Winter Afternoons

   After class, I was contemplating the bias and personal experience we bring into poetry interpretation. In a way, I think poetry lends itself to this, allowing it (to a point) to cross time and culture and the reader can still appreciate a poem and connect with it on the level of his or her own life. On the other hand, I agree that we can't interpret poetry any which way we want. Sometimes I struggle to interpret poetry at all, but that's neither here nor there.

  Anyway. The class got into quite the tangle over #258, debating whether it is joyful or oppressive or what, so I'm tossing in my two cents from the safety of my blog. In my South Dakota winter experience, the slant of winter light is almost an oppressive bit of joy. Especially when we hit January, I'm fed up with winter and sunken deeply into the winter blues. The brief hours of winter light are a relief from the gloom, but almost an oppressive, sobering relief; winter light is nothing like the gorgeous, life-giving light of summer. Winter light teasing us weakly for a few hours and then goes, leaving us still in the dead of gloom and frozen tundra. Sometimes, winter light pretends like there could be a touch of warmth outside, tempting a venture outdoors. Then, BOOM! I get slapped in the face with frosty, biting air.

   Just taking from my own experience, I read this with an eye to the fleeting promises winter light gives. It offers a bit of life and warmth, yet leaves despair. It tempts with hope, but rarely comes through. That's enough of that. I need to go outside and convince myself we aren't back in January now.

"This is the common air that bathes the globe"

(it is 'section', correct?)

On a first read-through of Whitman, he seemed pretty full of himself. After nosing through him a little more and some class discussion, I changed my mind a little. I think, to a point, he's just being open and writing how he sees things. I also think Whitman is trying to write in a way that is representative of human experience, especially after taking a closer look at 17 (page 1023). To me, it seems as if Whitman assumes his poetry speaks for all people, but counts it as worthless if it does not accomplish this.

If they are not yours as much as they are mine they are nothing, or next to nothing.
-line 356

Furthermore, he sees the human experience he's writing about as being organic, arising naturally and:

This is the grass that grows wherever the land is and the water is,
This is the common air that bathes the globe.
-line 359-360

Whitman is a bit ambitious in this, but I don't think he's an arrogant jerk necessarily. The more I read of his poetry, as provocative as some of it is, the more I enjoy him and his flowing, beautiful writing style.

Annabel Lee

I would just like to ask a few questions about this particular poem. Why are they living in a kingdom by the sea? What is a kingdom by the sea? They sound like mermaids. And Annabel sounds very delicate if the wind killed her. And furthermore, this sounds like Romeo and Juliet with kids thinking they're super deeply in love... until someone dies. Annabel is a little bit dependent. Why is her whole life based on loving and being loved by the narrator? No wonder the first cold breeze killed her. She had no life substance.
Ok, that was mean. Poe is kind of angsty and dramatic when it comes to love though. His rhyme is, once again, fantastic and keeps the poem moving. On a more positive note, I can see this poem being adapted into a Tim Burton movie along the lines of Corpse Bride with Annabel coming out of the sea dressed in seaweed.

Initial thoughts on Whitman

Whitman's poetry is beautiful, but a little obscure. I feel like it strays into the transcendental, seeing nature as spiritual and seeing self as almost one with nature. It also tends toward the sensual and even the sexual at times. He was pushing boundaries and I can imagine it still causes some discomfort. He definitely sees life as a cycle, with death making provision for new life.
Random favorite stanzas:

Loafe with me on the grass, loose the stop from your throat,
Not words, not music or rhyme I want, not custom or lecture, not even the best,
Only the lull I like, the hum of your vavled voice.
 (lines 83-86)

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere, waiting for you.
(lines1343-1345)

Detective Poe

Throughout The Purloined Letter, I felt like I was reading a Sherlock Holmes episode. At first, I was outraged that Poe seemed to have ripped off Doyle. In class, I come to find out that Poe was somewhat of the father of the detective novel. Oops. Anyway, there were plenty of similar elements. There is an abnormally clever, snarky, pipe-smoking detective and the story is relayed from the perspective of a nerdy sidekick. The bumbling police officer seems to have come to the detective seeking help for other cases unsolved by the struggling police department. Furthermore, the case is one of the odd little Holmes-eque problems. Thanks Poe for inspiring a great genre.

Initial Thoughts on Uncle Tom's Cabin

Within the first few pages of Uncle Tom's Cabin, I was experiencing some redhead anger; Harriet would probably be pleased that her writing was doing its job. Haley speaks of the slaves as if they were sub-human somehow. Evidently, they don't have feelings and don't develop attachment to their children; a trinket of some sort would be enough to replace a child. Even Shelby, who  is supposedly a much better man than the gaudy, rude Haley, treats Harry like a dog or a bit of amusement. I think the description of Harry as this beautiful, vibrant child is meant to tug at our hearts, show his humanity, and increase our disgust when he is used as entertainment and tossed bits of fruit like a rewarded dog. The entire dialogue dismissing the relationship between slaves and their children is quickly contradicted by the scene of a grief and terror-stricken Eliza pleading on behalf of her child and, later, doing everything in her power to bring him to safety. Such scenes of deep emotion and humanity seem to have the intent of building connection with and empathy for the slave characters of the book. Well played, Stowe.

Dimmesdale and I are not friends.

I would just like to rant for a minute. To begin with some pretence of fairness toward Dimmesdale, sin isn't something anyone wants to own up to, especially the sins that the church seems to look down on the most and talk about the least. As a man in a position of spiritual leadership, it would be incredible difficult to open up about that kind of sin; furthermore, he seems to dread what it would do to his congregation: understandable. The harsh side of me kind of wants to say "Maybe you should have thought of that first bucko." Regardless, sin happens and even ministers are people; I just really struggle with the deep hypocracy and weakness in his actions. He had ample chance to take his place beside Hester; to his credit, he defended her a few times. I don't think defending her was enough though. Not only did he abandon someone he apparently loved deeply, he abandoned his child as well. He chooses to punish himself secretly instead of freeing himself by admitting to sin. At one point in the forrest, he openly acknowledges that Hester is much stronger and begs her to make decisions for him. Running the risk of sounding heartless, his death was almost a cop-out (not that he actually had any control over it). He admitted his sin and died; even in his death, people tried desperately to preserve the reputation he gave up love and family to protect. End rant. 

Carnival Post

The time has come for me to settle in with my coffee cup and creep on some blogs. Hopefully, I can give ya'll a pretty good overview of who's-saying-what about Irving to Hawthorne.

Irving: The class blogs seem to either focus on Rip as a character or Irving's dreamy writing style. For a consideration of Rip's identity, check out Crista's blog. Andrew looks at Rip as the lovable "average Joe". Debbi gives a great overview of Irving's best snarky lines. Alyssa digs into the fairy-tale feel of Rip Van Winkle. Esther shows a little sympathy for the frustration Rip's wife probably felt.

Cooper: Apparently, we didn't like him very much; the Cooper blogging was skimpy. Hannah shows an appreciation for Cooper's portrayal of Native Americans.

Emerson: It seems that the class found Emerson to be a bit thick. Look to Esther and Julia for insight on "The American Scholar" and to Alyssa for a peek at "Nature". Debbi offers some great practical application  and insight to Emerson.

Thoreau: Thoreau seemed to be a little more readable and relatable. Nicole looks closer at Thoreau's idea of necessity. Julia and Tanisha explore living simply in Thoreau; Esther brings in faith connections. Andrew brings in zombies.

Hawthorne: Main discussion topics in Hawthorne include sin, the meaning of the letter, and dissection particular characters. Alyssa really digs into the character of Pearl and her amazing child-like insight. Hannah takes a look at feminism in The Scarlet Letter and questions the way the community dealth with Hester's sin. Tanisha comments on Pearl as well, looks at Hester's strength and offers an indepth discussion of sin. Julia takes a deeper look at the relationship between Chillingsworth and Dimmesdale. Crista and Esther look specifically at Dimmesdale, neither having much respect or sympathy for him. Lindsey looks at some places allowing for creative perception in the novel. Andrew throws out some possibilities for the meaning of the letter.

A: Alone?

In the forest converstation between Hester and Dimmesdale, the word "alone" gets tossed around quite a bit. This seems to be a pretty decent contender for a potential interpretation of A. First off, Hester is condemned alone in her sin; her partner does not step forward and share blame with her (even though we all know where babies come from). She is shunned to a little isolated cottage alone. She's an outcast in society and a child doesn't make a very substantial companion; Hester is essentially alone as far as any meaningful relationships are concerned. At the end of "Hester at Her Needle", there is a scene suggesting that the scarlet letter has allowed her to see the guilt of others, a hint that she may not be alone as a sinner. Yet, Hester fights this notion and seems to think that she deserves to be alone in her condemnation as one prone to sin. Instead of working to bring Hester to repentence and restore her into community, her punishment seems to have just pushed her into a painful isolation.

Thoreau on Education

   Thoreau speaks out against using education as a way to "study" life instead of "living" life. He doesn't seem to disrespect eduation but, instead, suggests that people put too much stock in book learning that they ignore life learning. Unless a student's education can be applied to life in a meaningful and productive way, it is merely a way of putting parents into debt. I appreciated his example of a chemistry students not learning how his own bread is made; it displays well that lack of application results in meaningless head knowledge. His call to students to try the "experiment of living" ties in with some of his thoughts earlier on in Walden. I think this is an interesting way of referring to life but a good reminder that we don't have all the answers to life. Education can help as long as we apply our learning, but it won't give us a roadmap to our lives. I think USF does well at considering both knowledge and life-learning. In my classes, we gain knowledge but also discuss ways to apply the knowledge to life. Emphesis on critical thinking and required internships for many majors forces us to move past simply letting facts float around our brains and into living out life.

Simplicity

   Thoreau seems to place emphasis on the individual and his or her ability to sort life out without the "limiting" advice of elders. Each person is different and, therefore, the life of each person will be different with unique failures and successes. Life, to Thoreau, is an experiment and to live in fear of this uncertainty and change is to not quite live at all. He mourns that the individual is entrapped in his work, becoming little more than a machine. " The finest qualities of our nature, like the blooms on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly" (p.846).
   Why does this occur? It seems that Thoreau makes a connection between the nearly feverish life of trying to accumulate material goods in life and the degrading of human life itself. People seek out material riches when the real wealth is to be found in contemplation and a simple lifestyle. People desperately try to keep up with the latest fashions, although everyone realizes fashions fade quickly and has certainly laughed at something that was once highly stylish (Think yearbooks from the 1980s and early 90s). In reference to this desire for the latest style, Thoreau refers to people as a "herd", diligently following the "luxiourious and dissipated" (p. 863). This life of chasing material wealth makes humans no better than cows, an idea very similar to Aristotle who considered a life of pleasure-seeking to be the lowest form of life: the life of cattle. This plays out in housing as well. Houses are no longer for shelter, but for fashion and are continually being made bigger and more stylish, chaining their residents to years of debt and slavery to their own work; the house owns the person instead of the other way around. 
   To Thoreau, this cuts humans off from true humanity; human spirit is stifled and enslaved. Freedom is found in a simple life connected with nature. He seems to be calling people back to a more natural, almost organic way of living and hints that this is the life of the philosopher. Clothing should be simple, durable, and practical, fulfilling its actual purpose of keeping the body warm or protected. It should also be limited so that, if one had to flee with only the clothes on his or her back, one would not need be concerned about the excess of things left behind. Housing should do the same; it does not need to be extravagant. As far as food goes, the best can be plucked off trees or dug up from the ground. Through this, Thoreau suggests, man will be free.

Good Morning, America!

   I thoroughly enjoyed "Rip Van Winkle". I remember watching the Wishbone episode when I was a kid, but the only bit that really stuck with me seems to be the giants playing nine-pins and Wishbone with a long, grey beard. Goofy. Wishbone seems to have watered down the story a bit. "Rip Van Winkle" partially reads like a grandpa should be telling it, with the speaker insisting of the accuracy and legitimacy of the tale yet knowing it's not quite believable. It's full of sarcasm, wit and clever insults; I chuckled at almost anything to do with Rip's wife and especially at her cause of death. The Romantic influence is obvious in the nearly magical descriptions of the landscape. Between Hendrick Hudson and his men and Rip himself, the story is kind of a folk tale within a folk tale. It was a great fiction break from the heavy reading we've been doing in this class and in other classes.
   On the other hand, Rip has a deeper side to it that Wishbone didn't even touch. Irving is wrestling through the changes in America and the nature of American identity and commenting on roles and relationships between men and women Rip wakes up after 20 years not as a colonist, but as an American. Who needs morning coffee with that kind of shock? (I would, actually, but that's irrelevant). Instead of sleepy, easy-going colonists dissecting three-month-old news, Rip finds his fellow-villagers to be bustling, busy, anti-Tory, politically minded Americans. Interestingly enough, although identity as a whole had changed and had made changes in every day life, Rip is still largely unchanged. Individual vs society as a whole mentality perhaps?  

Resistance and Removal

  For the lit circles, I read a section on the resistance and removal of Native American tribes from their historical homelands to land designated for them by the American government during the 1800s. Expanding America desired more territory and, through some potentially questionable treaties with the Native Americans, the government acquired Native lands. Some (very unpopular) Native leaders such as Elias Boudinot signed off on said treaties; others, like Black Hawk, insisted that the Native peoples were unaware of the implications of such agreements. The selections were more politically focused and persuasive in nature than I expected. I had assumed there would be at least one personal account of forced relocation or something similar, but, alas, there were none. At any rate, the selections were still interesting.
  The method of persuasion varied by writer. The language and phrasing used by Black Hawk showed a good grasp on the English language but the writing was also a little awkward and less "flowery" than other texts from the section where the speaker or writer was more integrated into the white American culture. Black Hawk lists the injustices done to the Native Americans and explains how the government used trickery to obtain signatures for the land treaty. He speaks of his struggle to keep peace and point to a generally quiet response on the part of the Native Americans and demands justice be done. 
  The Pawnee Chief sought to hang on to his culture and ancestral land; this came through strongly in his method of persuasion. He establishes a kind of equality between the Natives and the white people by claiming that the Great Spirit made both peoples and intended their differences (Winthrop anyone?). He then says that the white people have only made the Natives discontent and done more harm than good; the Pawnee chief basically tells the white people to mind their own business and leave the Natives to their intended life. I was particularly interested in the speech given by the Pawnee Loup Chief. He speaks of his concern for the unprotected solitary white people among the Natives, claiming deep love for the white people, and suggests that he won't be able to restrain his bold and blood-lusting young men. While the speech is set up as a warning out of loving concern, it reads like a very clever threat.
  Elias Boundinot was educated in the white community, which comes through in his method of appeal and his fluent writing. He points to the United States as benevolent benefactors of the Native peoples, playing on flattery. He suggests that the Native community is becoming "civilized" and "Christianized" under the influence of the United States and suggests that the Native Americans could continue their improvement best in their own lands. The Cherokee Council's memorial uses notes of the Declaration of Independence as part of their persuasion technique along with an appeal to the United States as benefactor and teacher of the Native peoples that is similar to Boundinot's.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was not of the Native American peoples, spoke up on behalf of the Native Americans and against the injustices done against them. Emerson points to the disconnect between the freedom and justice ideals of the American people and the oppression and injustice occurring against the Native peoples. Emerson suggests that the United States is acting as the true savage in this situation. He uses a lot of powerful language: "hitherto, the sweet omen of religion and liberty, will stink to the world" (pg. 587) "the millions of virtuous citizens, whose agents the Government are, have no place to interpose, and must shut their eyes until the last howl and wailing of these poor tormented villages and tribes shall afflict the ear of the world."
 

Adams and Adams

   I thoroughly enjoyed reading the letters between John and Abigail Adams. The letters present a marriage that seems very strong, especially in the face of a lot of distance and time apart. John speaks to Abigail as a friend, confidant, and, as far as I can tell, an equal. She seems to be a brilliant and strong woman as she supports John and makes sacrifices for the country by taking care of all matters at home alone. I enjoyed the other glimpses into their family such as Abigail referring to herself as John's Portia and to John as her "dearest Friend" and both of them calling their children their "little flock" and "the little folks". It was interesting to see such a personal side to someone I only think of in terms of the history of the American Revolution.
   The letters also worked as sort of a time-machine (or time-traveling car, if you will) and allowed me to glimpse life in the time period surrounding the American Revolution. Abigail and John's writing present the hopes and fears of the people of a baby country, struggling to make their next move. Life in the political realm was consumed with a failed attempt to take Canada and getting the major figures of the country on board with independence. Private life was equally concerned with this and fighting disease that apparently was running rampant through the colonies. There are hints of Enlightenment ideals and of prejudice in favor of New England and pure English blood. I think it's easy to turn historical figures into vocab words out of a text book when, really, they were thinking, feeling, and flawed human beings.
  Random final thought: John's statements about the Declaration of Independence on page 305 amused me. He laid out a good ol' American 4th of July pretty accurately.
  

Portraits of America

    While reading Crevecoeur, I was struck by the way much of the picture of America as a country and many of the stereotypes presented in his writing continue to be present in America today. Aspects of his Letters reminded me of John Smith a bit, especially the focus on America as the land of opportunity and the ability to be a self-made person. Crevecoeur seemed to be a little less idealistic than Smith though; he presented some of the problems of America, such as the lack of civility in areas most recently settled and the evils of building an economy on the inhumane institution of slavery.
   Crevecoeur's Letters presents America as a country of individualism and blended culture. In America, a person can be whoever he or she wishes to be; all are welcome into the "broad lap of our great Dear Mother" (which I thought was a great word-picture). America is written to be the most welcoming country, partially because of it's blend of many peoples; a visitor will find his language and customs along with great opportunity, a new class of people to be part of, and a pure, beautiful land. "This is every person's country." The blending of culture along with Crevecoeur's sense of religious plurality are present in America today. Immigrants carry their religion into America with them and, through lack of like-minded believers and living near those of other religions, their grip on their traditions lessen, their children marry those of other denominations, and religion becomes more general. He doesn't seem to hold lack of religion entirely as a good thing though; this is a reason he offers for the uncivilized nature of the people of the lesser settled areas of America. Personally, this section reminded me of the stereotype of the "Wild West", where people handle problems with guns and bar-fights and "backwoods hicks" who eat road-kill or whatever.
   I was impressed that Crevecoeur spoke out against slavery and pointed out the evils of using the torture of other human beings as a base of economy. He seems to be disgusted that the church won't speak out against slavery and asks where Nature (not God?) is to intervene for his fellow-children. It was interesting to have him consider the slaves as fellow-humans; many of this time didn't see them as equally human. The story he told of encountering a slave left strung up in a cage to die was horrifying. I wonder if his writing effectively stirred people up against slavery and how his opinions were received.

Benjamin Franklin: a man of the Enlightenment

   For some reason (probably some cartoon), Benjamin Franklin has always been a cute old man with a kite in my imagination. In actuality, he was a thinker/arguer, clever businessman, individualist, loosely 'religious', somewhat vain man, and rescuer of drunken Dutchmen. Furthermore, he was a vegetarian before it was trendy. I find it fascinating that his approach to business and religion/morality still show up in American culture today. I was not, however, amused by the random capitalization. Yes, I understand that the grammar rules were different and not as developed; it was just super distracting.
   His childhood seemed kind of stinky, but maybe this was typical for people of this time. His father wanted to "tithe" Ben to the church. Between this, the proud, headstrong nature he seems to possess and the philosophy of the day, it doesn't really surprise me that Franklin avoids religion later in life. Franklin as tithe doesn't work out and he ends up apprenticing for his abusive brother and then takes off on his own at 17 (with a pretty great tale of explanation). 
   Within the context of his apprenticeship, Franklin begins to display his insight into people. He accurately evaluates the situation (he didn't have enough respect from his brother and company for the publication of his essays under his name) and finds a way around it to get what he wants. This reproduces throughout his business and philosophical life. In order to gain respect as a businessman, he realizes he needs to be hardworking in the public eye and avoid broadcasting his intelligence. To succeed in argument, he adapts the Socratic method of approaching debate as a questioning student, instead of beating people over the head with opinion. To gain support for his ideas, he realizes it is in his interest to set vanity aside and present the idea as a communal effort. Franklin seems to have an impressive grasp of how people "tick", which probably assisted him in his climb from poverty into self-made success.
   Bits of my Intro to Philosophy class kept showing up in Franklin's writing. He is certainly a man of the Enlightenment in his focus on human improvement through reason and morality based on human empathy. His entire "self-help program" is reasoned out and is centered on being a controlled, thinking person. His concern with living a life of morals and thought is certainly within the tradition of early philosophers as well. One of his problems with "organized religion" is that religion seems to want to make people into [insert denomination here] as opposed to good citizens in general (pg 283). Unfortunately, there is truth in this statement, even today. I don't think morality can be based on human empathy ( "That it was, therefore, every one's interest to be irtuous, who wish'd to be happy even in this world." pg. 291, 2nd paragraph). What happens when doing the "right" thing isn't actually best for you?  However, I think Franklin's concern is valid; true faith in Christ results in a changed lifestyle benefiting our fellow mankind.  

"I am this Crumb of Dust..."

     Edward Taylor used poetry as worship and preparation for corporate worship, and I think this is incredibly beautiful, especially in a time where we do rush into worship and seek to consume for ourselves. This kind of preparation is convicting (especially when "on time" to church really means "less than 10 minutes late" for me, leaving no room for any kind of heart-prep). His heart and obvious adoration of the Lord comes through in his writing. His poetry is very passionate, honest, and tender.
     For the most part, I loved the use of extended metaphor in Edward Taylor's writing. I'll admit that "Meditation 150" ended up being pretty weird, but I'll blame some differing Song of Solomon interpretation for that. Some of the fullness of his writing and meaning behind the writing was probably lost due to the language of the time period and my lack of weaving knowledge. My favorite poem was "Prologue", which lays out the core of the rest of Taylor's writing: desire to displaying the glory of God to the best of his ability ("To Prove Thou art, and that Thou art the best).
    Taylor refers to himself as a crumb of dust throughout, acknowledging that, without God, he is nothing, showing humility and dependence. I don't know of many people who would refer to themselves as dust so willingly and adamantly. He dedicates his writing to the Lord ("I am this Crumb of Dust which is designed To make my Pen unto Thy Praise alone") and asks that the Lord would bring life to this crumb of dust  in the fourth stanza by allowing him to bring glory to God, perhaps somewhat in the fashion of Adam: "then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."- Gen. 2:7 Stanza five starts out with this same language of "breathing dust". The extended metaphor brings some mental imagery that is almost goofy (dirt that can breathe and write), but as goofy as it is, I found the language really touching and relatable.  

Captivity and Restoration

The captivity narrative was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. I do admire Rowlandson for remaining mentally stable throughout the death and hardship surrounding her and for her seemingly unshakable faith in the Lord. The narrative was obviously one-sided, but understandingly so. It would be difficult to see things from the eyes of the natives after witnessing deaths of loved ones, destruction of your life, and being forced into captivity at their hands. I did find it unnerving that Bradstreet, being a Christian, viewed the natives as more animals or almost demons than fellow humans; in her eyes, they were used only to purify "God's people"-the Puritans. Her attitude toward the natives and the situation was insight into the attitude of the settlers of the time. Her comparison of the Christian settlers to the Israelites and the natives to the heathen peoples of the Old Testament and her application of the Old Testament to the situation of the settlers strongly displays the idea that the Puritans were the "New Israel" and the New World was the "New Promised Land", as we experienced with Winthrop.
It was interesting to read Bradstreet and Rowlandson back-to-back, especially comparing "...Upon the Burning of Our House" to the captivity narrative. Personally, I thought Bradstreet was a little more accessible. Bradstreet's writing walked us through her thought process, showing emotional and spiritual struggle before she turned back to her faith as her foundation.  She touches her audience with her humanity. Granted, Rowlandson wasn't writing this narrative within the situation, but she doesn't show much of an internal struggle. For the number of times she compares herself to Job, she doesn't follow his process of honesty, questioning, or grieving. Everything is very logical and almost stoic. It was hard for me to read her without feeling like a little bit of a bad person; I doubt I would have accepted the situation and trusted God's work in it as easily as she presents herself as doing.

Bradstreet

"The Prologue" demonstrates the attitude toward roles of women in Bradstreet's time and seems to reflect somewhat of a struggle with these roles. First, I thought it was interesting that she, as a woman and a Puritan, shows such a knowledge and use of Greek mythology in her poetry (this shows up in "Contemplations" too). Being only vaguely familiar with Greek mythology, some of the poem's meaning was probably lost to me. Second, she obviously lacked confidence in her ability as a poet, which carries through this poem and is displayed more strongly in "The Author to Her Book". Some of the things said in this poem may be due to this lack of confidence, but I wonder how much has to do with her staying in her 'place as a woman'. For example, "A weak or wounded brain admits no cure" (line 24) and "A Bartas can do what a Bartas will, But simple I according to my skill" (line 12). Also, I took line 18 as refering to her gender (but I could be wrong). According to lines 25-27, she's been essentially told to drop writing and do something more appropriate to women. She acknowleges that, even if she's considered talented at all, her talent will be passed over as almost a mistake. By the end of the poem, she seems to kind of sigh and resign herself to society as is (lines 38-40), but I can't decide if this is actual resignation, or sarcasm, or bitterness. I would really like to know what was going through her mind. In spite of what she's been told, she's still writing this, which means she hasn't traded her pen for a knitting needle as recommended. Curiouser and curiouser.

Instead of drawing from mythology, "To My Dear and Loving Husband" takes from the Bible, largely from Song of Songs (having covered Song of Songs, including a look at the book as poetry, in a class, the similarities pretty much jumped out and bit me). Two becoming one flesh is a piece of Genesis imagery. Lines 5-7 strongly resemble Song of Songs 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised." Bradstreet feels almost indebted to her husband for his love and speaks of him in glowing terms, as do the lovers about each other in Song of Songs, the man gushing about the woman and the woman praising the man.The last line shows this very romantic (idealistic, not cheesy, though it's kind of cheesy too) idea that, if they love to the fullest in live, their love with outlive their deaths.("...for love is as strong as death..." Songs 8:6) Surprisingly, I really appreciated this poem. It's a beautiful, honest, and sincere mini love story about marriage that hasn't lost its romance or devotion or whatever, which is admirable. Far better than, say, a Justin Bieber love song.

The Amazing Captain John Smith

   The section from The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles reads a bit like an epic tale of heroism, especially when he's pitted one against 200 or 300 natives (who was counting anyway?), shot full of arrows, and using his guide as a shield. It makes it all a little hard to swallow as full truth. Apparently, Smith stepped in and saved the day every time the colony was on the brink of destruction, all out of duty and with humility. Example: "himself always bearing the greatest task for his own share, so that in short time he provided most of them lodgings, neglecting any for himself." (pg. 46) Furthermore, every time Smith leaves the colony to its own devices, he seems to return to utter chaos. "...they were all in combustion, the strongest preparing once more to run away...Smith forced now the third time to stay or sink." (pg 53). Darn colonists. You can't get captured by natives and let them out of your sight even for a minute.One would think Captain Smith single-handedly saved New England.
    I found the random references to God interesting. The seem almost obligatory, and are generally connected to the natives acting in kindness, as if there is no explanation for their mercy other than divine interference. The text oscillates between describing natives as being child-like (pacified by toys and trinkets and in awe of Smith) and creatures of hell (using words like devil, hellish, barbarous, fiends etc.). The natives are painted as nearly worshipping Smith, seeking him for healing and feeding him all he could want, and then they apparantly try to "beat out his brains", but Pocahontas comes to the rescue out of adoration for Smith (at least Disney got something right).There was a definite lack of cross-cultural understanding.
   While I found the John Smith worship comical at best, I thought the writing was well-worded, expressive, and persuasive. I particularly appreciate the line "If we were free from all sins as gluttony and drunkenness we might have been canonized for saints..." (pg. 45). The selection from The Fourth Book has fantastic language. It paints the life of one who stays in England as dull, lazy, and lacking all opportunity while, in contrast, one would have to be comotose to not make a profit in the Americas. It certainly uses a tone of adventure and freedom to persuade colonization.