Interpreting Interpretation of Interpretaion???

Interpretation by Steven Mailloux was an interesting essay, but once again, it forced me to use my intellect and think, what a bummer. Up until this year, anything I read was either straight forward or I was given somewhat of an explanation so that I knew exactly what I was getting into to. This year my teacher (add clever nickname here), is actually making me think for myself. Great. Actually, I appreciate this gesture to the greatest extent because if I can think for myself I will have much more success when speaking to sexy people about intellectual things in the future, and meet my dream husband. Thinking is good.
Anyways, "Interpretation" opened by eyes to a concept that would have never even crossed my mind, which is the act of interpreting. As stated in the essay, interpretaion cannot be avoided. It is being done right now, even as you read this fantastic blog. In Perguilicious' brainy paper she wrote that even when we express oursleves, we interpret what we are feeling and then show them through our actions or words. Not only do ordinary people interpret things on a daily basis, but important people in robes have to do it too. Yes, I'm talking about when the Supreme Court has to interpret the ever so famous constitution to decide if a law is constitutional. So yes, believe it or not, interpretation is for everyone.
The big question that came up after reading Millioux's essay was, can an interpretation be right or wrong? I am still pondering this myself. However, if I had to come to a conclusion I would say that there is never one right interpretation, but there certainly interpretations that are completely wrong and not accepted. One thing I love about our AP lit class is that two interpretations of something, for example the last few lines of "King Lear," may be interpreted completely different by different people, but we accept both of them. I feel that with different interpretations, we can get more out of a piece of literature or art. It is not easy to argue against someone's thoughts about a piece of writing, but if you don't add your input you may miss out on a lot. Therefore I am making it my goal to always add my thoughts and my interpretations of literature this year in class so that I can gain as much as possible each class.

chelmsford.

Be nice now..

Short & sweet:

I feel that a certain someone received some harsh teaming up on by our AP class. I admire retrospect and his bravery in taking a step forward into a world of veggie burgers & soy milk. Let's all be nice and not critizise him for a choice that a lot of us wouldn't be able to make.. and stick with. Be nice now.

-a carniverous friend

So, now that the reading of Shakespeare is done with I am so much more relieved. Though that is satisfying, I think I need to find something to go with my free time, now that I am no longer trying to figure out what Shakespeare was attempting to get across in his play. I came to this conclusion about five minutes ago when I sat watching the clock change on our blog (very cool clock by the way). Instead of watching the clock I decided that I should spend my time blogging.

But, this is just like everyday in class, when it's finally my turn to say something I loose all thought process completely, thus have nothing to say.

So, this was pointless but time consuming so I guess it was not a waste.

-Riz

"The Breast is Better"... or is it?

We all enjoy a cold, mouth watering cone of ice cream on those hot sweltering days when the sun decides to fry us... but would you enjoy it just as much if you knew you were eating a creation made with breast milk substituted for cow's milk? Now, I don't have anything against people for animals' rights. I occasionally cry when I see a poor little raccoon get run over, or get mad when I hear about abuse against poor helpless dogs (get some anger management, don't take it out on man's best friend!!). I can't say that a tear falls everytime I bite into a hamburger becuase you have to admit they're pretty damn good, but i think PETA might have gone just a little too far with animal rights with this whole breast milk deal. PETA recently requested to Ben & Jerry's that they use human breast milk instead of milk from a cow because it would "lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health" (Click here to read the article). How much do the cows really suffer when you get milk? They're producing milk anyways, and it's not like the babies aren't getting what they need. Plus, I think the idea that your revisiting memories of an infant while biting into your delicious(?) ice cream isn't very appealing. It ruins the refreshing feeling we all enjoy from a cold treat on a hot day.

-purgalicious

UNH College Fair

A bunch of friends and I attended a college fair this week! I speak for all of us when I say that it has opened our college search up to a whole new level. I was introduced to colleges i had never heard of last night, and now I have a whole slew of new college brochures to add to my collection. Over the course of this week i have been focusing on narrowing down my colleges to a smaller selection based on courses, cost, and campus. I am actually finding myself starting enjoy the college process! Which is good because it's going to be busy for us these next few months.
Kmart:)

The Art of Interpretation!

This week we have focused on Mallioux's "Interpretation". This piece focuses on interpreting how people interpret works of art. Mallioux makes some very good points in his essay. He introduces three theories of interpretation.
First, He describes the formalist theory. This is when a reader interprets the word from looking at what "the words on the page" actually mean. It's more of a literal translation of what is actually written. Second, he talks about the intentionalist theory. This is when the reader interprets the writing by thinking about the authors intentions. He looks for the hidden meaning behind the text. Last, He describes the foundationalist theory. This is when the writer takes into effect not only the authors intentions and the historical past in the writing, but also the literal meaning of the words on the paper.

I think that I am a reader that uses the formalist theory more often than the others. I am not a very abstract thinker so when asked by the teacher to decipher a mean in a sonnet, I just get confused and flustered. I like to tell you what is meant by the words that are written on the page because I find that that is easiest for me.
Kmart:)

Distracted

I need to write this paper for AP Lit, but it's hard to do when there are so many distractions...
like myspace..
and coffee...
and I Love Money on VH1...
and the process of making strange noises to make my brother laugh...
and nail polish...
and Kenny Chesney...
and singing to Kenny Chesney...
and ramen noodles...
and thinking about napping...
and the guilt trip that comes with napping instead of writing...
and worrying about late fees at block buster...
and thinking about ellipses and how weirdly it is both a math term and english term...
and looking at the mail...
and doing laundry...
and reading every small print word on my lip gloss, SEXY MOTHERPUCKER...
and looking up random words in the dictionary...
and being intensly awed by the tingly, static feeling SEXY MOTHERPUCKER causes on my lips..
and the funny little squirrel who can't decide which side of the road he would rather stroll on...
and OMG WATCHING A RED DODGE NEON FLATTEN THE SQUIRREL TO THE ROAD!!!
and making jokes about poor little squirrels...
but i thought adding more specifics about the car would make it more believable.

Now to this paper...

Too Much Credit to the Loony

Finally, the painful language that pierces my thought process with every "callith" and "me thinkith" is over. Not only is the book over, but I also experienced Shakespeare's usual happy ending which consists of killing off pretty much every main character (slight tone of sarcasm). After giving up on William and turning to the amazing talents of the world wide web, I was finally able to understand what was going on with the help of "No Fear Shakespeare". Once I read all the Acts in "normal" English, I found the plot line of "King Lear" to be incredibly interesting and would even go as far to say that I enjoyed it.
The closing scene seemed like a typical wrap up by Shakespeare. Of course, Cordelia had to die seeing as she was the only good-hearted character. Should have seen that coming. I found it very disagreeable that near the end, Lear was so sympathized:

"The weight of this sad time we must obey.
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most. We that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long." p. 310

How is it that Lear is looked at as a wise old man whose life should be thought of as a long and well traveled journey that should be looked to as an example? By the middle of the book he could have been declared legally insane! He set up a fake court trial against his daughters in some hut in the middle of a rain storm in the company of his servants and what was thought to be a crazy pheasant. I feel that his insanity was understandable seeing as his kingdom practically crumbled beneath him and his own daughters whom he loved turned against him, but to look at him as a role model? And yes, Lear did experience a lot that not many people experience on a daily basis, but everyone faces hardships in life. Albany just lost not only his wife, but both his sister-in-laws and his father-in-law in the same day. If that ever happened to someone today, I'd say that's a hell of a lot to experience. I've never even been to a funeral in my life, so even one death would be a dramatic for me. I do feel sympathy towards Lear, even though it was his pride that brought most everything on to himself. If he hadn't been so stuck on the idea that his daughters had to confess their love with words to impress him, he might not have banished Cordelia and saved him the loss of his one trustworthy daughter, his kingdom, and his sanity. I do understand the grief of his death, and the sympathy since even on his death bed he was still a crazy old man, but I don't understand how they see his life as such a success.


-purgalicious

the rollar coaster of feelings for the unit called shakespeare

"But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restor'd, and sorrows end."
-William Shakespeare

Those two lines just happened to be my favorite two lines I have come across yet in my Shakespeare readings. They are the ending lines in "Sonnet 30" and i believe they are the reasons for me having mixed feelings about the Sonnet. Unlike the class may believe, it was not the "Poem Ruiner's" interesting reading voice that made me change my mind about the poem, but it was that i realized the only reason I liked the poem to begin with was those last two lines. Those two were the best lines in the sonnet and just happened to be the note the sonnet ended on, so it left me feeling once again hopeful for poetry. Then I realized, after hearing the poem on a different day with a different state of mind, I really don't like this after all.

Maybe, like EM, my dislike in Shakespeare has come from way back when in fifth grade. I too suffered through that class that EM speaks of. Who knew a teacher could make Romeo and Juliet drag on with a class a fifth graders for months on end. It maybe a horrible exaggeration, and correct me if I'm wrong fellow classmate, but I believe we worked on that play for the entire year. Worked on it as in acted it out, read alone for homework then again allowed in class and filmed it. This is off topic but if you want to picture something funny picture me, Juliet and our dear friend from class that we caught sleeping today, as Romeo.

Maybe people around the world like me would enjoy Shakespeare better in small sonnets, rather than plays. Start small and work for the big picture will be my new approach. Then that way I might come across other sets of lines that I find promising such as the above stated.

-Riz

Late Reactions

As I read each page of "King Lear," I retain little of what Shakespeare writes. I almost feel as if I'm not worthy of reading his so called masterpiece because I don't enjoy it or appreciate it as much as it should be. I feel like the play is wasted on me. I read each sentence, but rarely do I understand the plot line or what anyone is trying to say. I can read a whole scene and have the slightest idea about what it going on.
However, there is hope for me. Whenever I don't understand the Shakespearean language (which is more than often) I look at the little footnotes on the bottom which translate the words into more modern and sensible language. Although, this does get quite annoying and after awhile I just get sick of it and continue reading words that I don't understand and not comprehending much of this valued authors work. The only thing that really helps me to finally fathom Shakespeare's writing is discussion. Whether it is with one peer or an entire class, when discussing the play "King Lear" things that were once foggy become clear as day. We will talk about the overall plot and the characters and their actions, and suddenly in my head I say "Ohhhh, so that's what was happening there, I understand." All I have to say is that I need a little extra help to understand what's going on, and although the language is surly and spiteful, the plot, I must admit, is actually quite interesting, despite the fact that the end is completely predictable for a Shakespeare play and everyone dies. That needed no untangling and discussion for me to understand what was going on because I would have been shocked if it didn't happen. All in all, a late reaction to "King Lear" is much better than no reaction or understanding at all.

chelmsford.

Chalk Art Doesn't Stop With Just Driveways

The appreciation of art has never been a specialty of mine. It usually isn't until someone points out the creativity of a piece that I really begin to understand the meaning and thought that is put into something that could be as simple as a few line strokes of splotches of color. I write poetry to get my point across, to express myself when conversing with people doesn't seem to cut it. Others choose the more artsy expression of drawing. I've tried to understand the techniques of being a good artist and I've come to the upsetting conclusion that there are none. You have to have talent, and it didn't take long to discover that I don't have it. I've watched the way people can draw the same tree I'm seeing in such a way that all of a sudden the tree I was looking at is transformed into something fresh and new, yet on what used to be blank piece of paper.
It wasn't until watching Ben Glenn, aka the "Chalkguy", that I actually was able to enjoy watching the process of being shown up. Not only is he an amazing artist, he tells his story while he does it. He grew up with the problem of ADD and found a way to express himself and in a way cure himself through art and his faith, which he combines. He really helps you to understand the heart that goes into art. Not only are his finished products amazing to look at (even better in person), but his whole technique of creating his masterpieces is just as amazing. Let's just say with his talent with chalk, his driveway as a child must have been the talk of the neighborhood.


-purgalicious

Following the Trend.. Shakespeare: Friend or Foe?

I would love to use the simple line of "Wow! What's with the gibberish language? Shakespeare sucks," but I understand the bigger picture is enjoying the art of it and not quite the technicallity of the language. The thing that is hard for me to cope with when reading Shakespeare is I never know if I am expected to understand everything that is going on or just get a vague picture of the scene taking place. I give up on the footnotes because they make my head hurt with all that extra eye movements, so reading stanzas like the following:

"...Sure her offense
Must be of such unnatural degree
That monsters it, or your fore-vouched affection
Fall into taint; which to believe of her
Must be a faith that reason without miracle
Should never plant in me."
make absolutly no sense. I find myself often wondering if there is an argument taking place between the characters or if they are extremly happy with each other. I know for certain there are two chracters exchanging words, and that's about all I could tell you.
So, my point is: I understand the language sucks and we're supposed to love the literature through it all, but just how much am I expected to get from the book? I've always wondered if when kids claim they understood absolutly zilch of what they just read, and I'm in the same baot, if that's what's expected from us. Are we reading to get the simple plot line in the long run, or are we supposed to be soaking in every detail expressed to us through a language so foreign to us we might as well be trying to read out of a manuel da la Francais (French text book). In the end, I would like to say that I am unlike all those who simply see the language and from that point have a solid stand point that they hate the book, but I can't put myself above anyone. I'm just as confused. Our loving and dear William must be so proud of his accomplishment in leaving a whole generation in a cloud of utter confusion.

-purgalicious

Oh Shakespeare.

When our teacher assigned us yet another work of art by our dear friend, William Shakespeare, I was skeptical about being able to understand the play. The classic style of writing that Shakespeare uses keeps me in the dark from beginning to end. I am not embarassed to admit that when I can't understand a seemingly long schpeal given by a character, I find myself cheating by using No Fear Shakespeare. This is the only way I can understand some of the symbolism and motifs that are presented in Shakespears most important passages. Trudging through Shakespeare alone would be incredibly horrifying. I would never choose to read him on my own, but as I have no choice in the matter I do as I'm told.

ON a different note I would like to discuss a qoute that stuck out to me in Act Four, Scene Six, Lines 264-267.

"The King is mad. How stiff is my vile sense,

that I stand up and have ingenious feelings

Of my huge sorrows. Better I were distract-

So should my thoughts be severed from my griefs,

And woes by wrong imaginations lose

the knowledge of them selves."

This quote is given by Gloucester. He expresses that he is jealous that The King has lost his insanity, wishing that he had been the one to go insane. He feels this way because that he wouldn't have to feel the pain of the problems that won't escape him. I like this quote because sometimes I find myself in positions where I am comparing my life situations to others. I say that I would love to deal what this person is dealing with, if I could only get what they have because I dont get it myself. I don't ever view my life as good enough. It would be nice to take some time and appreciate what I have going for me.

THE END

KMART :)

Appreciating an artform

My goal for this year is to learn to appreciate the art of literature in the way that I appreciate and adore the art of dance.

chemsford.

God said Let there be narration

I am half way through reading the essay "Narrative," by J. Hillis Miller and though I admit that the very thought of reading essays bores me, I find this one quite interesting. Not only is the topic entertaining, but the actually writing is comprehendable, therefore really allowing me to get into the essay and be influenced by the authors valid points.
Miller discussing how simple narration has so much leverage in shaping humanity. Miller has a strong belief that withought narratives, humun culture would not excist; "Surely there is no human culture, however 'primitive,' without its stories and habits of storytelling." The ability to narrate shows that we have "advanced language competence." Through the stories that we tell, out intellect can be measured. I think that Miller's theories are so extreme that they seem arguable, however I have a hard time disagreeing with them. The one point he made that really made me ponder was "We would not know we were in love if we had not read novels." The fact that love was created and introduced to humans through novels is just mind boggeling. I do agree that withought a word for love, it would not exist, therefore narration was the primitive beginning of the passionate emotion. However, I cannot bring myself to believe that we needed a novel to explain to us what it felt like to be fully consumed by the feeling of love.
Miller asked himself three big question: Why do we need stories at all? Why do we need the "same" story over and over? and why do we always need more stories? These questions a quite legitamite and his answers are quite facinating. We need stories because they shape us. This makes me wonder if someone read only horror stories, and another read only romances, how differently would their personalities be? The stories we read define us, so is a person who reads narratives daily and challenges their own intellect much more complete than one who reads rarely? We read the same stories over and over because each time, it reassures us of what we remember from reading it the first time. I know that when I read something more than once, I pick up on something new each time. We are never satisfied with a story, thats why we keep reading more and more. I loved how Miller explained that through narratives, we experience so much withought the consequences we would face in real life. How true that statement is. Reading a narrative is an escape from reality, so it seems, but at the same time, it is actually defining our reality.
Narration makes the world the way it is. Perhaps it created love, it also has been accused of starting wars. It not only reveals secrets of life to us, but it actually creates the life and culture that we know and experience today. I would be very afraid to live in a world without narratives, because through Miller's point of veiw, little would exist. I no longer think that a good narration is just for entertainment, but so much more than that.

chemsford.

A Toast...

Literature has always been a constant through time, following the current of change with the arrival of every new era. Every change in history, every new trend in society, even new discoveries and controversies leave their traces in the literature of the time. The literature is a time stamp that allows modern day readers to revert back in time. We revisit our founding fathers and experience their determination of declaring their independence; we sympathize with Uncle Tom who represented all the oppressed slaves and their struggle for freedom; we learn the true depths of past role models who left a mark in history; we even are introduced to the life of new individuals who bring the magical world to life. Literature has always been the true informant, allowing a more entertaining way of expressing the ways of the world than relying on the media.

In the past, Literature was based on meaningful topics. The author's were known for their stance on an issue. For example, authors like Kate Chopin and Virginia Woolf are remembered for their strong appearance in one certain time period. In today's world, everything is fast paced and always up to date, and Literature keeps its reputation up to par by moving as fast as the world around it. There is not simply one book or author that represents a time period. Books are printed as frequently as the changes around us. As soon as a tragedy hits or a new diet is discovered, it's expected not long after a book will follow. We're always being kept up to date. If you don't know the lingo of your teenager, how to fix an electrical outlet, or are even lacking the knowledge of the birds and the bees, don't worry because Literature is there to help you out.

Now is the true revealing of Literature's awesome power of change. The world feels the only way to go is faster, better, and simpler. We look around and see the computers getting smaller, the tv's getting bigger, and the phones including everything from your ipod to your internet service to keep you from having to carry around 5 different accessories. As the world is accelerating faster then ever, Literature has no problem keeping up. Forget about reading the book altogether, Sparknote it!

I praise Literature and its stealthy methods of finding its way into every current modern way of life. Pencil and pen is looked down on, paper is slowly facing abandonment as files are being sent by email instead of snail mail, and even newspapers are being read ".com", yet, Literature stands strong. This brings me to the introduction of our blog. This is our place to appreciate, discuss, and sometimes criticize Literature found throughout all periods of time. Although the Literature itself may not be present, its legacy lives on through simple discussions such as these.

So to you, Literature, I send my congrats and best wishes.
May you always find your way in the changes of this world.

-purgalicious

Don't Forget About the Little People

For a couple of days we've been learning new techniques about analyzing poetry. We tested our knowledge with Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias". I loved it. It's now my favorite poem. The part that I like the most about it, I'll have to say, is how the poem recognizes the little people. There would be no evidence of the king if it weren't for the kings worker. Since reading this poem I have a new hope for poetry. Maybe I will give poetry a new chance.

-Riz