3-01 The Imaginary Invalid

I attended Southeastern’s production of The Imaginary Invalid and watched the entire play.
My grandmother always used to take me to see The Nutcracker when I was younger so I've had a little bit of exposure to theatre but I haven't had much. I have, however, enjoyed the plays I have seen. Watching The Imaginary Invalid was a great experience and it has given me a new appreciation for theatre. It really is literature being played out right in front of you. I was able to engage and experience the material in a new way through being able to watch it acted out. This was really cool for me because I could see the reactions of the people in the story and better picture what was happening.
One of my favorite parts of the play was when Cleante and Angelique sang the opera song for Argan, Mr. Diafoirus, and Thomas Diafoirus. In this scene, Cleante was telling a story of a father who denied his daughter’s wishes to marry the man she loved and forced her to marry another separating them forever. Cleante was referring to Argan in this opera but he did not catch on. Argan began exclaiming what a horrible thing that was to do; blind to the fact that he was doing that very thing to his daughter. This was a reflection on how many people react sometimes in reality. We look at a situation and make judgments of other people and their actions but when we are in a similar situation we expect that people should view it differently. This scene showed the irony in what Argan says and what he does but it is also something that many people encounter every day.
I really enjoyed this play because it told the story of two lovers with humor and in a way that is relatable to all. I also liked that many different types of art were incorporated into this production including acting, dance, instruments, and singing.

2-24 When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd is a poem that explains the sadness and grief experienced by its author after the death of President Lincoln. President Lincoln was a very dear president to many at the time of his assassination and much of the nation was mourning at the news. One of the lines that stuck out the most to me was when Walt Whitman wrote
"O what shall I hang on the chamber walls?
And what shall the pictures be that I hang on the walls,
To adorn the burial-house of him I love?"
As I read this and thought about what it meant I found it to be Whitman wondering how he could remember all the great things President Lincoln has done and capture them in something as simple as a picture. Though a picture can say a thousand words sometimes, I believe it can also leave out so many more. Especially at such a sad time as death. When someone dies those close to that person want so badly to remember the person; their personality, their accomplishments, and what they meant in their life. It becomes very hard to acknowledge and remember all that a person has accomplished. With all the great things Lincoln did for our country Whitman, in saying this, was recognizing the incredible impact Lincoln has had on America and saying that it is not possible to simply sum all these events up in a picture. Lincoln’s life had so much meaning to so many and it is impossible that it could all be wrapped up in a photograph. In the line before this Whitman said
“These and with these and the breath of my chant,
I’ll perfume the grave of him I love.”
Here he is saying that he will share the accomplishments of his friend in order to honor the name and office of Lincoln. Whitman had a great respect for President Lincoln and the progress and growth he encouraged and led as president. The respect and adoration Whitman had for Lincoln is very evident in this poem as he grieves and comes to terms with the death of a loved one.

2-22 Blogging

I see many connections in the blogging instructions and the activities we do in class. Perhaps the biggest connection is working in small groups. While discussing a piece of literature in small groups we are engaging texts with ourselves and with others. This is much like blogging because in blogging we interact with the text in our own way just as we do when we share in the small groups. We also get feedback and opinions from others which is similar to reading the blog posts of others which is a requirement for every Friday. And just as we must comment on our classmates' blogs we also respond to our group members' comments and interpretations of the literature. I also see connections with the ideas about reading we've discussed in class. For example, when we read the poem The Traveling Onion we also discussed methods of interpreting this poem and finding its meaning. We also go through this process as we are writing our blog post.
Blogging does a great job in extending the reading process because it forces me to actually analyze the text and search for its meaning. If we did not have to do a blog post I may simply read the text and not go much further than that but since I know I have to do a post I make sure to engage in the text as I'm reading by writing comments and making connections to other literature I've read. I also reread some passages sometimes if I feel I didn't quite get what the author was trying to say. This has worked really well for me. Even though it requires a lot more work and time it is very beneficial and I am able to learn so much more. It is also a big help knowing that Professor Corrigan is not looking for "perfection." Through participating in the blog posting I have learned that "writing is a process" as Professor Corrigan says in his Guide to Blogging. Seeing this has also helped me to engage my ideas better because I know that all my posts and ideas don't have to be perfectly explained and argued.

Cemetery

I went to the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemetery complex for this fieldtrip, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes.

2-17

I am using a pass.

2-15 Deeper meaning of works

"And in that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; and a spring will go out from the house of the Lord to water the valley of Shittim." Joel 3:18

I really enjoyed painting in class the other day. Though I’m not the best painter ever I was able to see the text of Joel in a new way. Through painting a response to a part of the passage I had to think about it and what I thought it meant. This allowed me to further interpret the literature and find its meaning. Taking the time to dive into a piece of literature and dig out its meaning is something I do not do often enough. I usually just read a text and take it at its face value. Though you can gain something from this it is not near as much as if you were to tear it apart and find the ideas and meanings behind the words and phrases. I would like to try to do this more often because there is so much more that I can learn from what I read if I just take the time to go a little deeper in my reading.
I also learned through reading the poem The Traveling Onion that it is important to look for the meanings hidden behind phrases. The first few times I read this poem I thought it was simply what it seemed; a poem about an onion. As I thought about it, however, I realized that it most likely has a deeper meaning. I read it a few more times trying to find out what it could mean. As one student began describing what he thought the poem meant I began to see the poem come to life. After I heard what he said about the poem I had a totally different perspective on it. I no longer thought it was a silly poem about a vegetable but I saw it as an amazing piece of literature with a very deep and real meaning.

2-10 Joel

On Monday in class we were able to discuss reading Scripture as literature. I really enjoyed this discussion and learning what can come out of reading Scripture as literature. I also enjoyed reading the book of Joel in a circle. In doing this I was able to better visualize what the author was saying. The author of this book uses a lot of imagery and descriptions that make it easy to picture what is being described.
An example of such imagery and description is where it says “So rejoice, O sons of Zion, and be glad in the Lord your God; for He has given you the early rain for your vindication and He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.” When I read this I could picture the rain falling down on the ground bringing life and color to it. And the land growing and producing an abundance of grain with grain growing all around and a new sense of life and renewal all around.
I also really enjoyed the part that said “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord with be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.” The author of Joel not only describes the physical beauty and restoration the Lord brings but he also describes the spiritual beauty the Lord brings. The joy and redemption He gives to His people and their reward for being faithful.
All in all, I really found the descriptive words in this book most interesting. How the author painted such a vivid picture of the destruction and ruin of this land and then goes into its restoration and the beauty it brings forth.

2-8 Book of Joel

This book paints an incredible picture of what the end times will be like. Though no one knows exactly what will take place in the last days there are many prophesies of horrible destruction. Many people have left God out of their lives and want nothing to do with Him. For those it will be a time of punishment but for the faithful and the followers of Christ it will be our reward. Many people say the day of the Lord's return is coming soon and they have been saying it for years. I love to read about how God takes the destruction and ruin caused by sin and human nature and turns it into beauty for His people. All throughout the Bible it talks about the love and compassion of God and even in the books of prophesy about the end times God is crying out for His people to turn to Him that the may not be destroyed. Reading books like Joel always makes me more aware of how important it is that we are always praying for loved ones and always doing the work of God that we may win others to the Lord and further His kingdom. The Lord's return is a topic of much concern for some. The picture painted can seem scary and alarming to those who don’t have a close relationship with the Lord. But it is a joy to know that through living a life of love for my Creator I need not worry that I don't know when it will occur. I simply must keep my eye on Christ and His salvation and the prize of living in eternity with Him. Singing praises to my God.

2-3 The Things They Carried

1) Lieutenant Cook very distracted by an unrealistic love.
2) Knowingly seeking after love that he knows won’t be returned.
3) For Cook it’s as if the pain of realizing over and over that his fantasies will never happen was not as painful as the reality of the destruction, war, and loneliness he was surrounded by it reality.
4) Held on to a false idea.
5) Many hold on to things we know will never happen or that are very unlikely as a way to keep us from reality.
6) Cook seems to use the notes and thoughts of Martha as distraction from the gloom and depression of the war surrounding him.
7) Cook allowed his obsession interfere with his duties and soon found himself feeling very guilty.
8) Took the death of one of group members to awaken Cook to the fact that he was neglecting his job.
9) The writer put great emphasis on the extra things that everyone carried. Saying that they all had objects that allowed them to escape the reality of their situation. It’s as though the war was too much for all of them. They all wanted to escape to a different place.
10) The writer went in great detail on the weight of everything they carried. Even their equipment. This further emphasized how big and burdensome the load they were carrying was. He mentions not only physical things they carry put memories and worries as well.
11) It seems as though none of the men are fully present. They all seem to be disconnected mentally. Physically they are there daily performing the same routine. But mentally they all try to escape. If they don’t they would just be overcome by fear.
12) There seemed to be so much oppression and burden carried by these men. They were scared to death but they were even more scared to admit their fear. When the issue of death came up they simply laughed it off. Made jokes to avoid the seriousness and the realization of their fear.
13) I think all of us are like this in many ways. We are so weighed down by all our memories and fears. To afraid to let them go or express them. Like the sad lifeless soldiers I believe we too become lifeless and disconnected to a certain extent when we don’t allow ourselves to express and show our fears. Everyone has fears and to cover them up just makes the burden so much deeper for the person.