A Soldier's Farewell

After years and years of blogging, this blog, this very blog is finally the last one of my existence, forever, goodbye, my fellow bloggers...

Just kidding, as you all know I have not been blogging for years and this is not my final blog but, this is my last blog for this course. I am stumped. When I first started blogging I thought that seven blogs was such a high number but now, there is still so much more I want to write about and say. More about Icarus Girl, more about A Tale of Two Cities, or all of the poems that we have discussed. Even though I wish to blog more, sadly my only blog left is to make a connection between world news and the themes in our class. Since this is my last blog, this will be my best one yet, I am going to make Donald Driver proud.

“I was six when I first saw kittens drown.

Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits',

into a bucket; a frail metal sound.

Soft paws scraping like mad. But their tiny din

was soon soused. They were slung on the snout

of the pump and the water pumped in

'sure isn't it better for them now? Dan said.

Like wet gloves they bobbled and shone till he sluiced

them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead.

Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung

round the yard, watching the three sogged remains

turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung

until I forgot them. But the fear came back

when Dan trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows

or, with a sickening tug, pulled old hen's necks.

Still, living displaces false sentiments

and now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown

I just shrug, 'Bloody pups'. It makes sense:

'Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town

where they consider death unnatural,

but on well-run farms pests have to be kept down.”

As I mentioned in the latter paragraph this last blog is about finding a connection to the material in class that we have discussed to world news and issues. So, as I started rummaging through a couple of Seamus Heaney's poems that we have looked at I discovered that to me his poem, “The Early Purges” resembles very much the views of very many people around the world. I had read this poem over and over and understood the message of it to be that death is a natural occurrence and that one should harden themselves in order to live on. However, after reading through it again for the fifth time, I saw a connection to this mindset to that of a soldier in the military. I do not know if Heaney ever meant to connect his poem to that of a soldier, but the connection is clear. Soldiers all around the world know what the speaker of this poem went through, they themselves had to harden and lie to themselves that what they were killing was nothing, but an object that needed to be brought down. Sadly, just as the speaker of this poem slowly became accustomed to the killing of selfless animals, soldiers all around the world, become so much used to killing and death that it may not even bother them anymore to kill. Or does, the fact of killing another, even a terrorist, still bother the experienced soldier? Others will take death differently; there have been soldiers in the past, even in the past year that have snapped due to the constant remembrance of all the lives they have killed; and as a result has either committed suicide or slaughtered other soldiers, including their own. Unfortunately, it is not just soldiers who are becoming more and more used to the sight of death, our society, and the world’s opinion is also changing on death. There are people who as the speaker said “Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town where they consider death unnatural,” which, I would like to think are civil as I am and think death as to be awful and tragic and there are others such as doctors, and police officers who similar to soldiers are continuously face to face with the experiences of death. Unfortunately, there are also many people around the world today who are feeling less and less sorrowful of death and are beginning to forget and lose the meaning of life.

As I said before this blog is my very last for this class, and hopefully, I have provided a fair amount of evidence pertaining to my belief that Heaney’s poem connects to that of soldiers around the world. My brother has just recently enlisted into the Marines and will be leaving soon in October; he too, will have to slowly become accustomed to the sight of death. However, even though he will become accustomed to death, I do not want him to become used to it, like so many people are today. Well, that is all I have to say about this topic, and as I am writing these final few words, I bid you all farewell, especially you #80 and thank you for reading my blogs, for commenting and for viewing my page.

Now, I can actually say goodbye, goodbye my fellow bloggers, my fellow packer fans, and my favorite player of all time.

Would you like a cup of tea sir or how bout a knife in your chest?...

“yay I have to blog about some boring, foreign film that I wont even understand” these were literally the first thoughts that wove into my head when I looked at the blog requirement sheets, little did I know, that the foreign film I chose involved snobbish aristocrats, sneaky affairs, cover-ups, revenge and murder. This film contrasted my first initial reaction so much so, that I fully, whole-hardheartedly, recommend this movie to anyone looking for a wonderful movie, foreign or not. With actors/actresses such as Clive Owen, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ryan  Phillipe and Helen Mirren, all this movie needed was a well written story line and plot to go along with, and boy did the plot deliver. What movie is this you ask? Well, it's none other then the British film, Gosford Park.

The movie starts off very dark, gloomy and rainy and almost immediately, a look at the British aristocracy of the early 1930's is given. An elderly woman, who appears to be very well off is sitting in the back seat of her car complaining that she can not undo her water container. The driver stops his car and her servant (whose name we discover later is Mary) runs out into the pouring rain and unscrews her mistresses water container. There are many, many more examples of insight into the British Aristocracy, but I will provide them as I go along. We learn that the wealthy woman is on her way, along with other guests to Sir William McCordle's estate. Sir William, a very high class and extremely wealthy aristocrat has called his guests, of which many are relatives of some sort to discuss certain business matters since he acts to many, as their beneficiary. When all of his guests arrive, they bring with them their closest servants. Their servants are told by Sir William's head maid, Mrs. Wilson- an extremely important character- that for the time being they are to be called by the last names of their masters. While the servants are busy locating their rooms in their own shabby quarters, Sir William's servants are preparing for dinner while gossiping about their masters and all of the spoiled aristocrats. The guests themselves do plenty of gossip especially about each other and they are not afraid to clarify or criticize each other on who is more wealthy, intelligent, or in general who can have a better “come back” remark. Now as the movie continues, we are brought into a world of scandalous acts and twists. Men from the high aristocracy sneaking away at night to sleep with a maid, including Sir William himself. An American actor pretending to be a Scottish valet in order to play a butler part in a movie. A fight between Sir William and his wife, Sylvia who gets interrupted by an intervening maid, the lover of Sir William. Tension between Sir William and his guests due to the fact that he may be stopping or lessening their allowances. Then in the midst of all this, Sir William is murdered, twice. No, don't even think about it I am not going to explain who committed the crime and why they did, for I want you all to watch this movie and if I gave away the greatest mystery and secret in the movie, what kind of blogger would I be. All you need to know is that clues will be given to easily show that almost everyone has motive for wanting William dead, including his wife himself, his countless mistresses and his guests. So in order to know what really happened and see for yourself the snobbish behavior of aristocrats, something us Americans is not used to seeing, I encourage you to watch this movie, please do. Oh and by all of the twists in the movie, good luck on figuring them out before they are revealed and with that note, this discussion is

to be continued...

(well until you watch Gosford Park for yourself and then we continue this conversation).

the reminscance of a past memory

Why hello again, the crazy Packer fan here back and ready to keep on writing. At this point in class, we have finished A Tale of Two Cities, read a decent amount in Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and read a few poems by the famous Seamus Heaney. Not going to lie, I wish I could do all of my remaining blogs on A Tale of Two Cities, but I thought that would be a little extravagant so I decided to do a close reading on one of the poems that we had to read for class, "Blackberry-Picking." Now, yes, we did discuss this poem in class but I just felt that there were parts to the poem that could have been more thoroughly explained or parts that were not brought up at all in the discussion. First off we only discussed desire to be the main theme in the poem, when we should have gone much further in depth. I cannot argue that desire is in fact an important part of this poem, there are lines throughout the poem demonstrating this truth, however desire is but the leading factor to the reoccurring theme that is portrayed in many of Heaney's poems; older adults reminiscing about their past.

"You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for picking."

Usually, when someone feels such a strong desire, they can almost feel it or taste it on their lips, the desire almost becomes potent such as the thickened wine. Heaney is looking back at this memory of blackberry picking and he can, even though this is probably a childhood memory can recall the potency of his desire, the way he felt when he first bit into that blackberry. There are different stages and memories of his desire too.


"The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair that all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not"

Heaney is describing the desire and disappointment of a young child. Children are innocent and feel that once they have something beautiful they can't lose it, or they wish not to think about losing it.
So in the end, Heaney as a child was devastated time after time because of his naïve, childish hopes. Now, being older and with aged years of experience, he still looks back at his younger self and reminisces about his hope, excitement and disappointment that he had felt at this age, he reminisces the loss of his childish desires and innocence. Its almost like he desires even with his knowledge to feel similar to the way he did as a child.
 

Justice....?

A Tale of Two Cities by Mr. Charles Dickens made me feel like a young child in an ice cream shop who was struggling to decide between two flavors of ice cream. I am still not sure if I despise this book or unconditionally love it. I think that my taste buds are telling me that I absolutely love this book, even though the ending makes it more of a love-hate relationship for me. I am not going to pour out the ending right now due to the fear you may not have finished yet. However, I will give you this; this is without a doubt, one of the most beautifully written books I have ever had the pleasure to read, with an amazingly bitter-sweet ending. I will stop talking about the ending for fear that I have already said too much. Throughout A Tale of Two Cities, there is much foreshadowing of things yet to come, horrible, gruesome events that will change the lives of not one or two people, but everyone involved. Unfortunately, being that I cannot properly explain much of the foreshadowing as it will give away the ending, I will instead do a close reading on the event that officially started the French Revolution. In reality, the French Revolution had numerous small acts that all contributed to the revolution, according to Dickens however, the official start was due from the fateful act of revenge. Now, unfortunately this particular act of vengeance involved two different people from two very different classes. Monsieur the Marquis, though he was loathed by the poor (remember this fact), was a very powerful and wealthy figure. The other figure was not wealthy or powerful -in wealth anyway, in starting a riot, yes- he was the estranged father of a young child the Monsieur had negligently killed.

"It is extraordinary to me," said he, "that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is forever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done on my horses" (Dickens 106).

This man, who has just killed a child, cannot even apologize for the horrifying act he has just committed. In fact, he does the complete opposite by ignorantly criticizing the people for not being able to properly watch their children! It was due to this man's ignorance and stupidity that the spark of vengeance was born into the father, which led to the beginning of the revolution. For the people of France were already hungry and worn to the bone, the only spark that they needed was a little piece of encouragement that a high, powerful leader could be brought down. That little piece of encouragement was brought to them by the father of the child who brought the life of the Monsieur in his hands and carried out his vengeance.

"It lay back on the pillow of Monsieur the Marquis. It was like a fine mask, suddenly startled, made angry, and petrified. Driven home into the heart of the stone figure attached to it, was a knife. Round its hilt was a frill of paper, on which was scrawled: 'Drive him fast to his tomb. This, from Jacques' " (123).

According to Dickens, this is the very moment when the French Revolution was born; when the father of the slain child killed the Monsieur the Marquis. At first I thought the father's action was out of justice; but then I thought harder and questioned his motive. His desire to kill the Monsieur I do not doubt, I completely understand, I would feel the same way if someone were to kill a family member of mine. The question is though would I actually do it? I would not for in fear of what my actions would bring to myself and others. The vital fact is that not only did the father kill another man, he killed the Monsieur, a high and powerful leader of society. Was the father thinking of the consequences his actions would bring to himself and all of France? Did he understand that by killing the Monsieur, he would be provoking emotions from two worlds that were already full of unleashed tension.

The members of the Hierarchy did not understand, nor did they particularly care about the poor, "scarecrow like" people they governed. These leaders felt of the poor as more of pests that needed to be disposed of, just as the Monsieur felt of the child. The people themselves were exhausted, weak and increasingly tired of working themselves for little scraps. With both sides feeling this way, all that was needed was one more, deed great enough to seal the deal. The ignorant Monsieur, the poor dead child and the act of vengeance were all enough to lead these two groups over the edge and inspire the riots of the poor.

I do not know the actual reason why the real French Revolution began, all I do know is that I want you to follow your own set of taste buds and deliberate if the father knew what he was doing, if he intentionally wanted war and if the Monsieur discovered his own ignorance and changed, would the revolution still have happened?...

The Underdogs

Recently in class, well actually about a month ago, I read the story of a french gentleman, “The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls” (Marcel Ayme, aka the author) which was literally about a man who possessed the ability to walk through walls! Surprisingly though, it wasn't his supernatural power that made me appreciate the story. It was the fact that I could spot a clear connection between a theme in this story which relates to my kind of news, the world of sports. How, you may wonder, can sports ever possibly have the same theme as the story of the french gentleman with ghostlike powers? Well, it's simple, the overstated theme in this story was the love and appreciation for underdogs, which sports are full of. The gentleman in “The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls” may not be doned an underdog for the same reason as any athlete or team would be but, the same principle still applies. The gentleman, or Dutilleul as is his name (what an awesome name, don't ask me how to say it, because I can't, but it's still awesome) is an underdog, because he was literally like an “Average Joe” before he started using his gift. Once he started using his gift, he became powerful and mysterious, easily sneaking and conniving away from police and authority, which drew the public towards him, just like an underdog team or athlete would. Dutilleul, to the people was an underdog turned superhero, who came from out of nowhere and accomplished something that no normal person could. Speaking of coming out of nowhere, this is where sports fit in. Obviously proffessional athletes do not achieve public affection by stealing and running away from the police, and there are teams, who are beloved by the public who are not known as underdogs, however, similar to Dutilleul, underestimated teams are felt as more relatable to the public. As I said before similar to this story, every sport is full of underdogs. Just last summer, the London 2012 Olympics were going on. The underdog teams weren't the U.S or China, just as the police and authority weren't the underdogs in the story. The underdog teams were countries with one or a few athletes or teams that had never before felt a medal in their hands. Right in the beginning of the story, the author informed us of Dutilleul's backround, that he was a quiet, lonely gentleman who was day after day bullied by his boss. I, right away felt sorry for this man, just as I felt sorry for those countries in the Olympics who had never won a medal. Throughout the story when Dutilleul transformed into the mysterious thief, I was rooting for him, because I wanted him to succeed, and when he failed, I felt that the little spark inside of me died. As I was watching the Olympics I realized, that it is kind of sickening and kind of boring to see a team that always wins and keeps winning (except for the US) in fact after a while everyone expects a team to keep winning. I think this is what the citizens in “The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls” felt as well, the felt that the police always won and always got their bad guy. So when Dutilleul came along and foiled the law enforcement's victory record, they felt excited and stunned that someone who always wins, time and time again finally lost. The story finishes up by Dutillel being stuck forever in a wall that he was trying to walk through, so in reality which is the case for many underdogs, he actually did lose. An underdog team may win a game that they were supposed to lose and after they win they will rejoice and receive love from their fans and new fans, but what happens when the next game they play they lose? Will these newly loved teams lose their fame? Will they have underdog forever stamped on them, just like Dutilleul was forever stamped?

Foul on TillyTilly

This is it, a new moment in history for me, I am now growing as a young adult, my level of wisdom is vastly expanding; I am now writing in my first official blog!! I think Donald Driver would be proud of me. Hey everyone, thank you for listening to my speech of glorious triumph, but now it is time to get serious. To be honest I really wasn't sure what I should blog about; Akhmatova, Tao Te Ching, The Icarus Girl, or A Tale of Two Cities. So, I decided to write my first close reading blog on the piece that caused the most ruckus in class and struck closest to my heart, The Icarus Girl. I really liked The Icarus Girl the moment I first saw the cover, but what makes me really like this book is how the author leaves the ending open, letting us, the readers gather our own opinions on what really happened in the story. The main point of controversy that appeared in my class was whether
or not  the author, Helen Oyeyemi clearly addressed if TillyTilly was an actual live human being, or just a horrible figment of Jess's imagination. My honest opinion, this is not a part that Oyeyemi left open. TillyTilly is real, she's a spirit, there are way too many parts in the book that provide this evidence. You don't believe TillyTilly is real? Well, let's take a look. One of the main parts that clearly show that TillyTilly is real existing spirit is  on pages 101- 106when she takes Jess and herself to Colleen's house (a rude girl who bullies Jess).
"But Mrs. McLain wasn't looking at them. Her eyes seemed to slide over them as if they were part of the pristine, stripy wallpaper that covered the passage walls. How could she have missed them?" (pg. 102)
Ok, a cynic would say "so what if Mrs. McLain did not see them, maybe she wasn't paying much of attention, however if we were to keep reading we would realize that it wasn't Mrs. McLain's fault for not seeing Jess and TillyTilly; TillyTilly was making them invisible. Jess herself, was stunned as to how Mrs. McLain didn't see them.
""...We're invisible... We're invisible!"" "And she can't hear us, either, so I don't know why you were making such a fuss about me laughing," TillyTilly added. "Somewhat experimentally... Jess threw her head back and laughed, then looked quickly at Mrs. McLain... Mrs. McLain didn't turn, made no indication of hearing." (103)
These few lines caused a lot of dispute, many said that Jess was just imaging being at Mrs. McLain's house and that they weren't really invisible, however Jess has never been to the McLain's before how could she just imagine what it looked like? Beyond that even, TillyTilly and Jess were playing around with Mrs. McLain and she heard not a word, when she definitely should have. This tiny little paragraph shows TillyTilly is a spirit, she possess unnatural powers, not only can she turn herself and
Jess invisible, she can shield themselves so that no one can hear them.

Another huge part that Oyeyemi provides for us that TillyTilly is a real spirit is when TillyTilly takes Jess down into the ground and causes her to vanish right in front of Jess's cousin Dulcie and their babysitter. ( oh by the way this is on page 152)
"... Jess saw Lidia's mouth open to address her, then both Lidia's and Dulcie's mouths stretched wider in amazement and shock as TillyTilly's arms enfolded her from behind and pulled her down" (152).
This was at the exact moment that I realized TillyTilly was a spirit, there is no other explanation for how both Lidia and Dulcie saw Jess disappear. Due to the fact that someone else saw Jess disappearing into the ground shows that there is no possible way that Jess is just imagining TilllyTilly. If Jess was imagining TillyTilly then how come both Lidia and Dulcie saw her disappear, "... then both Lidia's and Dulcie's mouths stretched wider in amazement and shock as TillyTilly's arms enfolded her from behind and pulled her down."
Even though I have already finished the book, I remember what I thought at this part: if TillyTilly can make both her and Jess disappear, how powerful is she and what else can she do? I then realized this is Oyeyemi trying to show us, the reader that TillyTilly's powers are growing and are far beyond what I first thought. Tilly's first true sign of supernatural power was when she turned her and Jess invisible in Mrs. McLain's house. Having the power of invisibility is amazing; but when she added the disappearing act along with it, she become a force not to be reckoned with. It seemed to me that right after TillyTilly showed she could cause her and Jess to disappear, TillyTilly's true spirit existence began to form. More and more parts in the story clued to TillyTilly as a spirit, an evil spirit. Such as the part when TillyTilly informs Jess of her twin sister that she never knew about.


"... You have been so empty, Jessy, without your twin; you have had no one to walk your three worlds with you. I know- I am the same. I have been just like you for such a long time! But now I am Fern, I am your sister, and you are my twin...I'll look after you, Jessy..." (oh sorry this is page 177).
Even if, Jess was making TillyTilly up, how then did she get the information about her sister?! Jess had absolutely no knowledge of her twin, no one had ever told her, so there is no possibility that it was a horrible thought in the back of her mind that was coming out as TillyTilly. Maybe Jess actually knew about Fern, she stumbled across a birth certificate about her sister, like I did. However,  Jess was shocked and devastated to hear about her sister, she didn't forget, that is not something she would forget. The question is then, how did TillyTilly know about Fern? Oyeyemi is giving us a clue as to how, if you look at the part, " you had no one to walk your three worlds with you." TillyTilly is referring to the "in between world" the world between the world as we know it and the spirit world. TillyTilly has to be a real spirit she knows about Fern. However, no matter what anyone says whether or not TillyTilly is a live spirit or just a part of Jess, she is real to Jess. I still think even now, that TillyTilly was an evil spirit who emotionally attached to Jess because of the void of Jess's dead twin caused. That is why TillyTilly said she was like Jess, but instead of just being a friend to Jess, she said she is her sister, she is Fern, woahhh creepy. None of you have to feel the same way; that is the great way Oyeyemi writes, she leaves parts of threads in the story open for readers to put in their own opinions.  I hope all of you have enjoyed reading my... very first college blog!!!! I am sure that this blog will not be my strongest, that I will continue to keep improving as I keep going and I cannot wait! Thank you all for reading my wonderful Donald Driver loving blog and please don't forget to comment especially about Donald Driver.

This is my introduction blog take two, mark. Not that my first take was absolutely awful, I just decided that the particular way I wrote it was not my style. So here I go. The first thing you may wonder when you look at my blog is the random number hanging off the end of my title. Well, ha you would be wrong; this isn't just a random number, it is number 80. Donald Driver's number. I just so happen to be his biggest fan ever and he just retired so, I thought I would donate this lovely blog in his honor. Yes, your next question would be if I like football and the Packers and I would tell you no. I LOVE them both!! But I am going to move on now because once I start talking about football, or any of the latters listed I cannot stop so this football conversation is to be continued for now.
 
My blog will hopefully be very different from everyone else's because, a) I'm grasping on the straws that no one else cares about football as much as I do and won't incorporate it inside their blog and b) I don't really like writing like everyone else. Which is really the main point of this class, to look at poetry, literature or football tapes, ha I wish, in a unique perspective. Poetry is different and is significant or insignificant to others for other reasons. On my "first take" blog, our class was midway through The Icarus Girl and have just read various works from Anna Akhmatova, which caused a great amount of ruckus among our class.  The Icarus Girl kind of hit  home for me, I lost my twin sister Kylie when we were eight weeks old. Its alright though, hopefully she doesn't want to trade places. Now we are reading The Tale of Two Cities which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Now let's end on this note, thank you for keeping up with my love, no passion, obsession for football. I love writing in my own unique style and I love paying attention to detail and guessing what the author is trying to infer. On that note... Goodbye Donald Driver and thank you