"Golden Grove" by Sergei Esenin
"Golden Grove" has a somewhat depressing tone. I think that the "golden grove" itself may be a metaphor for life or something else that has a lot of meaning to the speaker. In the beginning the speaker says that the golden grove has "fallen silent" and that it has no reason to speak or function any longer. The speaker also describes himself as now being alone in in a "naked flatland" or "bare expanse," which means that he feels alone without the golden grove. Though he seems to be depressed, he does recognize that he cannot live with regret. The fifth stanza may be more upbeat, saying that "grasses will survive." The ending, in my opinion, means that if everything is destroyed (the leaves and grasses in the poem may be a metaphor for the things in his life) it is because the golden grove fell silent.

Hills Like White Elephants-
"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway is an interesting short story. It begins with a somewhat boring conversation between a man and woman and all of a sudden the man says, "It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig" (126). The conversation then turns into the man convincing his girlfriend/wife (not sure?) to get this operation, and the woman seems to want to as long as it will make him happy and make him love her again. The "operation" is an obviously an abortion, even though they do not come out and say it. The rest of the story is basically an argument between the couple, and the woman clearly lets the man know that she does not want to go through with it. The man still tries to convince her. The conversation going on between the couple clearly shows that the man has more power than the woman in the relationship. In the end, she acts "fine" and "happy," but it is clear to the reader that she is not. My guess is that she is going to have the abortion. This story is somewhat depressing because from the beginning one can see that the couple is not a happy one. The woman wants more than she is recieving from the man, and the man dominates her. It is an unfortunate situation.

Homework for 1/29:
1. I like the first translation (in the left column) the best of the two poems. The second poem seems more modernized and this poem was most likely written in the early 1900s according to when the author was alive. The first poem, in my opinion, has a better flow and sounds more poetic and uses more colorful language. For example, the first line of the fourth stanza in the first poem is ""There is no point lamenting squandered years" while the second poem's translation reads "I don't regret the years that I have wasted." The first translation sounds more like a poem should and leaves more room for analyzing, etc.

Free-Write

Shephard: sheep, herding, pastures, nature, guidance, order, leading, fields, dog helping shephard, religious shephard, lamb, shephard of God, religion, ability to herd and lead others in right direction, ability to lead and train animals

Desert: dry, death, sand, cactus, no water, dehydration, lifeless, hot

Universe: includes everything, goes on forever, infinite, never ending, space, planets, stars, black, encompassing, huge

Warm-Up and Freewrite

Definitions:
1. Close reading in my definition is literally reading the materially closely and finding meaning beyond the words on the page. This means interpreting the words as not only what they simply say but what they mean and what point the author is trying to get across. In order to do close reading one must read between the lines.
2. In my words, pastoral is an adjective meaning fatherly and guiding and often refers to priests and pastors. A pastoral person is someone who looks over others in a guiding and helping way.
According to the OED, pastoral is:

I. A person or thing associated with spiritual care.
1. a. A book on the care of souls. Obs. Originally chiefly (in plural) with reference to the title of St Gregory's Cura Pastoralis.
2. A pastoral staff, a crosier. Now rare.
II. A person or thing associated with the tending of livestock.
3. a. A literary work portraying rural life or the life of shepherds, esp. in an idealized or romantic form.
c. A rural and idyllic scene or picture.
6. a. A shepherd, a herdsman. b. Austral. A sheep or cattle farmer; a pastoralist. Obs. rare.

B. adj.
I. Relating to the tending of livestock.
1. a. Of or relating to shepherds or their occupation; relating to or occupied in the care of flocks or herds; (Austral. and N.Z.) spec. engaged in or relating to the farming of livestock as opposed to the production of crops.
b. Of land or countryside: used for pasture; (Austral. and N.Z.) spec. of or related to land used for the farming of livestock (as opposed to land used for arable farming).
b. Of a landscape, scene, etc.: having a simplicity or natural charm associated with pastureland.
II. Relating to spiritual care.
3. a. Of or relating to a pastor or minister; concerned with the spiritual care of a Christian congregation or community.
b. Educ. Of or relating to the care or responsibility of a teacher for a pupil's general well-being.

2. In my mind, a nymph (noun) is a mythical female creature that dwells in nature and is desired by men and other male creatures found in nature. OED's definition of a nymph:

Chiefly Classical Mythol. Any of a class of semi-divine spirits, imagined as taking the form of a maiden inhabiting the sea, rivers, mountains, woods, trees, etc., and often portrayed in poetry as attendants on a particular god. A prostitute; a woman regarded as a means of sexual gratification; A beautiful young woman; a maiden, a damsel.

3. In my own words, a mistress (noun) is a female who is used for sexual purposes only, usually to married men. A mistress is a woman that a man uses, even when married, for sex. I think that this term was more common earlier in history.
OED:
The female head of a family, household, or other establishment; a woman holding such a position in conjunction with a male counterpart. A woman having control or authority. A woman who employs others in her service; a woman who has authority over servants, attendants, or slaves.

6-D and 6-E in Strategies

6-E: The word grandmother is a word that has a lot of meaning for me. I only have known one grandmother (my mom's mom) because my dad's mom was deceased before I was born. My grandmother has always meant a lot to me because she has always been there at family events and is always entertaining and fun. She also makes everyone feel loved by giving compliments often.

6-D: In "Black Elvis" (66-74), the main character's name, Black Elvis, has an obvious connection to the character. He is an African American Elvis impersonator. His name is an exact definition of what he does. In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," (102-115) the character June Star's name seems to relate to her physical appearance. O'Connor describes her as having a yellow head. This description of her blonde hair makes her sound summery, much like the month of June.

Response to "The Passionate Shephard to His Love"
This poem is a profession of love. The very first line "Come live with me and be my love" automatically lets the reader know that this will be a romantic poem. The speaker in the poem shares with his lover all that they will do together and the things that he will provide for her. Many of the elements mentioned in the poem are found in nature (fields, hills, posies, wool, ivy, etc.) which makes the poem feel genuine and sincere to the reader. The speaker in this poem obviously wishes to live in a carefree almost utopian type world where there will be nothing between him and his lover.

Response to "The Nymph's Reply to the Shephard"
This poem is a response to "The Passionate Shephard to His Love." This poem takes on a very different tone. It is much more serious and sensible as opposed to being as carefree as the shephard. The nymph recognizes that everything cannot be perfect, that flowers fade, and that sadness occurs in every relationship. She also replies that if things could be the way the shephard wished, she would live with him and be his love; however, things are not. This poem is much more negative than the first and includes words such as whither, rotten, sorrow, forgotten, etc.

Response to "A Man Said to the Universe"
This poem was brief but had a lot of meaning. The "man" is desperate for someone to take notice of him. He speaks to the "universe," but this could be interpreted as him wanting to be noticed by a couple of people in particular or that he really feels that the universe or world does not realize his existence. The exclamation point in "Sir, I exist!" really gives the line a feel of hopelessness and a need to be recognized. The reply of the "universe" is almost comical and lets the man in the poem know that even though he desires to be noticed, no one is concerned with his problem. The reply, "The fact has not created in me/a sense of obligation" clearly tells the man that the "universe" does not feel the need to notice him. This poem seems to be a reflection of the way the author may have been feeling at a particular time in his life. Everyone probably feels unnoticed at some point or another.

Homework Questions for 1/22/08

4. A genre is a category used to name and identify a text with consistent and familiar features.
12. Context is the who, what, when, and why that surround every word, image, or artifact.
17. Perspective is the illusion of depth in paintings.
18. Point of view is the "camera angle" as defined by photographers.
19. The Wall Street Journal uses hedcuts rather than photographs to reflect the philosophy of the paper and its focus on hard news.