While reading "Satire III For Religion", I've found more aspects which I find interesting. The most which attracts me the most is the difference between this poem and the one I read for my presentation, "A hymn to God the Father".
In Satire III, John Donne unleashes a frightening and severe critique to religion, specifically, religion. In this poem, the author mostly using rhetorical questions, tells that men must not shed tears over their sins and instead "be wise", for which I conclude that Donne thinks that those which do this are dumb or "not wise".
On the other hand, "A hymn to God the father" reflects potentially religious aspects of John Donne. This aspects are revealed because of the imminent and unavoidable death of John Donne. In this poem, John Donne makes a mention to the first sin described in the bible, and uses it in order to justify in a certain way, his sins.
What I found interesting about this is that even though at first in Satire III, John Donne mocks at God and religion, before passing away he leaves this behind and tries to redeem himself to God for all his sins. Interesting is that, this attitudes reside mostly in the fear towards the posible existence of God himself and also the fear to pass away and "perish on the shore".
"The real question of life after death isn't whether or not it exists, but even if it does what problem this really solves."
— Ludwig Wittgenstein
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Monday, March 10, 2014
Weekly Reflection #6 - John Donne
This week and part of the last before, we started to read poetry written by the english writer John Donne. He is considered as a "difficult poet". He is considered the pre-eminent representative poet among other metaphysical poets.
In the first poems we have read, "Holy Sonnet VI" and "The Flea", I have noticed the excellent and constant use of metaphors which may give the poem a "second meaning". This ability is reflected all over the poem "The Flea". Another characteristic that I could found is that Donne not always uses a determined structure in his stanzas but instead, recurs, in a great fraction of his poems, to write stanzas free of structure –with no determined rhythm, rhyme or number of syllables.
John Donne has some peculiarities of his own. One of them and the one for which he is most recognized, is his excellent ability and talent of using some unexpected associations between contrasting words and ideas to make a new effect on the reader, his wit.
Poetry as I said in my last post is not as easy o be written. It is complex and this makes it harder to understand by the reader. This two features give poetry and its writer a more heterogenous value. One thing is that after reading an article about Donne's wit, made myself be more considerate about poetry is the fact that not always prestigious abilities such as John Donne's wit are highly regarded.
In the first poems we have read, "Holy Sonnet VI" and "The Flea", I have noticed the excellent and constant use of metaphors which may give the poem a "second meaning". This ability is reflected all over the poem "The Flea". Another characteristic that I could found is that Donne not always uses a determined structure in his stanzas but instead, recurs, in a great fraction of his poems, to write stanzas free of structure –with no determined rhythm, rhyme or number of syllables.
John Donne has some peculiarities of his own. One of them and the one for which he is most recognized, is his excellent ability and talent of using some unexpected associations between contrasting words and ideas to make a new effect on the reader, his wit.
Poetry as I said in my last post is not as easy o be written. It is complex and this makes it harder to understand by the reader. This two features give poetry and its writer a more heterogenous value. One thing is that after reading an article about Donne's wit, made myself be more considerate about poetry is the fact that not always prestigious abilities such as John Donne's wit are highly regarded.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Weekly Reflection #5 - Poetry
Last week, in English literature class we started talking about poetry, and its main elements. Also, we read Octavio Paz's essay, Poesía y Poema, translated to english as Poetry and Poem.
Even though the class in which we started to talk about poetry was very inspiring and thought-provocative, my feelings for poetry were already firm enough since I had already read and analyzed poetry and poems in second semester and what I think of it remains the same.
Poetry is gorgeous. Poetry drives crazy whoever has the privilege to read it, filling them with multiple feelings and emotions hard to control, making them feel identified with the author and the poem itself. Poetry is wonderful, as it may reflect different themes and circumstances. Poetry may be as an instrument to conquer the world's most gorgeous and intelligent woman, and also, be used as a weapon to hate and curse the most despicable beings.
Not only its meaning is wonderful, but also its structure. Even if it looks easy being able to write poetry, it is not. Writing verses so sophistically composed may take up to hours or even days.
Poetry is beautiful and sophisticated at the same time. Poetry should be respected and also the wonderful minds behind it.
Even though the class in which we started to talk about poetry was very inspiring and thought-provocative, my feelings for poetry were already firm enough since I had already read and analyzed poetry and poems in second semester and what I think of it remains the same.
Poetry is gorgeous. Poetry drives crazy whoever has the privilege to read it, filling them with multiple feelings and emotions hard to control, making them feel identified with the author and the poem itself. Poetry is wonderful, as it may reflect different themes and circumstances. Poetry may be as an instrument to conquer the world's most gorgeous and intelligent woman, and also, be used as a weapon to hate and curse the most despicable beings.
Not only its meaning is wonderful, but also its structure. Even if it looks easy being able to write poetry, it is not. Writing verses so sophistically composed may take up to hours or even days.
Poetry is beautiful and sophisticated at the same time. Poetry should be respected and also the wonderful minds behind it.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Weekly Reflection #3 - Throne of blood and Macbeth
Kurosawa's movie, Throne of blood can be easily compared with William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. This is thanks to the plots which are very similar. Also the characters are mostly the same, and have the same functions.
Otherwise, it has some clear differences, easy to analyze and discuss, such as the differences between Lady Macbeth and Asaji-dono. In the beginning of the movie –the only part of the movie we have yet seen– Asaji convinces Washizu to do as she wants in a whole different way then Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was aggressive and used sexist insults in order to manipulate Macbeth. In the pther hand, Asaji does not do that. She just tries to convince him in other way, by telling Washizu, for example, that if he does not kill the Lord, somebody will kill him instead, because, that was the way humanity is.
There are even more differences between this two "stories", for example, the fact that Macduff's character is totally gone. This may and most probably destroy the heroic end of Macbeth.
The story in Throne of blood is given a totally different setting, because the character of Duncan, the Lord, also had to kill its predecessor in order to reach power. This gives the story a new sensation of ambition, like a cycle which never ends. This is used by Kurosawa in order to describe in a graphic manner ambition, widespread in humanity.
By reaching to this, gives us another similarity in the stories which is that both authors seek to "reveal" a critic to humankind.
Otherwise, it has some clear differences, easy to analyze and discuss, such as the differences between Lady Macbeth and Asaji-dono. In the beginning of the movie –the only part of the movie we have yet seen– Asaji convinces Washizu to do as she wants in a whole different way then Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was aggressive and used sexist insults in order to manipulate Macbeth. In the pther hand, Asaji does not do that. She just tries to convince him in other way, by telling Washizu, for example, that if he does not kill the Lord, somebody will kill him instead, because, that was the way humanity is.
There are even more differences between this two "stories", for example, the fact that Macduff's character is totally gone. This may and most probably destroy the heroic end of Macbeth.
The story in Throne of blood is given a totally different setting, because the character of Duncan, the Lord, also had to kill its predecessor in order to reach power. This gives the story a new sensation of ambition, like a cycle which never ends. This is used by Kurosawa in order to describe in a graphic manner ambition, widespread in humanity.
By reaching to this, gives us another similarity in the stories which is that both authors seek to "reveal" a critic to humankind.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Weekly Reflection #2 - Shakespeare and human nature
In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, there are several author's "observations" from the human's nature. This observations are expressed continuously during all the play, but I will concentrate mainly in two of them.
The first one is presented all along the play between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the corrupting power of human's ambition. The ambition of Macbeth starts when he receives the prophecy from the Three Witches. Even though Banquo warns Macbeth of the Witches' forecast being a probable fallacy, he reuses to leave unnoticed the auspice of him being a king. However, when Macbeth starts to hesitate about killing the king, his wife, Lady Macbeth puts pressure on him psychologically and almost forces him to do it. This relies on to the next "observation" from Shakespeare.
In the play, there are constant issues of gender. Most of them, lean on Lady Macbeth, constantly manipulating Macbeth to prodding him to make murders while questioning his manhood. Even though of Lady Macbeth's dictatorial attitude, she does not contradict Macbeth when he says that women like her should only give birth to boys. This actions demonstrate that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth equates manhood with aggression. Shakespeare constantly implies in this whole play that women are sources of violence and evil. Finally, when Macduff learns from the murders of his son and wife, Malcolm tries to comfort him telling him that he should take the news in a "manly" fashion, by looking forward to have his revenge on Macbeth.
The author explains this topics as something part of human nature, something genetically incrusted to every human being. Personally, I see the two topics –described in this reflection– as critics to the human being, the first one as the never ending thirst of humans to obtain more power, and the second one of its conservatism. I completely agree to the way Shakespeare thinks of the human nature and also by the way he describes them.
The first one is presented all along the play between the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the corrupting power of human's ambition. The ambition of Macbeth starts when he receives the prophecy from the Three Witches. Even though Banquo warns Macbeth of the Witches' forecast being a probable fallacy, he reuses to leave unnoticed the auspice of him being a king. However, when Macbeth starts to hesitate about killing the king, his wife, Lady Macbeth puts pressure on him psychologically and almost forces him to do it. This relies on to the next "observation" from Shakespeare.
In the play, there are constant issues of gender. Most of them, lean on Lady Macbeth, constantly manipulating Macbeth to prodding him to make murders while questioning his manhood. Even though of Lady Macbeth's dictatorial attitude, she does not contradict Macbeth when he says that women like her should only give birth to boys. This actions demonstrate that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth equates manhood with aggression. Shakespeare constantly implies in this whole play that women are sources of violence and evil. Finally, when Macduff learns from the murders of his son and wife, Malcolm tries to comfort him telling him that he should take the news in a "manly" fashion, by looking forward to have his revenge on Macbeth.
The author explains this topics as something part of human nature, something genetically incrusted to every human being. Personally, I see the two topics –described in this reflection– as critics to the human being, the first one as the never ending thirst of humans to obtain more power, and the second one of its conservatism. I completely agree to the way Shakespeare thinks of the human nature and also by the way he describes them.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Weekly Reflection #1 - Themes in Macbeth
We have just started a new semester a week ago with a new goal, which is read one of the most powerful and emotionally intense play ever written, William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
In this week's assignment we were asked to discuss and explain some of the themes described in this play, followed by the things we have liked and disliked of the play so far.
In Macbeth there are several themes to be found. One of them, and the one which I am mostly feeling attracted to is Macbeth's ambition. From my perspective, Shakespeare criticizes manhood's never-ending ambition for glory and power, which is reflected in the way Macbeth ignores Banquo an the fact that the witches could have laid a trap on him. Instead, Macbeth instantly starts thinking and planning how would he become king, if he would have to perform a "dark" action in order to becoming king and even also, start considering Malcolm as an obstacle between him and his goal. It is also important to emphasize the role of Lady Macbeth behind this ambition.
Another theme is Lady Macbeth's manipulative actions toward Macbeth. It is obvious that Macbeth is ambitious, but he becomes more ambitious as he is continuously pressured by his wife. Lady Macbeth in order to obtain her goal, seize the crown and become glorious, manipulates his husband by constantly calling him a coward, attacking his manhood. Macbeth does not show any signs of pride, which could may be a cause of him doing what his wife wants him to, but it is clear that this actions do affect the way he thinks and acts.
What I personally like about the play is the setting quite dark and cruel, since it gives the play a completely different perspective with a much more dramatic and realistic tone. What I don't like about the play is the slowness with which events occur in the story, even though, I look forward to reading more of this interesting play.
In this week's assignment we were asked to discuss and explain some of the themes described in this play, followed by the things we have liked and disliked of the play so far.
In Macbeth there are several themes to be found. One of them, and the one which I am mostly feeling attracted to is Macbeth's ambition. From my perspective, Shakespeare criticizes manhood's never-ending ambition for glory and power, which is reflected in the way Macbeth ignores Banquo an the fact that the witches could have laid a trap on him. Instead, Macbeth instantly starts thinking and planning how would he become king, if he would have to perform a "dark" action in order to becoming king and even also, start considering Malcolm as an obstacle between him and his goal. It is also important to emphasize the role of Lady Macbeth behind this ambition.
Another theme is Lady Macbeth's manipulative actions toward Macbeth. It is obvious that Macbeth is ambitious, but he becomes more ambitious as he is continuously pressured by his wife. Lady Macbeth in order to obtain her goal, seize the crown and become glorious, manipulates his husband by constantly calling him a coward, attacking his manhood. Macbeth does not show any signs of pride, which could may be a cause of him doing what his wife wants him to, but it is clear that this actions do affect the way he thinks and acts.
What I personally like about the play is the setting quite dark and cruel, since it gives the play a completely different perspective with a much more dramatic and realistic tone. What I don't like about the play is the slowness with which events occur in the story, even though, I look forward to reading more of this interesting play.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Weekly Post #3 (Third term)
During the last weeks, in english a classes with teacher Wilhelm, we have been reading short stories. What I like about this stories is exactly that characteristic, they are short. Some stories are tedious because they are long but they don't give anything new, instead these stories go directly to the point without giving more than the necessary details. Another thing that I like is that even though these stories are short the author has the amazing ability to finish them. I think that the worst part of writing is finishing your story because it is just as killing all what you've created. Although, they have written a short story they finish it in an almost perfect way without ruining the whole work.
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