The Link Between Rationalism and Romanticism

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     During the Age of Rationalism, there was a constant search for enlightenment. It was a time to question any and everything. Questions led to answers which ultimately led to a better understanding of things. Many famous philosophers were able to write and share their ideas with the public during this time. It was a time to inspire and be inspired. The thirst for knowledge was at an all time high. People grew so passionate about learning. So why does Romanticism reject the ideas of Rationalism, if the Age of Rationalism bore some of the best erudite of our time? During the Age of Romanticism, what the heart felt meant more than analyzing every single situation. I think it is safe to say that if you like overthinking and overanalyzing situations, the concept of Romanticism would probably not appeal to you. I think we can all agree that overthinking a situation before or after it has happened can suck all the fun right out of it! Instead of thinking things through, Romantics lived spontaneously. You know that sappy saying, "Follow your heart," yeah well that is probably something that the Romantics would have encouraged. In addition, Romantics were very fond of nature. They took out of their day to smell the flowers and embrace the beauty of nature. Let's not forget the admiration Shug Avery also felt for nature back when we read The Color Purple! "I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it." Shug would have fit in so well with the Romantics! Haha

     The connection I am trying to make, however, is between the two poems we read that were written in two completely different time periods. Paradise Lost which was written by John Milton during the Age of Rationalism and "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" which was written by William Wordsworth during the Age of Romanticism. Although I discussed how these time periods contrasted each other, the poems written during these two times share many of the same ideas. The Age of Rationalism and the Age of Romanticism are linked through these poems/stories.

     In Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve must face the fact that they have lost something that they will never be able to get back: their innocence. Similarly, in Ode (too long to keep retyping lol) Wordsworth's grief is over the fact that he will never be able to experience the glory, innocence and purity that he once possessed as a child. Both poems deal with the lost of things that were of great value. Things we will never be able to repossess. Second, in Paradise Lost we see how blissfully ignorant Adam and Eve were. They had no responsibilities, burdens, or anything to worry about. We are able to see the same type of ignorant bliss in the children Wordsworth describe in his Ode poem. I think it is fair to even compare children and infants to Adam and Eve before they experienced their downfall. Before growing up and losing our glory(or forgetting it perhaps), we were celestial beings like Adam and Eve once were. When they ate the forbidden fruit, it forced them to open their eyes to how chaotic the world really is. Similarly, when children grow up, it is the same as them eating the forbidden fruit, except they are not given a choice. Whether they like it or not, they are forced to see, understand, and even experience all the things wrong in the world. The new knowledge that the forbidden fruit (also my metaphor for growing up) provided in both of these poems seems to hurt us more than it actually benefits us ("knowledge is pain"). Lastly, I noticed how both poems deal with the loss of innocence, but they also deal with what we gain after our loss. In Paradise Lost, we gain Free Will. The freedom to be able to think for ourselves and make our own decisions. In Ode, we gain a "philosophic mind." The ability to understand complexed matters, think deep thoughts, and provide solutions to problems is not something that most children are able to do. It is something that we learn to do as we go through the many obstacles we must face in life(which involves us losing our innocence). It is ultimately up to you whether to decide if what we gained is better than what we loss or vice versa. It is all a matter of opinion so there really is no right answer. These poems make it evident that after every tragic loss, there is a chance to rise. It is up to you how you choose to see this acquired knowledge. Is it burden or a gift? Or is just another gray area?

Rushing Our Lives

Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

In Ode: Intimations of Immortality, we are able to see how Wordsworth has a strong feeling about childhood. He says that children try to grow up so fast and he does not understand why would they want to grow up so quickly and begin the struggles that adults have to eventually face. In stanza 7, he says that children play pretend funeral and wedding. As we discussed this in class, I realized I used to do the same thing. As a child, I was always playing pretend cooking. Where I would get mud and rocks and pretended I was making mashed potatoes with meat. Others days, I would pretend I was a doctor and I would prescribe my patients (teddy bears) with pills (sweet tarts) for their terrible cough. I remember I wanted to grow up so bad and do all the "cool" things adults were able to do. Now, however, I realized growing up will not be as fun as I thought it would be when I was 5 years old. As children we are not able to see and appreciate how precious life is before we are faced with all of life's struggles. Therefore, I believe we should enjoy life instead of rushing everything we do, rather just sit back and enjoy an episode of Spongebob Squarepants.

Shatter Me Book Review

This week in English class,  shared our independent reading books.  I read Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  It is about Juliette who inadvertently killed a little boy with her deadly touch.  Ever since that moment, Juliette was locked away for 264days and deemed a danger to the public.  That is, until the Reestablishment decided she was useful in their quest for control.  The actual idea of the book is amazing but I was not impressed with the result of that idea. One problem I had with the book was the writing.  I felt as though the  author was trying be fancy with her description of things but it came off as  much.  For example, "He shifts  and my eyes shatter into thousands if pieces that ricochet around the room, capturing a million snapshots, a  million moments in time.  Flickering images faded with age, frozen thoughts hovering precariously in dead space, a whirlwind of memories that slice through my soul."  This is how things are constantly described throughout the book and sometimes it feels as though it's too much.  My next problem is with the main character Juliette.  Juliette is so insecure it becomes annoying.  Most of the book seems to be about her complaining, asking why she's alive; she wishes she could die and she doesn't deserve love, etc.  It seems as though every one has to keep reassuring her that they love her and she doesn't deserve to die including one  her love interest, Adam.  He has to continually tell her that he loves her but she  can't seem to grasp what he is saying.  She acts so weak throughout the book and when you finally thinks she grows a backbone she goes back to being insecure.  Juliette actually reminds me of Bella from twilight.  Just like Bella, Adam has to continually be by her side to protect her and just like Bella, she needs someone to continue to reassure her about  everything.  I was expecting that once she gained  courage and had a backbone we were going to see this strong character like Katniss from the hunger games but the total opposite happens. Overall, I did not enjoy this book. There were so many times where I just wanted to throw this book away and I honestly don't recommend it. 

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Eve Gone Bad

This week in class we finished up with "Paradise Lost," by John Milton by talking about the change in Eve. As seen in the reading, the serpent manipulates Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. Eve obviously made a poor choice but she believed she developed knowledge and free will. Now at the end of "Paradise Lost," Eve is debating whether she tell Adam about the powers of the forbidden fruit or should keep it to herself. Eve is starting to have the same concept of freedom as Satan when she says, "And render me more equal, and perhaps, a thing not undesirable, sometime Superior: for, inferior, who is free?" (822 line 445)Eve has gone bad! Now she feels that she should keep the secret of the forbidden away from her partner so she can become Superior. However, Eve realizes something. "This may be well: but what if God have seen and death ensue? Then I shall be no more, and Adam, wedded to another Eve, shall live with her enjoying..." (822 line 448). In other words, she's saying what if God had seen her eat the fruit and punishes her? Then Adam will be wed "to another Eve" and she does not want that. She realizes she has worked against God's wishes and knows she will be punished for that. But then, she realizes she can't leave her baby Adam behind. So she finally comes to the conclusion that she's just going to bring Adam down with her.
 

This brings me to my connection. Have you ever done something you know you were not suppose to do? Then you try to blame someone else for it? Or even bring them down with you because you refuse to be punished alone? If you have done this then you can easily understand Eve's thought process. For instance, I babysit my cousins all the time. I have noticed that when one of them does something wrong they blame on their siblings. I know they mean no harm to each other (let's hope not) but they just do not want to be on "time out" by themselves. This can be seen through Eve's decision. She does not want to be on "time out" alone.

 

Hamlet Characters and their Psychological Issues !!

As we began to wrap up Hamlet, I made a connection between the characters and Psychological and Personality Disorders that I learned about in Psychology of Personality with Ms.Kenney. For one , I think its quite obvious that Hamlet suffers from depression. He is in a serious state of depression at the beginning of the play when we first see him . That depression then turns to anger which causes him to be violent and that violence caused him to kill Polonius. It seems to me like our friend Hamlet might also be a bit bipolar too. In Act III, we read his long soliloquy of him contemplating suicide. Then, he turns around in Act IV saying his thoughts will "be bloody" !! The image below features a man with half his face painted red and the other half painted black. This symbolizes Hamlet's two sides. The black is his depression and state of melancholy and the red is his violent and vengeful side. 

Another character who suffers from a disorder is Claudius. Claudius clearly has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. We are all familiar with the Greek Myth of Narcissus and how he was forced to stare at his reflection in the lake forever until he died. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a personality disorder in which the individuals who have it are all about themselves, lack empathy for others , and obsess over power.If this isn't Claudius then I don't know what is !!!!! Claudius definitely cares only for himself. He lacks empathy for Hamlet when Hamlet is grieving the death of his father. He also obsesses over power . This is evident because he kills his own brother !!! HIS OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! Lastly, in the final death scene when he gets stabbed with the sword he tries to brush it off like he's invisible. Ugh!!!!! The nerve of this guy !!! 

What do you ladies think? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Why or Why not? Do you think any other characters have disorders? 

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Shakespeakerean/Modern "Slut" Shaming

In this blog, I chose to connect Ophelia to many young girls now. Ophelia faces the female stereotype that makes young women a commodity, worthless for being with men before marriage. Polonius says, "From this time be something scanter of your maiden presence. Set your entreatments at a higher rate..." Here, he is reducing Ophelia to her mere virginity, telling her that she must remain a virgin until marriage or be a disgraced woman that is not to be married.
This relates to what women have to deal with--hundreds of years after Hamlet was written! As young women, we have to deal with being called "pops" or "thots" even if we are seen around too many guys, never mind kissing them, and God forbid, actually having sex with them. Like Polonius said, we must look after our sexuality if we ever want to find a life partner that will value us as women of character, and not our "body count." The reputations and negative rumors spread about us only make us less desirable to the young men around us, also relating back to Polonius's statement. Women must preserve their bodies for the man they will be with for the rest of their lives. They must fit into the role of a quiet woman--complacent, obedient, pure, shy.

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This also even relates to a book I read recently, and even discussed on an Independent Reading Day, Fear of Flying. Isadora, a woman in the 1960s, deals with the conflict of being in an unhappy marriage vs. her sexual desires with various men. Women becoming divorced, let alone being adulterous, is stigmatized in her time period and she must always conform to the ideals of her family and society.
Now, I am in no way advocating multiple sexual partners but we do need to be fair when it comes to labelling genders according to their behaviors, especially with something as overrated and private as sex and virginity.

I Just Want To Be Loved

This week in class we read Paradise Lost by John Milton, which is based off of the Adam & Eve story from Genesis. However, this is an epic and in Paradise Lost Milton gives Adam, Eve and Satan a thought process for the reasons why they do certain things. In Genesis, it is just understood that Satan is evil, but it never explains why. In Paradise Lost before the text begins, it is said that Satan has just been kicked out of Heaven and is now about to seek revenge on God. Satan is evil, granted, and I think this may have made him completely evil. He is kicked out Heaven and is now about to throw a tantrum and for attention. This happens all the time. A child and his parents have issues, so the child turns into a problem child. They do things for attention, similar to Don Jon the Bastard from Much Ado About Nothing. Don Jon frames an innocent girl and almost ruins her reputation to hurt his brother and get attention. He wants someone to treat him as something more than a bastard, a human being. Satan does the same. Satan goes after God's precious creation to hurt God because he knows that is what would hurt Him the most. He wants a reaction out of God to see God hurt and possibly feel the same hurt he does when he was thrown out of Heaven. Satan is thrown out of Heaven because he wants to be God's equal, which cannot happen. God is the ultimate supreme and Satan cannot take that. So he is dismissed and now is throwing a tantrum. He and Don Jon are acting like children who just want to be loved by their loved ones. Maybe Satan just wants to be loved and forgiven and Don Jon too.

Just a thought: What if Satan tries to be God's equal because he wants to be like the Father. Think about it.  It would support the idea of him acting like a child. But, then again, he might have just wanted to take God's place. Something to ponder.

Hamlet and The Great Gatsby

Most of us have read the book or seen the movie “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald. Hamlet and Jay Gatsby are very similar in their desire to reach their goals. Although these characters have different personalities, they show similarities in their flaws and actions that lead to their downfall. Both Hamlet and Jay Gatsby chose to take on false identities in order to carry out certain goals. Hamlet in order to revenge his father's death chooses to take on an antic-disposition. Hamlet chooses to do this in order to keep attention away from himself, so that he can carry out his plan to seek revenge on Claudius. Jay Gatsby wants himself to be known as a rich man who constantly throws luxurious parties. His reason for this false identity is to attract the attention of Daisy, in hopes that she will one day come to one of his parties. Another similarity is that both character have a deep love and attachment to other people in the book which lead them to take action. Hamlet loves his father and values him, therefore when the ghost of his father tells him to avenge his death Hamlet promises to do it. Gatsby’s love for Daisy lead him to work to achieve riches in the hopes of attracting her and getting her back. Lastly both characters flaws lead to their downfall. Hamlet's inability to make decisions on time and actually take revenge leads to his death and the death of others. Hamlet and Laertes are both stabbed battling each other. Laertes wants to kill Hamlet for killing his father, Polonius. Gertrude drinks some poisoned wine that was meant for Hamlet, so Gertrude dies too and after being poisoned by Laertes blade, Hamlet manages to kill Claudius. Jay Gatsby's unattainable dream to get Daisy leads to his death because he is killed by George, the husband of Myrtle Wilson, the woman Daisy accidentally ran over. George kills Gatsby because he believed Gatsby was to blame for Myrtle's death. So in both books the main characters were killed because of other characters want for revenge on them. As you can see these two stories are very similar and both these characters share similar flaws that in the end lead to their downfalls.

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Abusive much?

        This week in class we were continuing to analyze Much Ado About Nothing. We watched the wedding scene where one of the characters, Claudio, falsely accuses Hero of cheating and calls her a "rotten orange." When we watched the movie, Claudio makes a whole dramatic scene by throwing Hero back at her father aggressively and continuously tarnishing her name in front of everyone like a madman. Claudio never once bothers to ask Hero her side of the story. He is so quick to turn on the woman he claimed he loved. Hero's own father Leonato doesn't believe in his only daughter, and he'd rather Hero be left to die. Leonato punches Hero and drags her across the floor telling her to die. Both when I read and watched this scene, I just could not believe how much he trusts Claudio and the Prince over his own flesh and blood. Leonato, instead of being concerned with how Claudio just disgraced his daughter in public, is more concerned with their reputation being tarnished.

       I know comedies are supposed to end with everyone being happy except the villain, but I just cannot understand why Leonato would even want Hero back with Claudio. Why would you want your daughter with someone who was so willing to humiliate her publicly, flip chairs and throw her around? That sounds like an abusive relationship to me, I would not want my daughter to be with a man who would lose his temper like that. Claudio doesn't deserve Hero. Through this whole play she has done nothing wrong. Hero is like the perfect Elizabethan women.

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To Be or Not to Be a Great Student

  Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, so our tragic hero must have a flaw. In Hamlet's case, his inaction proves to be his Achilles heel. Throughout the week in class, we discussed our frustration with Hamlet's botched chances at killing Claudius, his excuses, and his overall lack of chutzpah. However, we recognize that it is a human life we are asking Hamlet to take, a tainted corrupt life, but life nonetheless. His moral conflict as we often say, needs to be resolved in order for him to carry out his revenge. Hamlet is sometimes impulsive, for example when he killed Polonius believing it was Claudius. Yet other times he is chastising himself for his dormancy on his quest for revenge. I could not help but think about a student. At times we are refreshed and determined to ace all our classes. Two weeks later we wish we were doing better and hoping our grades come through. Consistency is really essential to success, in both Hamlet's case and a student's academics. I honestly struggle with consistency in my grades. Then I see a Fortinbras in our class and I am determined again, as Hamlet was. Can we really be upset with mediocre grades, when we did nothing to improve them? Hamlet cannot really complain when Claudius is not dead yet, because what has he done to make that happen? When we as students complain about a class or stress, but do nothing to fix it what kind of grades should we expect? Every day we make decisions that impact our future, so as senioritis rears its ugly head, remember that.

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