Kingston Alert!!! Is it true, as I have just read in the New York Times, that it is illegal to produce a film with a "ghost" theme in the P.R.C. unless the ghost is given a specific scientific rationale for existence? This confirms the meaning of the ghost as a repressed element returning from historical memory... though here the repression is double, ironically.
Reminder: Post your Dickinson-style poems here...
Read: 1939-51頁 (Stein bio. & excerpt from Tender Buttons)... leftover from last week
Read: 2236-39頁 (Crane bio. & "Chaplinesque," "At Melville's Tomb")... leftover from last week
Read: 頁2305-19 (Norton headnotes & timeline for Contemporary era)
Read: 2398-2401頁, 2407頁 (Bishop bio. & "The Fish,” ”One Art”)
Read: 2619-25頁 (Rich bio. & “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law”)
Read: 2651-58頁 (Plath bio. & “Lady Lazarus,” “Daddy”)
[We are deleting Aimee Bender and moving Flannery O'Connor to 5月18日.]
Crystal & Viola will give a presentation on Bishop, so I will confine my questions to Rich and Plath! We will also have a presentation from Alyssa & Tracy about the representation of gender roles in the movie "Benjamin Button."
158 (Teresa). Compare Rich's allusions (to other literary authors/characters/quotations) to Fuller's allusions (to other literary authors/characters/quotations). Is their function different, or similar?
159 (Vincent). In Rich's poem, we first seem to be dealing with a domestic relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, one that may remind us something of Kingston's relationship with her mother. But then the term "daughter-in-law" begins to take a broader meaning, one that may somehow be representative of the historical condition of women. How do you interpret what "daughter-in-law" means in this poem?
160 (Natalie). Compare Dickinson's figurations of male authority ("Poet," "Majority, "One," "Owner," "Master," "He," "Man," etc.) to Plath's ("Nazi," "Them," "Herr Doktor," "Herry Enemy," "Herr God," "Herr Lucifer," "Daddy," "Fascist," etc.). Do you feel they are similar? Different? To what extent do the two poets intend personal reference vs. general reference? To what extent do the poets see their poetry as challenging or reversing these structures of authority?
161 (Carol). Read this article about the "Sylvia Plath Effect," and summarize some of the debates it has created in the psychological profession. Do you feel like there is some penetration by ideology and gender expectations here (as in the 1890s diagnosis of the 'neurotic' condition), or do you think psychology is more advanced as a science now? What do you think Sylvia herself might say about this? (You can make her words, or choose her words from one of her poems.)
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ReplyDeleteThis is Caleigh and Esther, here is our poem
ReplyDeleteAaron’s crazy grin – smoked
Salmon on pine wood – Cactus molten ice
Endless Rain on the radio –
Meow – Off beat
No Blondie for you – never a “dog”
Spinning in the nautilus –
Spinning at 3 am
Spinning – with The Machinist
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is Meg, Joy, Jenny, Clara posting our poem.
ReplyDeleteI’m Somebody! Do you know me?
Noo-Noodles, the Fate I belong to thee
The work I did
Should be Made into Movie
The curl Rocker – Me
Before Somebody ends her great work by eating
I claim for my Immortalityyyyy –
“Yummy!”
Sorry for repeatedly commenting...just wanted to perfect the poem.
ReplyDeleteThis is Ted's "Dickinsonnean" poem by Emperor Winter's demand that I shall discuss my interview preparation:
Exam had painted - Colored Walls -
Six Faces - incline I -
Within the Rubik's Cube - shuffled -
My Fate - Thy Hand's destine -
Sixteen Days of Aprille - cruelest
Thin as Thread - waste Path - stroll -
Valley of Death I tread - full length -
Fate's dice Six - till En-roll -
Hi class!
ReplyDeleteHere is my answer to question 161.
The Sylvia Plath effect is a term coined by psychologist James C. Kaufman in 2001 to refer to the phenomenon that creative writers are more susceptible to mental illness. However, in the psychological profession, there have been some debates and discussions on the subject. First, people discuss the direct connection between creativity and mental illness. Some scientific research suggests that writers, artists and others are more likely to have a mental illness, while other researchers have found that there isn't a link between mental illness and the actual process of creating. In fact, research is often fraught with methodological problems. Secondly, people suggest that creative people in the “artistic professions” are more likely to have a mental illness than those in less artistic professions such as business and science. More specific, poets, especially female poets, were more likely to have mental illnesses and to experience personal tragedy than eminent journalists, visual artists, politicians and actresses. Moreover, expert has found that positive health and mental health benefits from narrative writing and writings that connect thought and feelings.
I do not deny that psychology has now become a kind of science, but this “Sylvia Plath effect” absolutely involves some kind of ideology, or gender expectation. People easily think of mental illness or disorder when mentioning those creative people, and this stereotype got even worse when involved the gender issue—it is said that “female poet” suffers mental illness more than male poet or other proficiencies. The reason I think this as a stereotype is that in many senses, we often regard men as being the “rational” while women, the “irrational.” Under this form or ideology, everything can be easily explained by the explanation of “mentally ill” for women. And I also think that creativity poets were found to have more mental problems because to write good poems, it is necessary for them to “closely feel” every sense of the world and to see through every corner. They are more likely to feel the thrones and roses of lives so that possibly, they become more sensitive. The scientific result of the relationship between mental problem and creativity can be true, but more importantly, the methodological problems, including selection bias, controls that are not blinded, reliance on biographies that might play up mental illness, retrospective designs and unclear definitions of creativity, and the cause of the result should also be taken into consideration.
Sylvia Plath, in her poem “Lazy Lazarus,” replies to the oppressive women society then and depicts how women suffer under the patriarchy system. Moreover, she reveals her anger of how society tried to separate her being a woman and a poet as well as the deprivation of her talent. And, we can take her formal and strict poem as a reflection of the situation women were in at the time she lived.
Here's Zoe to post her Dickinson-style poem...
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, I thought the poems are supposed to rhyme every two lines, and should be in the same endings that don't have to rhyme in vocal but in visual. Did I get that wrong? Anyway, here it goes...
Spiritual - lack of -
Or you can say -
How divided - its chopped off -
Deceased away -
Lost it - due to Physical -
Desire - has fallen Apart -
Hopeful Despair - Irrationally -
Conquer perhaps Conquered - Alert -
This is Natalie, and here is my answer to Q160.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of 'figurations of male authority' between Dickinson and Plath, I think the two poets are similar. To begin with, both of them tend to express the oppression women suffer in the society and patriarchy system by using the words like 'Poet, Majority, One, Owner, Master, He, Man, Nazi, THem, Herr Doktor, Herr Enemy, Herr God, Herr Lucifer, Daddy, Fascist'. On the other hands, except for oppression women suffer, they also convey a notion about what should women do and behave under the patriarchy society. That is to say, in their poems, they try to challenge and reverse the strutures of authority.
In Dickinson's poem [435], she believes that it is better to be 'assent/active' just like a male, rather than being 'demur/passive' like a female. She thinks that female should 'do something' instead of being restraining by a chain, or so-called 'oppression of the male authority'.
In Dickinson's poem [764], she compares herself to a loaded gun which can 'guard' her master's head. It can be said that in such a patriarchy society, female does not just being a subordinate (the loaded gun) to male, but being a 'companion' or even a 'guardian' of male.
In Dickinson's poem [348], she conveys a notion that although female may not be able to gain 'power' (such as being a painter, a cornet, or a poet) like male does, female can be the 'paint, sounds, and the person who hears poems'. In other words, again, Dickinson emphasizes that fact that female can be the companion of male since painter can not paint without the paint; cornet can not be heard without the sound; poem can not be known without the hearer.
In Plath's poem "Lady Lazarus", she uses the metaphor of Nazi death camp to refer to the restrain that female suffers from marriage and demestic life. However, on the other hands, she conveys the message that women are too resolute to be 'knocked out', such as in the stanzas "And I a smiling woman/ I am only thirty./And like the cat I have nine times to die." and "Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair/And I eat men like air.". In other words, Plath tries to use the metaphor of 'the cat with nine lives' and 'the phoenix' to refer to the 'female power' that would not surrender to male authority easily.
Last but not least, in Plath's poem "Daddy", not only 'daddy', but also 'black shoe, and German' can be seen as the reference of male authority, and 'foot, and Jew' are the reference of female. The'foot' is surrounded by the black shoe, and the Jew was slaughtered by the German, which describes the fact that female is inferiority while male is superiority. However, Plath also notes that she could have 'kill' her daddy if he does not died before she can, which indicates that female does have the chance to 'reverse/change' the society/ patriarchy system where they live in.
Sharon's poem:
ReplyDeleteGrace - has an Element of Fake -
It cannot rearrange
When it begun - Or if there were
A place where it was stage
It has no Nature - but itself -
It's Infinite pace
It's Pain - enlightened to perceive -
Old glories - Of Grace
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is Teresa’s answer to question 158.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Fuller’s “The Great Lawsuit” and Rich’s poetry, I consider their function of allusions are similar. However, the way they present and the main point of their allusions are different.
In poem “Storm Warnings”(P.2621), Rich uses the external storm as a metaphor to represent her internal conflict. Her cleverly designed structure allows her to progress in an organized manner to explain both an external and internal conflict held by the speaker. Compare with Fuller, Rich is skill in using progressive description to mention theme indirectly.
On the other hand, Fuller, as an recognized feminist, prefers to use the “nouns” to describe the relationship between man and woman. “Their talk is of business, their affection shows itself by practical kindness (P.739).” How could a conversation between husband and wife be a “business”? Rich is skill in using “intelligent noun” to explain a relationship between man and woman. “The parties weaken and narrow one another; they lock the gate against all the glories of the universe that they may live in a cell together. (P.740)” The marriage in her time was just like “the cell,” husband and wife could not be apart after they married. In addition, Fuller uses many examples of other famous author such as Mary Wolstonecraft to support her theory.
In my point, both Rich and Fuller’s allusions are trying to vivify their works. Also, they both want to let their words and concepts more easily to be understood by using the allusions. Although their themes and genres are different, the function is similar.
Here comes Natalie, Sherry, and Tracy to publish their poem:0301
ReplyDeletean animal-a Pet- human's Best
friend-with his little-
yellow bird-Watch-the sky on the-
Roof he lies-two feet he Walks
on-human-like-the Enlighted-
Canine-black and white-
Master as he is-C.B. yet-
often is teaased by-
This is the group of Quian-Yu and Tady. Here's our poem.
ReplyDeleteTo find you in a traffic accident
Naked and drunken
With blood and be all blurry
Standing by a whip
Though breath has been keeping aside
Surface in a coma
Serpents still aspirate in my head
As heaven in His
Here is Vincent's answer to question 159. I think daughter-in-law represents the force to shape or repress women into the stereotypes and frame our society presets for women who get married and become the slave of her husband and family. This poem makes me think of an ole Chinese proverb called "女子無才便是德". It's women's virtue and fortune to stay in mediocrity. If women show talents and deliver too many opinions or objections to their husbands, they will be seemed as potential threaten to the family and social ethic. It's almost impossible for women to challenge these traditional conception and chains.
ReplyDeleteHere is Vincent's poem...
ReplyDeleteServing-a destructive sound
of the Man weighting 200 pounds
certainty-not be found
With so many around
Impossible-for me-to reach
Stretch out to touch
Green-stirring ashes-
But a smash of ace
This is the poem composed by Jane, Rea, Iris and Peggy.
ReplyDeleteAllen has Little-Eyes-
Flying around-seizing-skies-
Why can-not-I-not to see-
No Eyelid fish-so do I.
Perhaps-Stare-Peep-Survey-
Into endless deep dark side-I-lie-
Little-the world of view-under-
Narrow lines of you-and-I
This is Jenny writing down her guesses for the heterodox views of religion in Q157.
ReplyDelete1. Crane agree with Melville that compare to believing the church, the nature are more powerful in human being’s lives. It is normal to respect the power of nature.
2. Then in the circuit clam of one vast coil,
Its lashing charmed and malice reconciled,
Frosted eyes there were that lifted altars;
And silent answers crept across the stars.
First of all, Crane’s homosexuality might make him feel that he couldn’t believe in the same God as others because the church doesn’t very approval of homosexuality. Even though he is biologically no difference from other people, his love is some what different. The sea wave is the same (at least for those who is untrained), it’s hard to guess what’s under it and penetrate the depth of sea water ( you couldn’t know what’s under the surface). Generally speaking, religions provide people a place to release their burden and feel that they can count on here. “A man knowing perhaps a definite god yet being endowed with a reverence for deity somehow…” but he doesn’t sure who to pray to (therefore his eyes lifted in searching) and how to hear the answers and instructions from that deity (silent answers crept across the stars). Crane might also search for the sample models from the past great but not a best seller writer to know how they survive their loneliness and failing.
It’s only my guesses.