition..."tis he that dothe...tis he that goes" "Long mai'st...Long May...Long mai'st....Long mai'st" but who is she referring to when she says he?? I am assuming God? And what does mai'st mean? Okay so I am writing this as I am reading and now I understand that it is God she is referring to. She says "He of the watry Cloudes his Chariot frames, And makes his blessed Angels powrefull Spirits" At least I understand the subject of the poem, that is a start. Since the content is so difficult for me to grasp, I am going to focus on the poetic devices in the poem. I already established that she uses repetition, but she also uses alliteration. When she says "Long mai'st...Long May...Long mai'st....Long mai'st" the words that all begin with "m" are alliteration. The rhyme scheme of this poem is A,B,A,B,C,C.
When she says "Will raine downe fire and brimstone from above, Upon the wicked monsters in their berth " I think she is saying that God will punish evil people. I don't think she means he will literally rain fire, but he will punish evil people. So its obvious that Lanyer praises Jesus throughout the poem which means she is obviously religious. Throughout the poem Lanyer is (I am assuming) the character, but then she brings in Ann Clifford and Lady Margaret. I think Lady Margaret is Ann Cliffords mother. She brings up Eve from Adam and Eve "Our Mother Eve, who tasted of the Tree" along with some other biblical references.
That is all I could really get from this poem. It was very long and I was starting to lose interest seeming as how I didn't understand half of it. Hopefully after discussing it in class tomorrow I will be able to digest the poem better. Hopefully i am on the right track!

Utopia Book 2

Finishing up Utopia...

Personally, I enjoyed book 2 better than book 1 because it didn't tell stupid stories, but rather it talked about the geography and society of Utopia. Look at the picture I found of Utopia. Who wouldn't want to live here?? It is a secluded island that is in a perfect spot that allows you to be able to send out ships to travel, but where intruders can't get in therefore protecting you from attack. It has a large bay that protects it from the ocean and wind and it is beautiful. It is basically paradise. Or is it?? At first glance, yes it is, but as you continue reading Book 2 you soon realize that maybe it isn't all it is cracked up to be.

Reasons why I would want to live in utopia:

• You are supplied with food for free
• There is no money
• You only work 6 hour days
• You can pick what you want to do for a living(To a certain extent)
• You can learn more than one trade
• You get a lunch break everyday
• They sleep for 8 hours a day (which I know we can, but often times we don't because we are so busy. There they don't have to worry about being so busy therefore they can get plenty of sleep)
• They have plenty of free time
• They are all involved in physical activity and creative things (music, gardening, competitions, etc.)
• You are exempt from physical labor if you are talented at things that require creativity (However I would not be a part of this category so it doesn't really matter)
• If you are extremely good at your job, you are exempt from work
• Everybody has to work (I hate how we (21st century people) pay all these taxes for people who are to lazy to work, where as in Utopia everybody has to work unless you are exempt due to the things previously mentioned)
• Mantain things that they worked so hard to build
• Everybody is educated
• Slaves are not bought (even though I don't think slaves should be arround at all, I would rather them be around and treated the way that the Utopians treat them (with some kind of respect) rather than how Europeans treated them)
• Children of slaves are not born into slavery
• Women and men have age restrictions on when they can get married (women 18,men 22). I think that this is appropriate because I think now a days so many young people are getting married and then end up getting divorced because they realized that they were too young to be making such a significant decision
• No premarital sex is allowed. I agree with this however I do not think that the consequence should be to not be able to marry for life. That is a pretty harsh punishment. However that probably would keep peope from doing it. If we had that rule now a days maybe we wouldn't have so many kids having kids.
• You are required to see your spouse naked before you marry them. I do think that it is kind of weird, but it kind of makes sense. If you can't have sex with them before you get married to them, wouldn't you at least want to see what they look like naked? This one is kind of a toss up for me because part me thinks that it is perfectly logical because I mean what if you HATE the way that they look and then you are stuck with them for eternity, but on the other hand why should it matter how the person looks? If you love them, you should love them for their personality not for how their body looks. But, you do want to be attracted to your significant other, not repulsed by them. I don't know...I am torn on this one.
• Divorce is only allowed if it is an extremely abusive relationship or adultery occurs
• Adulterers become slaves (Though I don't agree with the idea of slaves, I do think that people who commit adultery should be severly punished, and in this case I do agree with slaves)
• They don't think you should enhance yourself cosmetically, but you can make the most of your physical attributes.
• There aren't very many laws
• They hate war
• They are extremely loyal people and would protect their friends at all costs
• They are intelligent

Reasons why I wouldn't want to live in Utopia:

• You have to do agriculture work
• You have to work every day
• All the cities are basically the same
• All the people are basically the same
• You can't lounge around while you are working
• You have limited things that you can do in your free time (You are not allowed to spend it doing things that are a waste of time)
• They beleive in an afterlife and the things that you did wrong in your life you will be punished for in your afterlife
• There are slaves, and they are constantly chained
• If you get caught having premarital sex, you are forbidden to marry for the rest of your life
• You are required to see your spouse naked before you marry them (This is on both lists, but read the "Reasons why I would want to live in Utopia" list for description of how I feel about this topic)
• They never sign treaties with other countries, they just make verbal promises. This is stupid. How naive can you be. I think you should always have a written contract!

There is my lists of pros and cons of Utopia!

Utopia Book 1

Going back to Utopia...
So my favorite character in this story is Raphael Hythloday. I like him the most beacause he is intelligent and he has traveled around the world. When More and Giles suggest to Hytholday that he should attach himself to some king, Hythloday disagrees because he says thathe has no desire for personal wealth. I really like that about him, that money doesn't really matter to him. He also goes on to say that the prince would be more concerened with war, where has Hythloday would rather have peace. More seems to be more concerned with the public than Hythloday is. Hythloday doesn't really care what other people think, which is another reason why I really like him. Although they disagree politically, they still remain friends. When Hythloday tells the story about a dinner that he went to in England, he says that he disagreed with a lawyer about capital punishment. Hythloday tells the lawyer that instead of death being a punishment for theft, simply make sure everyone has enough to eat. Hythloday continues by pointing out that people who steal have the same punishment as people who kill. This makes no sense!! Hythloday has a point, if somebody is going to die because they stole, why wouldn't they just go out and kills somebody since they are going to die anyway. I know if I knew I was caught for stealing and that my punishment was going to be death, I would go out and do everything illegal that I have always wanted to do since I am going to put to death anyway. I would rob banks, hijack really nice cars, you know things everybody secretly wants to do but never will because they don't want to be in jail for the rest of their lives. That law really baffles me! Hythloday has a good quote when he says the system of punishment "is directed at eliminating crime, not criminals." The Cardinal seems to like Hythloday's views and he says that they shall be tested. Of course once the Cardinal announcs this, everybody at the dinner party who was just on the lawyers side of this discussion all of a sudden have a sudden change of heart and agree with Hythloday. I HATE PEOPLE WHO CANT MAKE UP THEIR OWN MIND!!!!!
Hytholday then goes on to tell the story of the fool and the friar which was completely uneccesary to share in my opinion and was a total waste of time. I guess he told the story to prove that men cannot make decisions by themselves. They base their decisions on how others take the news. For Example, if you are at dinner with four of your coworkers (lets call them A,B,C, and D) And "a" tells yall this idea he has had for a long time and "b" and "C" think that it is a great idea. Well "d" who is in a higher position than everybody thinks it is a stupid idea. Now all of a sudden you, "b" and "C" all think it is stupid. They only think that because "d" thought it was a bad idea. I guess this is what Hythloday was trying to prove in the story about the fool and the friar.

Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum-Aemilia Lanyer

" I done, to make known to the world, that all women deserve not to be blamed though some forgetting they are women themselves, and in danger to condemned by the words of their own mouths, fall into so great an error, as to speak unadvisedly against the rest of their sex; which if it be true, I am persuaded they can show their own imperfection in nothing more: and therefore could wish(for their own ease, modesties, and credit) they would refer such points of folly, to be practiced by evil-disposed men, who forgetting they were born of women, nourished by women, and that if it were not by the means of women, they would be quite extinguished out of the world, and a final end of them all, do like vipers deface wombs wherein they were bred, only to give way and utterance to their want of discretion and goodness" I do not know if I feel the way I do about this writer because I was raised by a single mom or respect for women, but she certainly makes her point. This would be real good for the rappers to hear before they write lyrics degrading women. It seems like we have lost, some of us have forgotten how important women, mothers, sisters and aunts are to our way of life and our survival, but I do not get into the blame game, we are all guilty of something. As far as Johnson, it was easier to understand and follow after class today. I enjoyed Robert Herrick, " Roses at first were white, Till they could not agree, whether my Sapphos breast, or they more white should be. But being vanquished quite, a blush their cheeks bespread; Since which (beleive the rest) The roses first came red" Upon the nipple of Julia's breast was truly well written, it was simple yet powerful. The poem that really made me smile was "When Jill complains to jack for want of meat, Jack kisses Jill, and bids her freely eat. Jill says, Of what? Says Jack, On that sweet kiss, Which full of nectar and ambrosia is, The food of poets. So I thought, says Jill; That makes them look so lank, so ghost-like still. Let poets feed on the air or what they will; Let me feed full till that I fart, says Jill" I wonder if the Jack and Jill sayings I grew up with came from this one?

Twelfth Night

"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken and so die. That strain again, it had a dying fall. O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound that breathes upon a bank of violets, Stealing and giving odor. Enough, no more, Tis not so sweet now as it was before" I enjoy the way they speak of love, even though in this case Orsino speaks of the love for someone he knows nothing about. He is stuck on loving someone or being loved. If this were a movie I would have truly enjoyed how one thing leads to another without interuption, it just flows. I am seeing how plays done then were not just put together and were well written. The characters are given life by the way they are described and you can some what relate, especially with Feste the clown in how he new how to push the envelope without getting in trouble, which has me thinking who is the real clown for example in in the case which he calls Olivia a fool. (F)Good madonna, why mournest thou? (O) Good fool, for my brother's death. (F) I think his soul is in hell, madonna. (O) I know his soul is in heaven, fool. (F) The more fool, madonna, to mourn for your brother soul, being in heaven. Take away the fool gentlemen. This guy got away with seriously embarrassing Olivia, I know I would have been pissed off

Twelfth Night

The twelfth night was very decivable play by Shakespeare. I enjoyed the play although at times it got quite confusing. When the play first opens, the theme and atmostphere is set around the idea of being in love like in Act 1 scence 1 line 1-8. When Orsino says" If music be the food of love play on Give me excess of it......." Its like everyone in this play is in love with the idea of being in love. As the play the continues the love triangle becomes complicated between Orsino, Vilolia, and Oliva. On page 1135 line 220-225. Orsino, sends Viola to date Olivia and send her love messages. Now keep in mind Orsino doesnt know that Violia is a woman because she is dressed like a man. Ok moving on Viola goes to see Olivia, after arriving Olivia falls in love with Vilolia instead of Orsino. But Olivia doesnt know that Violia is a woman. I mean the secret is quite hilarilous to me and Shakespeare has a wicked sense of humor.
I noticed that on page 1135 Line 220-225 presnts the secret of the twins (Violia and Sebastian) and Olivia is delighted with the idea of there being more than one. Now how freaky is that?
There are alot of details on this play that suggests that there are some serious points, such as line 375 pg 1138. Where Olivia feels sorry for Malvolio becuase he had such a cruel joke played on him by Feste, Maria, Toby and Andrew.
I mean at the end of the story, you realize that it touches on homosexuality, but everybody gets over it and falls in love with each other, and it was kinda of a fairtale ending. Too Funny!!!!!!

Utopia #2

Book 2 caused a heated class discussion! It simply boiled down to if you liked the book or you didn't. The class was split on that decision. I agree with Thomas More with the idea of Utopia, about how everybody should dress the same, the work hours, and the education. The point that I was trying to get across in class is that how is Utopia that much different from today's society? Yeah true enough you have freedoms and choices, but sit back and evaluate, and you really don't. You can not wear what you want to wear. For example if you go to your job with a bikini top on and a g string, they will send you home and fire you. That is not a freedom, if that was there would be no consequences to your actions point blank. People in today's society are almost working 12 hour days, I don't believe that what Thomas More was purposing was not that extreme. When you start to accumulate bills and other adult responsibilities the luxury of traveling or any other frivolous expenses are cut to a minimum and there you are left with no options, either you go spend your money elsewhere and be homeless or you take care of your responsibilities and fun comes later. I mean some of the ideas were a little too much, especially not giving the choices in education, you strictly had to work on your land for 2 years after you attended school. Not everybody wants to do agriculture so yes I can see where that would create an issue with individual choices but ultimately if you re evaluate today's society and compare it to Thomas More's they are quite similar and actually it wouldn't be that much of a change if Utopia really existed. Just take a set back and look........

Utopia book#1

Book #1 begins as a letter to Peter Giles about the possibility of having a society in unison and not under the King's rule. Thomas More, explains in this "letter" that for examples thieves are getting punished the same punishment as the murderers. Which of course is ultimately death. How is that fair? Alot of the people were stealing for their families because they didn't have any money to feed them. How does that warrant death? I understand the idea that he is trying to convey that for more than just this one reason, living up under monarch ship is just not fair. One ruler, one set of rule, and the people's voices are not being heard. I mean by killing these people how are you solving anything? There is a fear set up within the others one who were so lucky not to get caught, but where there is a will there is a way and most people will do whatever they need to do to survive. I totally agree with More that you should put these criminals back into the community to make them work their debts off. It is always easier to convict somebody and code men them, than it is to accept their faults and make things better for that person in trouble by helping them. More wanted the thieves and such to basically go back and do community service, let them work of their crimes. That benefits everyone because the condemned are learning a new trade, possibly, learning from their mistakes, the community is being attended to and it all evens out. I work for NOAA Marine Sanctuaries and Fisheries and I look at some of the fines that people received for like the smallest thing like maybe going 1 pound over the fisheries guidelines for a type of fish and then these poor people are getting fined like they killed a right whale (which you can go to prison for so don't do it! Even by accident you will still get in a lot of trouble.) Why cant you find alternate solutions than such steep fines? Why cant you find alternate solutions other than death to punish a crime? I am really feeling Thomas More on this one

Beowulf

Beowulf to me was a very interesting story, it is filled with deception, fear, and action. It was hard to follow especially after seeing the movie first. But it was funny to me how Grendel was such a huge bully to everyone and then soon as Beowulf became a character in the story Grendel lost all the potential to be a bully because he is scared of Beowulf. But aren't most bullies like that anyways? Grendel was to be all tough and mean, and Beowulf being of a weaker existence, compared to Grendel, had Grendel scared of him! I mean I feel kinda of bad for Grendel because the excuse of why he is so mean is be cause he is cursed by being the descendant of Cain. Which is from the biblical story of Cain and Abel in the old testament Genesis Chapter 4. But is that really an excuse for Grendel to be so hateful? The main ideas that I understood from reading this story was that basically the story was suppose to be entertaining, the poem open and closes with the description of a funeral and is filled death. I really have to be honest this wasn't one of my favorite stories, but honestly understand the themes in there.

poems

Now, Penshurst, they that will proportion thee

with out edifices, when they see

Those proud, ambitious heaps, and nothing else

May say, their lords have built, but thy lord dwells

-Ben Jonson

I really like this poem about Penshurst. It's almost like living in a fairytale. Where every thing is perfect, even the children. I like this line ^because you can say the same thing about people that Ben in saying about buildings. There are some buildings that look pretty on the outside but when you go inside (or in a persons case get to know them) and it's empty. Just a white washed tomb or shallow personality. It's sad but true and I like Penshurst because it is a hopeful place. It has charm, character , and depth. What Ben is saying is true even more in the religious aspect. People have others gods,like money, they worship it rather then the one true God. Maybe they don't know of him maybe they choose not to care. these things are called idols. Your idol can be anything from your boyfriend/ girlfriend, to you kid, to your car, to food, to whatever the list is anything that you put before God or in place of God that you love and worship. something that you would put you hope in to make you feel good about your self. I think what Ben is saying is that men idolized their huge estates as means of self righteousness but none could compare to Penshurst because God made it. Everyone was looking for Penshurst but none could duplicate it by themselves because righteousness never comes from ones self. no one can duplicate ones relationship with the true God only God can. you can try by filling your life with useless things like money, cars, clothing, video games, beer, men/women but you'll never be satisfied until you find Penshurst.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Parts 3 and 4

Alright I am trying to play catch up...

Here is a link to a video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZuyWGr4stg

Gawain Part 3 -
So part three is the part where the host encounters all of the prey. On the first day he encounters a deer, the second day he encounters a boar, and then on the third day he encounters a fox. I believe that each of the hosts killings are in some way linked to Sir Gawain.
Back in that time they considered hunting deer a test of their nobility. This is the same with Sir Gawain and the lady. The lady is testing Sir Gawains nobility just like the deer. Also, the deer were thought of as to be testing the hunters skills and maybe that is what the lady was doing to Sir Gawain. The boar on the other hand are very honory. They were thought of as nasty, mean animals. When he cut off the boars head and brought it back it symbolized the decapitation of Sir Gawain.
The fox that was hunted on the third say was the animal of lowest value. Foxes were considered nothing and were thought of as embarassing to come back with. All of these huntings are kind of thought of as games which is what all three of the bedroom scenes are kind of thought of.

Sir Gawain Part 4-
The significance of when Sir Gawain went out to find the Green Chapel is imporatant because it happened on the eve of the feast of circumsision. In Judaic tradition circumsision occurs 8 days after the birth of a son. This is why Jesus' circumsision occured on January first beacuse it was 8 days after Christmas. The Green Knights beheading was a year and a day earlier making it the day before the eve of the feast which shows a relationship between the decapitation and the circumsision. I don't really know how anybody out these two things together, but this is what we talked about in my English class before so....

I didn't really care for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I would much rather read The Wife of Bath or Twelfth Night. This is the second time I have read this story and it didn't get any better.

12th night

A great while ago the world begun,
with hey, ho, the wind and the rain
but that's all one, our play is done,
And we'll strive to please you every day.

-feste

when I read this part of the poem it makes me think about the book of Ecclesiastes. It is a short book in the bible that is similar to this poem. At the end of Ecclesiastes King Solomon sums up life by saying that he searched the world and tried everything he could to try to please himself but through life he figured out that the only thing that was really pleasing and really mattered was to please God. Is it ironic or what that Feste would say and we'll strive to please you? yes I think he's talking to the audience but if the song is taken from Ecclesiastes then what Feste( Shakespeare) is really saying is what really matters is to please God. Another reason why I think this is because the poem is about a man's life and so is Ecclesiastes. Solomon talks about how he searched the world to find pleasure but there is nothing new under the sun. there is a season(time) for everything and he goes on to list these things. I wish I had my bible with me right now and I could give you some real examples of how Feste's song and Ecclesiastes are parallel to each other. I guess what scholars say about carnival vs. religion would be right. why else would this song be so much like Ecclesiastes unless he was trying to tie it all back to lent.

Twelfth Night- Act IV and V

So now the plot is starting to get interesting. We have Sebastian who has now finally arrived, but whom everyone is mistaking with Cesario. Sir Andrew who wanted to duel with Cesario comes across Sebastian (who he thinks is Cesario) and starts to lash out at him. However, Sebastian is a good fighter and starts to stab Sir Andrew with his dagger. Sebastian tries to leave but Sir Toby grabs him and then the two of them were going to fight.
This whole situation is funny. The fact that Sir Andrew wants to fight Cesario is stupid all in itself because Cesario really has no interest in anybody other than Orsino so fighting him (well Viola) would do no good. I think this play is very funny!
Then Olivia sees Sir Toby and Sebastian (but who she thinks is Cesario) about to fight and orders Sir Toby to leave and invites Sebastian into her home. Sebastian agrees but is still confused how everyone seems to know who he is. He seems to be sane, but he doesn't understand why this beautiful woman is giving him gifts and is asking to marry him. He agrees to marry her and they leave to go get married. This part baffled me at first because I did not see how somebody could just marry someone that they didn't even know. Now, I guess I kind of get it. He wanted to be rich and part of the nobility just like Maria and Malvolio. I don't agree with it though because you are marrying for all the wrong reasons. The fact that he keeps making references that he thinks he is dreaming “Or I am mad, or else this is a dream” may be another reason he agrees to marry Olivia. Perhaps he thinks he is just crazy so he agrees to just for the fun of it. I don't know, just a theory.
Then Cesario and Orsino go to Olivia's house dragging Antonio because Orsino remembers Antonio being an enemy from a long time ago. Once Olivia sees Cesario she announces to Orsino how they had just gotten married the night before (Which was really sebastian) and then Orsino becomes mad at Cesario for betraying him. Orsino says he is going to kill Cesario for betraying him and Cesario announces that he (well Viola) loves only him. Then Olivia thinks that her new husband is in love with Orsino. This is just all one big mess!!! While reading this it did get kind of confusing, but it definitely keeps you entertained and wanting to know how it ends! I feel bad for Viola though because she is in love with someone she can't have because he thinks that she is a he!
Then finally Sebastian arrives at Olivias house and everything is revealed! After Sebastian and Viola drill each other on things from the past they realize that they have finally found each other.

This story was very entertaining and confusing all at once. I really enjoyed it though. It is definitely one of my favorite Shakespeare plays!

Twelfth Night...Characters

Viola- Viola is a woman who disguises herself as "cesario", a man after she wrecks her ship on the island of lllryia. She ends up falling in love with a man named Orsino, who is in love with Olivia which completes this whole love triangle. However Viola can't be with Orsino because Orsino thinks that she is a man, and Olivia doesn't realize that she literally CANT be with Viola because he is really a she. I really like Viola because of how brave she is. How many women would be able to pull of looking and acting like a man for that long without being caught.

Orsino- Orsino is a man of nobility who is in love with Olivia. He is becoming more and more fond of Cesario, who delivers love letters to Viola from him. However he doesn't realize that Olivia is falling more and more in love with Cesario every time she sees him. I don't think Orsino is really "in love" with Viola, but I think he just likes the idea of being "in love". Orsino gets on my nerves. He is so egotistical and he complains all the time.

Olivia- Olivia is a noble woman from lllyria. Her brother has recently died so she is in mourning and says she will not marry for seven years. However Cesario comes along and takes her out of her state of mourning. Olivia also annoys me. She is so wrapped up in mourning over her brother that it just gets on my nerves

Sebastian- Sebastian is Viola's twin brother who she thought died in the shipwreck. He finally arrives to lllyria only to discover that people seem to know who he is, and Olivia even asks him to marry him. I don't know how I feel about Sebastian. I think its kind of strange that he has never even seen Olivia before yet he agrees to marry her because she is rich.

Malvolio- Malvolio is the head servant in Olivias house. He is just waddling in self-pity. He has no fun and looks down on others who do. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Maria are all annoyed by him which is why they play a cruel trick on him. I can't stand people like Malvolio. People who juts don't ever want to have fun. It's really annoying.

Feste- Feste is a clown. He jokes around, sings old songs, and generally makes a fool of hiself. He works in both Olivia and Orsino's homes. Although he acts like a fool, he offers good advice to people and may be the wisest person in the entire play. I really like Feste because he isn't expected to be so smart because of his job, but he is teh smartest out of everybody. He enjoys life and makes everybody laugh for a living. I really like him.

Sir Toby - Sir Toby is a Olivias drunken uncle. He plays practical jokes on people, is often rowdy, and has an annoying crowd of friends. Despite all of this, him and Maria become a couple. Sir Toby can be very annoying, and all in all I don't really care for him.

Maria- Maria is Olivias waiting-gentlewomen. She wants to come up in the world by marriage, just like Malvolio, however she is successful in doing this unlike Malvolio. I really like Maria because she is clever and daring. She was the brains behind the practical joke on Malvolio that was hilarious.

Sir Andrew- He is Sir Toby's idiotic self-absorbed friend. I hate him.

Antonio- Antonio is who saves Sebastian from the shipwreck and becomes one of Sebastians very good friends. I think Antonio is very sweet and I was sad when Viola denied knowing him because he really thought Sebastian had betrayed him.

a video of 12th night part 3

sorry i couldn't get part 2 I waited yesterday for like 4hrs. for it to upload but it never did.

so here's part 3 instead.

The General Prologue

As I commented on James’ post about the importance of social class in the Canterbury Tales, I felt that this was a very interesting introduction that tied in to the rest of the stories. You basically get an idea of these various personalities that you will encounter in the other tales. For example:

“ His mouth was as greet was as a greet forneys;
He was a janglere and a goliardeys,
And that was most of sinne and harlotrye.”

He obviously is loud and outspoken, and it is foreshadowing that his tale will be crazy and inappropriate, just like his appearance and demeanor. Likewise, the same can be said for the Wife of Bath. She tells a tale of a hag turning into a beautiful maid, and she provides punishment to a knight. I feel like Chaucer’s description of her:

“Gat-tothed was she, smoothly for to seye.
Upon an amblere esily she sat,
…As brood as a bokerle or a targe,
A foot-mantel about hir hipes large”

portrays that she would make the woman in the story triumphant and beautiful. Also, Chaucer’s description of her vast relationships and traveling foreshadows that she will talk about teaching a man a thing or two. Overall I found the General Prologue interesting and amusing as far as the detailed description of each character. The imagery provided really brings the stories and the characters to life.

act2

In class yesterday we talked about 2 really important topics of 12th night. The first was the idea of love. I think shakespeare is sending a definite message about love through the way each of the characters falls in love. At the beginning of the play in Viola's dialog with the sea captain she inquiries about Duke Orsino. it seemed from the dialog that even before she knew him she was in love with the idea of him. I don't think that Viola was a "gold digger". What I do think is she was infatuated with titles. being that she was in the Dukes land she fell in love with the supreme authority of the land. It wouldn't have made a difference if the Duke of the land were Duke Orsino or some other Duke from down the street. Viola was already in love with the idea of the title. only after she began work with the Duke did the love manifested into a deeper fantasy. She couldn't tell him she was in love with him because she was dressed up like a man and that must have fueled her passion for him even more. bringing me to believe that Viola really was in love with the Duke and not his title. It seems to me that each character finds it better to have secret love rather then the real thing. the theme continues into act 2. It is particuarlly noticeable with Malvolio. Besides the fact that Sir Toby, Sir Andrew and Maria are playing a trick on him, he was already fantasizing about Lady Olivia before he found the fake letter. So my point is that the theme of love in 12th night is really only what each character makes it.

the 2nd thing that we talked about yesterday pertaining to act 2 was role play. perfect example of this is Viola. Everyone thinks she is a man because she is dressed like one. Just like every one thinks Feste is a fool because he plays the part. what is the relevance of role playing in 12th night? I have comprised a line from act 2 to expound on my feelings of why roles are important in shaping the destiny of the characters in 12th night. the line that follows is in the fake letter written to Malvolio from Olivia. the significance of the line show great insight into the idea of role playing.


" In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em. "


We were talking about Feste yesterday and how he is "wise enough to play the fool." i think that is true because he knows what his role is and how far to take it. on the other hand, Viola has a very unpredictable role. how is really the fool here? Even know Feste isn't who he really is he can act that way because he knows who he really is. Feste has the option of playing many roles. Viola is trapped into pretending to be something she is not.


If the letter were truly from Olivia to Malvolio then what she was saying would be significant to the new role that Malvolio would be playing . He would no longer be a servant in Olivia's house but something much greater. This line is saying that how one presents one's self to the public eye is more important then who you are inside. That is why Malvolio gets tricked because all he cares about is titles. I think Malvolio is the real "gold digger" not Viola.

Are you there Mead Hall, It's Me, Whitney

Here is a picture of Anne Boleyn and then Sir Thomas Wyatt. I felt like Anne ended up being his muse in these sonnets.

First of the sonnets is “Whoso list to hunt”. When I first read it, I started out thinking that he was literally talking about the sport of hunting—for game. I felt that he was saying the hunting was a vain sport that had lost its luster and that “touch me not” meant that the deer belong to the wild and it should stay that way. Right as I finished the sonnet I questioned whether it was actually a deer or if he was writing about a woman. Then I referenced the footnotes and found that it was actually written about a woman—Anne Boleyn. This was really interesting to me because I had gone to the Tower of London in 2006 and saw where she was beheaded and never heard this piece of history about how she possibly was romantic with Wyatt. I do think that the poem insinuates that Anne was a wild/fun woman and I like that Wyatt had a personal connection with her and was able to portray that through his sonnet.
Upon reading “I Find No Peace”, I felt as though Wyatt was having a completely internal battle about his life and about his unhappiness, seeming to be caused by a woman—who I would imagine is Anne Boleyn again. I thought this poem was really beautiful, even though it has a sad message. Once I read the translation in prose and fully understood each line in sentence form I found the sonnet to be even more beautiful, such as:
“And naught I have, and all the world I seize on” being “and I grasp nothing and embrace all the world” in prose. Pretty deep stuff, I think.
“My galley” was really neat to me because he used all of the moving parts of a galley to describe his life and how he feels. I just feel so bad for him because he talks about being completely lost. He also talks about being a rock and a rock—also known as Scylla and Charybdis (I love Greek Mythology so I especially liked this sonnet because of how he incorporated that reference. I wonder if our modern day saying of “between a rock and a hard place” has any connection to that as well. It just seems like he feels like a beaten man the way he writes about “trusty fearfulness” and the “endless wind doth tear the sail apace”. I think he has been through a lot emotionally, loving someone who can never be his. When he says that he is “despairing of the port” in the last line, I think he just has no direction to his life, doesn’t know where to go next, and doesn’t know where he will end up. Honestly, who hasn’t felt like that at one point or another. I know with my hectic schedule I have certainly felt that way at times—especially this close to graduating and not knowing where my life will go from here.
Overall I really like the sonnets of Sir Thomas Wyatt, and I really felt the emotion that was apparent in his writing.

"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken and so die. That strain again, it had a dying fall. O' it came o'er my ear like sweet sound that breaches upon a bank of violets, Stealing and giving odor. Enough, no more, Tis not so sweet now as it was before" this open statement by Orsino set the tone for what is to come. People falling in love by what they see and feel at the moment. True love takes time and like anyother love experinece if you rush into it you never know what you have until it is too late. Orsino sends Viola to do his speaking through messages and thru this blindness of love he sends someone younger and beautiful never thinking about how this could backfire. I like the clown Feste because he seems to be in control of what is going on around him. " Good madona, why mournest thou? Good fool, for my brothers death answers Olivia. Feste says I think his soul is in hell, madona. Olivia-I know his soul is in heaven, and the clown says The more fool, madona, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. To take away the fool gentleman says the clown. I would have been pissed if that were me, Feste is playing the role of a fool yet this here makes you wonder who is playing who. I really like the verbage used to communicate in this story, it makes simple feeling sound like music.

cool video

I hope everyone will enjoy watching this video of 12th night act 1.

I think the quality of the film is awesome. Big ups' to the people who made it.

anyway if y'all enjoy it I'll post some more. enjoy

hey, if it skipps i'm sorry i don't know how to fix that.

Twelfth Night

I think this story is very comical. The whole idea of a female acting like a guy is funny in itself but then you throw in this whole twisted love triangle and its even funnier. The fact that Viola is falling in love with Orsino doesn't surprise me. Actually, that part was kind of predictable as soon as I found out she was going to disguise herself as a man. Of course they would have the woman who is acting like a man, fall in love with a man, it only makes the plot twisted which is what is almost always the case in plays, movies, and books. Then when Orsino had Viola deliver the love note to Olivia, again it was predictable that Olivia was going to fall for the man (Viola in disguise). You could tell from the beginning that it was going to be one big love triangle. Perhaps I guessed it because of the movie "Shes the Man" that we talked about in class. Although Dr. Kilgore said he didn't think that the plots were the same, I can definitely see the similarities. In fact I think that movie helped me better understand this play.
Then to make the play even funnier, Maria decides to play a practical joke on Malvolio, one of Olivia's house members. She wants Malvolio to think that Olivia is in love with him, so she writes a letter addressed to Malvolio that is supposedly from Olivia and talks about how in love she is with him. Of course Malvolio finds the letter and really thinks that Olivia is in love with him. All of this is so clever! I think that they are so funny and it reminds of somehting a group of highschool kids would do!
I actually really enjoy this play so far and I hope it just keeps getting better!

12th night act 1

Does anyone sympathize with Viola?

I like viola's character and I feel bad for her. She's ship wrecked in a foreign land and she thinks her brother's dead making her the only surviving member of her family. she is incredibly resilient. i can't believe that she would have the balls to dress up like a man to survive. that had to be hard for her to play the role especially after she fell in love with the Duke. Being a woman and having to conceal you true emotions can be a killer. she must have been going crazy in her head. I think that's why she said," to woo your lady yet a barful strife whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife." I watched the movie Alive last night and those young men did some crazy stuff to survive. If you've never seen it they revert to cannibalism to survive they were stranded for like 80 days with no food, who could blame them? it's either eat flesh or die of starvation. good thing Shakespeare decided to make 12Th night a love story and not an action thriller. I don't think it was morally wrong in this case for Viola to choose deception to survive. I think that if Viola hadn't been found out by someone else she would have eventually taken her disguise off because of the Duke. This makes me think of how one portrays themselves to others. in Violas world she was a woman acting like a man. everyone who mattered to her( the duke) thought she was something that she really wasn't a man. and she couldn't tell him other wise because she had to survive. she had a choice either survive being man and be unhappy or tell the truth and see what happens.

Utopia 2

our class discussion like 2 weeks ago about the 2nd book of Utopia was very interesting to me. Either people wanted to live there or they hated the place kinda like the wife of bath. what I want to know is : does that have to do with our individual personalities? I wonder if there's like a web site out there with test to tell you what type of personality you are based on if you like or dislike Utopia. just knowing that Utopia isn't real is assuring but Utopia does exist, in my mind.

" He posed a dilemma about Utopia: if the story is put forward as true, he said, then I see a number of absurdities in it; but if it's a fable, then it seems to me that in various respects More's usual good judgment is at fault"


I think that More is writing about the pope. he goes on the talk about how he criticized about the priests so that's where I draw that conclusion from. but anyway even if he is talking about the pope this letter is a part of the story which leads me to believe that the whole book has a deeper meaning. isn't Utopia supposed to mirror England or something like that. and isn't England a socialist country anyway? that's funny... that More wrote this long before England became socialist? I don't really know the history of England so I'm not sure if he did write this before England became socialist but it make sense. He must be like a psychic or something. maybe just a really good economist

if Utopia was a real place then it couldn't be as prefect as the book is making it out to seem. because nothing is perfect in the world. but if the story is false, why does he say the More's at fault? I think it's because he should be talking about the things that hes talking about in the way that he is in the book. he's like expressing his repressed anger in the form of a fictional novel. and the fact that common folk think that Utopia is a real place can be something to laugh at. maybe that's why the guy says he's at fault. More wrote that part of the story thought it just doesn't add up to me.

Utopia

"And the reason is that men whose minds are filled with false ideas of pleasure have no room left for true genuine delight. As a matter of fact, there are a great many things which have no sweetness in them, but are mainly or entirely bitter, yet which through the perverse enticements of evil lusts are considered very great pleasures, and even the supreme goal of life." (pg. 563)


I agree with the Utopian view point that chasing and putting ones hope in material things lead to destruction. But I wouldn't want to take it to the extrema in which the Utopians did. I thought it was cleaver that the slaves wore gold rings and earrings. And gold was repulsing to them. It's just the opposite of the glorified human nature. Putting ones self first and taking care of "number one". These people were the total opposite. The people did what was best for the whole while the whole, in turn, took care of the people. It's hard to kill ones flesh to live for something that is totally outside of ones own self. I guess that's what makes Utopia messed up and truly unrealistic because your always going to have that one person who says why?

Back to the statement above. I can relate to that statement because that is the same thing that the Bible says. When I became a Christian my whole view on the world changed. I no longer wanted to strive after material things like nice clothes, cars, and a lot of money. My life was destroyed by those things leaving me with nothing and no where to turn. Everything that I knew to be real was fake. It took a total destruction in my life for me to realize that there is a deeper meaning to why we are here and why we do the things we do every day and why we go about doing meaningless tasks to try to live "the good life". When really it's not living at all. Once I came to my wits end trying to " live the good life" I had to find a better way to live. Little did I know that it wasn't me who was trying to figure this out because I could have never figured out the stuff I know now by myself self . Isn't that what life's about? If you've never asked your self the question why am I here then you probably haven't come to the end of your self. I was just sick of getting high and drunk every day to make it though the day. "And the reason is that mens whose minds are filled with false ideas of pleasure have no room left for true genuine delight".

That is why I can relate to this statement so much because it is true in my own life. I believe to some degree the statement is true in everybody's life. Maybe you don't struggle with the same things that I struggle with but one way or another we all fall short. And we all come to realize that we are not self sufficient. That outside help is needed and sometimes and (in my case) it was a divine rescue that changed my life. If you had seen me two years ago you wouldn't have recognized me. I used to live on the street and you wonder why I am the way I am. Talk is cheap but the way we walk is reality. You and I haven't gone down the same path you've never walked in my shoes and I've never walked in yours but I do know one thing, we are all going to die. Where are you going to go when your life's over? I know where I'm going. A few years ago I would have told you I didn't know where I was headed if I died the next day because I did know anything about God and I wanted nothing to do with him. I was happy living the way I was and I didn't see anything wrong with it. i wasn't hurting anyone I was just trying to get by. It's different now, I will say that heaven and hell are real and you can't believe in one and not the other and there is no heaven for a "G".

What is the supreme goal in life? Mine used to be making the most money I could in the shortest and easiest way possible. Now, none of that matters anymore because I have been transformed by Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-8(ESV study Bible)
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Utopia book 1

"If you allow young folk to be abominably brought up in the characters corrupted, little by little, from childhood; and if then you punish them as grownups for committing a crime to which their early training has inclined them, what else is this, I ask, but first making them thieves and then punishing them for it" I really enjoyed book one, because I can see the use of these writings for some of our leaders to take notes. I see this happening in our society today with our youth, no one seems to care until one of these children rob someone you know or in your neck of the woods. Another saying I read which I believe would have made me a better leader "So I'd rather make an honest mistake than to say what I don't believe. In short, I'd rather be truthful than correct" which to me is a man willing to be corrected. I really like Moore and some of what he believes in even if the story is fiction. I really agree with his look at punishment for those who commit crimes, if you hang them no one gets s anything, but if you make them pay the family back, a form of restitution to wife and child while sentencing the thief to hard labor, away from others. "The criminals are treated so that they see the necessity of being honest, and for the rest of their lives they atone for the wrong they have done before" a chance for a new start. The last thing I want to talk about about was this line in Utopia and was hoping to get feedback from anyone who maybe was at a lost for words as I was. "The war corrupted their own citizens by encouraging lust for robbery and murder; and the laws fell into contempt because their king, distracted with the cares of two kingdoms, could not give neither one his proper attention" See ya tomorrow.

16th Century...Just catching up

Life is funny...
Henry VIII had a wife named Catherine who was unable to produce a son for him (she has six daughters, but only named mary survived) so he wanted to divorce her. The pope refused to grand the divorce because of Catherines powerful Spanish family. After two years the marriage was finally "null and void" and Henry remarried Anne Boyeln. Then after a short marriage from her he married Jane Seymour who was able to give him a son, Edward. When Henry died Edward was crowned King even though he was only 10-years old. The boy was sick though and died not long after becoming King. So guess who took the crown next??? Thats right Mary! Thats what Henry VIII gets for divorcing a woman because of she was uncapable to produce a son. It is not her fault that mother nature was not giving her a boy and she should not have had to go through that. Can you imagine how bad she probably felt? She probably felt it was her fault that she couldn't have a boy, then when Henry wanted to divorce her she probably felt 10 times worse about the fact that she couldn't even have a little boy to be crowned King. MEN!!! But like I said life is funny...

Utopia

This story is unlike all of the other stories we have read in many ways. First off it is an actual story and not an epic poem like the others. This story is a lot easier to read and understand unlike the others as well. The thing that struck me most about this story is that they view women differently than any other historic story I have ever read. For example, in the epic poems we have read women are very quiet, keep to themselves and do not have a lot of free will. However in Utopia, the women are allowed to do everything that we are allowed to do today. They can vote, work, become priests and they can fight. This is unheard of in any other story written in this time period.