Reflection Blog - Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)

Henry David Thoreau I think puts it best when he says, "that government is best which governs least," (Thoreau). His essay entitled "Civil Disobedience" revolves around the United States' government's corrupt stand on two major issues, slavery and war. Thoreau feels that slavery is morally wrong and he does not agree with the practices of such evils. In an act of protest, Thoreau refuses to pay taxes to the government. They (being the government) lock him up in jail overnight. "Civil Disobedience" provides readers with a number of themes. First, is the idea of justification for what is wrong and what is right. Thoreau feels that the government puts into place a number of rules and obligations that are not fail. He does not agree with the fact that American is going to war with Mexico over a dispute of land in a territory that ultimately belonged to Mexico in the first place. During the Mexican War, the United States gained two-thirds the size of American in territory from Mexico. We treated Mexico as the underdogs. They had no chance of winning a war against an army that outnumbered them, had better weaponry, and a good majority of the nation that supported them. Thoreau thinks that winning the internal "war" with the government is ultimately impossible. In part I of his essay, the author states that voting is like "that of gaming, like checkers or backgammon," (Thoreau). When one votes, they vote for who they believe is right, but Thoreau compares this mindset to making a move in checkers and that move you find to be the best at the time does not always result in the right one in the end. This comparison can be compared to government. Take for instance the Republican nomination occurring right now. Romney and the other candidates are enthralling the public with ideas of good deeds and public funding, but more than likely if we vote any of them (along with any other faction of presidency) into office, their great ideas will eventually fall through the floor. I love Thoreau's quote, "but we love better to talk about it: that we say is our mission," (Thoreau). This statement is boldly true. The issues of slavery during this time period was so blatantly ignored and tossed around that when the issue was finally resolved, it took a full-scale war to subside the issue. In one literary criticism by Brett Barney, he states that Thoreau's essay became a "precedent" for generations to come. Civil right's leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., and peace advocate Mohandas Gandhi used Thoreau's essay as support for the social issue in which they were addressing. He not only addresses the issue of slavery and war, but also includes an important theme of not letting the big guys in Washington have all the power simply because they possess obscure amounts of money and fame. Overall, Thoreau makes outstanding points in his work regarding one's moral obligation to stand up for what is right, regardless of the majority vote that holds back complete justification.

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "'Civil Disobedience'."Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Thoreau, Hendry D. "Thoreau's Civil Disobedience." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 26 Jan. 2012.

Journal #26 - Breakin the Rules

I think that there are a variety of scenarios when it is actually okay to break the law. If a homeless man has tried so hard to apply for a job but ends up down on his luck, I think that it would be okay to let his steal and break the law. This situation is extremely different from someone who goes to the grocery store and takes some type of item, puts it in their bag, then walks off with it simply for the reason of self sufficiency. Like everyone says, rules are meant to be broken. My opinion of what should be a law and what should not definitely fluctuates with that of the government. I think as a nation, we do pretty well helping our homeless and less fortunate, but sometimes there are always people who go unnoticed and are unable to provide for themselves sufficiently. Like Mr. Langley said in class, the case of a mother unable to provide for her child is not okay. In this case it is more than alright for her to steal, which in turn is breaking the law. Not now nor ever will I be an advocate for breaking the law time and time again, but when it is a healthy life or malnourished life on the hands of a mother, there is a sufficient amount of justification. I can say that I have "broken the law" more than once throughout my life. I have failed to wear a safety belt when driving down the street to church. I I have gone over the speed limit more than once on a variety of occasion. Most of my law mishaps have happened in a car, but overall there is no reason why they should have been broken. People say that going five over the speed limit is okay, and if you are only going down the block, then what is the problem of not wearing a seat belt? It is not okay do to these things, but in my case, I broke these rules because I simply felt they were not necessary. I think that when it comes to the overall well-being of the individual, breaking the rules is sometimes necessary.

Reflection Blog: The Minister in the Black Veil

One of the more famous writer's during the Dark Romanticism era was Nathaniel Hawthorne. His masterpiece "The Minister in the Black Veil" symbolizes sin and the human's natural inclination to disregard this so called "sin" and just go on with one's happy life. In the beginning of the story, one of the character's describes Mr. Hooper, a local pastor, and a peculiar black veil he wore while preaching a sermon. "How strange," said a lady, "that a simple black veil, such as any woman might wear on her bonnet, should become such a terrible thing on Mr. Hooper's face," (Hawthorne). It can be said that Hawthorne used Mr. Hooper's black veil as a symbol. First of all, the distinguishing color, black, sets the veil apart for a number of reasons. During the Dark Romanticism period, literature and the figures portrayed in said literature were, well...dark. Much like the color black has become a symbol of death and evil, the black in the pastor's veil symbolizes sin. Everyday sin, in my opinion, includes indulging one's self in worldly things, like watching too much television, focusing more on texting instead of reading the bible, or even disrespecting others around you. This type of behavior has become so accustomed to today's society that is hard to notice it blatantly day in and day out. Much like the veil Mr. Hooper wears, we as humans fail to see a sin that becomes a habitual part of our daily lives. This mindset so strongly reflects the Dark Romanticism era. Instead of portraying man as a happy and benevolent creature, writers began to demonstrate the evil that lurks and lingers in almost every individual. The black veil that Mr. Hooper wore and never took off made individuals in the town realize that a hidden sin lies behind everyone. The author intended to make a point, which is understanding that nobody is perfect and we all have secrets held captive by pride and justification. Toward the end of the short story, Mr. Hooper lies on his deathbed when a young minister asks if he will take off his veil one last time to reveal his face. Even in the midst of death, the pastor refuses to give up his veil. "'Never!' cried the veiled clergyman. 'On earth, never,'" (Hawthorne). I think that the town's people found Mr. Hooper to be a role model in a sense. He realized that on earth, he was a terrible sinner. He saw past the dark romantic of the era and accepted his sins wishing to show other's that no one was perfect. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Dark Romantic novel consists of characteristics such as evil, darkness, and death that defined the era as a whole. These qualities uniquely sets the dark romantic era from the previous romantic time period that too swept the country in literature, artwork, and society. The "dark veil" was no costume for poor Mr. Hooper. It was symbol for much more. As a pastor, he realized that the townspeople were losing faith and hope. I think he thought his dignified decision to never reveal himself from under the veil was very wise and admirable and teaches Hawthorne's audience that people may seem perfect on the outside, but on the inside they hide a great deal of "secret sin".

Hawthorne,, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1836." Eldritch Press. Web. 24 Jan. 2012

Journal #25 - Fear

I think that fear is a universal feeling that everyone gets. Whether someone is fearful of ghosts, bullying, or even failure, people all around the world have something that bothers them to the point where its scary. When I think of the word fear, I think of fear.net on OnDemand. They always have the stupidest and cheesiest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. I remember watching some movie called the Midnight Meat Train that was about a crazy and psycho guy that lived on a train and killed anyone who was on the train past two am. Stupidest plot in the whole entire world. The graphics were terrible in the production and the actors probably had the IQ of ehh...maybe zero. As far as what I am fearful of, I am scared of the dark outside at my house. It is the scariest thing. I am not lying. The freakiest thing is driving down Koke Mill at eleven o'clock at night seeing the fog gather in the dip of the bridge. I really hate writing this blog because it is so hard for me to come up with things that scare me. I am not scared of anything. I am so unfearful it is not even the slightest bit funny. I can say that I was scared out of my mind this weekend at the City tournament. We got booed out the student section because Springfield High School does not know how to be spiritful. I have made up so many words in this blog that I am fearful of my grammar. Is this 325 words yet? It is so scary how I feel like I have been typing forever then I only compile 272 words. It is probably the most frustrating thing in the whole entire world. Anyway, I am not so scared of much in my life. I guess I am perfect. This was a very interesting topic for a blog. Thanks, Mr. Langley.

Reflection Blog - Pit and the Pendulum

"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a short story written by the infamous Edgar Allen Poe. His story strongly reflects the Romanticism time period and has been highly debated and analyzed since its publication in the mid-1800's. During the Dark Romanticism era, less hope was put into man and more praise was given to mythology and nature. Also, many characteristics of man in literature during this time period involved demonic and ghostly characteristics. Poe says, "I saw the lips of the black-robed judges. They appeared to me white -- whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words -- and thin even to grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of firmness, of immovable resolution, of stern contempt of human torture," (Poe). In this quote, the narrator describes the man's imprisonment during the Spanish Inquisition. The "black-robed judges" symbolize somewhat of a demonic and evil being. These figures have the power to put the man to death or to save him and spare the prisoner his life. The Dark Romantics, like Mr. Poe himself, demonstrate how man can be crude and torturous toward fellow beings. This is different from the Romantic era because more hope and kindness is portrayed through man in this type of writing. Authors are not as harsh and instead decide to show the sensitive side of man instead of the raging angry side of man. Poe later describes the depths of the man's prison cell in very fine detail, also a characteristic of Romanticism. Poe uses a very effective image in the short story that realistically grabs readers attention. The description of Death hanging the pendulum (which later is the result of the narrator's death) represents our own lives. Death is the destination we all must meet. Some may fear death more than others, but as a whole, no one actually wants to die. It is a topic nobody tends to talk about at the dinner table, but we all know our fate will meet Death at some point in our lives. I think this image sets Poe's short story apart from many other works of literature of the time period because he so masterfully grasps a destination each and every one of us has to face one day. "Still, the prisoner's torment continues. The hot iron walls of his dungeon begin to close in, forcing him ever closer to the frightening pit" In this literary criticism, the author also hits the idea that Poe's character is awaiting his death. The symbolism of the walls caving in on the prisoner represents our number of years on this earth slowly declining each day. I think that Poe intends readers to think about this idea and just simply enjoy life. We all endure stress and drama, but do we take the time out of our day to smile and appreciate the fact we are still alive? I think that this short story is so masterfully created and stands for more than what is written in its context.

Poe, Edgar A. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Literature.org - The Online Literature Library. Web. 22 Jan. 2012.

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'The Pit and the Pendulum'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Journal #24 - A Time I Was Spooked

A time I remember being spooked was this past Halloween when I attended my first haunted house. I was scared out of my mind because I did not know what it would be like. I had previously been on haunted hayrack rides and knew what would happen on those. As we got to Terror on the Square, my heart started to race. A ghoul-guy came outside to scare people in the crowd. I will admit that his makeup was extremely scary, but his overall appeal was not even that bad. After about forty-five minutes, we finally reached the front of the line. It was time for us to go up the stairs into the building. My biggest fear about going into a haunted house was the fact that there are actual people trying to scare you in front of your face. The scary music in the background made it even more creepy because it left the mood in the room suspenseful and scary. We turned a corner in the building and began walking forward. We had a tour guide that told us the story about the building's history. We were told that the room we were in was used as a crematorium. In one part of the tour, our tour guide was swept away and we were left by ourselves to fend for our safety. We had to go in an elevator and a man with a dead-looking face crept into the small and confined spaces. He began to scare my friend Ashley and she was screaming and shaking. In scary situations like that, I laugh and make fun of the creepy people ultimately to make myself feel better. We eventually made it to the end of the tour alive, hair in a knot, makeup running down our face, and flip-flops broken. I had made it through my first haunted house and was definitely spooked out. I cannot wait until next year when I can go to even more houses that are haunted!

Reflection Blog: Poe Dark Romantic Poem

"The Bells" by Edgar Allen Poe regards life from its happy beginning, to its depressing and woeful end. This poem strongly reflects the Romanticism time period because of the powerful ending Poe gives the poem's last stanza. This stanza regards the "bells" representing iron bells that consist of a "melancholy menace of their tone" (Poe). Going back to the beginning of the poem, Poe starts out with a happy and cheerful stanza describing a wintry scene full of bells on that of a sled. This stanza can be highly compared with life in itself. When one is born, a new beginning awaits that individual. They have yet to make any mistakes and obtain any regret in their life. When one thinks of sleigh bells, they associate this noise with merriment and peace. As the poem continues, Poe describes growing up with the bells and their different uses. Stanza two demonstrates the bell's use as a wedding symbol. "What a world of happiness their world foretells!" says Poe in this stanza. Growing up, one longs to experience love and marriage. This unity between two individuals can easily be described using bells because "wedding bells" are often used as a symbol of yet another new beginning with someone's one true love. As the poem continues, the mood becomes darker and more suspenseful. This strong transition, where the bells no longer represent happiness and merriment, demonstrates the Dark Romanticism time period because this era in history regarded death, melancholy, and illness highly (Stade). As compared to the normal Romanticism period, "The Bells" does attribute the era's strong use of nature and life and death. Poe basically states in his poem the transition of beginning of life and how happy it is, to the end of life and the dreadful notion death brings to the table. I think that Poe's poem is very different than his other poems that represent the Dark Romanticism and Romanticism era because other works by Poe usually have one attitude and tone. This poem on the other hand distributes a variety of emotions of both ends of the spectrum. During Poe's time period, I think that the importance of accepting death in one's life was extremely important to individuals. The main reason this poem is "dark" is due to its brutal ending that blatantly says how the end of one's life tolls "iron bells" that are full of melancholy and sadness. Reader's go from being happy and positive to sad and negative simply because of the comparison Poe makes to bells and death. Thinking that bells can be used to describe the beginning of life to the end of life is a depressing feeling which left me over-analyzing everything. This technique by Poe is also another "dark" attribute in his poem. Overall, I enjoyed this poem by Poe because of its range of emotion. It shows how the Romantic period was based on feelings. Many works of literature focuses on one emotion at a time, whereas this poem by Poe contributes many feelings all within one poem. This variety of writing made Poe famous for his creepy and intellectual works of fiction.

"Edgar Allan Poe: The Bells." Poetry Lovers' Page. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.

Stade, George, and Karen Karbiener. "romanticism."Encyclopedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Journal #23 - Scary Movies/Stories

I know for me, I get scared pretty easily, so producers and authors do not have a hard time accomplishing their goal of making their work scary and enticing to their audiences. For a movie or book to be scary, it needs to be suspenseful. Eerie music in the background always add to the appeal of the scene. If someone is sneaking up on another character, quiet music being played that quickly speeds up and gets louder as the suspense rises always catches my attention. I think that it would be easier for someone to make a movie scarier than a book. With a film production, lighting can be used to its full effect, along with make-up, music, and other noises that contribute to the horror of the show. Just the other night I watched "The Omen" for the first time. Because it is an older movie, the music that was used was mainly strings and percussion instruments. In my opinion, creepy and old music like that used in this movie is the ultimate ingredient for a scary movie. Even in parts that I felt the need to hide behind a pillow, I was still on the edge of my seat because of the noises in the background. Another thing I think added to the scariness of the movie was the make-up. Most of the make-up the producers had to use was fake blood because a lot of characters in the movie end up dying. This effect allows for the audience to get "grossed out", which makes it even more creepy. As far as scary books are concerned, it is a lot harder for authors to portray horror through writing. Some techniques authors use a lot of the time are short and choppy sentences. This method of writing causes the reader to speed up when reading either aloud or in their head. A lot of poems I have read have used this appeal. The faster I read a story or poem, the more suspenseful the scene in my head plays out. I think that poet Walt Whitman does a good job of this effect in his many horrific and terrifying poems.

Journal #22 - Iambic Pentameter Poem

The snow falls to the ground all day in town

Children jump and laugh as they sled far down

We all see them have so much fun for hours

As mounds and mounds of snow become tall towers

The sound of laughter fills the air all day

No one will stop until the month of May

I grab a sled and head for tops of hills

It's hard to keep my joy held back so still

The thrill of flying down the knoll so fast

Seems as if the time will not ever pass

The cold air hits my face so nice and cold

It makes me feel like life is now on hold

I love to hit each bump and rock so fast

It makes the joy of sledding always last

As daylight falls below the mountain peak

Hats and gloves and sleds we begin to seek

Now we head home to warm our arms and legs

We're tired and want now to rest our heads

The day was full of so much joy and fun

We sled and sled until the day was done

I can't wait to go out again so soon

Next time we can sled 'til we see the moon

But now I must sleep the nighttime away

And dream of sledding all day ev'ry day

Journal #21 - Describe a Snowy Scene

As I look out of the window, I see the snow fall down quietly onto the ground. The road in front of my house is magnificently covered in a white layer of fluffy powder that resembles that of clouds in the sky. I love walking outside and feeling the cold, brisk air hit my face. As I walk through the Wintry wonderland, I notice the sound of the snow crunch beneath my boots. My favorite part of Winter is seeing the environment change significantly. The trees become really bare, and before December 25th, everyone is in a good mood for the Holiday season. Houses become lit up with bright and color Christmas lights, ranging from all types of blues, reds, and greens. The smell of warm cookies fill everyone's house, especially nights before the big day. At our house, we put up a big tree and decorate it with pink and red lights that are eye-popping. The sparkling tinsel hangs from the trees branches as it dangles in the light. We always light Christmas-scented candles so throughout our house, the smell of Evergreen and Fireside Yankee candles fill the air. When there is snow outside, everything is so much brighter. Having the shades open in our windows allows the bright white fluff to illuminate our house. Playing in the snow used to be such a momentous event in our house. We would all dress up in our thick snow pants, put on our heavy boots, and bundle up our faces with layer upon layers of scarfs and hats. The first moment you walk outside, you hear the snow crunch, but that seems to be the only noise beyond that. All of mother nature is hidden away, burrowed far beneath the ground or in shelters made of branches and twigs. In front of our house, we have five evergreen bushes. Whenever there is snow covering them, they look like a typical winter painting of trees with their branches weighted down by mounds of snow. The Winter season is by far my most favorite time of year (until I get sick of the cold) mainly because the snow makes everything so much better.