King Lear Prediction

"... the theme of King Lear may be stated in psychological as well as biological terms. So put, it is the destructive, the ultimately suicidal character of unregulated passion, its power to carry human nature back to chaos."-- Harold C. Goddard (1951)

Based off of this quote I get a strong feeling that the play King Lear features a tragic hero who makes a terrible mistake. My guess is that the hero's tragic flaw involves unbridled passion which leads to his (and possibly a kingdom's) downfall. I also get an impression that this play will feature some focus on human nature, otherwise I don't think that this quote would focus on passion's power "to carry human nature back to chaos". To be honest, I'm actually kind of pumped to read King Lear. If it's anywhere near as engaging as Antigone was, then I know I'll have a good time learning about some classic literature!

My Response to "The Collar" by George Herbert

Gee whiz! This poem sure is a doozy...

To start with, this poem is dense. If readers don't pay close attention to the poem's imagery and structure, they are going to get lost. Like, "I was trying to go to get a burger but now I'm in Cuba" lost. This poem takes on the structure of a man's howl against God, the world, and basically everything. All the material between the quotation marks (lines 1-32) is the speaker's dialog; after 30-some lines however, its easy to lose track of that fact and the poem's meaning with it. Without the realization that most of the poem is dialog, it just seems like a lot of random images and questions. But, with an understanding of the poem's structure we start to see its theme emerge. In the 4th line the speaker says "My life and lines are free, free as the road". This is obviously the speaker proclaiming his freedom from something; but what is it that's oppressing him? The answer comes in the last lines; "But as I raved... methought I heard one calling, child! And I replied My Lord". This poem shows someone railing against God (or some higher power) but then realizing they ultimately are subservient to said force.

Now that we've gotten the analysis of the poem itself out of the way, let's talk meaning! One way I could see this poem is as a getting upset and going on a long rant, only to realize that he's wrong. Imagine a teenager, but on artistic steroids. Instead of spewing regular complaints, he spits out metaphors and great lamentations! In this reading of the poem "God" is simply a representation of the speaker's better senses and the whole piece is a great work of humanism. It shows humankind conquering its own whiny pretentiousness. It's a very roundabout and symbolic way of showing this idea however, which leads me to believe that the poem is more spiritual in nature.

A core tenant of the Christian faith is that God loves everyone on Earth and see's them as his "children". Throughout this poem I contend that the speaker acts extremely childish. The very first thing to happen is the speaker hitting an inanimate object in anger, just like a toddler. They then proceed to "cry" about all of their grievances until, finally, the parent (God in this case) says "Child!". And like magic, they stop and go "mommy!" (or daddy). This interpretation of the poem presents God as a parent who loves his children, yet still commands their respect. He's the lovable father that nurtures his child while still instilling morals and ideals within them. The big idea here is that mankind is an obedient child; although we may sometimes raise our voices in rebellion, there is nothing but reverence when our father speaks. What makes this whole relationship possible is love and respect between a creator and its progeny.

Part of the beauty of this poem--and metaphysical poetry in general--is that through all the complex metaphors, structures, and images readers can see many possible interpretations. And even if our interpretations vary, both can still contain some kernel of truth. So, while this poem isn't really the most emotionally compelling, it certainly has a ton of intellectual depth packed into its lines.    

Critical Lens Reflection.

https://docs.google.com/a/jeffcoschools.us/document/d/1gj9Flpauow1WCJyJi_s6nOyOP6f15mlYkCy1rZLsoTQ/edit?usp=sharing

Whew, now THAT was an essay. The process of composing this essay felt very... stimulating? Yeah, that's how it was. Every single step of the way offered a new challenge to me. From finding sources, to extracting quotes, and finally writing the thing; I constantly came into roadblocks that required me to really flex the ol' cranium. How do I find relevant materials? Is this analysis deep enough? How can I make this intro pop? I found the answers to most of these even if my first draft felt a bit half-baked.

Now revising was the surprising part. I thought "oh I'll expand on some stuff and then this here essay will be swell!". I couldn't have been more wrong. It took a whole lot of thinking to find changes that expanded on what I wrote while maintaining consistency with what already existed. But I got through it with the help of some coffee and some jazz. (shout out to the Robert Glasper trio!)

Overall, I'm actually pretty proud of my essay. Although I wouldn't jump up to write another critical lens essay, I'm glad that I got some experience in the style. Have a most chill day folks!
  

The (kind of tragic) Dead Poet's Society

After watching The Dead Poet's Society (and eating an ungodly amount of Cheetos) I have come to the conclusion that the film is not a true Greek Tragedy, but an evolution of the form. "What?!" You may be thinking, "No way, Greek tragedy is like an ancient style that's like, really stagnant". But I say nay! The Dead Poet's Society represents a totally tubular advance in the conventional Greek format.

But first, let's go over what parts of the film ARE definitely classic tragedy. Right of the bat we have Neil Perry, a good old fashioned hero. He was born into a noble bloodline; anyone attending the Welton academy has parents who can afford to send their sons to boarding school. He has a tragic flaw in the way he thinks the only way he can live is by acting  and not having the strength to resist his father's wishes. And (most importantly) he suffers a huge downfall, he kills himself on a cold winters night. Was it the will of the Gods? Hubris? Fate? I'm personally on the fate side. As a "romantic" Neil was destined to die a death in the name of love (of acting).

This movie also runs parallel to Greek Tragedy in a few other ways. The film contains several "odes" in the form of Mr. Keating's impassioned lessons to his pupils. Mr. Keating acts as the Choragos in this tragedy by being a leader to the students (who are the chorus). In the end of the film when the students stand to say farewell to their beloved teacher it almost seems like a classical exodus chanted by the chorus.

Now, I contend that The Dead Poet's Society is not a true tragedy for one major reason, the characterization of the chorus. In Greek tragedy the chorus is a mildly unsettling group of people in masks who walk across the stage while chanting odes and poetry; the individual members have no strong or distinct personality of their own. In TDPS however, every boy in the chorus has their own unique character and I would contend that some of them are tragic heroes in their own right. Take Charlie Dalton for instance. He is of the same noble bloodline as the other students, has the tragic flaw of hubris, makes major mistakes in publishing an article in the paper and punching another student, undergoes a major change by assuming the name "Nuwanda", and ultimately has the downfall of being expelled. In a classic Greek tragedy, a member of the chorus would never get such a complete character ark. A true Greek tragedy would never have such development of minor characters! In fact, at times it seemed like our "tragic hero" Neil Perry wasn't even the film's main focus.

On a side note, I'm glad that this film breaks the tragic mold. I think that Greek tragedy is a really kind of restrictive form. I mean, having more than two characters onstage at once was considered crazy innovative in those times! And don't even get me started on those masks... (shudder)       

Everybody Hurts (In a constructive way through the viewing of tragedy)

Imagine the following... You just woke up this morning and you're feeling deathly ill. On a normal day you might have stayed home, but this morning you have an important test in your 1st hour super-omega difficult calculus class. After a cold cup of coffee and slice of un-toasted bread, (Surprise! your electricity is out!) you drag yourself out to your car (which is covered in ice, this being a tragedy and all). After getting the keys in the ignition, you hear a sound vaguely reminiscent of third grade recorder class combined with the moans of agony a tortured hostage might give; and your car fails to start. Now, you are desperately running through the snow to get to your school; which is 7 miles away (you choice enrolled after all). All of your efforts have been in vain however, the bell rang just a few minutes ago and the teacher locked their door wondering why their usual super-student isn't in attendance for the huge test. So, you take the long, dejected walk home--at least you may find some comfort there. But as you open the front door a distinct aura of death overcomes you and in the adorable bed you bought him just last week lies your now deceased puppy, Spot.

Take a deep breath...

Aren't you glad that isn't how your morning went?

This is the core of tragedy. Through viewing the suffering of others we can feel fear and pity for them. Fear that we may ourselves one day face a horrible tragedy similar to the one on stage, and pity for the hero's downfall. According to Aristotle these to responses can evoke a state known as catharsis. Catharsis is like an emotional deep cleanse through an outburst of negative feelings. By getting out all of the fear and sadness, we can feel a state of emotional ease and purity. Some people find catharsis through screaming at walls and listening to angry music. But I believe that truly sophisticated AP Lit loving individuals can find it through a good tragedy. (the info for this paragraph comes from David E. Riva's TEDEd video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVRU5MVYNiw)

There is another, more scientifically proven way that tragedy affects the human psyche. Remember in the first paragraph how I described your dead puppy Spot? That lifeless, literary corpse of a dog most likely brought images of a real life pet to your mind. Wouldn't it truly be a tragedy if a beloved pet suddenly died? In 2012 The Ohio State university conducted a study to figure out why tragedy makes us tick. They found that after people watched a sad movie that featured two lovers dying in a war, they often recorded thinking about their own relationships. Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick of The Ohio State university says “People seem to use tragedies as a way to reflect on the important relationships in their own life, to count their blessings,”. 

Sadness and heartache a part of the human experience. Everyone has had friends they've lost, tests they've failed, and actions they regret. I think that the reason we are drawn to tragedy is that it gives us a safe way to work out those feelings AND helps us feel grateful for the good things in life.       

Critical Lens Reflection

Let me tell you, I'm thankful that I likely won't ever have to write a literature critical analysis ever again. From finding research materials, to extracting information, and finally coming up with analysis; the whole project felt insurmountable. Once I finally just sat down and started writing, the process got a bit easier. But, towards the end of my essay I just started running out of things to say and the whole affair feels a bit under-cooked. There was one redeeming part of this assignment however as I found great entertainment in reading accounts of F. Scott Fitzgerald being a lying jerk sometimes. Also, this Matthew J. Bruccoli guy seems weirdly obsessed with Fitzgerald's life; it's just kind of creepy how much the man has written on the topic. My favorite quote from Bruccoli (in regards to Zelda Fitzgerald's lone novel) is "Save Me the Waltz is worth reading partly because anything that illuminates the career of F. Scott Fitzgerald is worth reading" (southern literary journal). I also found all of Bruccoli's occasional judgments of the Fitzgerald's marriage (in his epic 600 page biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald) to be fairly amusing.