Valediction/Conjoined

In their poems A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and Conjoined, authors Donne and Minty describe two exceedingly opposing viewpoints on romantic relationships. Whereas Donne feels that he and his wife share a transcendent love, Minty depicts a couple who are forced to coexist abnormally in a seemingly normal setting-a marriage. Through their extended use of figurative language, both authors succeed in illustrating their portrait of marrige; either a true love uniting the soul, or a joining of two things that should never function as one.
In A Valediction, Donne's use of extended metaphors effectively illustrate that true love unites a husband and wife intellectually and spiritually. Donne begins by saying, "As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say, The breath goes now and some say No." Here Donne compares the separation from his wife to the division of a man's body and soul, the body being physical love, and the soul being spiritual. Although these lovers my not be able to physically be together, they part, "mildly," showing that their bond does not require touch since their souls are united as one. Donne continues with, "Let us melt, an make no noise, No tears-flood, nor sigh-tempests move, Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity of our love." By describing how in farewell the lovers will not cry sentimental "tear-floods," or take part in sigh-tempests," Donne shows that a sappy show of emotion in parting would only cheapen their love. Other husbands and wives may feel sorrow when parting because they need that physical closeness, however, by describing his and his wife's contrast to ," Dull sublunary lovers," Donne illustrates that their love remains on a celestial level, their souls bound together. Donne emphasizes this further by comparing his relationship with his wife to that of the two legs of a drawing compass. He states that "If they be two, they are two so, As stiff twin compasses are two, Thy soul, Thy fixed foot, make no show, To move, but doth if the other do." The legs of a compass exist as two separate components, however, they are ultimately attached to the same object. The legs must always move together, and when making a circle, the outer leg must circle the inner, thus, Donne metaphorically illustrates that he and his wife are separate, like the legs of a compass, yet always together, representing their soul. Ultimately, Donne argues with his use of metaphorical devices that true love unites not only the bodies of the husband and wife, but also their souls. Spiritual love to this depth keeps lovers together spiritually even if circumstances arise that keep them apart physically.
Contrastingly, Minty in Conjoined, takes the opposite approach to to marriage and true love. Although marriage has grown to be a normality in society, Minty takes the opposing viewpoint. An outwardly natural role is yet very unnatural. Through her use of metaphorical devices and abberant diction, Minty illustrates that marriage or conjoining(a slighty more grotesque connotaion), can be oppressive and abnormal. Minty begins with, "The onion in my cupboard, a monster actually, two joined under one transparent skin, each half round then flat and deformed, grew against the other." Here Minty compares, from a woman's point of view, as shown later, the marriage to a nasty deformed onion. This "monster" of an onion is actually two onions that have been mistakenly joined togther under one skin, and consequently, have grwon uncomfortable against one another. This comparison to a deformed onion illustartes that marriage is unnatural, happened by chance, and has since has forced the two to become "deformed" and "flat," things something as beautiful and sentimental as marriage should not be.Minty continues by saying, "An accident, like a two headed calf rooted on one body fighting to suck at its mother's teats, or like those freaks Chan and Eng, and although with slightly different circumstances, the members of the relationship were forced to make love with one another for sixty years, which according to Minty's metaphor, is as unnatural as the siamese twins who fathered twenty two children. Minty ends by stating that, "To sever a muscle could free one, but free the other. Ah but men don't slice onion sin the kitchen, seldom see what is invisible. We cannot escape eachother." Definitely an opposing viewpoint on marriage than Donne, Minty describes that to end a marriage, as if to severe conjoined twins, may save one but kill the other. She allows us to believe that the narrator is a woman by describing that she feels men hardly see what isn't surface level, thus, marriage which is unnatural in the first place remains inescapable.
Through theirs poems Valediciton and Conjoined, Donne and Minty describing their opposing viewpoints on marriage. Although Donne believes that true love only exists on a celestial level, Mity believes that marriage and the combining of soul and such is abnormal.




Bam, I'm super annoyed that I wrote this on word document before realizing that I couldn't copy and paste...]so if there are spelling errors just skip them, yes I spent my night REtyping 900+ words.

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Postmodernism

What is modernism?
Modernism is described by a quote in Jim Powell's Postmodernism for Beginners. It says, "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." What fell apart were the concepts of the Age of Enlightenment, or the idea of progress. Enlightenment thinkers such as Francis Bacon, and Marx believed that by using universal science and logic, they could rid the world of superstition that kept humanity from progressing.

What is postmodernism?
The term postmodernism is used in many different ways. For some it means anti-modern while for others it is just the modification of the modernist viewpoint. The postmodern viewpoint rejects some modernist concepts such as belief in the truth, supremacy of reason, and the idea that reason will ultimately lead to a better society. Lyotard defines postmodernism as the rejection of grand narratives or ultimate truth. In rejecting grand narratives postmodernism favors mini-narratives, rather than large scale world concepts. Postmodernism has lead to a change in how we believe. Since the world is full of many different contradictory viewpoints, we must accept that there is not one true reality. As Powell says, "We must come to realize that our ideas about are not eternal but made. Postmodern people, instead of dreaming that one day the world will be united under the universal banner of Marxism, Christianity, or Science, are now interested in seeing the world as a kind of carnival of cultures, a tribal gathering." To me, postmodernism in a nutshell can be described as anti-form.

MAUS

My idea of Maus completely changed when we went over it in class. I found the concept of representation to be very interesting so I feel that my essay will probably be geard towards that. Linda Hutcheon's Potsmodern Provocation: History and "Graphic Literature" provided me with numerous ideas on the topic of representation. Linda discusses how different geners "mix to create hybird forms." In class we discussed how Maus might be categorized in a book store and this lead to questions and ultimately confusion. Maus is a a representation of Linda's "mix genres," because, although we may deem this nonfiction--"true" historical accounts--it is ultimately a narrative: a story told from the mouth of, how Linda indirectly asks, a realiable or unrelilable soucre? However,Linda later describes how, "Facts deemed historical are perhaps more made than found.'' So perhaps therewere never really generes or the "borders defining them" never existed because as we all know, history is not objective. So I may expand upon this...maybe.







Maus, in regards towards postmodern concepts, then begins to blur the lines of representation. Linda writes tha, "The Holocaust opens up the question of whether we can ever truly represent reality." The Holocaust can never be truly represented with words, so can anything really? It all becomes very confusing. Maus, in a round about way, tell of the horror, however, doesn't represent the Holocaust in its entirety; but representation wasn't the objective. As we know, keeping the momory alive was, so I may posssibly wites about that.







I'm confused now...








Spiegelman choosing to illustrate the Holocaust through a comic book may also be a topic of representation. We have always known comic books to be pointless forms of literature mainly geard towards entertainment, however, I found this mediuma better form of reprsentation. The text in combination with the pictures, to me, made the story and underlying concepts easier to grasp.




However,


I feel that this stuff is too onvious to write about...







I may write about the author's intent and how he chose to represent the Holocaust and his father, and some stuff.







Ok Happy Holiodays!

Google

So this article was very interesting or at least the first couple paragraphs :P
I really liked the way Vonnegut structured Cat's Cradle. I know it may show that I have a lack of focus, but the short chapters and quick transitions made it a lot easier to read. This also, for me, made the book easier to understand. I don't know if I agree with the whole Google making us stupid. I think that people in today's society have just adapted to life in the 21rst Century. If I really wanted to I could read a long book and even maybe understand it, I just don't want to because I don't have time. Maybe its not Google but that fact that an average person has a billion things to do a day and no time to think or read. Anyways, I don't even use the internet that often but I really do believe that the interenet and Google have done more help than harm. It has really opened up a lot a lot of doors and kind of bridged the gap between many cultures. I get the whole shortened attention span thing but oh well :)

Cats Cradle Second Blog

Did Derrida describe deconstruction?I think so, anyways continuing on this blog, the Hoenikkers are creepy.Felix represents, to me, this sort of satirical version of a scientist. He cares nothing of human emotion and he's pretty much indifferent to human responsibility. Also, the creator of ice-nine, he has pretty much created this abomination to society. His children represent, to me, the epitome of human stupidity. Vonnegut throughout the novel has seemed to maybe argue that people and what they do with technological/scientific advance is just crazy. Example..."The answer is yes, on one condition: that we, the celebrants, are working consciously and tirelessly to reduce the stupidity and viciousness of ourselves and of all mankind." Anyways, the Hoenikker children, who have divided the ice-nine, did whatever they could to reach ultimate happiness, which is sort of representative of society. Angela and Frank end up using the Ice-nine to buy them happiness that they never get. Little Newt too, although he didn't really give it away. Anyways, this selfishness and need to happiness pretty much leads to the Apocalypse. Another topic: I have pretty much forgotten about deconstruction but I'll do my best. I'm not entirely sure how Cat's Cradle may reveal this whole deconstruction thing but here its goes. So deconstruction is where you take away the center, because centers undermine and discriminate...So how does this relate to Cat's Cradle. Well I've seen pictures and there doesn't seem to be a center in a Cat's Cradle.
"Form the way she talked I thought it was a very happy marriage." "Little Newt held his hands six inches apart and he spread his fingers, See the cat? See the cradle?""Little Newt snorted. Religion. See the cat, see the cradle?" 'Ok so this whole cat's cradle may have something to do with deconstruction and the lack of a center and putting opposite meanings as a norm. Maybe its trying to argue that life is a cats cradle and there is/can be no real definition to things.

Cat's Cradle Chapters 1-7

Ok, so I just moved and I've been without internet and I realize that I could've gone to the library, but I have had marching band and homework, and I spend like 30% of my time in the studio, and the other 70% of my time thinking about my next session in the studio, and when I'm famous someday I'll look back to this moment and be thankful.





Anyways Chapters 1-7.



So I guess the Enlightenment, also known as The Age of Reason, was a period where ignorance and superstition were being pushed aside, and where science was being embraced. Yeah we knew that. How Cat's Cradle embraces postmodernism? Well the first thing that jumped out to me was, "Anyone unable to to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either." Science was meant to to slove all problems in a nutshell. But I think what Vonnegut may be arguing with Bokononism is that Science may provide the answers, but not the answers to the questions people need to give their life meaning.Vonnegut believes that religion gives meaning and purpose to people‘s lives. Truth can play no part. This fantasy of meaning and purpose that a religion provides is what matters. Bokononism stay away from forming cruel religious dogmatism mainly because there is no truth for which to fight. “It is a free-form amoeba.” Although religion contains no truth whatsoever, it is needed to cotnrol the masses. Scientific advancement has offered millions of people a better standard of living, while simultaneously, has also produced or human suffering on many levels. Atom bomb? Chemical weapons? Cat's Cradle is a sartire of society and the awful things people can do with techonoligcal/sceintific advancement. Although this is Cahpters 1-7, Dr. H invented Ice-Nine. I'll stop here and continue on the next blog.