When I began reading Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own my first impression was that it was going to be a piece largely devoted to injustices against women. The first chapter of the book certainly seems to be moving in this direction. The bit about the narrator not being allowed on the grass because she's a woman particularly struck a chord with me. This line definitely incited a bit of anger. My sense of social justice had been offended. The next chapter deals with this topic of social justice a little more thoroughly. In particular it deals with the concept of how society influences a both female and male roles. The the narrator explores why the author of a particular article, which focuses on the apparent mental and physical in inferiority of females, is so angry. The narrator's conclusion regarding this article is that the author felt that he needed to defend his position as a male superior. She postulates that the inferiority of females has not truly been as important as the superiority of males in reinforcing the current social situation. She also speculates that the reason for her clarity on the subject is that she exists somewhat outside of the normal social constructs because of the fact that she is allowed an allowance. This allows her to be somewhat independent.  The third chapter begins to deal with the fallacy of the traditional belief system that women are, in fact, inferior. The narrator puts forward the idea that despite the fact that females may have been as capable as males they had not previously been given the opportunity to demonstrate this capability. She uses a hypothetical example regarding Shakespeare's sister to illustrate this point. The author continues to argue the point that women had not been given ample opportunity to display their brilliance previously. Then she appears to turn her attention away from the past and begin to move towards the future. She calls attention that towards the works of some of the first female writers including Jane Austen, and comments on the way in which such women, who did not have any literary precedent, paved the way for those who are writing in the narrator'd present day.  In the conclusion of this book the narrator surmises that the ideal literary mind would be neither evidently male nor conspicuously female, but in fact would contain balanced forces of the two sexes. The narration of the writing transitions back to that of Virginia Woolf and she addresses counterarguments that may be made against this position and also reiterates the points that have been made previously.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this poem. I knew I would, having nothing but fond memories regarding The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock which I read years ago. However, one thing about Prufrock that was also true of this poem was that it was nearly incomprehensible to me upon first reading.

On the first readthrough of these first two sections of The Waste Land I just allowed myself to be immersed in the way the poem made me feel without worrying much about understanding what the purpose was. There's a special kind of feeling to this poem, I suppose it's a type of melancholy, that I really enjoying allowing myself to indulge in sometimes. I think this is the effect of the shifting perspective, the odd imagery (line 30, "I'll show you fear in a handful of dust), and the references to death or darkness without being overly macabre. I can't help but compare it to the melancholy tone of the romantics, but I feel like there wbias something a bit more poignant and human in that. This feels, to me, like I'm being taken by the hand by some benign ghostly thing and allowed to float through a series of images and situations. Though, this is my own personal experience and I am not sure whether this is a common sort of sensation or at all the intention of Elliot upon writing it. The title, The WasteLand, leads me to believe that I am not entirely off base.

When I went back and read these portions of the poem again, I was still a little murky on how to interpret them. However, I did notice a few things that interested me. Firstly, the poem includes a great number of biblical allusions. I don't actually remember discussing anything biblical when we studied Prufrock so it seems odd to me that they would be so prevalent here. Additionally, the clairvoyant in the first portion interests me greatly because she does not seem to fit with any other the other scenes within the poem and also because this inclusion of mysticism among so many biblical references is somewhat of a curiosity to me.

These sections of Arcadia contain many of the same elements that stuck me reading the first two acts. The dialogue is of particular interest to me. It’s both humorous and fast paced as I believe many pointed out in class on Tuesday. I like the way the dialogue feels light despite the fact that there is a lot of rather heavy intellectual context and many of the references made within the play are a little involved. The way in which the characters interact reminds me very much of the way in which Vivian addressed the audience within the play Wit.

Also much like Wit there is a tension between intellectuality and emotion within this play. The characters of Thomasina and Hannah are most like Vivian in the fact that they both apparently reject emotion in favor of intellectual pursuits.  On page 42 Thomasina declares that she hates Cleopatra because “everything is turned to love with her.” Her method of creating a “feedback method” as a means of generating natural forms via mathematics seems to be another way of forgoing emotion, irrationality or unpredictability. Or maybe it is a way of bringing the two together.

I’m quite interested to see the way in which this play reconciles these two facets (emotion and reason). It does not reveal its ending in the way Wit did, which makes me anxious to see the resolution.

I actually read the biographical context for this poem previous to reading the poem itself. In reading that bit, the word “melancholy” stood out to me. I could not figure as to why Arnold would write a poem with a melancholy tone under the circumstances which he found himself in during the time period when the poem was allegedly written. Arnold had recently married a woman who he seems to have loved dearly, and who he had been prevented from marrying up until this point. Under such circumstances it stands to reason that the tone of the poem would be anything but melancholy.

The notes on the biographical context of this poem suggest that a draft of the poem was possibly written on a previous trip to Dover, three months previous to the honeymoon. I kept this in mind as I was reading the poem. Regardless of whether or not the poem was drafted previous to the honeymoon I do not know. However, it is readily apparent that the last stanza marks an important shift within the poem.

The first three stanza give the impression of solitude, and the references to the past (Sophocles line 15) and to large physical feature, specifically large bodies of water (“the sea”, “the straits”, “the bays”… “the Aegean” etc.) both further the impression of isolation and give the sense of being very small and insignificant. References to things like “human misery” and “melancholy” sounds definitely contribute to the melancholy tone the biographical information mentioned.

However, in the final stanza the speaker begins to mention his love while not forsaking the melancholy that has dominated the poems direction thus far. In my opinion, this serves only to enhance the impression the strength of the relationship between Arnold and his beloved. The main point of this poem seems to be, in a very simplified way, “we are very small in a big messed up world, so let’s be the good in the world for each other.”

I’m not exactly sure what to make of this novel. Personally, from reading it I can’t seem to determine whether or not it want to be a sort of critique of the Novel as a form of literature or not. The female protagonist does not seem to exhibit any strong personality traits that would separate her substantially from the swooning, timid subjects that were presented in the readings for Tuesday. In fact, she actually seems a little bit dull at points, especially in her lack of understanding of the initial attraction between James and Isabella.

It is the male, Henry, that is the source of most of the ironic/mocking type dialogue that exists within the novel in the beginning. It seems as though he is not as invested in society as Catherine seems to be. Perhaps he will change Catherine’s attitude regarding life and society.

One thing I did find particularly interesting was the bit in chapter five where the novel as a form of literature is defended by the author. While it makes sense that a writer of novels should not have her protagonist express disdain for the form  in which she is writing, it does seem a bit odd considering the impression I got of the type of novels Catherine read was that they were more akin to the writings were read for Tuesday.

I can definitely see why the romantics resonate with so many young artistic types. The reason for this identification is particularly evident in the case of John Keats. Perhaps this is because of the fact that Keats was so young himself when his body of work was written.

Ode to melancholy, for example, absolutely wreaks of adolescent angst. In particular line 10: "And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul." caught my eye. I attended an art school for half the day in high school and was then and still am friends with many a hopeful writer, artist or musician. I've seen sentiments similar to this echoed over and over in many a sketchbook, poem or lyric to the point it is almost entirely played out. But it is trite because it is part of an almost universal experience of being young and creative. The stereotype of the tortured artist is a stereotype for a reason. I've actually had a friend say to me that they somewhat missed being depressed because it was then that they produced the most writing and visual works, even though not all of those works referenced their depression.


Ode to melancholy, to me, dredges up the feelings I used to have during nights of insomnia, sitting outside in the 3am quiet, feeling very small and very young. I think it's his references to mythology and nature both that give me this sense, both of which are very old and in the case of nature, very vast. While I don't identify with the romantics on the level that I'm sure some have. I can see why someone might feel as if they had found "their people" after stumbling across the romantics.

Edmund Burke’s writings in Reflections on the Revolution in France seem to indicate that he is not wholly supportive of the French Revolution. While Burke seems to be a proponent of citizens of a nation having rights and liberties, he cautions against unchecked liberty.

Burke references the Glorious revolution to illustrate his point. This event landed England with a new leader who was not within the direct line of succession and also led to the creation of the English bill of rights. Burke suggests that the course of action which Parliament took in selecting a leader for England was superior to an election because,  “an election would be utterly destructive of the unity,peace, and tranquillity of this nation.’” This idea is in opposition to the popular concept that a leader chosen by the people has the greatest right to rule.

Burke’s philosophy regarding politics seems to be one of moderation and practicality. Though he does not seem to fully oppose every idea on which the revolution is based, he also does not support the manner through which those involved are seeking to forward their ideas. Rather, his preference seems to be for a path that keeps the rights and liberty of the people in mind while still preserving things like the aforementioned unity, peace, and tranquility.

“’How are you feeling today?’ I am waiting for the moment someone asks me that and I am dead. I’m a little sorry I’ll miss that.”

This line set the tone for the entire play. Vivian is sharp, witty, and strong even to the point of being abrasive in the face of a disease that she knows will more than likely end her life.  I absolutely flew through the first portion of this play and found it surprisingly lighthearted for a play written about someone dying of cancer.

“Brevity is the soul of wit.”

                This line marks a turning point within the play in two regards. First, shortly after coming across this line the pace of the play began to slow down. Previously the dialogue had been mostly comprised of witty banter between Vivian and those attending her. After this point however, the dialogue begins to slow and there are even a few nostalgic monologues. At the same time Vivian begins to get sicker and her demeanor begins to change.

“Hides behind wit?”

                Vivian prods one of her students to explore one of their ideas regarding John Donne in a flashback. Ironically it is soon to be made clear that this is exactly what Vivian is doing, hiding behind her wit. As mentioned previously, Vivian’s declining condition coincides with a softening of her demeanor. This can be seen in her desire to see Jason show some willingness to connect with her. Ultimately Vivian is reduced to an incredibly vulnerable and childlike state.

The thing that stood out to me the most in these sections was Henry’s comparison of Prince Harry and Hotspur. In Act 3 scene 2 the king mentions that he finds that Hotspur “hath more worthy interest in the state than [Harry], the shadow of succession.”  By this he means that he believes that Hotspur is more deserving of the throne than Harry, despite Hotspur’s betrayal. The Kings reasoning for this belief is Harry’s association with individuals the King believes to be bad company.

The scene seems to be central to Acts 3 and 4. The surrounding scenes focus on either Harry or Hotspur in turn and appear to set them in opposition to each other. Not only do are the two characters contrasted through these scenes, but they also seem to be moving toward an actual physical confrontation.

Harry’s response to his father’s chastise is repentance and what seems to be the beginning of reform.  He promises his father that he will start to conduct himself in a manner becoming his position and begins to take actions that reflect his intentions to do so. Harry raises soldiers to help to augment his father’s army and takes a position of leadership within that army. The impression that Harry gives off in this position is apparently impressive. At least that seems to be the impression that the rebels who see him receive.

In contrast, Hotspur, when chastised by his brother-in-law for the petulant way in which he addresses Glyndwr is not repentant at all. Instead he just gives reasons for his inappropriate behavior. This shows him to be relatively static in comparison to the dynamic quality that Harry has been shown to possess. While both characters began as relatively unrefined, Harry seems to be making a turn towards being a mature and effective leader, while Hotspur is rather set in his ways.

The imagery in John Donne’s “The Good Morrow” was very interesting to me. In particular the last stanza caught my attention, in which the speaker compares the eye of his lover and his own eye to the hemispheres in which the sun rises and sets:  “My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears. . . Where can we find two better hemispheres.” Sometimes I find that love poetry seems, to me, a bit trite and I easily read the emotion as almost a bit superficial. However, this image gave a sense of both the passage of time, and possibly a great deal of time. This idea of time passing is also supported by previous portion of the poem in which the speaker references the childhood he and the subject shared. The idea of the eyes as hemispheres also makes the scale of the stage on which this scene is set seem very large and helps to break any sense of pettiness that might have otherwise been attributed.

                The organization of George Herbert’s first two poems also caught my eye. While the other poems in today’s selection appeared fairly dense and block-like on the page, these two were tapered in the center of their stanzas giving them an odd hour-glass like appearance. Upon closer inspection of these poems it appeared that the way in which they were structured reflected a transition within the poem. Both poems were religious in subject matter. The long lines previous to the taper seemed to be written from a position of repentance, the lines after the taper seemed to reflect some sort of redemption, and the lines that tapered acted as a transition between the two. The shortening of the lines in the middle of “The Altar” along with the couplet rhymes within this poem made the poem seem sing-song or nursery rhyme like. However, this effect was not mirrored in “Easter Wings.”

Sonnets are poems characterized by the way they are structure. They have fourteen lines in which the last two lines are a rhyming couplet. However, the poems that were selected for today’s readings seem to be organized by theme. The fact that all of these poems were written either during the Renaissance or the Enlightenment period in Europe may account for the trends in theme.

                The first set of poems, those by Sir Phillip Sydney and Sir Thomas Wyatt, both have a melancholy tone and center on the love of a woman. Wyatt’s sonnet speaks more directly of suffering due to the love that he feels for the woman in question. However, lines from Sydney’s sonnets like, “might take some pleasure of my paine” and “I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe” are pretty dismal. The archaic language in these poems required me to read carefully in order to ensure that I was gathering the meaning of the poem fully.  

                The primary themes of the given Shakespearian sonnets seem to be, the unavoidable march of time, and the disparity between different societal positions. Both of these themes reflect some of the concerns that were shared by many of the people during Shakespeare’s lifetime. During the Renaissance concerns with matters of this life began to be weighed more heavily than they had been in the past when matters of the afterlife were paramount in the mind of the general public. Physical existence is almost entirely governed by time. Therefore an interest with physical existence is likely to be paralleled by a concern with all things temporal. The theme of social injustice is also indicative of worldly concerns.

                When I first read the selections from the Holy Sonnets by John Donne I assumed that they must have been written in the 1800’s during the Catholic reformation. However, these sonnets were written during the early seventeenth century. Their religious theme is more than likely an indication of Donne’s own religious anxieties regarding Catholicism and Protestantism, which were no doubt shared by many during this time.  

Mankind, as a morality play, is meant both to entertain and to teach. What is interesting about this play in particular is the way in which these two purposes create tension within the audience that mirrors the struggle that the character Mankind faces between worldly things, mischief and company, and holy things, Mercy.

The antics of Mischief and his following, Nowadays, Newguise, and Nought are the most entertaining portions of the play in the first scene. This encourages the audience to view these characters favorably despite the fact that they are set in opposition to the character of Mercy. In fact their disregard of Mercy’s requests for them to  “do way with this revel” when they dance and their open mockery of him and his “English Latin” lessen the appeal of Mercy as a character while simultaneously making them seem more amusing.

However, as the play progresses, the portrayal of the “mischief” characters shifts so that the audience views them less favorably. This shift occurs most notably with the appearance of Titivillus, who deceives Mankind and causes him to stray from Mercy. At this point Mischief and company cease to be innocuous jokesters and begin to act as agents for the ruin of Mankind.

When Mercy reappears and saves Mankind from hanging himself and offers salvation a he becomes the most favorably viewed character in the play. This reversal corresponds with the final accomplishment of the play’s teaching purpose. The plays message is fully delivered and it ends with a closing “Amen” from Mankind.