The Road, The Box, The Dice

 

      Life is unpredictable. From the moment you are born, to the time you die, there will be unimaginable amounts of surprises. As a little kid you start planning your future, what you would like to work as, where you would want to go next, and who you want your best friend for ever to be. Many reply a fireman, doctor, policeman, or even a garbage man, but that’s because they haven’t heard or learned of any better. Their minds are still not knowledgeable of the all facts in this world. The same goes with best friends, children randomly pick their friends, not judging, because children are the ones who could be the most simple and truly innocent.

      Kids plan, teenagers plan, adults plan, and so do the elderly. However some things that you plan never turn out, never happen, you don’t even get near where you were planning on going. Roads turn, either left or right, dead ends appear, and you are required to make a U-turn, if you want to continue. Dice land, any number can be on top. Chocolates are chosen, you never know what is inside until you take a bite. Life is a road, life is a pair of dice, life is a box of chocolates.

     You never know where the road will take you, but as long as you keep your walk right; the right pathway will open to you at the right time. You might be tired of walking correctly, already wanting to turn at any corner. But patience and hard work is the key to your right turn. The dice might give you a number which is outrageous in your eyes, don’t ask so the dice will be re-rolled, accept that number, your number, and do the best you can do with it. You will see that there was a reason for the dice falling the way they did. Every one gets a box of chocolates, some admire it right away, others don’t even appreciate it and before even tasting the wonderful candy, they throw it away. Sometimes you do have to go through a few bad candies before you get to the good ones, but that’s because so when you do get the best tasting ones you will truly appreciate them. You never know what may be in your box of chocolates, what will appear in you long road, or the number your dice might fall on. But what you should know is not to throw your box of chocolates right away, walk the walk right, and the dice will fall on your perfect number. Life is unpredictable, so don’t always plan your path.

"The Tyger"

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

           

This poem begins with Blake asking a fearsome tiger what kind of divine being could have created it: “What immortal hand or eye/ Could frame they fearful symmetry?” Each stanza contains further questions, all of which refine this first one. From where could the tiger’s fiery eyes have come, and who would have dared to handle that fire? What sort of physical presence, and what kind of dark craftsmanship, would have been required to “twist the sinews” of the tiger’s heart? This poem is all questions, when I started reading it I was questioning myself whether I knew what I was reading or not because this poem confused me so much. But once I started reading reviews I understood the poem better and I have less questions. The questions I have are the question that the poem brings up. I get from this poem that the tyger is a symbol of god and his eyes relate to hell. When the poem says “burning bright” it reminds me of hell because the poem talks about fire. There is no fire that I know of in heaven, so my suspicions lead to hell. The tyger initially appears as a sensuous image. However, as the poem progresses, it takes on a symbolized character, and comes to embody the spiritual and moral problem the poem explores, beautiful and yet destructive, Blake’s tiger becomes the symbolized center for an investigation into the presence of evil the world may have. Since the tiger’s remarkable nature exists both in physical terms and moral terms, the speaker’s questions about its origin must also encompass both physical and moral dimensions.

Blogging Community Assignment: "Wacky Works of William Wordsworth"

           My in-class Socratic discussion of William Wordsworth's “The Thorn” was one of the most challenging assignments I have ever done for English. With little knowledge of this famous poet or his work, I was happy to end the day with a passing grade. The blog; “Wacky Works of William Wordsworth” by Alyssa Seever, Megan Free, Olja Holovcuk, and Tawny Crockatt, would have been most valuable on the day before I had to sit in front of the class, lead a sophisticated discussion. I am happy to endorse this blog and share the new knowledge I have gained with the on-line world. “Wacky Works of William Wordsworth” teaches its readers the views, lifestyle, and themes of one of the most famous poets of the Romantic era in an easy to read, enjoyable format. Upon first glance, pictures and videos are easily viewable in almost every post, providing a positive user experience. The wide assortment of posts, pertaining to multiple aspects of William Wordsworth, have exponential learning possibilities. Alyssa Seever's article “William Wordsworth's use of nature” is fascinating to read because it contains an interesting aspect of his writing that I had not known previous to viewing. Wordsworth uses nature as a strong metaphor in a majority of his poems to express his personal beliefs. With the help of Megan Free's interpretation and Tawny Crockatt's “Themes in 'The Thorn,'” I was able to fully comprehend this troublesome and difficult to read poem. “I Wander Lonely as a Cloud,” another poem by William Wordsworth, is interpreted by Olja Holovcuk in another posts, and when compared with the interpretations of “The Thorn,” Wordsworth's use of nature is easily recognizable. Each and every post contained in this blog is well thought out, and has an abundance of information. The hard work and long hours spent on this blog are easily perceived and produce a tool that anyone who wants to learn anything about William Wordsworth, or his lyrical works, should enjoy reading.

"The Sick Rose"

ROSE, thou art sick!

The invisible worm,

That flies in the night,

In the howling storm,

Has found out thy bed

Of crimson joy;

And his dark secret love

Does thy life destroy

         

The poem is called "The Sick Rose" so it's no surprise that is what the poem is mostly describing. But this poem isn't just about a dying flower. It's about a weird, almost magical worm—it can fly after all—that destroys the flower. Sure we all know about the circle of life and how bugs eat plants etc., but there's something more sinister about that story in this poem. We often associate the color red with roses. In addition to the rose described in the first line, the speaker also refers to a "bed of crimson joy" in line 6. The color is associated with sickness because the rose is sick, but it is also associated with happiness or "joy." The poem suggests, if only, that "red" can symbolize different, even opposing, things. We know from the get-go that this poem is about a "sick rose." But why is the rose sick? The poem is concerned with this question, and refuses to give an answer. It starts by telling us the rose is sick, and the second stanza suggests that the worm might be the cause of this sickness. Blake never tells us what exactly is happening which then we are left wondering whether or not the worm infects the rose. We've all heard the expression "sex and love are not the same thing." In this poem, though, they sort of are the same thing. The love in this poem is "dark and secret" and is involved with a destructive or  even violent act of sexual intercourse, bordering on but not quite the same as rape. The poem does not give us an image or symbol of love that isn't complicated by something more sinister. The rose, an almost universal symbol of love, is sick, and the worm's "love" is as far from a Valentine's Day card as one could get.

A better understanding of "Love's Secret"

Love's Secret

Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind does move
Silently, invisibly.

I told my love, I told my love,
I told her all my heart;
Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears,
Ah! she did depart!

Soon as she was gone from me,
A traveler came by,
Silently, invisibly
He took her with a sigh

           When reading the short poem “Love’s Secret” by William Blake, my first conclusion was that to keep love between two people they must not express it to each other. However, I didn’t fully agree with my interpretation, so digging deeper would help me find the actual meaning Blake was trying to portray. In the first paragraph the narrator states to never look to tell your love, love that wasn’t told can exist. So basically if you don’t tell your loved one of how you feel, there is still a chance of them being together. On the other hand, if you do tell your loved one of your affection towards them, the spark won’t last, and the relationship will soon end. In the next two lines the poet is describing his love, and comparing it with the wind. Like love is part of a human being's life, the wind is part of nature. Occasionally the wind is strong and can be noticeable, but in this case the wind is invisible, quiet, and gentle. Blake is comparing his love with this gentle wind because at this time he still has not expressed his love. Since his love has been kept in secret, his affection is like the gentle, invisible and silent wind. The second stanza is significant because this is when it describes the moment of a love confession. In the first two lines of this stanza Blake demonstrate the moment he admits his love to his loved one.  By repeating the phrase “I told my love,” twice, it is evident that he is urgently expressing his love. Then when telling her all of his love he has towards her, he opens his heart. In the second stanza, the word ghastly can also mean shockingly frightful, dreadful, or horrible. Therefore the man was trembling from the cold, and horribly fearful of something. The next line may explain why he may have been fearful, he was afraid of losing her, and unfortunately she did leave. On the other hand, she could have been the one who was fearful, and that fear scared her off. As soon as she is away from him, she gets taken away by a traveler. In my point of view the image of the traveler could either be a symbol of death, another lover, or a husband. Overall Blake is describing "true love" or "unconditional love" which can remain unrequited and yet still be fulfilled.

Reading Response: “Blake’s Auguries of Innocence, the French revolution, and London”

In “Blake’s Auguries of Innocence, the French Revolution, and London” by Robert W. Rix, three of William Blake’s poems are prioritized as prophetic. Blake defines the nature of a prophet as non-existing, in a sense that he has no supernatural powers. Rix evaluates that Blake judges a prophet on the success or failure of his predictions, to act as a public voice of conscience. On the background of an old English book market, Blake writes that Jonah was no prophet because his prophecy to Nineveh failed (book of Jonah-Bible). However he chooses this story to illustrate that Jonah by informing the people of the Assyrian empire, ‘made’ them turn away from their sin. So God consequently relented from the disaster that he said he would bring upon them. Evidently, Blake sees that the worth of the prophet is based on his ability to influence public behavior. Also Rix states that the poem “Auguries of Innocence” as well exemplifies the prognostic model. The narrator demonstrates his ability to identify how violence to God’s creatures offends the divine benevolence of the universe: “A robin Red breast in a cage / puts all Heaven in Rage,” “A Horse misused upon the Road / Calls to Heaven for Human Blood,” and “The wanton Boy that kills the Fly / Shall feed the spiders enmity”. As Blake wrote, in the old English book market, “If you go on So / The result is So” the formula clearly supports the line “A dog starved at his Masters Gate / Predicts the ruin of the state”. This is a warning of the uncared for animal which is used to forecast a future event. As Rix stated, “The purpose of Blake’s “prophetic” is to be a public word of caution, based on social observation rather than supernatural foresight” (Rix). The “Auguries of Innocence” is one of the short and interesting poems written by Blake, which corresponds to our blog title “Blake’s Short Titillations”.

          Rix main ideas of the Auguries of Innocence, The French Revolution, and London is that prophetic is in a sense of nature, not supernatural powers or events. In detail, “prophetic” is to be a word of caution for the community, based on social observation rather than mystical foresight. Nevertheless, Blake wrote “Prophets in the modern sense of the word have never existed. Jonah was no prophet in the modern sense for his prophecy of Nineveh failed”. By saying that Jonah was not a prophet, Blake shows that he did not believe in God and the word of God; the Bible. For Jonah was a prophet, God talked to Jonah and wanted him to stop the people in Nineveh of their evil sins, “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me” (Book of Jonah-Chapter 1:1-2). God wanted the people to relent to him, so they could go to heaven. The point isn’t that Jonah’s not a prophet because the prophecy didn’t come true, but since God had talked to him he is a prophet. More than one definition of prophet exist. One definition is a person who speaks for God or a deity, or by divine inspiration.  Another definition of a prophet is a person who foretells or predicts what is to come. Looking at those two definitions we can tell that Jonah is still a prophet of God. Jonah didn’t predict the right thing, but that is because God is greater than Jonah, and God wanted Jonah to tell the people so they would get startled and stop sinning. God didn’t want them to die, and according to the Bible, 1 John 4:8, “God is Love”, therefore God has love making him loving. At the end of the poem Auguries of Innocence, Blake states “God appears and God is light / To those poor souls who dwell in the night, / But does a human form Display / To those who Dwell in Realms of day.” This part of the poem reveals Blake's belief of God not being visible in the day; he is due to appear in human form since people no longer accept him for divine. People have lost their ability to see beyond the evil. In conclusion it is seen that Blake does believe in God, however he misinterpreted the definition of a prophet. 

To view the full poem Auguries of Innocence, Click here.

 

"To the Evening Star"

THOU fair-hair'd angel of the evening,

Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light

Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown

Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!

Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the

Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew

On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes

In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on

The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,

And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,

Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,

And then the lion glares through the dun forest:

The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with

Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence!

                This is the first time I have seen this poem and I was reading it and It was making me think of someone who had just passed. Their family wanting them to live life up in the sky but wanting them to look after them and make sure they stay safe. The first line, in my opinion resembles someone different every evening, meaning someone new is looking after their family and friends every night. While reading this in my head I think “is Blake resembling the dead, lighting the sky with love?” After reading some reviews I have seen that Blake may be referring this to love. The star being the planet Venus, which is the goddess of love. Maybe Blake is connecting death and love into one thing, trying to say that with every death the love builds stronger. “Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew” a interpretation I have is, Blake wants the passed loved ones to make the world bright with love by covering the grey skies and switch them with bright blue skies to show the love and brighten the world. “Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the” is he saying that he wants the dead to smile every time they are loved? As I see it, he is trying to say that every time someone feels the love they have for them, the person that may be gone will smile and feel the same love. As I read this poem I don’t understand what Blake is trying to say. I am confused on what the message is that he is trying to send through this poem. 

A Thought

     My Mind. my master, my monster. You tell me how to breath, when to blink and who to trust. But who told you?  You started my first smile and moved my first steps. But who showed you? Guiding my every move, criticising all I do. Where did you get that power?

     Like a seed in a garden, it will be planted.  Planted deep in the soil, deep and distant in you.  So deep and so distant it is almost forgotten.  It will grow, first unnoticed, in the dirt, in your subconscious. Although it is still covered and undetected, it develops. In dreams it starts appearing, not knowing it friend or foe, you try to examine it, break it down to its core and make sense of it’s presence, but you are defenceless in dreams.

     The seed finally breaks through the surface and into you. You find it.  The little seedling is still to small to decipher as a flower or weed.  When you find it you analyse it, connect it to anything you can, generalizing and linking, trying to find patterns to determine the source and outcome. Giving it attention and focus, giving the seed sunlight and water.  It grows, but slowly. Once you have figured all you can, you focus on other thoughts, leaving the growing plant alone.  You wander around, moving through priorities, plans and past memories. You stay the longest in memories, lingering, hoping there you can feel warmth and satisfaction.  The plant takes advantage of your reminiscing, and although it has little rain and sun, it matures.  

     You come across it again and notice thorns appearing.  A weed, you must pull it out. But roses have thorns as well.  Knowing the risk, you water it and provide sunlight, caring for and watching it everyday. Waiting for a rose. It grows rapidly now, locking its roots deep and stretching out for the sunlight, for your attention.  Its mystery fascinates you, and you tend it.  More signs of a weed appear, but it’s deceit alters you perception.  

     It thrives on it’s own now, and has little dependence on you.  You realise your danger and try to pull the weed, but you can only rip the thorny leaves, the roots are still far in the soil and will take perseverance and and diligence to kill.  You cut it off from all sources of nutrient; no sun, no rain, no attention. It is difficult for you to ignore, because it’s roots and leaves are everywhere, leaving little space for you to go. As slow as it came, it diminishes. You pull and pull and finally the shallow roots unearth.  You are cautious of where you go and what you think. The weed become lesser and lesser. You know something can never be gone completely, but you keep it managed.  You analyze, generalize and link. Find patterns and discover the source and outcome. It is not gone, but it taught you something.  Something with deeper roots, to have a guard, be careful what you let in, and trust only what is true.  

Reading Response: Overview of "The Tyger"

                Derek Furr wrote an overview of the short poem “The Tyger.” This article is answering all questions that people may have when reading this poem. He even states “note that nearly every line asks a question, and none is answered.” Furr is explaining how this poem has so many questions, which are not answered. One main question that seems to come up often is: What does the “The Tyger?” Furr is trying to get all the answers to this poem which are not identified in the poem. He says that “The Tyger” is a song of experience, Spoken from someone who once felt had all the answers, but is now unsure. This is the best information that we are able to get from the original text. The one reason that he has such a hard time trying to describe what “The Tyger” really is, is because it is about many things at once. When you first read this poem your first question may be: “what does the poem mean?” or even “how does the poem work?” these two questions are the first questions that need to be answered to start understanding the poem and what its trying to say, or what it represents. Furr is analyzing everything about this poem by seeing that the poem can bring tension by the first couple words: “Tyger Tyger, burning bright/ in the forest of the night.” With this Blake created a this effect by drawing on three poetic devices: Trochaic meter, unstressed syllables, and alliteration. Blake is tricking us with this first line. He is coming from “burning bright” to “night,” these two states are held in tension by the rhyme. This evil and threatening “Tyger” wanders in the darkness. Yet he is luminescent, even beautiful, like a work of art. He refers to the “Tygers” eyes burn with fire. Fire is the pervasive image in “The Tyger.” Is the fire a good or bad thing? After this we are brought back to the question who made the Tyger, and what his intentions were. Perhaps the point of Blake’s poem is to inspire us with the awe of the Tyger and its maker.

                This author mostly tries to analyze the questions that are brought up when reading the poem. I have the same questions as he and I still am puzzled every time I read this poem. I have read a lot of interpretations of this poem and they may answer a question of mine, but then I am brought to another question. I agree with this author and his intensions. I think Blake meant for this poem to be confusing, but what he wanted is us to ask questions and maybe even make our own perception of what this poem means. The main interpretation I have seen is that this poem and “the lamb” are the same, by they are both relating to god and were created by the same person, god. But then I see his eyes burn with fire, so are the tygers eyes relating to hell? When first reading this poem I had questions but none like I do know. I didn’t realize that this tyger meant more than what it tells in the poem. While reading this poem ever line is a question that is left unanswered. Every line should have an answer but Blake didn’t leave any. Is god related to “The Lamb” and “The Tyger?” Did Blake mean to do this? When Furr says each line starts and ends with a thud, to me it relates to the questions. When you first start reading the line it hooks you in, then when you reach the end, you realize that you are wondering what that line meant. This poem isn’t like any other pome I have read. I have so many unanswered questions that I wish I could figure out. Furr did a great job explain this poem and how he thinks, as do I, that maybe Blake did this on purpose, maybe he wanted to have people confused and asking questions. My questions are: What is the Tyger? Do the tygers eyes relate to hell? And Who is the tyger?

Community Assignment: “The Life and Work of John Keats”

As I was looking through multiple blogs designed by students about  the poets from the era of Romanticism, “The Life and Work of John Keats” caught my attention. The first thing I noticed when opening this blog, was that it wasn’t created on Blogspot, but a Wordpress website. The elegant designs as well as the plain colors made the blog stand out, contributing to its professional appearance.  The authors of this educational blog are Tina Ho, Zach Richmond, and Heidi McGill. Dedicated to John Keats, their page consisted of personal interpretations and analysis of poems such as “Bright Star”, “Isabella or The Pot of Basil”, “Ode to Autumn”, and “When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be”. Also it includes a biography of John Keats titled “John Keats Bio”, which is easy to read and briefly describes the main facts of Keats life; when Keats wrote his first poem, family history, and employment.

While reading through some of “The Life and Work of John Keats” posts, I realized that the professional appearance and its easy navigation made me want to stay on their blog page longer. In addition, I really liked that the background and text color associated with each other creating a good contrast, making their posts readable. The poem “Winter Break”, by Zack Richmond was very interesting and enjoyable to read. I agree with many of the things he wrote, and my favorite part would be the whole ending, “And the only thing the kids are thinking about is Spring break”. Since winter break was the main topic it was really unexpected to hear about spring break, but I think it was the perfect ending. “The Island” was also admirable; the use of imagery got my imagination going.

For someone who knows nothing about Romanticism, I would highly recommend reading this blog “The Life and Work of John Keats”. Not only does this blog teach people about Keat’s life, what his ideas are, or what he has written, but it also give them a better understanding of what could have influenced his works, and the time period Keats lived in. Overall in my opinion this group did a great job in creating their blog, and I would highly suggest anyone to read it.