English 117: Elizabeth I and Her Age

Both the readings, “Epigram on the Earl of Essex” and “Letter to Essex in Ireland,” seem to be about Essex leading Queen Elizabeth’s army in Ireland. In the letter that Elizabeth writes to Essex, she comes across as upset. Yet she never comes out and straight up tells him that he has distanced the army from the council, that he has not been successful in the battles, and that he needs to be taking the army in a different direction. What she does is beat around the bush about it. She starts off telling him something, then goes into a huge explanation about it, and then finally is like—oh yeah; by the way… you fail. At least this is the impression I got from the letter. If I was Essex, reading this letter would not motivate me to do anything. The letter could have been more direct and to the point, especially if she wants him to do more with the army.

As for the poem, it is like the letter. The poem just sums up the letter, which if the poem was that short and got the point across, the letter could have been way shorter and the same message would have been conveyed. The poem talks about how the Queen sends Essex to war because of “her wrath.” She wanted him to go north, but he wanted to go south… However, the Queen’s will is what matters in the end, so he had to go north. At least that is what I got from this poem.

I don’t know. It will be interesting to discuss these two in class and get everyone’s opinion on them.

English 144: King Henry V

I find the prologue of each act very helpful in understanding the truth of things. The prologue gives the full view of what is truly happening. I think without the prologue, everything would be lost and the true intentions of characters unknown. This might make things more interesting or it could just upset the audience. This is why I found it so interesting when in class Andy said that versions of this play have been printed without the prologue. I wonder if the audience gets lost, do they find everything more confusing or interesting, is there any affect at all? So much changes without the prologue though. Take the first act for example. Because of the prologue, we know the churchmen’s true intentions for trying to get King Henry V to go to war with France. Without it, all background information is taken away from us. The audience will be led to believe something completely different, that the bishop is truly trying to help King Henry V stay in power by going to war. It is interesting how something not much thought of can change so much. I would like to see how the audience took in the same play but without the prologues and compare that to the audience who saw the play with the prologue. Maybe there is no real difference, maybe the same message gets across in the end. I do not know.

English 174: This Side of Paradise

What is Amory’s deal?! Like honestly… He goes from person to person. It is as if he needs a woman in his life to complete himself. In a way, he is doesn’t know who he is or what he wants. He just likes the feeling he gets when he is with others. This whole Rosalind thing is upsetting too. Well first off, like after a few minutes of talking to each other for the first time ever, Amory falls for her. I’m sure the kiss did not help, but even when she refuses him another kiss, he still wants her. Luckily, things work out for them for a few months. Of course, because everything seems so great and the main character is finally happy, something has to go wrong. I know Rosalind wants money and everything, but come on. Amory is bringing home money, and everything was great until her mom tells her she could get someone wealthier. Money in all these novels ruins like EVERY relationship. I guess that is true though. Everyone wants money; some want it so much that they are willing to give up other things to get it. That is shown here when Rosalind gives up on love in order to have a chance at a wealthier life. Yet the book describes Rosalind as being so hurt when she calls things off with Amory; like she didn’t want to give him up but still did. Maybe she really meant what she said when she told him that later on in life she would lose the part of her that Amory loved so much if the money was to ever run out. So maybe she was really trying to prevent Amory from hurting later. I don’t know. Things are taking interesting turns, unfortunately, Amory is being hit on every side with bad events. Looking forward to see how this ends!

English 117: Elizabeth I

I have to admit, it is really hard for me to get into the readings for this class. They all seem so much alike. The earlier readings were all about Elizabeth being sexual and more about her personal life than her as a queen. So of course, our readings now (written in her time) are exactly the opposite. All about her as a queen and how amazing she was. There are different opinions on how she ruled of course... but the point is that there is no excitement in these readings anymore. It is sad that Elizabeth is only seen in two ways, which is why I guess we can only read about her in two ways.
Maybe it is true, that in order to sell things there has to be reference to sex and personal events. I mean, it was so easy to read and connect to the earlier Elizabeth readings. They were personal (fake) events that portrayed Elizabeth as more of a woman who was just human. A human that made mistakes just like the rest of us. When I read, I like to find ways to connect to a character because it makes the story more interesting. These later readings are all about this amazing queen that did no wrong, making it harder to relate. I get over this image of Elizabeth so much faster--> I don't want to read about a woman who did no wrong and was so amazing all the time. I know she wasn't perfect, no one has/ is / or will be...

English 144: King Henry V

Oh whoa... I think I am REALLY going to enjoy this play. So far the plays have been good. My favorite was "A Midsummer Night's Dream" because of the chaos that happens. There is so much happening in the play that there is no where to take time and be bored. I'm hoping this play will be like that!
I like how in the very first act there is already so much going on. We have the bishop talking to other churchmen about how they can get Henry to start war with France. Then in the next scene, Henry does start war with France. Everything seems fast paced--> LOVE IT! I don't like it when things take awhile to start, it loses my interest.
Also, I want to see what happens with this war and with the bishop. Will the bishop ever get caught? I mean, he is supposed to be for the people. He is God's chosen person to lead their souls to heaven... yet all he cares about is his own wealth! Be interesting to see if this whole plan to get England and France in war to save his land will backfire in his face.

I am looking forward to seeing how this play develops!

English 174: This Side of Paradise

This book so far is not too bad. It is harder for me to start reading though. I don't know if it is because of personal reasons or if I just feel like all these books we are reading in class are SO much alike. At least there is a common theme I guess. But in a way, it gets boring. You know? I think I have found interesting though with these readings is that 1. It is always about society trying to change the main character. What does this say about society, especially American society?
Every theme so far has to do with society making someone conform. Is this how American society is portrayed? America claims to be THE land of free and individualism. Yet, those who stand out are always criticized and never make it far in society's eyes. In a way, the theme of society getting these characters from the book to conform is a story for everyone. Does that make sense? I'm pretty sure that everyone suffers and struggles with society and conforming. Sometimes people give in right away, but other times people spend a lifetime fighting it. Really, you learn what society wants and then have to choose if it is what you want. Do you want to be yourself and stick out? Or is it better to lose yourself in order to fit in with everyone else? Either way, I believe that you lose. You are either giving in and losing yourself or you lose out on the acceptance of others... two things many crave.
Another thing I saw interesting is how when a man is the main character of the novel, he is portrayed as naive and innocent. With both Jude and Amory, they are naive and inexperienced with many things- especially with girls! It is just funny because today it is always men that are known for having TONS experience. Like if they haven't had sex by their teens, they aren't cool. So it is interesting to see how in these books (granted they are from the early 1900s) that the men have no idea what to do, and that the girls are the ones with experience.

Very interesting...

English 117: Elizabeth

I do not like the readings for this week. I feel lost in each one I read. I do not think I like the writing of people from the past. For me it lacks any action. Most of the writing is describing Queen Elizabeth in one way. No one ever seems to be able to highlight both sides of her. What the heck are these readings try to get across to the readers anyways? I think I just must be thinking about too much and trying to see a deeper meaning in these writings for none of it is making sense.

In the first one, is Francis Bacon saying that her religion was an issue? I feel like he is talking of her religious belief and behavior as something that was overdone. She is also described totally differently from what I thought. In the reading it talks of how she did speak of age and even death. She talked about how on her tombstone she wanted something simple and quick. She just wanted her name linked with virginity, talk of her success, and how she brought religion back. I do not think any normal queen or king would be fine with just that. Plus I though Elizabeth hated talking about age and always wanted to be remembered as young and beautiful. Maybe I was wrong.

These readings are just hard for me to get into. I think there is too much running through my mind right now. I am going to try to reread them and grasp the meanings behind them so I can have something to talk about in class. These so far are the hardest for me, besides the earlier play with all the weird typing. That was probably the worst for me to get through! Hopefully it gets better though!

English 144: Tempest

What a start of the play! Nothing grabs attention like total chaos. I thought it was really interesting how Shakespeare chose to have the play begin with a storm. People are running around shouting, things are shifting about on board the ship, and there is a huge storm happening. Then the crashing of the ship, in which people are separated into different groups as they drift ashore to this island. That is when it gets even crazier!

Even though the next scene is calm and quiet, there is a lot happening in this scene. We learn of a magician named Prospero, who was the one who actually created the storm. He purposely brought the people from the ship to the island where he and his daughter have been for years. We also learn about why and how Prospero and his daughter got to the island and the “creatures” they met there. I am not like Caliban so far. He is just a creeper to me, and I do not think he will get better throughout the play. I like Ariel though, reminds me of a fairy for some reason- because he/she is a spirit probably. I do feel bad for both Ariel and Caliban though. Both were on this island before Prospero came. Granted that Ariel was trapped in a tree, but still once Prospero comes, both get enslaved! What is that about? Dumb! Prospero had no right to do that, even though Caliban tried to rape his daughter. You would think that after that he would kill Caliban or at least get him away from his family.

This play was off to a crazy start and I fear that it will only get crazier. I do not think that it will be “Midsummer Night’s Dream” crazy, but possibly around that area. It will be interesting to find out what happens in the end. I am sad that his play will be so rushed, to fit it in to our schedule. But it does seem like a great play and maybe easier to get into, with all the action. I am excited for it!

English 174: Passing

I really enjoined the “Passing.” I loved how it is filled with emotion and detail. This is the type of writing that I love to read. I need action in order to keep my attention on it. I also find the characters very interesting. There is Irene who now at the end of the story is shady. There is Clare who is the friend you can never seem to get rid of, but at the same time don’t want to let go of. And of course there are others, but mainly these two make up the story.

I just cannot believe how Clare betrayed Irene at the end. I mean, the story only suggests that Clare and Brain were having an affair, but it probably really happened. How could Clare cheat with Irene’s husband?! What a beezy! No joke. Irene keeps giving Clare chances to redeem herself, and then she goes and crashes Irene’s world. This is why Irene should have gotten over her loyalty to race and just leave Clare in her past. If she would not have cared so much about Clare then she would have never been betrayed.

In the introduction of the book, it suggests that the story actually underlines a sexuality conflict. Is the relationship between Clare and Irene supposed to be more than just friends? I felt so a lot of time while reading it. The way Irene would describe Clare and how both made each other so happy when with the other. Yet at the end, Irene seems to loathe Clare. There is no longer that “love” for her there. When it comes to Brian, she wants Clare gone forever. She even thinks about the death of Clare if it meant that her safety with Brian would secure. Which in the end, she does kill Clare, or so the book suggests. Irene had her hand on Clare and then the next moment Clare was out the window… I say she pushed her but blocked it from her mind.

Maybe Irene did love Clare, as a friend or more, but the love was not enough to risk her safety in society. Irene went from a passive, quiet character to a more outspoken and action taking character. It was interesting to see how it all ended. I wish that there was a different ending then leaving off on her fainting after the death of Clare. Otherwise I really enjoyed reading this a lot!

English 174: Elizabeth I and Her Age

I really like reading what Queen Elizabeth I wrote and/ or said during her reign. We hear so many stories about whom she was and how she acted, but there is something different about reading what she actually wrote. In this piece, “Speech to the Troops at Tilbury,” she talked about how her people were the most important thing to her. She only acts the way she does to serve her people better. Which I think is totally true. I believe Elizabeth was all about England and put her people before herself. A true leader is able to do that, put their people before him/herself. I like learning about Elizabeth through so many different perspectives. That way you are able to see so many different views of her and what seems to cross with other perspectives, and which are just totally out there. To really understand something, and the way it is judged, one does have to look at it from many different angles. I feel that in this class we are doing just that, looking at Elizabeth from every angle. I am really enjoying it and loving some of the things I find out!

English 117: Passing

I am actually really enjoying this short story. I find it very interesting. I thought that it was interesting how in the introduction of the actual book, it talks about how one can interpret a lesbian relationship from the story. I have to admit, at first I did get that impression (even before I read the introduction). I read the introduction after I read the first part of the book. However, the way that things are worded have made we wonder if there was some type of relationship that existed or was forming. I don’t know if anyone else got that feeling. Just with some of the areas, like when Irene describes Clare sometimes. Irene is always talking about how Clare is so charming, she smiles and Irene forgets that she was ever mad at Clare. Or that Irene finds herself hanging out with Clare, even though she supposedly dislikes Clare. I don’t know. The way things are worded paint a certain picture, that if altered, then the picture would too change. I am really enjoying this reading though! I want to finish it!

English 144: Othello

I really just do not like Iago! He seems to enjoy the pain of others. Plus, the way he treats women! Oh my! That is why I did not like Taming of the Shrew; Katherina was treated horribly in that. Some might say she deserved it, but I still do not like to see people misused at all. Anyhow, back to Othello. I find it so dumb that Othello would believe Iago in the matter of love. Why would Iago know anything about Othello and Desdemona‘s love? Othello did not find Iago to be capable of a higher position, why should he begin to think Iago as worthy now? Shakespeare sure liked this deceiving nature of humans. Every play we have read so far, someone is being deceived. All these characters being tricked, so someone else can have what they want. I don’t know. I just hope that something bad happens to Iago in the end. He needs to get his own in the end, after everything he puts everyone through! He just upsets me.