Thirty-Six... An End And A New Beginning

 

    It’s hard to believe that in only 36 days we are going to be walking across the stage in our caps and gowns! When I think about college and my future there, I’ll admit I get kind of scared. My elementary, middle, and high schools have all been situated on the pleasant, tree-lined street that we call Northfield Parkway, but in a few months I will have to move away from this comfort and into the unknown. 

    Although college is a slightly frightening opportunity for me, it is also an opportunity for me to learn about what interests me the most, which sounds pretty exciting. One of the most important things that my secondary education has taught me is that life is full of opportunities, both big and small, to learn and grow. I’ve also learned that when you find an opportunity that scares you a little, then you most definitely have to pursue it, because this is the force that will push you outside of your comfort zone and into a great adventure. 

When I was a freshman, I was presented with an opportunity that simultaneously exhilarated me and made me extremely nervous. I had loved being in student government ever since elementary school, but at this particular point at the end of freshman year I had the chance to run for a position as a Class Officer for the next school year. The idea of campaigning and interviewing was unsettling, but I felt the reward was worth it. I ended up running but not being elected. The same thing happened to me when I ran for a position at the end of my sophomore year as well. When the spring of my junior year rolled around, I ran for a position again, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Over the years, campaigning became less of a burden and more of an excitement, and I actually began to look forward to it. When I found out that I was elected, the strongest feeling of excitement and relief washed over me, and I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. That’s another thing high school taught me about opportunities: they are not always going to be easy, and more often than not success won’t come until the end of a long, uphill battle. But that’s okay, because the views from halfway up the mountain look pretty good too. 

Exploring all of these opportunities is fun and rewarding, but having a strong family foundation in life is also important. This is a lesson that the pandemic has taught me. Although the world outside my house seemed to be shaky, the people inside my home steadied it for me, which helped me to realize just how much I depend on them. In my opinion, there is nothing more important in life than family. 

We only have thirty-six more days before we walk across the stage in our caps and gowns.  My high school education is not over yet, and these days are a chance for me to make the most of my time here at Troy High. This is an opportunity that I definitely intend to take.

Absurdism on the Stage and Canvas

After only a few minutes of watching Didi and Gogo talk in illogical spirals, it became very clear that the play Waiting for Godot was going to be an intellectual experience like no other. I did some research on the absurdist movement, and I eventually stumbled upon absurdist art. Despite the obvious differences in the mode of expression, I discovered that there are many similarities between the Theatre of the Absurd and absurdist art. 

The piece of absurdist artwork that I will compare to Waiting For Godot is included above. Artist Michael Cheval, who often depicts an upturned side of reality in his works, created this piece. One of the dominant features in this painting is the translucent cow (which is partly made out of hedges) and the completed statues of cows that are located towards the back of the scene. This aspect of the painting gives a feeling of uncertainty as the mind cannot perfectly grasp the image. This quality of elusiveness is also prominent in Waiting for Godot in the way that Didi and Gogo’s memories seem to always be just out of reach.

Another interesting feature in this artwork is the expansive maze. Mazes are often associated with disorientation which is definitely found in the Theatre of the Absurd. In the play, Didi and Gogo are found in a bleak, deserted area with no other buildings or landmarks in sight.  With this lack of direction and visual stimulation, one could easily get lost, both physically and mentally. Didi and Gogo seem to become mentally disoriented in this place where they have no other way to pass their time but to relate every disorganized thought they have. 

Lastly, there are many elements of the painting that seem unexpected or out of place. For example, there is a ballerina seeming to perform in the middle of the maze. She is accompanied by three kittens and their balls of yarn as well as the cow that I mentioned before. It is unlikely that such a scene would be found in daily life, just like the image of Pozzo and Lucky connected by a rope. Furthermore, even though the Boy Godot sent to Didi and Gogo does not seem physically out of place in the play, he is clearly mentally and emotionally uncomfortable in the situation he finds himself in.  

I wonder what other interesting things will happen as we wait for Godot!

Birds in Poetry

 

            In Robert Penn Warren’s poem “Evening Hawk”, which I analyzed in a seminar in class this past week, the hawk and its actions were some of the main focuses of the work. I found it interesting how this bird played the complicated role of giving perspective as well as meaning in the poem, so I examined other poems that have birds as symbols to compare their effects. I found that the bird featured in Jones Very’s poem “The Winter Bird” is extremely similar to the one in “Evening Hawk”. 

In both poems, the bird is able to experience life in a way that humans cannot. The hawk is able to view the sunset from the air, and the bird in Very’s poem is able to sing its unique song to rival the snowstorm. The hawk’s elevated point of view allows it to see more than humans, and therefore educate them on the continuing passage of time and humanity’s tendency to repeat mistakes. Similarly, the other bird’s courage and ability to recognize its own strengths helps the speaker realize that he may also be able to stand up against the tribulations of the world.

Also, both birds are depicted as being tightly connected to nature. The hawk gracefully and effortlessly rides “ the last tumultuous avalanche of/ Light above the pines and guttural gorge” (4-5) and the bird is depicted with both “the bare wintry bough” (1) and “Spring with its leaves”(2). This makes both birds seem to have an understanding of nature that humans have still yet to come to themselves. This adds to their mystery, wisdom, trustworthiness, and importance as symbols in both poems.

When Poems Come to Life

 

        One of my favorite parts of our Poetry Unit in English class is our activities with experiencing poetry. Although analyzing a poem and its devices is interesting, I enjoy having the chance to enjoy a poem for its emotional and intellectual experience. Listening to poems recited by the poets that created them has especially helped me to see poetry come to life in new ways. 

When you watch a poet recite their own work, the nuances of emotion become more apparent. An example of this would be Elizabeth Acevedo’s recitation of her poem “Hair”, which we watched in class this past week. When reading, her passion is accented by her facial expressions and hand gestures. Even poems that were not originally written to be a part of the spoken word genre can have this effect. Maggie Smith’s reading of her poem “First Fall” underscores this idea. When she began reading this poem about her children at the 2020 Palm Beach Poetry Festival, her voice automatically softened and took on a gentle tone. It was as if she became lost in this moment with her children, and the rest of the audience was invited along as well. It is live readings of personal works such as the ones mentioned above that give audiences the exciting opportunity to strongly feel the emotions of the author or the speaker they have chosen to portray. 

Below I have included a video of Maggie Smith reading her poems, “Sky” and “Rain, New Year’s Eve”. I hope you enjoy watching these poems come to life. 

 

A Poem is a Story

 

For as long as I can remember, I have always thought that poems were simply tiny packages containing the direct thoughts of the poet. After spending some time analyzing poetry in English class this past week, I have realized that this is not true. Although poems are much shorter than traditional novels and even most short stories, they contain versions of the plot and characterization that these longer works have, even if they are created in different ways. 

As an example I will use Sir Phillip Sidney’s “Thou Blind Man’s Mark” , which is a poem that we analyzed in class. The poem begins with the speaker addressing desire and criticizing it’s terrible qualities, by saying, for example, “Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought”. By the end of the poem, the speaker feels he has achieved some kind of intellectual triumph over desire and victoriously proclaims, “In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire” in order to belittle it. Although there are not scenes of action like would be expected in a novel, there is a clear change of emotion that is similar to the kinds of emotional changes that occur as a result of the action in longer stories. In a poem, the action oftentimes takes place in the mind and feelings of the speaker instead of through activity, and this is what makes up the plot.

Poems also contain characterization. In “Thou Blind Man’s Mark”, the personification of desire allows it to be portrayed as a monstrous and destructive being. The line, “For virtue hath this better lesson taught” characterizes the speaker as someone who values breaking away from group habits if this is the morally correct thing to do. By using poetry’s characteristic metaphors and carefully chosen diction, the poem is able to assign attributes to characters that move the plot along and create meaning, as they would in a novel. 

Although poems are small, they contain the same literary might as lengthier works.

What Makes a Hero?

    At one point or another, we have all dreamed of being the hero in the story of our lives. We want to be the “special” one who can overcome the odds to accomplish the feat of champions like the heroes in fairy tales do. So, what is the secret? What makes a character a hero?

In order to answer these questions, we can examine two literary heroes. The first is Siddhartha from Hesse’s famous novel of the same name, and the other is Moana from one of my favorite Disney movies. Even from the beginning of their “hero’s journey”, there are obvious differences between their philosophies and the philosophies of those around them. In Siddhartha’s “ordinary world”, everyone around him is perfectly content with following the ways of the Brahmins. Siddhartha takes part in these practices as well, even excelling in them, but he feels as though there is more out there for him. Similarly, Moana lives on a secluded island where everyone is happy with their societal roles. Moana tries to be a good chief-in-training for her people, but her soul is calling her towards exploring the ocean far beyond her home. These heroic characters do not just remain uncomfortably in their situations, however. They allow their differences from others to be their greatest strengths when they are finally called to begin their quest. 

Siddhartha’s main journey in the novel is to reach his personal form of enlightenment, and Moana’s is to return the heart of Te Fiti to save her dying island. Their journeys, however, expand to have results that are extremely meaningful. By the end of his journey, Siddhartha has discovered the beautiful “oneness” of the world, and Moana has helped her people to rediscover their history of voyaging. They did not make these realizations on their own, but instead were helped by a series of mentors, which are another integral part of the hero’s journey. Mentors give the hero the strength to fight through the hardest battles of their journeys. Govinda, Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva are just a few of the mentors that lead Siddhartha along his winding path to enlightenment. Similarly, Maui teaches Moana to be a wayfinder and her grandmother connects her with her heritage and the strengths within her. If it were not for these mentors, our heroes would not be as successful as they were. Maybe this is another commonality between all heroes: they are human, and they need help from others. 

Lastly, at the end of the hero’s journey when the hero has victoriously returned home, they remain humble. They have made a discovery that is bigger than themselves, and in their eyes the discovery is much more important than their heroic attempts to uncover it. At the end of the novel, Siddhartha cannot wait to openly share his wisdom with Govinda so he can benefit from it, and Moana runs into the arms of her parents because she is so grateful to see them again. 

In closing, a hero is a unique, yet humble and human, character who is able to uncover a world of mysteries for those around them.

A Look Back

    This semester went by so quickly! It seems like just yesterday we were logging into our first Zoom meeting! 

For years now, my favorite part of English classes has been the class seminars. I have always felt that everyone working together to analyze a work is exciting, and I love the sense of community that comes from it. At the beginning of this school year, I was worried about how we would continue to have these experiences during online learning. I was pleasantly surprised to see that these activities were not only kept intact, but also helped me to grow as a reader and writer. 

Our Oedipus Rex debate taught me to find the many different, and sometimes opposing, facets of a story. By anticipating the other team’s rebuttals to our statements, I learned to see literary situations from different points of view and find the themes that arise from this combination of perspectives. 

The Stranger also taught me to see the tension in a work of literature. The messages projected from Meursault’s relationship with society were far from simple and one-sided, and this complexity opened up another dimension of literary analysis for me. This not only made reading even more interesting for me, but it also helped me to strengthen the commentary in my in-class essays. The different views that came from our class discussions on this novel and others were another representation of the complexity of literature. 

Another activity from this class that helped me to grow was our analysis of movies. I enjoyed watching Little Miss Sunshine and Memento with a critical eye, since the visual aspects of literature created through movies bring an interesting level of depth to the story. It was fascinating to see how details such as lighting, character positioning, and color choices could enhance the meaning of a work. 

I have enjoyed all of our class activities this semester, and I can’t wait to see what second semester brings!