English 372

Project Proposal

2010-04-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

For this project I intend to research feminism throughout the works we read and how it is shown in different movements. I will be using The Gossip of Goldhill, Daisy Miller, The Revolt of Mother, and Far from the Madding Crowd (and possibly other as they present themselves) to show specifically how women are portrayed throughout the local color, regionalism and realism movements. Using these texts I plan to highlight the way women are beginning to be given further respect, and yet expected to hold to the same values as they had been in the past.
I want to pursue this specific topic because the way that the view of women changes even just through these specific movements is very interesting to me. By researching it, I am hoping to learn more than just what we discuss in class as well as push my own knowledge further than what I know now. I plan to investigate what the actual feminism movement was doing during this time and how that could possible have effected these works.

Advertisement Becomes the Poet

2010-03-04T20:49:00.000-08:00

This was the first time that I had ever seen these commercials, or at least paid attention to them. Now that I am taking the time to really look at them, I find that it is impressive for an advertisement agency to take the initiative to use a great American poet as their inspiration. Using the imagery that they do, combined with his voice and words, they seem to be calling the American public to celebrate their patriotism by wearing their product.
While this does obscure the original description of what a poet should be, it allows for the fact that times are changing, or that in reality, today, many people pay more attention to television Ads than they do to literature. While there are still some who know and understand literature, and hold it to be true, the majority of people are pulled in by video games and television shows in the same way if not more.
Whitman seems to say in more than one way throughout his "Song of Myself" that consumption, advertisement and promotion distract him from the important things, which is himself and the nature around him.
In general, I like the commercials, but it has yet to be seen if advertisement is really taking over the role of the poet completely or not.

2010-02-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JasperCropseyFishermansHouseGreenwoodLake.jpg

Fisherman's House, Greenwood Lake

By Jasper Crospy

I was first interested in this photo because of the pure beauty of it, I have random dreams of living in a little house in the middle of nowhere where I could fish everyday, thus the further interest found in the name.

In Ruskin's work he tells of how the painter must have "two great great and distinct ends; the first to induce in the spectator's mind the faithful conception of any natural objects whatsoever; the second, to guide the spectator's mind to those objects most worthy of its comtemplation, and to inform him of the thoughts and feelings with which these were regarded by the artist himself." He goes on to explain that in order for the painter to do this, he must make the spectator feel as though he is alone and looking on to the scene. This painting shows that by making one feel like they are watching the fisherman's family from far away. In this way, the painter gives the spectator the ability to have the painting speak to him in the same way that the painter feels that he was when he created the painting. This painting shows all of these aspects of Ruskin's analysis very well.

The Minister's Black Veil? Or a veil upon all our souls?

2010-02-12T16:14:00.001-08:00

Like Kristi, I have greatly enjoyed reading this darker stories. I get caught up in them, in the way they pull my imagination in until I am can feel what each person is feeling and chills go up and down my spine as I try to understand just where the authors are coming from.

In this story, I was drawn to the way the minister accepted the people around him were going to shy away from his black veil, still insisting upon wearing it even when his wife refused to have anything to do with him. The description of his life after he began wearing the veil, and continued wearing it even after it caused so many negative reactions made me feel sympathy and pride for him as he continued with his resolve. His accusations on his death bed of them judging him for wearing his veil on the outside when everyone has a veil on their soul that they hide from others, shows a dark side of life that is still very true today.

The thoughts of the people around him, constantly questioning the meaning of the veil, and providing their own reasons for it and yet still going to him for ministering and other things needed in their life, while running when they saw him on a day to day basis, shows the guilt that the veil brought to them, but also the profound need for forgiveness from some high being. Mr. Hooper's own avoidance of his appearance also shows a denial that he himself felt even as he wore his "secret sin" where everyone could see it.

Hawthorne's use of the wind repeatedly throughout the story saying that it was understood to even avoid what could be hidden beneath the veil, provides the reader with an understanding of just how grotesque the people saw the veil. To accuse nature of avoiding something is to almost call it perverse, providing yet another vivid example of how the veil was effecting everyone around it. "Turning nature on its head" in more than one way.

Terror vs. Horror

2010-01-17T16:58:00.000-08:00

When I think of horror, I remember my first time watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The movie itself is absolutely disgusting, and the makers of the movie used certain things to increase the horror felt. When the girl first kills herself in the car, it literally took me almost a full minute to react because I was so completely shocked by the fact that she had done that. The movie continues to use certain stereotypes to build the shock factor, including the "hick" like atmosphere, the whole town being in on the conspiracy, and the handicapped son being the culprit. The whole movie left me with a sick feeling in my stomach and I am not sure I will ever watch it again.

The definition of terror reminds me of a "trashy" book I just read. I have a very vivid imagination, and the description the author used to describe an attack happening had my heart beating quickly and my brain trying to move faster through the paragraphs so that I would know what was going to happen. In the book, there is a vampire outside of the main character's house. The vampire must be invited in so he can not attack the character outright, instead he slowly, painstakingly pulls the siding off her trailer, creating a noise that somehow the author was able to create inside my head. When he was finally finished torturing the character, he simply drives off. Not a very scary ending but the description of the noises and everything else created such an intense picture for me that terror was truly felt.

Me, Myself and I

2010-01-13T11:51:00.000-08:00

My name is Caitlin. I just transferred from EWU. I am an English Major. This is the first time I have ever had a mascot that didn't fly. I am very excited by that fact.