Final Reflection...

Through the blogs, gists, and literary analyses, I can easily say that my writing has improved over the semester. I feel much more confident in my writing. I know how to properly cite things, my language has improved, and I can effectively express myself through writing like I couldn't before.

Strategy wise, I really found the individual meetings with you and the constant gist writing to be the most helpful aspects of the class. I better understood what you were looking for and how to better articulate my idea after our individual meetings. The gists helped me to understand the proper MLA format, academic titles, short literary analysis characteristics, and allowed me to begin to consider literature in a new way.

I don't know if I could call any of the papers the "easiest," however, I might say that the Dr. Faustus analysis was the least challenging. I think this is purely because it was the last of the three, so I had a better idea of how to form an argument and effectively use it to get my point across. Dr. Faustus also has a lot of journal articles available, which helps immensely in the research process.

Honestly, the day that sticks out in my mind is the day that we read "Recitatif" and the other articles discussing racism. You mentioned that your favorite part of class is discussing ideas rather than the other technical aspects of literature, and I couldn't agree more. I really enjoyed how every day was like a new theme or life lesson, and once I figured this out, it was much easier to draw parallels and recognize themes in the assigned readings.

I am, without a doubt, more prepared to write college level papers than I was at the beginning of the semester! The literary analyses that we completed were very challenging, however, they gave me a great base for the papers I'll be writing in the future. All the work was well worth it!

Men Vs. Women

I've really never thought of sexism as a serious problem in my day to day life, nor have I any real feminist ideals, however, I did find myself resenting the male sex a bit more after these poems. I was most annoyed with "Sold." Reading the lyrics with the song made me realize how degrading it was. Bidding on a woman with "ruby red lips blonde hair blue eyes" who had sex with him that very day really put the icing on the cake for me. How original, Mr. Montgomery, comparing love or lust with an auction for a promiscuous woman. Thanks for living up to the stereotype of males looking at women as pieces of meat!

To Flea or Not to Flea?

After reading and rereading about 20 times, I still don't have the most clear idea of what Donne is portraying in this poem. But this is what I have concluded from the work. In the first stanza, the narrator speaks of a flea for the purpose of its insignificance. In the second line, he compares how little the woman he is speaking to denies him. They both "sucked" out this denial, and now, because the denial is small, it is not a big deal that their "two bloods mingle" aka have sex. It cannot be said a shameful deed, and in the phrase "more than we would do" the narrator is implying that the sex will amount to more.

In the second stanza, the flea now holds them together, containing their lives and its own. The third and fourth lines read "this flea is you and I and this, our marriage bed" emphasizing this bond. Though they have a "parent's grudge" on their minds, they are hidden together in "living walls of jet." This metaphor of dark living walls could symbolize a vagina. And the phrase that follows- "though use make you apt to kill me," makes sense in this light because although she could be angry after having sex, he urges her not to, as it would kill him, her and the flea.

In the final stanza, the woman is "cruel and sudden" as she "purpled [his] nail in blood of innocence." Although he thinks their sex is innocent, she has chosen to leave him purple and without it. The flea is gone, dead and so is he. He claims that she has "triumphed" and has "so much honor" when she "yielded" to him.

P o e t r y

Poetry is one aspect of literature that I definitely don't have much of a background in. My version of poetry comes in the form of the music I listen to. I read into the lyrics of songs in an attempt to interpret them as I think the artist may have intended. I treat them just as others may treat classical or traditional poetry, viewing good music that is well written and meaningful as the most modern form of poetry. Although most mainstream "popular" music doesn't fit into this category of poetry, it doesn't have merit or purpose anyway, so it doesn't belong. But good music, the kind that is thought provoking and full of emotion does deserve to be considered poetry, because it is art.
And although I don't have much experience with old school poetry, I am optimistic that I will enjoy it just as I enjoy my modern form of poetry.

Research Idea for the Doctor

I really like the idea that Faustus's internal struggle echoes all that is happening to him. Faustus is such a dark and troubled character, I believe all his experiences are occurring in his mind. His own conflict between good or evil, God or Satan, redemption or damnation is just too much struggle for a sane man. This struggle puts him in a state of psychological limbo between Heaven and Hell, just on the edge of Hell.
One example that really indicates Faustus's life as purely psychological is when Mephistophilis warns Faustus of the horrors of Hell. This resembles a realization of conscience, insinuating that Satan, and therefore, God, are both in his mind. So with all the aspects of his life existing only in his mind, Faustus's state of limbo feels just as concrete as the other imaginary aspects of the story.
And maybe it's all in his mind for a reason. God and Satan aren't tangible in human life; they only exist in your heart or your soul, which is how Faustus lives his life-- within his troubled mind.

Faustus Discussion

The aspect of class discussion that I found most interesting had to do with Faustus's internal conflict within himself caused by the external conflict surrounding him. This led me to consider other two-sided aspects of the story. One is between the good and evil angels of Faustus's conscience, which branches into the many discussions of the differences between heaven and hell in the story. And in these two opposing postmortem realms, there are two "rulers" in charge of them. I am referring of course to God and Satan, who both play huge roles in the story. They have everything to do with the decisions that Faustus makes in regards to himself and his practice of black magic. As I was thinking further about this two-sided theme, I began to question of where Faustus was in all this. He was obviously a torn man, thinking about redemption often, but always maintaining to side with evil. I believe that Faustus was in a sort of theological limbo. The latin root of the word, which is limbus, means border or edge. I think this fits Faustus's situation perfectly, as he is just teetering on the edge of Hell. He commited the greatest sin of giving up his soul to Satan, and without redemption (soon), he cannot be saved. So how many times will Faustus be able to deny God before he is thrust into Hell? I think it's only a matter of time, and he's far too close to the edge to turn back now.

Dr. Faustus Scene V

In the beginning of the scene, Faustus is talking to himself in an attempt to convince himself to continue forward pursuing black magic. This passage seems to indicate that Faustus is having second thoughts about the matter, but ultimately, he hastily obliges to Mephistophilis's wishes to give him a blood gift and his soul. Considering the fact that I have never read a story where giving up your soul lead to something good or promising, I have a feeling that it's going to be a trying and unfulfilling life that Fautus is about to lead. As an example of the trickery that he will forever endure, when Faustus asks for a wife, a demon is brought to him, which he refuses.