So Long and Good Night

Many in our class chose to write their last posts about the class as a whole, so I decided to follow suit. From our ridiculous dramatic interpretations to nursery rhymes, to passionate debates about feminism in "The Princess Diaries," somehow I learned some great strategies for analyzing and contextualizing literature. Also, this is the first class in which I've actually UNDERSTOOD Shakespeare, so Dr. Reed deserves a gold star sticker for that one. While I am not a fan of the incestuous undertones of Hamlet, I now can at least appreciate it as a major work of literature.

When I first declared an English major, I didn't really have a gauge of what I was signing up for, but after this class, I feel confident in my decision and ability to grow in this field.

Since our class was so small, I really feel like I got to know all of you on a more personal level, and I really hope we find each other in the same classes in the future. Thanks for a great semester everyone!

I Wear the Bottom of My Trousers Rolled

TS Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" feels like reading a fever dream. Opening with an excerpt from Dante's Inferno (aka the bane of my high school existence), I started out with instant confusion.

My favorite couplet, though, is near the end of the poem, after quite a wild ride. It reads, "I grow old... I grow old... / I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled."

As someone who frequently rolls the bottoms of her pants, not only was I called out by the poem, but forced to reckon with the fact that I can relate to such a seemingly nonsensical poem. Perhaps this is supposed to show the inexplicable confusion of life? Or, maybe, every seemingly disconnected bit of the poem is meant to be relatable to someone, and even though to me the whole thing doesn't make the most sense, we are all meant to see a bit of ourselves in it.

John Donne: an artfully complex bastard

Perhaps my most angry post to date is "Carpe Diem Poetry" where I artfully shred to pieces two particular poems, "The Flea" and "To His Coy Mistress."

So, you can imagine my shock and surprise upon discovering that one of my favorite poems of the semester, "Batter my heart, three- personed God" was written by the same poet as "The Flea": John Donne.

Based solely on "The Flea," I had expected this man to be a Godless, lust-driven player, certainly not someone who had the capacity to desire God's complete domination of his life as seen in "Batter my heart."

I could interpret this in two ways, I suppose. I could take this as a lesson to not judge a poet based only on one work and accept that my reading isn't the only correct interpretation out there- OR I could take this to mean that even the most "holy" are at their core horny bastards. I haven't decided which just yet.

On Death as a Character

We have read Emily Dickinson's Because I could not stop for Death twice now. Both times I was reminded of Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief, but each time for different reasons.

After the first read, I noticed the treatment of Death as a character. Rather than fear or hate Death, Dickinson treated him as an inevitability that should be embraced. In a way, he is even treated as a friend to go on a fun road trip with. In The Book Thief, Death is the narrator. His insights into the nature of humanity are often profound, with a considerable amount of empathy. I wonder what Death in Dickinson's poem might say about the wanderings he partakes in.

On my second reading, I was called more to the structure of the poem. Dickinson's infamous dashes and rhythm starkly contrast the perhaps grim concept of death by treating the experience as an equal exchange between the narrator (presumably Dickinson) and the great and terrible force of nature, Death. It's in a way very empowering.

I'm sure that upon further readings in the future, more and more intricacies of the poem will reveal themselves to me, which makes me consider going back to reread other favorites of mine.

When I Consider How My Light is Spent: A Poem to Catalyze and Existential Crisis

For our poetry presentations, I had one major thought about John Milton's "When I consider how my light is spent" that I didn't feel really fit with my presentation, so I thought I would share it here instead. This poem seriously forced me to critically analyze what I choose to spend my time on.

It doesn't really feel like an existential decision when I end up watching Netflix instead of studying, or sleeping instead of spending time with my family. But every little does more than spend that specific chunk of time; it also contributes to forming habits.

It's as if my life is happening on accident, and I'm sure most college students, and maybe even most people feel the same way. In some ways, it's easier like this, because when life doesn't feel like a result of your own choices, you can blame someone else for the outcome.

I feel compelled by this poem to consider where I choose to spend my time and my "light," and hopefully make some changes for the better.