Regret by Charlotte Bronte

                In her poem Regret, Charlotte Bronte talks about her past and how she is unhappy and lonely her life has been in the place she once called home. She wants to continue her life in happiness, and feels that getting married is the answer. The main issue stated in this poem shows up during her search for love. Charlotte points this out in the second stanza:

“Life and marriage I have known, 
Things once deemed so bright; 
Now, how utterly is flown”

                This stanza shows states Charlotte feels that marriage is the way to go, if she wants a happy ending. “Every ray of life, mid the unknown sea of life,” states that her main concern. The main concern being that no matter where she looks and any direction she takes, Charlotte feels that she is unable to find her love. “I no blest isle have found, at last, through all it wild wave’s strife, my bark is homeward bound.” Charlotte represents her life as a journey, sailing and looking for a new place she is able to call home, but is unable to. In the end, her “bark” which symbolizes her determination, dream, emotions, is taking her back to her lonely and sad home.

                In the third stanza, Charlottes experiences the change in life she wanted.

“Farewell, dark and rolling deep!

Farewell foreign shore!

Open, in unclouded sweep,

thou glorious realm before!”

                It appears that her sad and displeasuring journey has ended. Her “bark” has finally arrived in the “glorious realm.” “Glorious realm,” which represents her happiness, thus, her search for the one she was looking for has finally ended happily.

                The stanza continues, “Yet though I had safely pass’d, the weary vexed main, one loved voice through sure and blast, could call me back again.” It shows how much joy and pleasure Charlotte is in after finding her love. Not only is the author fulfilled and overwhelm, she loves her love so much she is willing to rep-experience her sad and dreadful journey from her the beginning if she ever loses him.

“Through the soul’s bright morning rose

O’er paradise for me,

William! Even from Heaven’s repose

I’d turn, invoked by thee!”

                In the forth stanza Charlotte continues depicting her love whose’ name is William. From her point of view, she feels satisfied. Throughout the first three stanzas Charlotte showed her life as dark, lost, haunting and filled with fearful memories. After being with William, she wants her to view her life as a paradise which is bright, beautiful and happy. She is even willing to leave Heaven just to be with him. “My soul, exalting then: all my heaven was once thy breast, would it were mine again!,” the author, wraps up this poem by stating that ever since she is with William she feels as if she is in Heaven.

Wordsworth Homework

                The poem ‘The World is too much with us’ by William Wordsworth is about greed and about people in a developed society not appreciating nature. The poem is well written but also lacks an answer to the problem that William Wordsworth is saying, which leaves the reader agreeing but in the end feeling like a therapist with a whiny patient. Not to mention that he depicts pagans as a lesser people by saying he would rather be a pagan then a greedy person as if to get a reaction from the reader of “wow being greedy is worse than being a pagan, he must really feel frustrated.”

                The poem starts off with the proclamation that the earth could do without us and that we waste our “powers” on materialistic endeavors and that we are selling ourselves short. The poem continues with his proclaiming how the moon, sea and wind are in harmony and that we are not by saying” for this, for everything, we are out of tune.” Then William Wordsworth continues by saying how he would rather be a pagan then be unappreciative of nature. The truth is I personally would rather be a Pagan than a Christian any day of the week; especially Sunday. But interestingly William Wordsworth goes on to describe what he could appreciate if he were a Pagan saying “Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea; Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn, which comes off poetic and beautiful almost making me feel like “damn, maybe I should be a Pagan.”

                William Wordsworth’s ‘The World is too much with us’ makes its point and invokes the cunning use of sarcasm but at the same time comes off as slightly bigoted and whiny as he offers no closure to the problem he is claiming the world has. Not to mention again the slight towards Paganism.

Words Worth's Preface to Lryically Ballads

       First of all my first critique is that this guy does not understand the meaning of run on sentences.

      The theme chosen is the common language amongst “men.” In this portion of the preface to the Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth speaks on how poets should use the everyday speech of the common man to express complex ideas; opening the common man up to new and enlightening ideas .

“But, as the pleasure which I hope to give by the Poems now presented to the Reader must depend entirely on just notions upon this subject, and, as it is in itself of high importance to our taste and moral feelings,”

William Wordsworth is saying that the subject’s “just notions” (the subject being a common man reader) is more important than the poets “taste “, which is the poets style and moral feelings which is referring to something he spoke about earlier in the preface about meanness 

“I cannot, however, be insensible to the present outcry against the triviality and meanness, both of thought and language, which some of my contemporaries have occasionally introduced into their metrical compositions; and I acknowledge that this defect, where it exists, is more dishonorable to the Writer’s own character than false refinement or arbitrary innovation, though I should contend at the same time, that it is far less pernicious in the sum of its consequences.”

       The comment about moral feelings could have been taken as bible or himself being facetious. Depending on whether someone was guilty of this or not probably influenced how they took those words.

The problem and paradox is that later he proclaims the enlightenment and responsibility to common man to interpret the complexities of life; which is good and great and all but where’s all the women; I am of course assuming they had women back then and that some of them knew how to write and even write poetry; I am also assuming that a manly man, super man poet/philosopher could see the beauty and talent of the female  poet, speaking on the injustices shared by women all around the world in common day occurrences. 

Overall the essay was good and this part a complex and understandably controversial subject of how people should speak, especially when personal and artistic expression. Though Wordsworth has good ideas and is technically right, he should just practice what he preaches and stop judging and picking apart his peers, who I am sure worked hard and had lots of talent.

        All in all it was a good essay with many valid points and many contradictions, but that is the beauty of essays like this that bear no legislative implications, thus it is allowed to be imperfect and irrational, while still being valid and a necessary expression of opinions.  

Keat's Ode

Why do you think pain and beauty seem so inextricably linked in these works?

The reasons when Keats' Odes are link beauty and pain is because that is the premise of the poems. In the poems Keats' is exploring the links between pain and beauty by telling a progressive story of how he came to terms with the beauty of life which Keats' gives a female personification to in the ode on indolence and the intensity of love and passion as pain in which he rejects. In ode to psyche he finally gives himself to the feelings of love and romance by proclaiming that he is now a worshiper of Psyche the wife of the warm love. Though Goode to psyche is not a painfully story but it is a good start to the true journey of the Odes which every story needs which is a giving of ones self to the journey; a commitment if you will.

What do you make of Keats' transportation out of pain into beauty or into nature?

 The "transportation" is slow and only really happens at the end in to Autumn, when he finally comes to terms with beauty and the pain of losing beauty. But the going into nature is interesting as it seems that Keats finds the majority of his endeavors and achieving wisdom in nature with the exception of Ode on a Grecian Urn when his journey s taken to the artistic depictions on a urn. Nature in 2 of the Odes brings him closer to understanding the nature of beauty and disappointment in which Keats successfully puts into terms.

What do you make of Romantic idea that the human experience is so often characterized by pain?

the purest appreciation of beauty is when you discover beauty when rising above pain. When one rises above the thresholds of p[Bain one finds power in understanding because that understanding acts as the greatest of pain killers. so in general the human existence is engulfed with the constant struggle of rising above pain and discomfort to appreciate the beauty of life which is so easy to miss when bogged down by pain. This concept makes for an easy premise for a story especially adventurous ones.

What is Keats saying about youth and old age?

Youth is beautiful and old age final but what he urn is trying to convey is that even as generations change, new ones born and old ones die the truth it is trying to bring to man is the beauty is truth and truth beauty and that is what it wants man to understand. In your old age appreciation is the cure for woe. And nothing teaches the old like the realization that life is never ending and the love and beauty Keats was afraid to lose was going to happen even after he was gone as seen in to autumn. In youth Keats feared the intensity of life so much so he shunned it. Then as he grew older he spent his time coming to terms until he did in which he described as Autumn.

Is it possible for us to really leave pain through the imagination and appreciation of beauty?

Of course! Like I said there is no pain killer for life like appreciating beauty. without that we would be killing ourselves indiscriminately until there was nothing left. Humans doing it all the time whether it be soldiers fighting for the love of their country which they perceive is beautiful IM sure to the man who sticks by their wife on their death bed. Beauty is why we are here dealing with all the bullshit of life.

What does it mean to want something or long for something we can't attain? Is longing an inevitable condition of being human or do the Romantics offer us a means of circumventing our human state?

If we did not long we would just do nothing. the work ethic of the human species, energized by our longing for a better situation then we are in is the most basic of survival mechanisms. The simplest example is hunger and nourishment. Thus longing is more then just the human existence it is existence for the most part down to sub atomic particles longing to change states whatever state that it is in. The romantics do not circumvent the human state but come to terms with it; accept it for what it is worth, which brings them some sort of enlightenment that they are expressing poetically. Keats and Blake like to use personifications of ideas they have to play roles in adventure they go on to overcome obstacles which are representation of the human condition. This why poetry is beautiful because it speaks on subjects we can all relate to, offering if not wisdom and a means to overcome, an outlet to relate or at the very least commiserate. 

In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner

                 In the Rime of the Ancient Mariner there is a lot of symbolism I think it is interesting how Coleridge makes inner struggles and emotions into characters in the poem.it seems that everything one would be feeling or thinking gets turned into a character that the mariner has to interact with. For instance the “albatross” I interpreted as hope when they were crossing through the arctic or wherever they were. You could see how as soon as the albatross came the trip became easier, the wind seemed stronger, and health seemed in abundance then at some point he starts to lose hope or even kills his hope by shooting the albatross. This is representing the mariner becoming pessimistic and negative. It seems that once the mariner became negative, the drought started to happen, and the wind stopped blowing in which the other sailors blamed the mariner. The mariner had been put in a position of being responsible for morale in which he did not want. That is why the crew blamed his negativity for the stint of bad luck. After that the maiden appeared which symbolizes death. He was so enthusiastic to see her because at that point they wanted to die because they were all suffering from dehydration. That’s when the maiden declared that she had “won” and the sailors all died except for the mariner. Then when the crew died he blamed himself which is why he thought he was cursed. This is where he had the dream about his dead crew mates, again this is guilt manifesting inside him yet he was being assured that he had paid “penance and would pay more” for their deaths but it was ok and in fact they were “blessed” probably because they didn’t have to suffer anymore.  Then finally he made it home to see his people and country. The interaction with the hermit is the mariner’s manifestation of his conscience because he was still wondering whether he was responsible for the crews’ death or not. That is why the hermit asks him whether he is a good man or not; that is just the mariner wondering whether he was a good man or not. Feeling really bad about what had happen, he finally tells his story and the hermit lets him be free.  This represents him forgiving himself by taking responsibility and confessing what he had done to the “pilot” bringing him back to land. All of these characters are representations of different aspects of the mariners trip from the albatross being his hope, the maiden being death, the spirits being guilt and forgiveness and the hermit being his conscience. 

                The hardships of the mariner were troubling and hard but and it is what I am sure is a reality for scores of men who have went into the open sea. The best part is his perseverance by what seems to be divine luck. From beating death to overcoming his hopelessness to forgiving himself for what he considered the killing of his own crew and the albatross. I also love how the story is being told to the groom from what seems to be a broken down old man, but then turns into the realization that the old man is strong and wise. It also reminds me of the older men I have met in my life that through their stories of the hardships offer me wisdom and strength, which reminds that the concept of older generations passing wisdom down through story is a timeless tradition.  But Coleridge is doubly cool due to his uses of symbolism to really emphasize the struggle of his character. He flawlessly transforms the hardships of the mariner (which are mostly emotional) into tangible characters who serve as markers of the next part of the story. Even without the “parts” you could easily tell one part from the next by the new symbolic character that the mariner runs into.

                The Power of the active imagination is awesome. I find myself making stories about the things I am doing and my experiences to make my life more interesting. In doing that I am also able to analyze more clearly the things I experience in my life. It is interesting to see someone do that in their story and it is incredible to see it at the level that a master like Coleridge does it. If you blink for a second you forget that these characters are symbols and start interpreting literally. It also puts into perspective things like Christian and Greek mythology that use the same kind of symbolism.

Kubla Khan Homework

The Romantic era was well known for its artistic freedom and creativity in literature and music. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is considered one of the major Romantic figures. He was born in Ottery St Mary, Devonshire and was the youngest of ten children. Perhaps Coleridge’s birth order contributed to his creativity, as lastborns are risk takers and more liberal. He ran away at the age of seven- as lastborns are more likely to engage in more risky behavior. Throughout his life, Coleridge was addicted to opium and was in debt with opium, alcohol and women. He wrote a collection of Poems on Various Subjects which was published in 1796 and 1797. “Kubla Khan” was one of the many poems in Coleridge’s collection.

            “Kubla Khan” was inspired by a dream vision and takes place in a demonic world which first appears to be paradise. The scenary described in the beginning of a poem describes a dream world with a sacred river, fertile soil, and beautiful gardens and forests. However, water is spit up from a hill so forcefully that the river runs down the forest and turns it into a lifeless ocean. The place no longer appears to be a paradise, for a demonic world has taken over. Perhaps this poem reflects Coleridge’s transition from a child into an adult. Life became bitter and dark when he became addicted to opium, alcohol and women.

            It’s interesting how Coleridge uses scenery and nature to portray a certain mood for the reader. The ocean that washes the forest away is a lifeless place, almost similar to Hell. The river represents power, because the waves of the water are so strong that they have the ability to wipe away everything. Perhaps the constant movement of the river is a symbol for Coleridge’s life and how it is constantly changing from peacefulness to chaos.

William Blake Homework

      William Blake's The Little Boy Lost was about a boy yearning for his father, followed
by disappearing into "vapor." What this represents the grief a child can feel when abandoned by a paternal figure and the losing of the Childs self. When Blake writes "The mire was deep & the child did weep and away the vapor flew" the little boy stared out into life and "weeped" from the fear of enormity of life (the deep mire), in which he then was lost in. This is almost a Freudian expression of an individuals struggle with identity, without the security of their parents. In "The Little Boy Found" the boy is saved by god and brought back to his mother. In this god is faith. The boy finds the comfort missing from the security of his father, from faith and the love of his mother. This is the mind set of the innocent and their willingness to adapt and cope.      
       



               "The Little Girl Lost" was unlike "The Little Boy Lost" which was about a male archetype,
"The Little Girl Lost Was about society as a whole, being destroyed due to complacency or "sleep."  In the begriming he writes "In futurity I prophetic see that the earth from sleep (Grave the sentence deep) Is talking about how he sees the inevitable doom of humanity due to sleep. He then
goes on to say "Shall arise and seek for her maker meek; And in the desert wild; Become a garden mild." This is societies eventual disappointment in god (Shall arise and seek for her maker meek) and the doom that will ensue (And in the desert wild; Become a garden mild). Then the story begins with a little girl named Lycra who is looking for her parents, this is a representation of the current generation of society looking for the wisdom of past generations. Being unsuccessful the girl falls asleep unit she is eventually raped by "beasts." The "beasts" are a representation of tyranny. In
the second part of the poem her parents (wisdom) find her only to be trapped with her by the lion. This is a depiction of "hind sight is 20/20" where wisdom found society, but it was too late. 

               

                In "The Chimney Sweeper" and "The Chimney Sweep" talks about how "Little Tom Dacre"
finds hope and promise of heaven in a dream. The dream was about an angel who sets the chimney sweepers free, who then enjoy heaven and promises Tom heaven. Then Tom is given hope and strength to deal with his situation as a enslaved chimney sweeper. 

     

               "The Chimney Sweep" The seemingly matured observer of Tom Dacre, finds himself bitter at the fact that he is a slave and has been treated so poorly. While his slave masters are worshiping god for the promise of heaven, he accuses them of making him a heaven of misery (Hell). He is also making the separation between his slave masters and their church, and himself. This implies the characters bitterness towards dogma.         

           

               The separation between innocence and experience is reasonable, as these four poems are describing innocence and experience through the perceptions of different stereo-archetypes. But what these poems are also doing is allowing you to view these perceptions through the eyes of people in unfortunate situations and how these characters either persevere in innocence or suffer with the burden of experience given their situation. The little boy and Tom Dacre rose above their situations with child like, Devine enlightenment which is why it is of a mind innocence. On the
other hand we have the observer of Tom Dacre and the little girl who both failed to rise above their situations and just suffered with their realizations through experience. With innocence there is a purity and youthfulness in the approaches those characters take that allow them to have closure with their situations. On the other hand with experience comes awareness and hopelessness, these stories are also left sort of unresolved. In "The Little Girl found" Lyca and her family are just stuck at the end. In "Chimney Sweep" The observer of Tom Dacre is left in a bitter, unfortunate state with no closure. 

               

                Both of these descriptions of Innocence and experience are interesting and correct in the way things are rationalized when thinking in both an innocent mind or experienced mind. With experience awareness gives you a sense of existence more than it prepares you for the future. Innocence grants you a sense of hope, due to the lack of knowing what is going to happen in the future. This is how Blake expresses his innocent hopeful nature and in logical progression expresses his experienced pesamistic nature.