Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanatopsis Analysis

As I have discovered by reading many different articles on this poem, the simple title "Thanatopsis" is not a very inviting phrase. According to Randall Huff in his article in The Facts on File Companion to American Poetry, the title loosely translates to "Meditation on Death" or "View on Death." The poem also expresses the importance of nature in life. Just in the first few lines, the author personifies nature saying, "She has a voice of gladness, and a smile and eloquence of beauty" (Bryant 4-5). Bryant gives nature characteristics like a smile and eloquence of beauty to help the reader understand "her," as he would refer to it as. The poem quickly shifts from a happy feeling to the topic of death. Bryant writes in lines 8 and 9 "when thoughts of the last bitter hour come..." and the timbre of the poem drastically changes. The author gives a very interesting take on death, using great detail to describe his body's life after his death. He says,
Thine individual being, shalt tho go to mix forever with the elements; to be a brother to the insensible rock, and to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould. (Bryant 25-30)
The passage puts a very dark twist on death. In this particular passage, Bryant strictly looked at death from a physical standpoint. The fate of his body was analyzed in this section, which is not the way many of the previous authors we have read about would have chosen to do. Authors like Jonathon Edwards may have chosen to write about his spiritual afterlife in that situation instead of the literal afterlife of his body because he was a writer during the Great Awakening, when religion was a major influence on writing. It is obvious that nature plays a huge role in this poem, and according to Huff, nature is "more teacher than companion." The point of this poem was have the reader learn a lesson that is perfectly described by Brett Barney in his literary criticism. He states that the last stanza of the poem sums up the moral of the poem.
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night...approach thy grave like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. (Bryant 77, 79-81)
This final passage from the last stanza is saying that you should live your life so that dying is not something to dread and fear, but it should be like a long awaited rest from living a great life. I can relate this idea to some of Franklin's Rationalist writings. Franklin was known for his 13 virtues that he implemented to make himself a better person, and the last stanza of this poem is aimed at good people. If you have lived a good, solid life, death will not be a bad thing, but a well deserved time of rest after being the best person you can be.

Lounsbury, Thomas R., ed. Yale Book of American Verse. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/102/. [Nov. 28].

Barney, Brett, and Lisa Paddock, eds. "'Thanatopsis'." Encyclopedia of American Literature: The Age of Romanticism and Realism, 1816–1895, vol. 2, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EAmL0805&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 28, 2011).

Huff, Randall. "'Thanatopsis'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CPAP0402&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 28, 2011).

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Journal #19 - Nature and Life Cycle

From a scientific standpoint, nature is a key part of the life cycle.For example, when an animal is born, the life cycle begins. Through out the life of the animal, it will consume food, such as plants or other animals. When the the animal dies, its body will decompose in the earth and feed the plants that are growing in the ground. Those plants serve as food for other animals, which helps to complete the cycle. Each organism in the cycle is just as important as the next, no matter how big or small. Rock are the stupidest animal in the entire animal kingdom. The rock, in its natural habitat, will literally just sit there and do nothing. It serves no purpose. Only stupid animals will eat the rock, and the rock will never die. So the rock doesn't really have a place in the system of life. In all seriousness, nature plays a huge part in the life cycle. Many of the experiences that people have in their life are due to nature. Some of those experiences help a person to learn something that they will use for the rest of their life. For example, when a person forgets their umbrella and has to walk in the rain, they can be sure they will never forget it again, and it was all because of nature. Death is a factor that ties nature and the life cycle together. In many aspects, one could not exist without the other. I have a feeling that the topics of nature and death are going to be in some of our upcoming poems that we will be reading in the Romanticism period of time. I know that nature is a big part of the literature of that time period, and I can only assume that we will be reading a poem that relates nature and death. While seemingly completely different, nature and the life cycle are connected in many different ways.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Writing Comparison: Romanticism vs Rationalism

Of all of the writers that we studied through out the Rationalism period, Ben Franklin was the author that we focused on the most. Franklin was a paradigm for the Rationalism period because of his use of scientific knowledge and rational thinking. Many characteristics of Rationalism period writing would highlight using the authors own thoughts, Deist influences and using facts to back up thoughts. Franklin's autobiography is a perfect example of Rationalist writing. Franklin was very forward with his Deist beliefs.

I never doubted, for instance, the existence of a Deity-that he made the world and governed it by his providence-that the most acceptable service was the doing good to man-that our souls are immortal-and that all crimes will be punished and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter. (Franklin)
This quote from Franklin's Autobiography clearly states that he was a Deist, and his writing reflected that thought. The passage provided a very broad, general statement about Deism, which was a characteristic of Rationalist writing. His Deist beliefs also led to his creation of his system of 13 virtues, which also were an example of Rationalist ideals. His system was very logical, and it was put in place to make Franklin a better man. Because he held Deist beliefs, he knew that he could make himself into a better person because he was in control of his life.

The literature that we are moving into now is much different from the previous readings. First of all, it is obvious that the passages we are reading are poems, which are different from the Autobiography of Ben Franklin. The lines in the reading have a rhyming pattern, which makes them very different from the non-fiction passages we read in past units. One major difference between the two styles of writing is the use of figurative and descriptive language. The poem that I chose to compare with, Old Ironsides by Oliver Wendel Holmes, uses a lot of very descriptive language, which was a characteristic that was lacking in the Rationalist writing. There were many passages from the poem that were perfect examples of the type of language used in Romantic writing. "The Eagle of the Sea!" (Holmes) is a line that compares a ship to being an eagle. Obviously the ship is not actually an eagle, but the comparison of the giant metal ship to an eagle is a great way to be able to visualize the intent of the author.

This change of style can be linked to many different things. Many of the influences in the writing came from a love for nature. The comparison of the ship to the eagle is a perfect example to support that. The author wrote "Her deck, once red with heroes' blood," (Holmes) which leads readers to believe that the ship had more meaning than just as a ship. The ship referred to in the poem may have been a Revolutionary War ship, and Nationalism was another influence for Romantic writing. Between the two styles of writing, many differences can be drawn to set the two styles apart.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autoboigraphy of Benjamin Franklin. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. PDF.

Holmes, Oliver Wendel. "Old Ironsides." Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 211. Print.



Monday, November 21, 2011

Journal #18 - A Perfect Autumn's Day

I just realized that this is the second journal that we have had about Autumn, and it has gotten me thinking. Why do we have so many journals about Autumn? It really isn't logical; we are in the season of Winter, Autumn starts with "A" which is the first letter of the alphabet, which would have no correlation to the day of the month that we are in, the 21st to be exact. Also, Autumn has 6 letters in it, and Langley has 7, so that cannot be the connection either. The only conclusion that I can come to is that Mr. Langley is obsessed with the season of Autumn. In reality, however, the real reason that we are discussing a perfect Autumn's day is because nature is a huge part of the writing style that we are about to start reading. A perfect Autumn's day would consist of a slight breeze, just strong enough to blow leaves out of the trees but weak enough to not disturb the piles on the ground below. The leaves themselves would all be turning different shades of yellows, reds and oranges, all Autumn colors. Children and their parents would be outside raking up the leaves and doing last minute yard work before the upcoming frost smothers all signs of plant life in the yard. The sun would feel warm on your skin, but the cool breeze would still make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up with chills. People would be out walking with warm winter coats on to protect themselves from the cool breeze that many could not enjoy. Runners would jog by with their headphones in, and clouds of condensation would flow from their mouth as they pant down the street. The end of the day would come soon, as do many sunsets in the Autumn and Winter seasons. The evening would bring the same temperature that the afternoon did, but the breeze would die down quickly. Families would gather around by their fireplaces and drink warm, soothing drinks and watch tv, until they all climb into their warm beds and drift off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Journal #17 - Bonding with Nature

In my life, I've had many experiences with nature. When I lived at my old house, we were back right against a wooded area. I was walking back there one day and saw that there were two trees very close to each other. I decided that I was going to construct a fort between those two trees. I was only 10 at the time, but I set off on my adventure to find supplies. I ended up tying up a branch and using knots and lashings to finish my fort. I even slept out one night in it. It was great.

Another time, in that same back yard, Chris O'Connor, Taylor Ray and I decided to build a boat to sail on our creek in my back yard. First, we started by building a bridge from one side of the creek to the other. Obviously, my parents had no idea what we were all doing back there, and that was probably best. We would have gotten in trouble for sure, and we eventually did. But before everything fell through, we had the time of our lives. We searched my garage for essentially anything that we thought would float and basically just tapped it all together. We threw it in the water and somehow, it floated! we were all amazed, and we voted that Taylor should be the first one to try it, since he was the lightest of the three of us. He laid down on it, and amazingly, it held him out of the water! Remember, the creek we were in was only about 3 feet wide, which was the width of the boat, and it was only about 2 feet deep, so there really wasn't much room to mess up. We grabbed hold of the rope on the front of the boat and we pulled him down the creek on our homemade raft. At one point we encountered an obstacle, a tree in the water. Taylor hopped off and we put the boat over the tree, but I ended up dropping my phone in the creek! I grabbed it out as soon as I could, but the water damage was very noticeable. That was when we, and by we I mean I, had to tell my parents and they were not happy. That trip was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had with nature. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Journal #16 - Overcoming Obstacles

In our Franklin's virtue project, it is obvious that I will encounter many obstacles through out this project. The main one will be communication. Since we are doing this project with not only members of other classes, but students from another school, it is key that we all develop a strong line of communication so we can effectively get work done on our project. The easiest method of communication that will be most effective is email. Whoever created email was a complete genius. Sometimes, however, I don't always get the chance to check my email on a daily basis, and I'm sure that others are the same way, so we will obviously have to find other great ways of communication to help speed up our project. One way that I find very effective is communication through Facebook. One of the members of our group from the other school has already added me as a friend on Facebook, and we have been sending messages about our project back and forth to each other, rather quickly. It has been a great improvement to our line of communication. Another student suggested that a Today's Meet chat be set up to be used as an ongoing tool for communication between our group members. It would be a great way to communicate thoughts and ideas to our whole group without being in constant contact with each other.

Another obstacle that I have had to overcome has been the level of work ethic. Since we are in an honors class, the kids in our English occasionally have a higher standard of what is acceptable to turn in, and it is sometimes hard to make sure that the entire group project is done up to the standards of one person. I, however, don't want to put my name on something that I would not turn in as my own project, so I will just have to make sure that the project's overall appeal is up to the standards of an honors class requirements.  

Monday, November 7, 2011

Journal #15 - Overcoming Barriers

There are many problems that I am sure I will encounter through out our project with Farmington, but with the wonders of technology, I will be able to overcome them. The first problem that I will probably encounter will be getting a dorky partner. That is a serious risk. This is a person that I'm going to have to communicate with for almost 3 weeks, so I really don't want to get a socially awkward person, especially if we are going to have discussions together. I will be able to overcome this problem by being funny, telling jokes, and making that group member feel more welcomed into the group. That is something that Franklin would do. The second issue that I might face in this project is getting a partner who is not on the same intellectual level that I am. I don't mean to say that I am a genius, because I'm not, but I don't want to get a partner who doesn't do the same quality of work that I like to turn in. I will be able to fix this by making sure that whatever has my name on it is up to par with the standards that I have been expected to do. A third problem that I may encounter is unreliability of my partners. If I end up with a partner who is not responsible, I'm going to be in trouble. I, myself, am not very diligent with my work, not as much as I should be, so if I am partnered with someone just like me, we're in a world of trouble. We probably would get along great, but our project grade probably would not be turned in on time. We'll just have to see how the cookie crumbles. Overall, this project is going to be a pain. It really isn't going to be easy, and I feel that I am going to encounter all of the problems that I listed above, but I think I will be able to overcome them.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Franklin's Virtues

Throughout history, Benjamin Franklin's name has left its mark in all of the books, as well as in all of our minds. Being on of the greatest minds of the Revolutionary period, Franklin was known not only for his genius ideas, but also his strong moral character. Franklin is widely known for his system of 13 virtues that he used in an effort to transform himself into a better person. Franklin's system of virtues must have worked very well for himself because his autobiography contains many insightful quotes that he created throughout his life time.
He that loses five shillings, not only loses that sum, but also all the advantages that might be made by turning it in dealing, which, by the time that a young man becomes old, will amount to a considerable amount of money. (Franklin 15)
This quote contains a level of higher thinking that many people of the time would not be able to see. One of Franklin's virtues was industry, and that passage is a key aspect of that virtue. Many people would only see the 5 shillings lost, but Franklin considered the loss to include the business that could be created with the 5 shillings. Franklin's higher level of thinking could really only be obtained through his system of virtues, which is why I believe that Franklin truly did become a better person through his system.

Henry T. Tuckerman wrote a criticism about Franklin's character in 1856, which was nearly 66 years after the death of Franklin, but he thought so highly of Franklin that his review was mainly full of praises to Franklin. One flaw, however, that Tuckerman does point out in Franklin's character is the fact that he did not find an even balance between scientific development and religious growth (Bloom). None of the 13 virtues that Franklin followed "religiously" had anything to do directly with religion, which is surprising. One would assume that in an effort to become a better person, someone would make an effort to become a more spiritual person as well, but in Franklin's case, that is not true. That would be the one place I find fault in Franklin's system of virtues. Yes, they may have overall made him a better person, but leaving out a key aspect of life is a major downfall on his part. To truly create a well balanced, better person, someone should focus not only on the physical characteristics of a good person, but also the spiritual aspects of a good person.

While Franklin's system lacked a spiritual aspect, I believe that overall he was successful in becoming a better person, and Tuckerman's criticism is a reflection of my thoughts. Tuckerman wrote:
His wisdom was applicable to the immediate and the essential in daily and common life; he dealt chiefly with details; he advocated habits, ideas, and methods based on positive utility. (Bloom)
All Franklin wanted to do with his system of virtues was make himself a better person, and "advocating habits, ideas and methods based on positive utility" (Bloom) is definitely a good start at making someone a better person.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964.
Print.

Bloom, Harold, ed. "The Character of Franklin." Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.aspItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=CCVBF019&SingleRecord=True. October 27, 2011.