A Farewell To False Love- Sir Walter Raleigh

Context: We all can  recognize Raleigh as the capital of North Carolinaasically artifical and such. It's interesting. His poem condems love as but it seems that he was really a romanticist himself. He married Queen Elizabeth's lady in waiting without her consent (even though he had great favor from the queen from being knighted by her, and recieving a royal patent to colonizethe americas with). Wouldn't the sole purpose of that be true love? Once the news became widespread, they were banished to the Tower of London together. (thanks wiki)

False Love is the enemy in the poem. The trick is seeing what Raleigh defines as false love.

Farewell false love, the oracle of lies, - an interpreter of lies
A mortal foe and enemy to rest, - basically just evil/ fluff
An envious boy, from whom all cares arise, - tricky. i would say that it would be that the boy was only    
 envious,  and that is where the supposed "care" stems from. Not from the real importance of the person.
A bastard vile, a beast with rage possessed, - morally wicked illegitimate person. as if their desires were so foul that there existence itself was unnecessary. a raged beast.
A way of error, a temple full of treason, - The defilement of a sacred place due to the betrayal of its people.That could be a false love, the appearance of dedication to a practice, and then the opposite of its teachings actually go on. ironic.
In all effects contrary unto reason. - the opposite of reason. now that's a pretty big statement. I guess passionate and impulsive thought and action.
A poisoned serpent covered all with flowers, - false friend, deceiver
Mother of sighs, and murderer of repose, - killer of a confidence in. murderer of a trust.
A sea of sorrows whence are drawn such showers - would that be the maker of the sea of sorrows?
As moisture lend to every grief that grows; - the sea gets bigger as the grief does.
A school of guile, a net of deep deceit, - the teaching of sly intelligence
A gilded hook that holds a poisoned bait. - well a hook will already kill the fish. poisoned bait, its like an unnecessary double kill. Maybe its the idea of it being a sure death, like the only goal.
A fortress foiled, which reason did defend, - A place of reason and a just truth was destroyed
A siren song, a fever of the mind, - crazy thoughts, Haimen's whispering
A maze wherein affection finds no end, - Well. I can tell he was a protestant, my god. A never-ending place, where affection never ends. Well I'm guessing when he said affection, he meant the physical aspect of it. sex is evil.
A raging cloud that runs before the wind, - the leader or most zealous participant of a bad thing.
A substance like the shadow of the sun, - that's interesting. well, there is no shadow of a sun. only light protrudes from the sun. The shadow of the sun must be a dark side or opposite being. the substance has to be just black and utter darkness.
A goal of grief for which the wisest run. - an end with sure meeting of sorrow and even the smartest run to. could be an opinion of love itself. maybe war.
A quenchless fire, a nurse of trembling fear, - helper of inducing utter fear
A path that leads to peril and mishap, - bad path.
A true retreat of sorrow and despair, - *****good thing? questionable as to why this is here.
An idle boy that sleeps in pleasure's lap, - innocence given to pleasure. aka corruption.
A deep mistrust of that which certain seems, - mistrust of the certain. general doubt.
A hope of that which reason doubtful deems. - reason most likely won't deem as true.
Sith* then thy trains my younger years betrayed, [since] - younger years betrayed by false love
And for my faith ingratitude I find; -
And sith repentance hath my wrongs bewrayed*, [revealed] - he repeated his wrongs
Whose course was ever contrary to kind*: [nature] - my course was contrary to nature's intent
False love, desire, and beauty frail, adieu. - goodbye false love, desire, and beauty that won't last, goodbye.
Dead is the root whence all these fancies grew- I'm done with false love.

He says certain things that are false love and then he also compares things to false love by coming up with awful things. Maybe he decided to write this poem when he chose to marry his wife. He was probably supposed to marry someone else in those times and he was done with the idea of following something he didn't believe in anymore. It's not about the untrue love of a person per say, but more the idea of doing something that you don't believe in and how that is utterly wrong. Haha john would appreciate this poem to back up his theories on war and bundling.

The American Dream Comparison: A Raisin In The Sun & The Great Gatsby

 "Scott Fitzgerald and Lorraine Hansberry: The Debbie Downers On The American Dream"

When asked what makes up “the American Dream” two things come to mind: get rich and have a happy stable family. Within the two novels, “A Raisin in the Sun,” and “The Great Gatsby,” each shows, through the actions of the characters, the strife in pursuit of these goals.

                Both books express the “get rich or die trying” scheme. In “A Raisin in the Sun,” all of the characters aren’t happy about where they live (the south side of Chicago) and how they’re treated by society. Money is portrayed as the ticket to solving all of their problems: it allows for Benetha to finish medical school, for mama to have the house she’s always wanted, and for Walter to gain respect. Over the years, Walter devised schemes for getting rich quick, and failed. Everything immediately changes when the family’s father dies, and they inherit his life insurance. This large sum of money opens up opportunities that seemed impossible beforehand. In the end of the novel though, Walter realizes money comes second to teaching morals to his son. The idea of becoming rich associates itself with corruptness because of the shady dealings and liquor that Walter wants to invest the money in.

                This isn’t exactly how Gatsby feels in “the Great Gatsby.” Gatsby was a janitor and was raised on a farm when he was younger. He was a poor kid, wanting to become a rich man when he grew older. Upon meeting the caption of big yacht, and being taken under his wing, he became cultured and knowledgeable in the ways of the world. Investing his money in drugstores (similar to Walter, who wanted to invest in liquor stores), he slowly gained his fortune. To keep his fortune however, he had illegal dealings in order to gain more money. Gatsby is unsatisfied once he reaches his goal of becoming wealthy. He throws these lavish parties at his home, and he sits in a corner away from others, day dreaming that his lost love might show up. In fact, it is later revealed that the point of where his house was and all his nice things, were to impress a woman named Daisy. Once Gatsby and Daisy do reconnect, he stops throwing the parties. Although Gatsby was able to become wealthy, Walter was the smarter than him because of his quicker realization that money isn’t everything.  

                That leaves us with the more important of the two: a stable and happy family. This is something that is strived for in both novels profusely. Mama in “A Raisin in the Sun” wants a house, so that she can see her family together and happy. Walter realizes the importance of this at the end of the novel when he turns down a large sum of money in exchange for not moving into a house in a white neighborhood.  By turning this offer down, the family also taught Walter’s son the importance of standing up for what you believe in. These types of lessons are what make up a cohesive and happy household because it allows for everyone to be on the same moral value standard.

                In “the Great Gatsby,” Gatsby wants desperately to have a family with Daisy. Once he does reconnect with her, he tries to relive the past. Once Daisy’s husband Tom finds out about their love, he becomes outraged. On the very same day, Daisy and Gatsby crash a car into Tom’s mistress myrtle, killing her instantly. Tom then tells Mr. Wilson (Myrtle’s wife) that the driver was Gatsby (when it was actually Daisy), and then Mr. Wilson shoots Gatsby dead. Daisy thought she was going to live the American dream when she married Tom. She would become a wife, a mother, and live in a big house. After a few years she realizes it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Gatsby’s failed attempt at a happy family is a big heart wrench for the readers of this novel.

                In the end, these two authors write about the strife for the “American Dream,” but leave the actual achievement in shambles. “A Raisin in the Sun,” leaves the reader without knowing what happens at the house they move into and that the getting rich doesn’t matter/is only achievable with bad intentions. Yes, they are on living on same moral example which allows for short term happiness, but who’s to say that won’t change. Especially under the social pressures they’ll be faced with when they have to deal with the racist white people in the new community. The whole “get rich scheme” is shot down from the beginning of the novel, with silliness associated with Walter’s liquor store investment ideas. In “The Great Gatsby,” we can see from the types of characters who attend Gatsby’s get togethers, Gatsby, and Tom and Daisy, that being rich isn’t all that awesome. The main thesis the novel gives is that it brings corruptness to innocent people.  Another strike for the American dream. Any attempt at a happy family is severely shot down in this novel too, with Gatsby’s death, Nick’s disregard for Ms. Baker, Tom and Daisy’s marriage, etc.  At the end of these two novels, the reader is only left with one conclusion: the “American Dream” is unachievable.  

But hey, I guess there’s a reason why it’s referred to as a dream. A dream is something that occurs during sleep. A person can’t live in a dream, but only be there for a few moments. A person can’t be happy forever is a point these authors try to convey with the unsuccessfulness of the character’s pursuits. The dream of being rich forever is accompanied with the notion that it is only possible through moral corruption and/or illegal dealings.

Words: 954

Comparison On Persuasiveness

Although "The Crisis," by Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention," are both persuasive, Patrick Henry's is more due to its compelling rhetoric and to the point analysis.
When reading, "The Crisis," by Thomas Paine, I felt as if I came across many conflicting arguments. For example he states that God won't leave men to die by war. This is just inherently false, men die all the time in war. He later says in the speech that on every side of war there is never a more just side than the other. That conflicts when he calls upon everyone to support the Americans. How can he say the Americans have a just cause when he just said that isn't possible in war? That argument also conflicts with the last portion of his speech when he says there is no clear winner of reasoning in any war. Overall it was a read I didn't agree with and was confused about. Patrick Henry's speech was completely different. He starts out with a big claim that his thesis of his argument is freedom vs slavery, which drew me in. He always defends his cause as just, basically saying it's a bad idea to start a war with happy, smart, and compliant people. Henry also states the american's previous actions against Europe's injustices of which, no repercussions have been made. It also always helps to gain support from people by stating that God's on his side. The last line of his speech, "Give me liberty or give me death!" is so rhetorically powerful that it resonates within the listener. That is a quote that I remembered well more than any line in "The Crisis."

Words: 283

The American Dream

The American Dream of moving through society from the "bottom up" is a thought that has resonated in the minds of American citizens since the 19th century. In the mid 1850s, many immigrants came to the Americas to start anew based off of the lack of a strict hierarchical social system.  This common ground significantly decreased the distinction between social classes, allowing more social mobility. America became the country, "where dreams come true." Instead of being born into a system that had no mobility, a man could move up in status based off of his hard work. This idea of honor and hard work has been recently been magnified onto students in the US. Every kid in elementary school is a fish in the same net. Since I was a little kid, the goal of an ivy league education has been drilled into me like hammer to nails. My mother was a single parent, unsatisfied with her mediocre living standards, so I grew up being told I could do anything. Well, anything if I worked hard enough for a scholarship.  I know that I'm not unique in this way. Going to a school like Whitney, many kids strive to take the hardest possible classes with the potential for the best possible grade; regardless of their own interests that don't benefit the god sent piece of paper that determines the rest of your life college application. Whether school administrators accept this obvious community consensus is beside the point. I have big dreams; dreams that I know can only be accomplished by hard work. The difference between today and the 19th century is that instead of it being applied into adulthood with movement within job positions, it's now hammered into the minds of middle and lower class children as the only option of success. 

Words: 301

Nature Portfolio- Responses to Atlantic Readings

Nature Portfolio- Response to Atlantic Readings

Read

The American Forests- John Muir

The Sound of Trees- Robert Frost

The Divine Soil- John Burroughs

            I read “The American Forests” by John Muir, “The Sound of Trees” by Robert Frost, and “The Divine Soil” by John Burroughs from the Atlantic Magazine readings. I think the main focus of all of these together is that a person should be proud of and respect where they are from.

            In “The American Forests” the essay is mostly about how Americans killed all of the trees. He describes that the to God, “they were the best he had ever planted.” He goes on to talk about how when the white people came into North America they had no idea what they doing. He states that “any fool can destroy trees,” and urges the government to stop all the destruction of them. He believes that we should respect nature and that our trees were something to be proud of.

            In “The Sound of Trees” by Frost, the poem says how the trees make “forever the noise” about trying to leave, but never going. He then goes onto say that this encourages us to leave places like when he says, “My feet tug at the floor and my head sways to my shoulders.” He is annoyed at the endless chatter the trees make about leaving. This relates to the big theme because this author wants the trees to like where they are from and not complain.

            Written by John Burroughs, “The Divine Soil” begins with how Darwinism affected people. He says, “Most people were shocked by the thought; it was intensely repugnant to their feelings.” He thinks people look upon nature now as “caste and cheapened.” The distaste of natural things by regular people upsets him very much. Overall he wants doesn’t want people to dislike where they come from, but relish in it and respect it.

            In conclusion “The American Forests” by John Muir, “The Sound of Trees” by Robert Frost, and “The Divine Soil” by John Burroughs all describe that people should respect and be proud of where they are from.


Words: 355

Nature Portfolio- Original Responses To Stories.Poems Read (5)

"Nature" By Ralph Waldo Emerson Response

        The essay by Ralph Emerson called, "Nature" is very moving. It speaks of how nature has the ability to release past memories and unpleasant egotistic tendencies by truly living off the land. Emerson states that nature has the ability to give, "perpetual youth." He thinks of old age as something to be shed off, like every year is more pain in modern day society. Upon entering into the woods, those years are "cast off."

            Emerson also talks about, “an occult relation between man and the vegetable… they nod to me and I to them,” This relationship is formed within nature. Once a person has experienced the value to a humble life of living off the land, he can understand what is around him better. He no longer thinks of a vegetable as just something to eat or sell, but as something that is grown and alive. This is very important because it allows a person to feel more about what is around them, and it signifies the respect needed between all living things.

            H believes that this relationship to, “produce such delight does not reside in nature, but in man, or in the harmony of both.” As in the Shel Silverstein’s novel, “The Giving Tree” states, all nature does in the world is give. Emerson points out that it is human’s job to acknowledge this occurrence with respect and gratitude because “nature is a setting that fits [people] equally well.”

 Word Count: 246

“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Response

       In this poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it talks about the tide rising and falling.  The poem is a story about the life of a person. In the first stanza, it says that, “the traveler hastens towards the town.” This means that the traveler is born and has eagerly gone into society. Soon the traveler has died when we hear, “the little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprints in the sands.” The tide erases the traveler and the memories that associate with him. The “darkness that settles on the roofs and walls,” are the grieving loved ones who mourn for his death. “The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls.” This line is meant to say that continues to move on after death. The repetition of the line, “And the tide rises, and the tide falls,” conveys this message as well. Longfellow states that life goes on after death, despite the influences of the person. He uses the tide as a way to say that nature will always continue on its same path if allowed to. I thought the poem was sad to thin about because it makes the claim that human life is in significant.

Words: 217

“The Devil and Tom Walker,” By Washington Irving Repsonse

            The main theme of Washington Irving’s short story called, “The Devil and Tom Walker” is greed. When Old Scratch (the devil), offers Tom an old Kidd the Pirate’s treasure, he says, “he was determined not to do so to oblige his wife.” Tom didn’t want the treasure because he would of have to had shared it with his wife that he hated. Soon after in the story, the wife tries by herself to get the treasure. After she disappears, Tom takes it for himself. These are both symbols of greed. The devil is a sly and evil man who gains from the greed of people such as Tom Walker and his wife. We see in the beginning how he burned a log with wealthy man’s name on it. From the end of the story when the devil comes to collect Tom to drag him to hell, we can see that all the wealthy men’s names on the logs are those who had been greedy too. This story was a bit scary because despite the attempts Tom makes to cleanse himself of his sins, he still cannot break the deal he made to the devil.  This story reminds me of the fire and brimstone speeches in “The Crucible,” that were used to scare parishioners into being good. This tale sounds like it was said to children for the same purpose.

Words: 237

“To Build a Fire” By Jack London Response

This story was very sad because although the man is skilled to live in the Artic climate, he dies because of careless mistakes he made. The point of view in the story is one of the most interesting aspects.  It is told from third person omniscient, who gives thoughts to not only the desperate traveler, but also his dog. Each character is concerned with only saving themselves. This is eminent when the dog runs back to camp once the owner dies; and when the man wishes to kill the dog so that he can use the carcass for warmth.

            Another interesting writing style of the book is its instruction manual qualities. It really does teach the reader about the danger of, “the coldest snaps that never freeze during the winter,” and how to build a fire. I liked that this story was entertaining as well as informative. Although the man is by himself, there is lots of suspense built up as the story moves forward and the dangers become greater.

            Something that annoys me about this naturalism and transcendentalism portrayed throughout all the stories we’ve read is that they are all written by and starred by men. No women in any of these stories are mentioned to have the ability to be as involved in a close relationship with nature as men are. I think that its something very odd considering that women are the one’s who go through childbirth; something considered being the most natural thing of all. There are stereotypes being enforced by not naming women.  Like that since they are so vain, or too involved within the gossiping of society that they cannot possibly remove their egotism (the idea stated from Thoreau’s Walden and Emerson’s Nature). Maybe the fact they aren’t mentioned is because all the time periods of these novels or stories are so far back, and because of this women were not seen in the same light as men. That would be an adequate back up, but the fact we read, “To Build a Fire” by Phillip Connors changes all that. He was writing his story in 2002, meaning that it was published sometime afterwards. If one is to pick a transcendentalist in modern times, what better opportunity to use a woman. Or are women to just be the simple-minded ones who cannot fully understand living in the wild, such as the woman in Into the Wild. She was just a rubber-traveler, never fully entering the woods. Or in the Devil and Tom Walker, where the wife tried to get the money on her own, showing only greed, and wound up dead.  Why not involve Margaret Fuller, Mary Emerson, Sophia Peabody-Hawthorne, or Sophia Ripley? Sure the ideals stated in the general passages are saying humans as a whole, but the unspecificity of women is a sad thing to think about.

Words: 483

“The Snowstorm” By Ralph Waldo Emerson

Snowstorm begins with the snow being, “announced by the trumpets of the sky.” From this starting line, the reader can tell the snow is important and powerful. This is similar to how kings and queens were announced at the sounds of trumpets. It has the ability to stop, “travelers, and the courier’s feet.” This powerful theme is enhanced even more because the mailmen usually deliver through any type of weather. The tone begins to change to something of praise while it talks of, “the north wind’s masonry.” The descriptions that follow are all comparisons to great accomplishments in classic architecture. By saying that the snow is powerful and an architect, Emerson clearly loves the remains the snow leaves behind.

This idea of the snow changing the landscape is very much intact in modern day society. I remember last year when there were two snow days in a row, I loved looking out my window to see white towers created in the snow. This is similar to how Emerson felt in the poem while he is inside looking out at the storm. The only difference I feel with the snow is the relation towards the sunshine. Emerson says that, “when the sun appears, astonished Art.” I feel that when the sun melts snow, it is sad and leaves lumps of what used to be great architecture.

Words: 231

Nature Portfolio- Weather Experiance

Weather Experience

As a kid I would spend my summers at the Great Gilson beach camp in Wilmette.  It was a magical place where I had many friends and adventures. One of the most memorable adventures was in the summer of 2006. I was eleven years old, and classified as an “Astronaut.” The camp had multiple group names depending upon the age of the campers. The order from youngest to oldest was as follows: Munchkins, Gizmos, Aquanauts, Astronauts, and Space Cadets. Walking into camp on that morning, I looked up out to the Wallace Bowl. It was a huge place, with a stage on the ground and stone steps reaching at least 100 feet into the air. That’s where the campers would meet and await the day’s instructions or special announcements. That particular day, it was a bit overcast and drizzling. I had been afraid we were all going to have to stay indoors in the cramped park district building due to a thunderstorm. At camp, when it rained lightly it was called, “liquid sunshine” and we would remain outside for the day in spite of the weather.

I quickly made my way to my group of friends and greeted them. They were buzzing. “I bet it’ll be today!” exclaimed my friend Amila. She was a blonde gymnast who was by far the sassiest and most stubborn girl I had ever met in my life. We had become best friends instantly when we met two years before.

            “Yes!” screamed Izzy, my other friend. She was Italian with dark hair, who was always up for anything. The three of us were a great group, although probably a bit of a handful to the counselors who worked there. The name “troublemakers” was not an uncommon name for us.

            “What’s going on?” I had asked, eagerly waiting to hear the exciting news. I was only in the suburbs for the summers with my father, and often had to catch up on the traditions and events within the area by asking.

            “Today’s a wave day!” Amila whispered. I had no idea what that meant, but I was excited because of all the hype it was starting around camp.

            “Now, now campers!” bellowed out the director Mr. Miller. “Today the waves are pretty high and the rain has begun…so I am afraid that we’ll have to…” I could begin to feel the groans waiting to be released by the campers.

            “Have a double-dip in the liquid sunshine for Astronauts and Space Cadets!” he yelled. The whole camp jumped up and cheered for the old gray haired, plump man.  A double dip at camp was always the best of days because instead of going to the beach once, we got to go twice.  Luckily, our group was up to the beach first so Izzy, Amila, and I walked along the green fields with the rest of the group, to the beach a block away. Once I caught sight of the waters, I knew what all the fuss had been about. The waves were riveting. They crashed up and down at least five feet into the air. The waters were dark and the winds were high, blowing my hair all over my face. Immediately, all the Astronauts and Space Cadets raced for the water.

            I remember the water was surprisingly warm. Amila, Izzy, and I laughed and squealed as we tried to climb out farther and farther, with the waves breaking on us every five seconds. When I say breaking, I mean pounded. The waves were the strongest that day I have ever felt in my entire life. There were rows of campers shoulder deep in the water, awaiting every wave. Out that far, when a wave came, it was at least four feet above your head. There was the constant screaming and laughter of the, “Watch outs!” as kids got slammed into the sand. One particular wave came by, probably eight feet above my head standing up. Amila and I held hands as it slapped us and brought us down into the water. The under toe swept the hold of feet in the sand below, and tumbled us upon each other down the shore. We were amazed as we were finally let go of the current’s grasp at a measly foot depth. We must have tumbled forty yards backward because of that wave. We both got up in a mixture of coughing, laughing, and screaming; and hurriedly limped back into deeper waters. 

            More waves days came later every couple of years, but the beach decided it didn’t want the liability and closed every time. That day was one of the most fun times I have ever had. I will never forget the meekness I felt standing up against the gargantuan waves. The whooshing of the wind and water breaking upon the shoreline was like the theme song to an action packed thriller that I was the star of.  The waves that day were truly my favorite weather experience.

Words: 832