The word earnest has a moral connotation. It means a serious and intent mental state. The irony of the play is that each character was not being earnest. They were all being deceptive with themselves and others. The two main characters who seem to have the most difficulty with being earnest were Algy and Jack. I have not found a truly good reason for being deceptive. Ultimately, it ends up hurting all people involved. Algy and Jack each had reasons for their deception.
Algy was a bachelor and used deception to go only to events that suited him. He made up a person by the name of Bunbury to blame his absence on. When a social engagement came up that Algy had no intention of attending, his friend Mr. Bunbury would get very ill. He reveals this to us when speaking to Jack.
“You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like. I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down in to the country whenever I choose. Burnbury is perfectly invaluable. If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s tonight, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week.” (page 852).
Jack on the other had created a brother named Ernest. He tells his friend Algy that when raising a young girl it is necessary to be a good example. His brother Ernest gets into trouble and is not a good example. “My dear Algy, I don’t know whether you will be able to understand my real motives. You are hardly serious enough. When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects. It’s one’s duty to do so. And as a high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one’s health or one’s happiness, in order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes. That, my dear Algy is the whole truth pure and simple.” (page 852).
In the country he is required to be a good moral example for his ward, Cecily. In the city however he can be Ernest and act in a manner he prefers.
As a teacher I will be held to a higher moral code then most other occupations. I am in charge of educating our future leaders. I will have to be careful to conduct myself respectfully in public. I am not much of a drinker but my husband enjoys an occasional beer now and then. I worry about having beer in my shopping cart. What if I see a student or their parents? They may not have an issue with it, but it tarnishes me a little in their eyes. I understand why Algy and Jack made up other characters. It allowed them to escape their lives for a short period of time. This is certainly not something any of us could get away with today. We are too plugged in to the grid to make up a character for an escape from reality.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
A Visit To Newgate
Charles Dickens wrote Sketches By Boz. In this book, a chapter describes the physical description of Newgate prison and its inhabitants. What I observed in the writing were the similarities between Newgate prison and the prisons of today.
Many traditions and circumstances are similar. In the text Dickens talks about turnkeys. “After a little delay, occasioned by sending in to the interior of the prson for the officer whose duty it was to conduct us, that functionary arrived; a respectable-looking man of about two or three and fifty, in a broad-brimmed hat, and full suit of black, who but for his keys would have looked quite as much like a clergy man as a turnkey.” (page 2) The turnkey is what we call a corrections officer today. The officers have keys for every door and lock in the cell house they are running for that shift. They have radios where they can call for backup. They watch the prisoners just as they did in Dicken’s time. Prisoners come from all walks of life. Dickens speaks about the section of the prison that housed the more well to do offenders. “On either side of the school-yard is a yard for men, in one of which-that towards Newgate street-prisoners of the more respectable class are confined.” (page 6). We have our white-collar prisons, but we also have different cells blocks for the varied types of offender. There is high-max for the really bad prisoners, a psych-ward for the insane, and dormitory cell blocks for those that are well behaved. One final similarity is the feeling of anguish felt by the condemned prisoners. Without having a personal account from a condemned prisoner, I can only imagine the anguish in the waiting. “He paces the narrow limits of his cell with rapid strides, cold drops of terror dripping on his forehead, and every muscle of his frame quivering in agony. I cannot imagine being a family member of a condemned person and visiting them for the last time. It must be awful for the prisoner to have to say goodbye. How could you possibly say everything you mean to say to your loved ones.
My husband is a corrections officer at the state prison here in Jackson. He told me that he sees men and young boys, some only seventeen who are trying to get adjusted to prison life. He watches them and is aware of how much of a struggle it is. He does his best to be respectful to these men. He feels they are human, and we all make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we have to pay the cost. These prisoners can be difficult, and some nights he has issues. He is unable to share details with me. He just simply says he had a difficult night. A strange coincidence, is this chapter describes the last moments of a condemned prisoner. A prisoner was just put to death this week at the prison. It made me feel a small amount of pity for the man who was put to death this week.
Many traditions and circumstances are similar. In the text Dickens talks about turnkeys. “After a little delay, occasioned by sending in to the interior of the prson for the officer whose duty it was to conduct us, that functionary arrived; a respectable-looking man of about two or three and fifty, in a broad-brimmed hat, and full suit of black, who but for his keys would have looked quite as much like a clergy man as a turnkey.” (page 2) The turnkey is what we call a corrections officer today. The officers have keys for every door and lock in the cell house they are running for that shift. They have radios where they can call for backup. They watch the prisoners just as they did in Dicken’s time. Prisoners come from all walks of life. Dickens speaks about the section of the prison that housed the more well to do offenders. “On either side of the school-yard is a yard for men, in one of which-that towards Newgate street-prisoners of the more respectable class are confined.” (page 6). We have our white-collar prisons, but we also have different cells blocks for the varied types of offender. There is high-max for the really bad prisoners, a psych-ward for the insane, and dormitory cell blocks for those that are well behaved. One final similarity is the feeling of anguish felt by the condemned prisoners. Without having a personal account from a condemned prisoner, I can only imagine the anguish in the waiting. “He paces the narrow limits of his cell with rapid strides, cold drops of terror dripping on his forehead, and every muscle of his frame quivering in agony. I cannot imagine being a family member of a condemned person and visiting them for the last time. It must be awful for the prisoner to have to say goodbye. How could you possibly say everything you mean to say to your loved ones.
My husband is a corrections officer at the state prison here in Jackson. He told me that he sees men and young boys, some only seventeen who are trying to get adjusted to prison life. He watches them and is aware of how much of a struggle it is. He does his best to be respectful to these men. He feels they are human, and we all make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we have to pay the cost. These prisoners can be difficult, and some nights he has issues. He is unable to share details with me. He just simply says he had a difficult night. A strange coincidence, is this chapter describes the last moments of a condemned prisoner. A prisoner was just put to death this week at the prison. It made me feel a small amount of pity for the man who was put to death this week.
Alfred Lord Tennyson Tears Idle Tears
Life is a double edged sword. It can be a court jester, bringing funny bits of humor into our life. It can also be ruthless and cruel throwing obstacles and loss in our face. In the poem Tears, Idle Tears, Alfred Lord Tennyson explores the depth of emotion life can bring us and how painful loss can be.
When someone remembers the past it can be bittersweet. Things in our surroundings can remind us of someone we lost. His poem seems to deal primarily with the loss of someone special in his life. “Tears from the depth of some divine despair / Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, / In looking on the happy Autumn-fields, And thinking of the days that are no more.” (lines 2 – 5) The speaker is morning his loss. He is looking at how the world keeps spinning even after tragedy, and contemplating the days to come without that person. We are forced to move on with our lives. The days that are no more refers to the number of days we have to live without our loved one. “So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.” (line 15) This is a poem of grief. The emotion in this poem makes me feel like the speaker is consumed with grief.
Loss has touched my family. We lost my father-in-law four years ago. All of our lives have changed because of his death. Every holiday changed. I was amazed at how quickly we had to pick up where we left life. When someone dies in your life, you put life down ever so briefly to deal with the initial grief and subsequent arrangements. Almost immediately afterwards, life must resume. There are bills to pay, birthday parties, holidays, and family reunions to attend. We must face our grief and move on with our lives or we too shall perish.
When someone remembers the past it can be bittersweet. Things in our surroundings can remind us of someone we lost. His poem seems to deal primarily with the loss of someone special in his life. “Tears from the depth of some divine despair / Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, / In looking on the happy Autumn-fields, And thinking of the days that are no more.” (lines 2 – 5) The speaker is morning his loss. He is looking at how the world keeps spinning even after tragedy, and contemplating the days to come without that person. We are forced to move on with our lives. The days that are no more refers to the number of days we have to live without our loved one. “So sad, so strange, the days that are no more.” (line 15) This is a poem of grief. The emotion in this poem makes me feel like the speaker is consumed with grief.
Loss has touched my family. We lost my father-in-law four years ago. All of our lives have changed because of his death. Every holiday changed. I was amazed at how quickly we had to pick up where we left life. When someone dies in your life, you put life down ever so briefly to deal with the initial grief and subsequent arrangements. Almost immediately afterwards, life must resume. There are bills to pay, birthday parties, holidays, and family reunions to attend. We must face our grief and move on with our lives or we too shall perish.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
John Stuart Mill Radical Thinker
John Stuart Mill was considered a radical during the Victorian Era. What does it take to be classified a radical? You just have to respect your wife and consider her an equal. Oh! The horror of such a radical view, this was a man after my own independent female heart!
Mill became a political activist at a young age. He was even arrested at the age of seventeen for distributing information about birth control. His Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands, spoke to his revolutionary thoughts on women’s rights. In his statement, he relinquishes his right of ownership over his wife. He very clearly states,
“that she retains in all respects whatever the same absolute freedom of action, and freedom of disposal of herself and of all that does or may at any time belong to her, as if no such marriage had taken place; and I absolutely disclaim and repudiate all pretence to have acquired any rights whatever by virtue of such marriage”
This was written March 6, 1851 a full hundred and fourteen years before the American Civil Rights Movement. This was radical thinking. John Stuart Mill is making another statement. He not only campaigns for women’s rights but he brings it home. This was evidence that he walked the walked. He was being completely transparent with this statement.
I was definitely born in the right time. I am very independent by nature. My mother encouraged my independence. I was taught to think and speak for myself. In my journey to receive my degree, I have taken philosophy and English classes. I have read female authors and explored their history. The time for women is now. Women are strong. Women hold the power. Unfortunately, it is not the same for all women. There are countries that still hold fast to the barbaric notion of women as property. I pray for those women that progress reaches them some day. I am grateful for the strong and brave women that have paved the way for me.
Mill became a political activist at a young age. He was even arrested at the age of seventeen for distributing information about birth control. His Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands, spoke to his revolutionary thoughts on women’s rights. In his statement, he relinquishes his right of ownership over his wife. He very clearly states,
“that she retains in all respects whatever the same absolute freedom of action, and freedom of disposal of herself and of all that does or may at any time belong to her, as if no such marriage had taken place; and I absolutely disclaim and repudiate all pretence to have acquired any rights whatever by virtue of such marriage”
This was written March 6, 1851 a full hundred and fourteen years before the American Civil Rights Movement. This was radical thinking. John Stuart Mill is making another statement. He not only campaigns for women’s rights but he brings it home. This was evidence that he walked the walked. He was being completely transparent with this statement.
I was definitely born in the right time. I am very independent by nature. My mother encouraged my independence. I was taught to think and speak for myself. In my journey to receive my degree, I have taken philosophy and English classes. I have read female authors and explored their history. The time for women is now. Women are strong. Women hold the power. Unfortunately, it is not the same for all women. There are countries that still hold fast to the barbaric notion of women as property. I pray for those women that progress reaches them some day. I am grateful for the strong and brave women that have paved the way for me.
Porphyria’s Lover – A Story of Murder
Robert Browning used his poem “Porphyria” to tell a story of a young girl’s murder. Our text tells us it was inspired by the alleged murder committed by Alfonso II duke of Ferrara. In this poem we see the psychopathic nature of the person telling the story. The story began on a stormy night and ends in murder.
I have read dark poems before. Edgar Allen Poe wrote many dark and disturbing poems. I was surprised by this poem. The climax took me entirely by surprise. The poem begins with a story of a maiden coming home to her man and wanting to please him. “She put my arm around her waist, / and made her smooth white shoulder bare.” (line 16 & 17) She bares her shoulder and lets her hair down. She is trying to entice him. She wants his attention and his love. Her desire for his affection ultimately endangers her life. “Happy and proud; at last I knew / Porphyria worshipped me; surprise / Made my heart swell, and still it grew / While I debated what to do.” (line 32 – 35) A beautiful woman loves him and desires him. What does he need to debate? He makes a decision to take action.
“That moment she was mine; mine, fair
Perfectly pure and good; I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangles her.” (line 36 – 41).
I just wanted to scream No, you monster!
This poem is very different from others we have read. There have been many poems dealing with religion and love. “Porphyria” is rough and dangerous. . I think the woman in the poem is his mistress. He just seems to be so detached from her. He does not become emotional until he realizes how much she loves him. This poem is so disturbing. It reminds me of someone like Scott Peterson who killed his pregnant wife. There was no remorse over what he did. This poem left me feeling devastated and disgusted. The speaker is so smug about killing this young woman. It leaves me felling dirty after reading it.
I have read dark poems before. Edgar Allen Poe wrote many dark and disturbing poems. I was surprised by this poem. The climax took me entirely by surprise. The poem begins with a story of a maiden coming home to her man and wanting to please him. “She put my arm around her waist, / and made her smooth white shoulder bare.” (line 16 & 17) She bares her shoulder and lets her hair down. She is trying to entice him. She wants his attention and his love. Her desire for his affection ultimately endangers her life. “Happy and proud; at last I knew / Porphyria worshipped me; surprise / Made my heart swell, and still it grew / While I debated what to do.” (line 32 – 35) A beautiful woman loves him and desires him. What does he need to debate? He makes a decision to take action.
“That moment she was mine; mine, fair
Perfectly pure and good; I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangles her.” (line 36 – 41).
I just wanted to scream No, you monster!
This poem is very different from others we have read. There have been many poems dealing with religion and love. “Porphyria” is rough and dangerous. . I think the woman in the poem is his mistress. He just seems to be so detached from her. He does not become emotional until he realizes how much she loves him. This poem is so disturbing. It reminds me of someone like Scott Peterson who killed his pregnant wife. There was no remorse over what he did. This poem left me feeling devastated and disgusted. The speaker is so smug about killing this young woman. It leaves me felling dirty after reading it.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Elizabeth Barrett Browing - The Power of Love
Tina Turner says, “What’s love got to do with it?” The Beatles say “All we need is love.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning was in love when she wrote “Sonnets from the Portuguese.” To her fiancé. Love does strange things to us. It makes us say and do things we wouldn’t normally do. In this poem, Browning expresses her love and desire for the man she would later call her husband.
Browning writes how love can make you strong against the world.
When our two souls stand erect and strong stong,
Face to face,silent,drawing nigh and nigher
Until the lengthening wings break into fire
At either curved point, what bitter wrong
Can earth do to us (line 1 - 5)
Love is a powerful force against the world. When you love someone and they love you, there is almost a feeling of invincibility. I can relate to that feeling. In section 43 she relives his kisses to her and how loved she felt. After the kiss to her forehead she says “That was the chrism of love, which love’s own crown / With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.” (line 10 & 11) The final part of the poem is the most emotional and powerful. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” (line 1). You can feel the depth of the emotion in her words. It is so beautiful. It is almost as if the climax of this poem comes at the end. She tells him she will love him all her life and if God permits it, she will love him after that. “ – and, if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death.” (line 14)
Love is so beautiful and those of us who have it are lucky. We are even more fortunate if we are filled up with it. The love for a child can do this. I love and adore my husband. He is my best friend and someone I am so lucky to be able to spend my life. As a mother my heart swells to bursting over my son. He is my only child and I am so blessed to have a child like him. When so much is wrong with the world, I look at him as my glimmer of hope. He already makes this world a better place for being in it. I hope that everyone in the world finds love. Love makes us stronger and keeps us together when the world tries to destroy us.
Browning writes how love can make you strong against the world.
When our two souls stand erect and strong stong,
Face to face,silent,drawing nigh and nigher
Until the lengthening wings break into fire
At either curved point, what bitter wrong
Can earth do to us (line 1 - 5)
Love is a powerful force against the world. When you love someone and they love you, there is almost a feeling of invincibility. I can relate to that feeling. In section 43 she relives his kisses to her and how loved she felt. After the kiss to her forehead she says “That was the chrism of love, which love’s own crown / With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.” (line 10 & 11) The final part of the poem is the most emotional and powerful. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” (line 1). You can feel the depth of the emotion in her words. It is so beautiful. It is almost as if the climax of this poem comes at the end. She tells him she will love him all her life and if God permits it, she will love him after that. “ – and, if God choose, / I shall but love thee better after death.” (line 14)
Love is so beautiful and those of us who have it are lucky. We are even more fortunate if we are filled up with it. The love for a child can do this. I love and adore my husband. He is my best friend and someone I am so lucky to be able to spend my life. As a mother my heart swells to bursting over my son. He is my only child and I am so blessed to have a child like him. When so much is wrong with the world, I look at him as my glimmer of hope. He already makes this world a better place for being in it. I hope that everyone in the world finds love. Love makes us stronger and keeps us together when the world tries to destroy us.
Thomas Carlyle Labour, Know Thy Work
Thomas Carlyle provided us with many pieces of literature that held life lessons within them. One such piece that spoke volumes to me was Labour Know Thy Work. He speaks of work as having the ability to transform a person. As I read I could imagine a man becoming a man with “The blessed glow of Labour in him.” It was as if Labour being capitalized makes it almost like a being of power to come and fill up a man who works.
The first sentence caught my attention. “For there is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in Work.” The next sentence explains that a man is never without hope if he works hard. “There is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works.” (Paragraph 1). This is so true. Don’t we feel wonderful after a long days work? Carlyle goes on in the third paragraph to explain what the benefits of working can bring. “A man perfects himself by working. Foul jungles are cleared away, fair seedfields rise instead and stately cities; an withal the man himself first ceases to be a jungle and foul unwholesome desert thereby.” I believe Carlyle is saying word cleanses the soul of a man. Once cleansed the man begins to grow into something beautiful and strong like a stately city. Carlyle sums up his “Gospel” on work by saying “Doubt of whatever kind, can be ended by Action alone.”
How clear does this ring true for us today? This could easily have been written and published today for our generation. This piece truly spoke to me about someone in my family. This person is 25 years old. He has no full time job. He works just enough to pay his $300 rent each month. The rest of his money comes from his mother who has been forced to live with us. She is unable to pay both of their bills. With his lack of a job, he has all the time in the world to go to outdoor concerts in other states with his friends. We have not been on a vacation in five years. It really upsets me that we all have to pay a price for his lack of motivation. Carlyle said, “Idleness alone is there perpetual despair.” This was written for my family member. How can anyone feel good about themselves without hard work and meeting goals. I want to scream and shout sometimes because he is so inconsiderate. Hard work is something I believe in. It is why I am working so hard to finish my degree to become a teacher. When I work hard and can see my results, I am proud. I hope this generation will continue working hard to make our world a better place, instead of acting like my family member who has no real place in this world.
The first sentence caught my attention. “For there is a perennial nobleness, and even sacredness, in Work.” The next sentence explains that a man is never without hope if he works hard. “There is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works.” (Paragraph 1). This is so true. Don’t we feel wonderful after a long days work? Carlyle goes on in the third paragraph to explain what the benefits of working can bring. “A man perfects himself by working. Foul jungles are cleared away, fair seedfields rise instead and stately cities; an withal the man himself first ceases to be a jungle and foul unwholesome desert thereby.” I believe Carlyle is saying word cleanses the soul of a man. Once cleansed the man begins to grow into something beautiful and strong like a stately city. Carlyle sums up his “Gospel” on work by saying “Doubt of whatever kind, can be ended by Action alone.”
How clear does this ring true for us today? This could easily have been written and published today for our generation. This piece truly spoke to me about someone in my family. This person is 25 years old. He has no full time job. He works just enough to pay his $300 rent each month. The rest of his money comes from his mother who has been forced to live with us. She is unable to pay both of their bills. With his lack of a job, he has all the time in the world to go to outdoor concerts in other states with his friends. We have not been on a vacation in five years. It really upsets me that we all have to pay a price for his lack of motivation. Carlyle said, “Idleness alone is there perpetual despair.” This was written for my family member. How can anyone feel good about themselves without hard work and meeting goals. I want to scream and shout sometimes because he is so inconsiderate. Hard work is something I believe in. It is why I am working so hard to finish my degree to become a teacher. When I work hard and can see my results, I am proud. I hope this generation will continue working hard to make our world a better place, instead of acting like my family member who has no real place in this world.
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