Journal 26: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Snow
It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow
Snow
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

Snow
I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow
Where it's snowing
All winter through

That's where I want to be
Snowball throwing
That's what I'll do
How I'm longing to ski
Through the snow-oh-oh-oh-oh

Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow
What is Christmas with no snow
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow

I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye

Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

(Crosby).

Those are the lyrics from the movie White Christmas. The song is appropriatly titled "Snow." I love this time of year, just because of all the snow, plus when the radio stations play Christmas music. That also makes me happy. However, snow just makes the holidays so much better. My ideal Christmas would be that I would wake up to find that it had snowed in the six hours I had been asleep, since I go to church at midnight, and the roads would not be terrible, so we would be able to go sledding. I guess the thing I love about snow the most is how pretty and new it makes everything look. Right after it snows, everything looks brand new, and quite different. But after a day, footprints, car slush, and various animal tracks make the snow look just ugh. Definetly not a pretty sight after a couple of days of looking at brown snow. But once new snow falls, then everything looks pretty again. Therefore, I love everything about snow, especially a snow day! Cause regardless of having to make it up in the summer, no one can turn down a "free day" in the wintertime. For me, its the perfect time to cuddle up and watch White Christmas for the umpteenth time.


Works Cited for Lyrics and Picture URL

• Crosby, Bing. "Snow (From White Christmas)." Lyrics 007. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov 2010. http://www.lyrics007.com/Bing%20Crosby%20Lyrics/Snow%20(From%20White%20Christmas)%20Lyrics.html.
• http://images1.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/White-Christmas-movie-w-paper-christmas-movies-1159676_800_600.jpg
  

Thoughts on The Minister's Black Veil

"But what has good Parson Hooper got upon his face?" That is the first line spoken in the short story of The Minister's Black Veil. The story was actually quite interesting in my opinion. It took me a little while to actually get into it, but once I did I liked it. The story definitely made me think after I was done reading it as to why he was wearing the veil. There could be many different interpretations as to why he is wearing it, but I think it has to do mainly with his conscience. Although some may disagree, I think that he may have a guilty conscience, otherwise, why would he be talking about hidden sin and having a somewhat disturbing sermon at a girls funeral? That, however, is my opinion. Because, on first reading the story, the minister seems okay. I mean, Hawthorne talks about him to set up the story, which also shows the Romanticism in the period as he is setting up the story in great detail. But, when I got to this part in the story, I was starting to question my opinion of the man:

"Mr. Hooper had the reputation of a good preacher, but not an energetic one: he strove to win his people heavenward by mild, persuasive influences, rather than to drive them thither by the thunders of the Word. The sermon which he now delivered was marked by the same characteristics of style and manner as the general series of his pulpit oratory. But there was something, either in the sentiment of the discourse itself, or in the imagination of the auditors which made it greatly the most powerful effort that they had ever heard from their pastor's lips. It was tinged, rather more darkly than usual, with the gentle gloom of Mr. Hooper's temperament. The subject had reference to secret sin, and those sad mysteries which we hid from our nearest and dearest, and would fain conceal from our own consciousness, even forgetting that the Omniscient can detect them. A subtle power was breathed into his words. Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon then, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or though. Many spread their clasped hands on their bosoms. There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said, at least, no violence; and yet, with every tremor of his melancholy voice, the hearers quaked. An unsought pathos came hand in hand with awe. So sensible were the audience of some unwonted attribute in their minister, that they longed for a breath of wind to blow aside the veil, almost believing that a stranger's visage would be discovered, though the for, gesture, and voice were those of Mr. Hooper" (Hawthorne).

That passage right there just screams Romanticism in my opinion. I mean, Hawthorne is saying that the guy clearly is hiding something, and that can never be good. He has a fiance, as we later find out, and she seems okay with his veil and everything, but he is obviously hiding behind it, for whatever reason he might have. I just think that it is clearly part of the Romanticism period, because Hawthorne is talking about how dark and sinister and unnatural the man's sermon is. That is just what I think, however. Hooper clearly has something to hide from everyone, whether he wants to admit to it or not.

• Works Cited:
  Hawthorne, Nathaniel. (1837, 1851). The Minister's Black Veil. Web English Teacher. 30 November, 2010 from http://www.webenglishteacher.com/mbv.html.

Journal 25: Wearing a Mask

Phantom of the Opera, Darth Vader, Green Lantern, Batman, and Spiderman. What do they all have in common? Masks. All of those characters wear masks, although they wear them for different reasons. The Phantom and Darth Vader wear the masks to hide their disfigured face, while Green Lantern, Batman, and Spiderman wear the masks to hide their true identities.

However, most people do not put on a visible mask that everyone can see. They often hide behind their own face, whether they consciously realize it or not. My freshman year in high school, I hid behind a mask, although it did take me a while to realize it. Actually, it took my parents help to realize it completely, because I thought I was just living the way I thought I was supposed to. I won't go into the specifics of what happened, but I was lying to my parents, or not telling them the whole truth at times, and was being two different people both at home and at school, although I never actually realized it myself.

Most people put on a mask to hide from themselves, or to hide themselves from others. They often tend to disregard the fact that even though they think they are being safe, and not hurting themselves, they really are, and also others as well. By not being who you really are, it will be quite difficult for someone to get to know the real you.

That is a problem many people face, especially when online. Many people will put on a mask online, and act like someone that they are not, to try and steal some one's identity or eventually meet up with a person that they have met online, only to harm them in some way.

Not everyone has to be a superhero to wear a mask either. Every day when we go to school, we are surrounded by people wearing all different kinds of masks, both positive and negative. The popular kids have a mask of "coolness" and being totally carefree, in on all the new styles, and always going to the coolest parties. However, underneath that "cool" mask, there could actually be someone who just needs to be loved because life at home is difficult, or their parents just went through a divorce. Therefore, the school is their kingdom, where they rule the school.

So, we are surrounded by all kinds of masks everyday, whether we realize it or not.

Thoughts on The Pit and the Pendulum

We read the Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe in class. It was an exceptionally long story to read, and I thought went into way too much detail. However, the details in the story did help to make it much more spooky and somewhat easier to understand. Although I said the details made it easier to understand, I meant that it was easier for me to understand the scenes and not necessarily what all was going on in the story. The man in the story is in jail, and there is a giant pit in the middle of his cell that he has been put into, after being sentenced in front of judges. The man tries to start counting the paces around the cell using string from his robe, but he faints. When he wakes up, he finds that there is food and water near by, and he starts to measure the cell again, but then trips on the hem of his robe. If he had not tripped, he would have fallen down into the pit in his cell. When the guy passes out again, he discovers that the cell is slightly lit, with a picture of father time on the ceiling. The man is strapped on a board, and hanging from the picture of father time is an axe, which is swinging back and forth, like a pendulum. It is being lowered slightly, and will eventually kill the man. The guy gets rats to chew through his ropes using meat that he had left over, and the guy gets free just as the pendulum is about to kill him. Then, the walls become really hot and start moving in, so the only option the guy has left is to go into the pit. He ends up going into the pit, and hears human voices, and someone pulls him back.



This story reminded me a lot of Indiana Jones, and the kinds of things that he has to do, especially when the walls start to close in, and the guy has to try and get himself out of the situations he just happens to get himself into. I found it interesting though, because I was comparing it to the second Indiana Jones, when Indiana gets caught in a room with spikes, and the ceiling starts to come down with spikes threatening to kill him and spear him. However, thanks to Willie, Indiana and Short Round are saved from the ceiling. So, I was reminded a lot of Indiana Jones while reading this story again.

It was an interesting story to read, and I can tell where Steven Spielberg got the ideas for his Indiana Jones movies. The story was a sort of dark and creepy story, which would make sense since it was written during the dark romanticism period. The topic itself was just spooky, as a guy is getting condemned to death, and there is a giant pit in the cell he is being held in. Plus, the fact that there is a giant axe pendulum slowly being lowered down from the ceiling is definitely another characteristic of dark romanticism.

Edgar Allen Poe Critical Analysis

I read Leland Pearson's analysis on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," and found it quite an interesting read.

One point Leland Pearson made that I found interesting was that Leland said:

"The raven, like the poem with which it is synonymous, utters a word whose meaning must be interpreted, although this is not to say that the raven is the author of the word "Nevermore." The bird is really identical with the word it speaks, since it possesses no intentionality and no other words. Poe himself, in fact, explicitly links the student with the reader, maintaining that the "revolution of thought or fancy, on the lover's part (near the end of the poem), is intended to induce a similar one on the part of the reader---to bring the mind into a proper frame for the denouement---which is now brought about as rapidly and as directly as possible. David Halliburton calls the relationship between the bird a the student a "reciprocity," but the relationship is not truly reciprocal, since the student controls the meaning of the bird's utterance---what Poe calls the "effect of the variation of application."

Basically Leland is saying that what the bird says fits his physique, and that Poe keeps that mindset and descriptions throughout the entire poem.

One more point that Leland made that I also liked was that he said:

"Not simply the effect of the raven's utterance, but its meaning derives from the subjective process of "linking fancy unto fancy." Michael Williams has observed that "in 'the Raven,' as in Poe's works generally, (the ideal sign) is revealed as a function of interpretive desire." The same thing can be said about "The Philosophy of Composition," for in the process of reading and rewriting the poem in that essay, Poe makes it clear that the intention, or effect, of both reading and writing is an "air of consequence." Poe notes at one point in the essay that the "next desideratum was a pretext for the continuous use of the one word 'nevermore,'" but in fact the only "pretext," at least for the raven's speech, is the poem or composition---actually a series of compositions---in which the word is inscribed. Pretext and text become the same."

The point that the author was trying to make I think was that no matter if Poe rewrote "The Raven," he would still have the same effect on people by having the raven say evermore continually.

Therefore, I do agree with what Leland Pearson said regarding the Raven, and also that the poem cannot be duplicated and will always have the same effect on people, no matter the age or how old the poem is.

I did like the poem, as I have said previously, and believe that many of the points that the author of the criticism made make sense, and agree with many of them. The Raven was a very cool poem, but also creepy. Despite the creepiness, I feel that I could read the poem over and over again.

"The Raven" Analysis

I'm going to do my thoughts about the poem first, then analyze each of the lines' meanings. I actually did enjoy reading The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Actually, my dad read it to me, as it is one of his favorite poems. However, I did like it a lot, and the poem definitely made me think at the end, because Poe seemed to just sort of end the poem. But I did figure out that the man in the story will never be happy because he cannot be with his Lenore. All in all, I did enjoy the poem, and could actually understand what was happening in it.

For the figurative meaning, I just took it to mean that take advantage of the time you have with the ones you care about, because you never know when they will disappear out of your life. Also, people should be ready to face things that will remind them of a lost one, because they are never truly gone. You will always be reminded of those whom you love, whether living or deceased.


Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door-
Only this and nothing more."

In this stanza, a man is nodding off while reading a book around midnight when he hears a knocking on his front door.

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;-vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Lenore-
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore-
Nameless here fore evermore.

As the fire is dying in the fireplace, the man is thinking about his love, Lenore, who died.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating:
"Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more."

The man is psyching himself out now about who could be at his door, but just keeps repeating that it's just a late night visitor and that's it.

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, :or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you" -here I opened wide the door;-
Darkness there and nothing more.

As the man is opening the door, he is apologizing to whoever is at his door, but no one is there.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore!"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!"
Merely this and nothing more.

The man is looking out his front door, and whispers the name Lenore, and hears the name Lenore whispered back to him.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than before,
"Surely," said I, "surely, that is something at my window lattice.
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore.
Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore."
'Tis the wind, and nothing more."

The man goes back inside, closing the door when he hears a knocking at his window, and he is hoping it is just the wind causing the sound.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven, of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door.
Perched upon a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door,
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

The man opens the window to find a raven fly in and land on a bust of a man named Pallas.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the nightly shore.
Tell me what the lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore."
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

The man starts talking to the bird and when he asks what the raven's name is, the raven says "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning, little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door,
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."

The man is in wonder that he found a bird with a name of Nevermore.

But the raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered;
Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before;
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before."
Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

The man says that the bird will leave him in the morning, just as others have left him.

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master, whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster, till his songs one burden bore,---
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never---nevermore."

The man is thinking and decides that the only word the raven's master taught him was "nevermore."

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore --
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."

The man sits down in a chair and looks at the raven.

Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl, whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

The man sits back in his chair, and is thinking about the times that Lenore put her head against the chair, and how she will "nevermore."

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted floor."
Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee -- by these angels he hath
Sent thee respite---respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, O quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"

The man is mad at God for sending something that would remind him of Lenore.

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--
On this home by horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore:
Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me I implore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

The man is still getting mad at the raven, who just continues to say "nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil--prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that heaven that bends above us--by that God we both adore--
Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden, whom the angels name Lenore---
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Lenore?
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

The man is asking the raven about Lenore, but it is not helping him at all.

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting--
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

The man tells the raven to leave and leave nothing behind so that he won't remember anything about the raven visiting him.

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted---nevermore!

The raven does not leave, and the man is sad because he realizes he won't ever see Lenore again.

Journal 24: Eek!

Well, I get scared easily, so that is why everyone likes to scare the heck out of me when they get the chance, especially my brothers and my dad. I remember one time in particular where I psyched myself out. I had just read a scary book, or watched some movie, and my parents and brothers were both gone. I had just gotten out of the shower, and the entire house was dark, except for a light that was coming from my room. So I got on my pajamas and what not and was just laying down on my bed to read when I thought I heard a noise coming from downstairs. I thought that maybe it was my parents coming home, so I went downstairs, but no one was home. So I thought, well maybe it is just the house settling in or something. But then like ten minutes later, I heard it again. I still could not figure out what it was and I was psyching myself out about it. I was seriously thinking that there might be someone in my house, so I called my dad. He said that he and my mom were on their way home, and that there was no one in the house, so I was just freaking myself out over nothing. Come to find out, a window in our basement was open, and was making some kind of noise. Therefore, I was just psyching myself out.

So there are many times that I do freak myself out over things that really aren't worth getting freaked out over. Because, I can handle the blood and guts of scary movies, but it's the fact that I don't know what's coming is what freaks me out the most. I've seen Alien and Aliens, and both of those movies freaked me out just because of the fact that I did not know what was going to happen. So although there were freaky images, but the parts that scared me were when the aliens jumped out unexpectedly.

That's basically all I've got to say about being scared or a time when I psyched myself out.

Walden Criticism Analyses

I found three very short analyses regarding Henry David Thoreau, all of which seemed to like his works about Walden. The first one was by Andrew Preston Peabody. He says:

"The economical details and calculations in this book are more curious than useful; for the author's life in the woods was on too narrow a scale to find imitators. But in describing his hermitage and his forest life, he says so many pithy and brilliant things, and offers so many piquant, and, we may add, so many just, comments on society as it is, that his book is well worth the reading, both for its actual contents and its suggestive capacity" (Peabody).

I find it interesting, as well as agree with Peabody, in that Thoreau did not get straight to the point regarding whatever he was trying to do, rather than just get straight to what he was trying to say.

The second analysis was by a man named Fred Lewis Pattee. I really like what this guy had to say, as he also seems to have the same idea about Walden as I do. He says:

"Walden, which contains a minute account of the two years at Walden Pond, is Thoreau's best book. It is full of the wild aroma of the woods. In no other book can one come so close to Nature's heart. We hear in it the weird cry of the loons over the water; we watch the frolics of the squirrels; we observe the thousand phenomena of the wonderful little lake; we listen to the forest sounds by day and by night; we study the tell-tale snow; we watch, with bated breath, a battle to the death between two armies of ants. For minute and loving descriptions of the woods and fields, Walden has had no rival" (Pattee).

Thoreau definitely does use nature a lot to describe the going ons of humans, and uses symbolism a lot throughout the short passage that I happened to read. While I was reading it, I was reminded of Ray Bradbury and his writing style. I wondered if it was possible that maybe this was one of the authors Bradbury read when he was younger, and thus created his own writing style based upon Thoreau. However, it is difficult to say.

The third and final criticism I found to be somewhat helpful was written by Theodore F. Wolfe. Wolfe also agrees with the two who wrote previously, and I agree with him as well. Wolfe says:

"Some one has said, "Thoreau experienced Nature as other men experience religion." Certainly the life at Walden, which he depicted in one of the most fascinating of books, was in all its details—whether he was ecstatically hoeing beans in his field or dreaming on his door-step, floating on the lake or rambling in forest and field—that of an ascetic and devout worshipper of Nature in all her moods" (Wolfe).

Wolfe is saying that Thoreau used a lot of details, no matter what was going on. He used nature to describe practically everything that was going on.

So, I did find three very short criticisms regarding Thoreau's Walden, and I did enjoy reading the short excerpt out of our book as well. I found it to be interesting, and full of nature, which is something I enjoy a lot. Therefore, reading Walden actually was not that bad in my opinion.


Works Cited:

• Pattee, Fred Lewis. A History of American Literature, 224–225. 1896. Quoted as "On Walden" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCVHDT040&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 15, 2010).

• Peabody, Andrew Preston. From North American Review (October 1854): 536. Quoted as "On Walden" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCVHDT036&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 15, 2010).

• Wolfe, Theodore F. "The Concord Pilgrimage." In Literary Shrines, 71. 1895. Quoted as "The Concord Pilgrimage" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Henry David Thoreau, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CCVHDT039&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 15, 2010).

Journal 23: Unplugged

If I were to go for an entire week without having electronics, I think I would do okay. Up until the end of the summer this year, I did not have a phone. But now that I do have one, I think I would still be okay. As for television or computers, I also think I would be okay in those categories as well because I am able to survive without electronics for a while, however, I think the one I would have the most problem with is my i-Pod and having to be separated from it. Because, I use my i-Pod on a daily basis, and don't know if I would be able to go a week without it. However, as for everything else, it would be somewhat easy for me to be able to go without them. On our last vacation, we did not turn on the t.v. nor use phones the entire time. However, we did use our car to get places, but I think that it was used out of a necessity, because it would have taken us forever to get to the places where we wanted to get. But as soon as we got to the entrance to the trails, we would then hike eight miles to a waterfall, and then have to hike back. We did use my mom's GPS, but just to see how far we had hiked. In the end we had hiked around 30 miles. I think the one thing I did like was there was not much technology out where we were. It was just us hiking, surrounded my nature.

To get back on topic, it was nice to not have electronics when I did go on vacation, but I was glad to have them back when I got home. If I were to go camping with no cars, i-Pods, phones, or anything like that, I think I would survive, but it would take me a little bit of time to get used to it.

Comparing Thoreau and Gandhi

Gandhi’s writing is a lot different than that of Thoreau. Gandhi was known as more of a peacemaker, and was always very peaceful and gentle in his writing. Even as he is writing, he is still telling the people what to do to remain a good nation, and even though they are going to be losing their leader, Gandhi, they should still stay strong as Gandhi says here:

“I stress only one condition, namely, let our pledge of truth and non- violence as the only means for the attainment of Swaraj be faithfully kept. For the rest, every one has a free hand. But, than does not give a license to all and sundry to carry on their own responsibility. Wherever there are local leaders, their orders should be obeyed by the people. Where there are no leaders and only a handful of men have faith in the programme, they may do what they can, if they have enough self-confidence. They have a right, nay it is their duty, to do so. The history of the is full of instances of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity. We too, if we sincerely aspire to Swaraj and are impatient to attain it, should have similar self-confidence” (Gandhi).

I really like that statement that Gandhi makes, just because it is so different from what Thoreau says, who believes that the people should just agree with the government, and although they have the right to be free, the government has the last say or word in everything (Thoreau). That is something that I partially agree with. Because, I mean, people should be able to do whatever they want, when they want, but in order to keep organization throughout, the government needs to step in and show that they have the authority to do so.

So although both writers had somewhat different views on life and politics and all that, I still find myself agreeing with both of them. I like the way Gandhi uses a more peaceful approach, but that is not to say that Thoreau is not one of peace either. They both just had different opinions that they felt needed to be shared with the world. However, Gandhi is talking more to his people whereas Thoreau is talking to everyone it seems. (Gandhi, Thoreau).


One point that I happened to agree with, and also understood was when Thoreau said:

“The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army, and the militia, jailers, constables, posse comitatus, etc. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these even are commonly esteemed good citizens. Others, as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and office-holders, serve the state chiefly with their heads; and, as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God. A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it” (Thoreau).

Thoreau is basically saying that men cannot be bred like animals, nor should they be treated like animals. They are not indispensable, but despite being treated like dirt, they still do their job. Men should not have to do that, but they do it anyways.

Therefore, I agree with both authors and their writings, but I must say I prefer Gandhi a lot more than Thoreau due to his more peaceful outlook to life and the way it should be lived.


Works Cited:
Gandhi, Mohandas. "On the Eve of Historic Dandi March." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. November 13, 2010.

Thoreau. "Civil Disobedience." American Literature Textbook. Columbus: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. November 13, 2010.

Journal 22: When It is Okay to Break the Law

When is it ever okay to break the law? Well, I am not really sure when it is okay for us to break the law, unless we are well aware of the consequences that we will have to face after committing a crime. As it goes with the Romanticism style of writing where they deal with themselves and whatever they want, I think that they would be more willing and accepting to breaking the law, because it would deal with themselves more, and they would be doing what they want to do.

However, I believe that under most circumstances, breaking the law is always considered illegal. I believe that there are not many situations where actually breaking the law is okay, unless it is for the greater good for the people, and will benefit for better instead of worse. But, I think the criteria upon which the crime is being committed is the main focus for the people.

The thing that I do not get is that how people can commit crimes without being affected by their conscience. Because, I would always be scared that I would get caught, or if I did get away with it, then I would be scared of always getting caught. Plus, I would have the thought that I had done something wrong, and would know for the rest of my life that I had committed a crime. That's just me and my opinion though. But, I feel that that is a universal theme with most people who feel the same way about crime and not going against the governmental system set up to keep our country safe.

Therefore, I feel that breaking the law is bad, and unless the circumstances call for it, no one should break the law. That is my opinion though, although the romantics seemed to have a different opinion and were a lot more self centered, therefore more willing to break the law. That is why I will try not to break the law, no matter the circumstances.

Emerson Blog

Transcendentalism is defined as: any system of philosophy, esp that of Kant, holding that the key to knowledge of the nature of reality lies in the critical examination of the processes of reason on which depends the nature of experience (Transcendentalism). Upon reading that definition, Emerson’s essay on self reliance and a criticism regarding Emerson’s essay on self reliance, I still do not fully grasp the concept of what exactly Emerson is trying to get across, but I do understand it slightly more than I did before.
In Emerson’s essay, he talks of how in order to understand reality, you have to analyze yourself, basically. I agree with Edmundson, who is the critic on Emerson, who said that:

“Considered in its broadest Emersonian sense, to mourn is to misplace one's energies in customs, conventions, usages, and laws that oppress the soul because they are, for all purposes, dead. We tend to deny our own gifts, and to overestimate culture, great men, and, most destructively, the wealth of the past. The object of life, as Emerson would see it, is to redeem our grief over what we are not and have not, "to bring the past for judgment into the thousand-eyed present, and live ever in a new day." In this enlarged sense, mourning assimilates all of the self-inflicted repressions against which Emerson inveighs in the essay "Self-Reliance," his declaration of prophetic independence. Envy, imitation, reticence, craven consistency, prayer, regret, in short, conformity in all of its guises is evidence of a desire to give our bounty to the dead” (Emerson and the Work of Melancholia).

Edmundson is saying that mourning someone’s death will not make them come back, so just move on, and live to see a new day. If we show envy or imitate someone, then it will show that we are not living our live the way we should, which is not very transcendental-like in my opinion. Therefore, I agree with the critic, who agrees with Emerson on his transcendental thinking regarding life. His opinion also correlates with the definition previously stated. We have to gain knowledge and experience about ourselves in order to be successful (Emerson and the Work of Melancholia).

I find it ironic that Emerson later goes on to reject Romanticism, when he has such a unique outlook to life and the way it should be lived. I think he shunned away from Romanticism because he wanted to do his own thing and live his life the way he deemed necessary, different than the romantic-style people. However, that is just my opinion on why he rejected or switched from romanticism into transcendentalism.

So although I still do not fully understand transcendentalism, I do feel I know a bit more than when I previously started writing and reading about this topic. I do agree with the critic in all that he said regarding being a transcendentalist and also the definition. Because, they both helped me to better understand what exactly Emerson was trying to say in his essay regarding self reliance and having to depend on yourself, instead of others. Because people will not always be there to help you out when needed, so you need to learn to rely on yourself. That is what I learned from reading the critic’s analysis and Emerson’s essay.

Works Cited:

"Transcendentalism." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 08 Nov. 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Transcendentalism>.

"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia." Raritan (Spring 1987). Quoted as "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=MCVRWE007&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 9, 2010).

Journal 21: Comparing Ben Franklin and Emerson

Ben Franklin and Emerson were both similar in many things regarding their writing and lifestyles. Ben Franklin made a set of virtues that he followed, to better himself. Although Emerson did not have a set of virtues to follow, his life was different than most people in that time, and he also wrote about nature, and that people should be fortunate and enjoy life while you can.

Personally, I enjoyed reading both of their works. However, I enjoyed Ben Franklin's writing a lot more than Emerson's. I think part of that reason has to do with the fact that we had to do a project regarding Ben Franklin and his virtues, which helped to better our lives for a week. Also, because I am more familiar with Ben Franklin, I feel that I just enjoy and understand Franklin and his writing a lot more.

Emerson's writing was interesting to read, as is anything new that I read. I did enjoy reading Emerson's Nature because it was something new, but had to deal with nature, which is something I just enjoy in general. Emerson had a lot of good points about nature and mankind in general that I agreed with. Although I think it is difficult at this point to figure out all of the similarities between the two, the main thing I noticed was that they both wanted a better life for themselves and others in society.

One thing that I think is cool is that Emerson's middle name is Waldo. I thought of Mrs. Williams when I hear waldo because she always freaks out about it. However, I find that that is kind of a peculiar middle name, however, that is probably what many people's middle names were back then. I just think it would be weird to have the middle name Waldo.

So, Emerson and Ben Franklin had similar views of life, so they put those views into their writing and I was able to compare them in a way.

Journal 20: Taking A Break from Society

Often times we get so overwhelmed with work or school that we just need to take a break. I know that when I get stressed or worked up about something, I will stop whatever it is I am doing and either read or just listen to music: anything to get my mind off of being stressed. Most times, I feel that I need to be alone, away from society. That is why I particularly like going to my grandparent's house.

They live about an hour and a half away, near Peoria. We call it "The Farm," but it is not technically a farm. There is definitely potential someday, but there are no farm animals, nor is there a barn. The thing I like about their house is how secluded they are from everything and everyone. They do have neighbors across the street, but they are far enough back that it does not really matter, neither do their neighbors down the street. The backyard is huge, with plenty of room to fly kites or just run around in. My favorite times there are when the sun is just setting, because since they live out in the country, we can see everything for a long distance. When my grandfather designed the house, he had a sun room put in. Therefore, there are giant glass windows that I can look out of, and I can definitely take a break and relax in that back room until my cousins come roaring in, wondering where their oldest cousin has disappeared to.

But when I am at home and do not have the luxury of watching the sun set from a sun room, I will often read. However, it will not be a stressful or difficult book, but one that I have read before and know I will enjoy reading. Usually, I pick either Harry Potter or the Hunger Games series, as I enjoy reading those, and they are what I call "quick reads." Reading provides me with the necessary break every once in a while.

So, I enjoy taking breaks from society, especially at my grandparent's house, but when not at my grandparent's house, I read or listen to music to escape.

Journal 19: The Perfect America

In today's society, our nation is anything but perfect, especially in Illinois. We have had a couple of corrupt politicians, one who ended up in jail and one who is on his way to jail, more than likely. Therefore, we are in desperate need of a perfect America. In my perfect America, everyone would speak English. Although we do have people that speak Spanish, I would want everyone to speak the same language, preferable English so that everyone can understand each other. Also, the government would not be corrupt, and everyone would get in a say in what they want for their country, much like we attempt to do in today's society. Everyone would be required to attend some sort of physical workout center on either a daily basis, or every other day to prevent obesity, leading to longer lives for everyone. In addition, everyone would have to drive an electric car to prevent pollution from cars that run on gas. Although the electric cars have been described as "slow and tiny" if everyone drove them, there would not be a problem with people driving too fast or anything like that. Everyone would be required to work or go to school, however, stay at home mothers or fathers would be okay until the kid is old enough. There would be schools in every city that would give those students, who cannot pay, a proper education up until they graduate from high school. Also, a law would be passed against abortion. No one would be allowed to legally have an abortion. If there was a child born that was not able to be cared for, he or she can be put up for adoption, as there would be other people who would care for that child, and he or she would grow up in a somewhat better environment.

Although my perfect America is roughly based off of our society today, I feel that with enough changes, our America could be considered almost perfect. However, the America I have created is my perfect America.