Masterpiece Bildungsroman

Open source learning has definitely changed the way I view education and how I think education can be most useful. It comes with an endowment of trust given to my colleagues and me. Did we earn that trust? Well, that had yet to be seen, as the only thing we had done prior to the endowment was enroll ourselves in the class.

                Many of the fictitious characters we studied over the course of the year had qualities that some of us could find relatable. Hamlet, for instance, faced making an incredible decision when he learns the truth of Claudius and his mother. His reaction to facing this hard decision is almost like looking in a mirror; reminding us of all the thinking we need to do and all the questions we need to answer about ourselves. Where do you want to go to college? What do you want to do the rest of your life? How are you going to afford this kind of education? Hamlet is a classic example of a man needing to find himself. Another character from a classic piece of literature that I can see a piece of myself in is Holden Caulfield, from J. D. Salinger’s book, Catcher in the Rye. Holden strives to be different from everyone else, and can’t seem to be understood by the people around him. The only people who have a chance at knowing him are those who somehow manage to get extremely close, namely, his sister Phoebe.

                Growing up, I’ve always spent a lot of time on the internet, watching my favorite Youtubers every day after school until I went to bed. I aspired to them, and always kind of wanted to become a famous internet personality myself, however, I was always very aware how impractical the idea ever was. Good equipment is expensive, and it’s beyond competitive. That being said, I still wanted to try it out. This class, because of Open Source Learning, gave me the opportunity to do just that. My friends and I had the resources to create videos and really get to feel what it’s like to do it for a living, on a small scale, of course. It was harder than any of us had imagined, but we were all satisfied with the outcome, one of the videos in particular. It was a combination of our best ideas which we put forward and presented to the class, getting exactly the response we had hoped for. It really was fun and exciting to see the final product after so much time working on it. That project was easily the highlight of this English class and would not have been possible without Dr. Preston or his idea of Open Source Learning.

                Sometimes, when learning about literature, we come across things that in any other context would probably be considered taboo. These types of things are usually met with a bit of an awkward lesson, or a small lecture on a sensitive subject.  In some instances, however, these kinds of lessons are met with someone who doesn’t quite remember common social etiquette, or temporarily loses their filter on what to say, and what not to say in a group of people. In other words, sometimes you’re in a class with Omar Dominguez. I’ll never forget reading Huxley’s Brave New World in class and slowing down to make sure everyone has an understanding of “orgy porgy” and why it’s a part of the society in the book. While Dr. Preston lightly explains what’s going on, avoiding words or phrases that would seem too inappropriate, Omar’s genius interpretation (and his follow-up remark of that interpretation) went something like, “Oh, he was masturbating!”

                All of the good masterpiece presentations have one awesome thing in common: they are all perfect representations of peoples’ passions and values. Alec had a great presentation to educate people in the use of psychedelics, Omar created a masterpiece of a song, and Chase took a look into the minds of some passionate individuals, showing us where they find this incredible feeling they call "stoke”. In a way, this course turned a lot of the students into heroes. We were all called upon to an adventure of some sort. We all ventured into something new, something unknown. We met mentors, we struggled, and we even almost failed. In the end, we all had something great to show for it. I came out of it with brand new experiences that I wouldn’t ever gain in any other way.

                Ultimately, I’m glad I get to end my time in high school with the classes and people I got to. I’ve had some of the best teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting just this year. This class gave me the opportunity to do more than learn about literature, in that it gave me the opportunity to form new relationships with the people around me and, even more importantly, learn about myself. All of us, over the course of the year, earned the trust given to us by Dr. Preston and honored it to the end. 

Tobermory Explained

The tone of the story, as derived from the last sentence, is dark and vindictive. Clovis feels like Appin deserved to have been killed by the elephant for trying to educate it like he did with Tobermory. The characters in the story were offended that Cornelius was able to raise an animal to be more intelligent than them. This is a common theme in society today, as everyone feels like they need to prove their intellectual superiority. The people at the party became threatened by Tobermory's high level of intelligence, and their solution was to get rid of him. Often times at social gatherings you can see the same kind of things happening with certain individuals being excluded from particular encounters for threatening the "intellectual ego" of the people around them.

Great Expectations Notes

Strongly feels unwanted

Pip could mean a seed

Knows he is different

He finds his life isn't fulfilling

"Am I wicked?" "Do I deserve the things I have gotten?"

Adopts adult males as role models

Magwitch does not present himself as a civilized person. Represents the threat of abandonment and what Pip may become. Magwitch identifies with Pip as an orphan. 

Haversham. " have a shame? " 

Symbolizes horrible decay and what may happen when a dream goes unfulfilled. On another hand, she symbolizes a fairy god mother. She left everything the exact way it was since she got left at the alter representing her loss. Haversham has trained Stella to be a heartbreaker. Haversham is rich, and has adopted Stella, giving Pip hope for his being an orphan. Haversham is also an immoral liar. 

Pip wants to rise in the world, and become something more. 

Joe is a simple blacksmith. Lives by feeling and goes with his gut/heart. Does not judge by appearance. Financially unsuccessful, but he is content. 

Jaggers breaks things down into logic. Does not deal with emotion. What Jaggers knows about other people can hurt them. He is not successful spiritually or emotionally, but he has a lot of money. 

Wemmick

Represents old nostalgic world. Has an ability to be both like Jaggers ( at the office) and also like Joe ( at home). Pip views Wemmick as a friend. 

Great Expectations

1. Haversham is not fairy god mother

2. Stella was not meant for Pip, and Pip was only a part of her training

3. Magwitch has actually influenced Pip's expectations. 

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

1. If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? In other words, what’s up with the river? What is it’s relation to enlightenment?
2. Siddhartha features substantial activity and narrative action. At the same time, it is about one man’s largely internal spiritual quest. What is the relationship between the internal and exterior worlds of Siddhartha? How does Siddhartha negotiate these worlds?
3. What does enlightenment look like in Siddhartha? Is it a feeling? An attitude?
4. Most literary scholars agree that Siddhartha was prompted by Herman Hesse’s fixation on Eastern spirituality. Is there a case to be made that Siddhartha is designed to celebrate Eastern religion? Is Hesse’s treatment of spirituality as relevant today as it was when he wrote the novel?
5. What purpose does self-denial serve in Siddhartha? What about self-indulgence?

-All of these questions can be found at the pages linked here

http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/siddhartha/study.html


I'm interested in reading more of Siddhartha, beyond the passage from class. I want to be able to think more clearly about these questions and create my own satisfying answers.

Quick Notes from Hamlet.

Found these saved in my drafts. Might as well post them, right?
These notes were written in no particular order.





Ophelia  - "you are as good as a chorus my lord"

Chorus doesn't take part in play but sings. Ophelia is comparing Hamlet to the Greek chorus. 

- it isn't enough to just kill Claudius. Hamlet wants to send Claudius to hell, which is why he doesn't kill him while he's praying. 

- The ghost doesn't want Hamlet to kill Gertrude, rather let her live with her guilt.

-Hamlet seems clear of his want and ability to murder Claudius once he stabs Polonius on accident. Even after stabbing Polonius, Hamlet seems to have no regret of having acted without thinking. Come to think of it, I think this may be the first time in the play Hamlet has acted before thinking, or even acted before giving us some massive speech about his failure and what-not. Anyway, 

Hamlet, after killing Polonius...

Savagely angry. Verbally attacking his mother. Hamlet has transformed from a character of words to a character of action.

-Claudius confesses for his sins and asks God for forgiveness. He also asks if there is a way to be forgiven but keep all of the things he gained for these sins. I think the answer is no, and Claudius would not be forgiven in the eyes of God. 

Transmedia Poetry

Summons
by Robert Francis

"Keep me from going to sleep to

Come wake me up. Come any houro soon" Like this:

"Or if I go to sleep too soon
Of night." Sounds like he wants this:

"Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door."
wikiHow: How to Kick Down a Door
"Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.

Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. 

Or tell me clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.

See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all."
Why Do We Need Sleep?
"Tell me the walking is superb.
Quotes about walking:
“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” 
― John Muir, John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir
"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the heck she is."
― Ellen DeGeneres
"Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded." 

Hamlet ( The Madman?)

Hamlet often comes across as an insane, delusional teenager who can’t seem to make up his mind. People call him crazy, indecisive, and some will go so far as to say Hamlet is a madman, but how can you call mad a man who faces such extensive trauma so early in his life and still manages to follow through with such well thought out scheme for revenge? Hamlet is clearly far from crazy and should be interpreted as a genius struggling after the death of his father and the swift remarriage of his mother.

It is obvious that many of the characters in the play think that Hamlet is crazy, and for good reason. Hamlet has been putting on a show for the majority of them ever since he learned the truth of Claudius and his father. Beginning in the second act of the play, Hamlet begins his plot to lower the defenses of King Claudius and Gertrude by pretending to be insane. After first going through these first few scenes, some may come to the conclusion that Hamlet isn't acting, and may very well be insane. Upon further insight, however, you can see that Hamlet is just using these interactions with Polonius and others to deceive the King. We can make this deduction when Polonius exits the scene, leaving Hamlet alone with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet immediately turns back into the witty prince he is, recognizing them both and having quick conversation. Not only is he able to have normal conversation, but he is able to see through Rosencrantz’s lie that they weren't sent by the king. Hamlet’s ability to trick Polonius and others is nothing but brilliance on his part.

It’s argued that Hamlet is delusional, because, after killing Polonius, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost, whom Hamlet can see, but Gertrude cannot. Shakespeare’s decision to make the ghost only visible to Hamlet could mean a number of things, but it definitely wasn't meant to portray Hamlet as mentally ill. First of all, Hamlet is not the only person in the play to have seen the ghost. In fact, a number of characters have witnessed the ghost first hand: Francisco and Bernardo to name a few. By this logic, not only is Hamlet mentally ill, but the entire castle guard is mentally ill as well, including the scholar, Horatio. This argument that Hamlet’s ability to see the ghost represents his insanity is outrageous, as there is no reason for Shakespeare to make this decision in his writing. Another theory, one with slightly more weight, perhaps, is that Hamlet is able to see and interact with the ghost because he has morals. He is able to see both good, represented by the ghost, and evil, represented by Gertrude. With this knowledge, Hamlet is able to make his decisions. Gertrude, however, has lost her morals (assuming she had some to lose.)

Hamlet may seem to be indecisive for a good majority of the play, but is it really indecisiveness that keeps him from exacting his revenge? When Hamlet sees Claudius praying, he has a clear chance to finish him, though he chooses not to. At this point, Hamlet is not being indecisive. He’s actually doing just the opposite. From the moment he confronts the ghost for the first time, Hamlet makes his decision. His decision, however, isn't just to slay Claudius. His decision is to exact revenge in the best manner he can come up with. In this sense, striking down Claudius and presumably sending him to heaven isn't enough. Hamlet needs to be sure that Claudius spends his eternity suffering in the depths of hell. He chooses not to strike down Claudius while he is praying lest Claudius is forgiven for his sins and gains the luxury of eternity in the afterlife. It becomes obvious to us that Hamlet intends to finish the job when he stabs Polonius in the curtain. Hamlet doesn't hesitate once he believes he has his chance to kill Claudius. By this point in the play, there’s no questioning that Hamlet has made his decision.

Though commonly referred to as a madman, Hamlet’s genius and wit is exemplified throughout the course of this play. Though it’s not always clear to the audience, Hamlet is a brilliant young prince that cleverly and patiently goes about avenging his murdered father and getting his own revenge against that man that killed him.