MARRIAGE

Marriage is a bond where new relationships are developed and new beginnings begin. Love is a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, for a parent, child, or friend. In both poems, “Conjoined” by Judith Minty and “A Valediction; Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne talk about the nature of a “relationship.” In Minty’s poem, “Conjoined,” she shows us how a couple in a marriage can be together but not be together as one because they are lacking communication and connection with one another. Where as in Donne’s poem, the author talks about love being a special bond that can last through out a lifetime and continues even after death. Through the use of diction and similes both authors are able to bring their point across.
Love can be described as well as sometimes shown in many ways, but to Donne it is a phrase where a couple must go through test and time apart from each other but not show a sign of grief. For example, “As Viruous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say The breath goes now, and some say, No; So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move, Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love” (Donne). In this simile, two lovers are saying their farewells to each other but they don’t show any sign of sadness or any other emotion. They believe that they are strong and can get through anything together. Although they are shown to be miles and miles apart the author describes that they are together in the spiritual world and will continue to be together forever. Death does not do them apart, this is what the simile is trying to convey. Love is more than physical attraction with another individual but a deeper bond that keeps two people together even when they are away from one other. For example, “Dull sublunary lovers’ love (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove Those things which elemented it (Donne). The author talks about “absence” and how an individual does not forget about their loved ones although they are far apart from each other. If a couple only have a physical bond it is not "as special" of a connection, where as if a couple do share that "special bond/connection" they can relate and feel each other without physical being present by their partners side. Futher more,“spiritual love” is when two people love each other very much they do not need to be together every single moment in order to be satisfied with one another because they possess that special connection, like Mr. D said in our class discussion.
However in the “Conjoined” poem the author uses many examples to convey her point. For example, she compares a couple to “ An accident, like the two-headed calf rooted in one body, fighting to suck at its mother’s teats; or like those other freaks, Chang and Eng, twins joined at the chest by skin and muscle, doomed to live, even make love, together for sixty years (Donne). Not only does this stanza put a very vivid picture in one’s mind but also discusses the view points of a man and women. Being “Conjoined” can refer to a positive and negative thing. It can be negative because an individual(s) can be stuck with a person and not have that "special connection", “like the two-headed calf,” they fight consistently. This can be a positive thing because the individual(s) have to work with each other and be on the same page in order to make everything work out. But most importantly to make their relationship successful. In the poem the use of diction helps the author show the ups and downs in a marriage. Also the use of some harsh words to describe a husband and wife. For example, grief, sadness, or an argument(s) in a couple is referred to as “monster;”“Two-headed calf,” this refers to the fights in a relationship; “freaks,” shows us an understanding how all relationships are different and unique. “Conjoined” is about a marriage where two couples are forced to be together and constantly fighting and are unhappy with each other. :(
Marriage is a legal joining of two people; a union. It is an amazing, special bond between two people and their families. Love is a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection which last will continue on even after death, eternally. In both poems, “Conjoined” by Judith Minty and “A Valediction; Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne; the author uses figurative language such as diction and simile to talk about “marriage” as well as to bring their point across. Donne conveys that love can be eternal, spiritually bond where as Minty describes it to be a painful bond in which an everything is not always what you want it to be, it can be forced. Both authors convey their messages through the use of similes and diction. :) :) :)

BLOG :)

The article that Jim Neilson wrote about the “Things They Carried,” gives the readers new idea(s) as they continue to read this novel. In Neilson’s article/ essay it makes us think if the stories about the conditions or trails that the soldiers went through that O’Brien described are they true or just lies to capture the attention of readers…? For example, in the novel, O’Brien, talks about how the truth isn’t always exciting, “"in a true war story, nothing is exactly true" (88). Soo is he telling the truth in these stories or what??? That is the question my friend???

Neilson gives us a lot of insight on what, “The Things They Carried,” is trying to convey to its readers. In my opinion, I believe that the most useful insight I received was O’Brien’s style of writing while he wrote this book. “It is within this framework—the belief that the war escapes understanding and representation and even makes us liars—that O’Brien attempts to tell a true war story.” Everyone who has read or is reading O’Brien’s novel, “Things They Carried,” will believe everything they read or what they hear about it this is because they personally haven’t experienced it or been through it ourselves. Therefore this makes it very easy for O’Brien to draw in his readers attention because they or really no one but the people who have gone through it know the truth. On the other had Neilson says anyone who has gone to the war will see this as “fruitfulness at once, and to all the other readers it is commended as a statement of actual things by who experienced them to the fullest.” We all have our own opinion’s! This can kind of relate to Muas II as well because Art doesn’t understand where his father is coming from because he hasn’t gone through the Holocaust himself and have faced all those horrible conditions. Just like how will never understand how the war must have been like because we haven’t been through it ourselves.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed your three day weekend! Wooohooo J

SAY WHAT??? IDEAS.. CONCEPTS

J The book we have started to read in class, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, have many similar themes, ideas and concept as the other stories we have read about in class or/ and we can all apply them to our daily lives. For example when I was reading the one of the short stories in the book, The Dentist, I found it interesting and how it easily could relate to our lives. To have pride or to feel very accomplished is not a bad thing but if that starts to affect ones character and how people see or approach them it can lead to a dramatic change in the outcome of how people approach that person. For example, Lemon a character in the story is a shallow and self-righteous person. He has so many expectations and thinks highly of himself that he doesn’t like to show any signs of weaknesses. His personality allows him to be stubborn and never show any signs of fear over time. In one part of the story, ““Anyone else would have laughed it off, but for Curt Lemon it was too much. The embarrassment must’ve turned a screw in his head” (pg. 88). We all aren’t perfect! Everyone has their own weaknesses and strengths; by embracing them we can get the motivation to improve our weaknesses and strengths. After struggle but accepting the fact that his tooth was really bugging him, Lemon decides to go back the dentist and ask for assistances regarding his tooth situation. Then he goes back to the dentist and makes him pull out a perfectly good tooth to overcome his fear. Lemon decides to pull out his tooth which is perfectly fine in order to get rid of his illusion. Even though some think Lemon did this on purpose, he is happy with the outcome. =)

Hopefully you guys had a good weekend and this made SENSE! LoL

PEACE =)

(*SIGH*) What is postmodernism? Culture…Diversity…Science? What does all this have to do with postmodernism? POSTMODERNISM!! In the beginning of the semester we were all introduced to a new idea/concept…hence postmodernism. It was difficult to understand at first but as the school year went on and we read more text it slowly started to make sense. J There are many aspects to what postmodernism, for example, it is small little narratives combined to explain the big picture or some of it. Also it stresses on the fact the science will soon figure out the meaning of life and why everything is happening. Postmodernism can also relate to all the texts we have read this semester; Brave New World, Cat’s Cradle, 1984 and Maus II. J From the article Modernity and Postmodernism, the author states, “We must stop trying to discover the undiscoverable (absolute truth) and openly acknowledge that what might be right to one person may not be right to another. Acceptance, not criticism; tolerance, not bigotry; and love, not hatred, must become the guiding principles of our lives." We all have our beliefs, customs, traditions and religion that we all follow just because we have our own beliefs that doesn’t mean that they are better than any other culture or belief out there today. Stories have been passed down from generation to generation nobody knows for sure if they are true but we just take our ancestors WORD for it because we trust them. Whether it is the bible or what I believe in the Guru Granth Sahib Ji we all are different and unique….. “What good is social class and status? Truthfulness is measured within. Pride in one's status is like poison - holding it in your hand and eating it, you shall die.” -Sri Guru Granth Sahib quote

J BYEE postmodernism lol

Sorry I think I went off topic a little but hopefully you guys understood where I was coming from. J

GOOD NITE!!!! :)

Maus by Art Spiegelman is a very interesting, graphic, and EYE opening book. The way Spiegelman presents this book is in a very unique and different manner than any other books..... COMETIC BOOK? At first when I started reading this book I didn’t expect it to be good but just an average comic book. After reading a few pages I was hooked and reading away! When I first saw this book, my first expression was it’s a comic book, J second it is short, I didn’t realize or think how this book can change my point of view and the way I looked at the holocaust. Discussing Maus in class helped me understand this book and give me ideas that I never have thought of…. For example… RATS->CATS->DOGS… when we started to talk about this it gave me some very good ideas that I could write my essay on. Discussing this book in class also helped me with some ideas. For example, when we talked about the idea that Art is annoyed and sick of his father sprung upon some ideas. Those ideas included that Art was one of many reasons why his father acts the way he does. Art only goes to his father when he wants to know something about the holocaust. Art pushes his father away by putting him situations that make his dad stress or uncomfortable about recalling the past. For example, when there was some cereal left that was not going to be eaten, Art’s father decide to return it instead of throwing it away and wasting it. “Mickey Mouse is the most miserable ideal ever” is a quote that I will also like to analyze for my body and explain how it relates to MAUS.

These are two ideas that I may consider writing about!!! J

Thesis1: In Maus by Art Spiegelman is a very interesting book about the holocaust that takes comic books and writing to a whole new level. The representation of animals…”Masks” is presented in a very unique but yet true way.

Thesis2: In Maus by Art Spiegelman is a very interesting book, it test a father-son relationship that has been walking on thin ice.

POSSIBLE THESIS!!! :p

hopefully guyz were able to understand this!

GOOGLE???

Is Google Making us Stupid?

By

Nicholas Carr

“Skimming”… “Reading Blog(s)”…”Scanning headlines”…..or “watching videos” are some of the things we do on the internet! No matter what we are doing, busy or free, sometimes we just find ourselves clicking to the internet.

“The company has declared that its mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” It seeks to develop “the perfect search engine,” which it defines as something that “understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want.” This quote was from Nicholas Carr’s article, Is Google Making us Stupid. Looking at this quote I can’t help think…. what I have used Google for and how it has helped me throughout my life. Ok I do understand that some of the information on Google may or is pointless but it helps so many people each and everyday. Umm as far as “Making us stupid,” I do think we may use it a little too much… 10 billion searches a month, I think according to the movie clip we watched….”DID YOU KNOW?” “Fashion” or “ Reading Gossiping” is were we might be getting brained washed! :0

Although some might agree with this article and say Google is making us stupid and some might disagree and say that it gives us information which increases our knowledge. However… “In Google’s view, information is a kind of commodity, a utilitarian resource that can be mined and processed with industrial efficiency. The more pieces of information we can “access” and the faster we can extract their gist, the more productive we become as thinkers.” Using the internet and everything it has to offer it does help us with information and to do research. The downside is sometimes we may get everything easily and not work hard or not do as much critical thinking as we should! L

Yet without YAHOO… GOOGLE… ASK… and who knows how many search engines ….. We would have trouble trying to figure out some of the simplest things!!

J

Thanxs for reading my blog and hopefully u guyz understood it!!!!

NOW U DECIDE????

YO!! :)

MY BLOG!!

;)

DID YOU KNOW???

NO I DIDN’T KNOW…. Everything in the video we watched in class was crazy and funny at some points.

In Alan Kirby article it states that “postmodernism is dead and buried. In its place comes a new paradigm of authority and knowledge formed under the pressure of new technologies and contemporary social forces.” The video that we watched in class is a perfect example of this, it introduces new idea and subject(s) that no one would ever thought about. Going back to Kirby, he talks about the “authority and knowledge formed under the pressure of new technologies,” this is so true when someone is under the pressure or on a time crunch they come up with the weirdest and craziest ideas but yet they work… in our time today we think about how people who lived years ago and find it strange but yet there survival techniques worked and we progressed to become a better society. What does this all mean? Well we have progressed and evolved in so many different ways that people too are starting to move forward. Although we may have started to move on and embrace our future that doesn’t mean you have to forget your traditions or beliefs. J

A paradigm is “a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.” I don’t think we are moving into a more paradigm society because there are so many people that are not afraid to express there opinions and are very open-minded. … that having a “set society” wouldn’t flow there way.

In my opinion, I don’t see a change in the relationship between knowledge and power. I like to view it as the more knowledge one has determines the power they have. (Hopefully you guys understand that).

J

PEACE