Howl vs. Leafs of Grass 5/18/11

The major shocking similarity I see almost immediately is that the formatting is very much the same in both of these works. It gives an initial idea, and then lists sentence-long blurbs to give examples. That's pretty standard for both of them. However, the ideas contained within are very different. Leaves of Grass speaks of a good America (I think), an America that is becoming a world leader. While in Howl, the perspective has changed immensely; now, the idea is that America is falling apart. The new generation is a failure. they are to busy with sex and drugs to understand anything, and America suffers.

The Petrified Man 5/16/11

There are some stories that you just find to be useless and of no purpose. Granted, there are some excellent fictional novels out there that serve no greater purpose than to entertain, but they usually are elongated stories that have many different plot elements and ideas to explore. The Petrified Man, though in the same category of literature, serves no such purpose. It is a very short work that serves as simply a window into the life of these people; I find that it almost seems realist in a way. As for the reliance on dialog, I can say that I rather enjoyed it. It made the story more interesting and further opened the window into the character's world, but it did nothing to add meaning to the story.

The Love Song 5/10/11

After the initial thought of "what in the world are these rambling words trying to say," I actually started to understand this poem a little better. I have to admit, it was through a mixture of you and Jeanette telling me what was going on, but still, I think I understand. While this poem appears to have nothing to do with love on the surface, it is only when you start to really look into it that you see those hidden elements. And I think, once you have figured out what it is actually talking about, this poem definitely portrays a love story. It speaks of this wonderful place "where women speak of Michaelangelo," a place that the man really wants to reach (presumably the heart of is "girlfriend"). However, this destination is so thoroughly surrounded by nasty 'deterrents' that the man can find no way to his (again, quotations) "girlfriend." In a way, this is a situation really easy to relate to. A man really wants to kick things up a notch with his "girlfriend," but can find no way to do it without destroying his relationship with her. I think I have hit upon what you were wanted in this blog entry, if not, yell at me/comment that I need to look at it again. I do wish that poets would just say what they want to say and stop talking. The whole extra frivolous blah is so hard to get through. Personal opinion/vendetta against complicated poetry.

Fuller Project 5/9/11

Well, I now have successfully completed the first two paragraphs of my essay, and I am not feeling as unprepared as I thought I would. I have spoken about Fuller's early life and the influences she had on her as she was growing up, and I am planning on using the next paragraph to dive into her "great radical dualism." If you can find some extras time (though I know none of us has any of it), I would appreciate if you can go through and look at my second paragraph and make sure that I am still on target. Thanks

Project 5/3/11

Ok Mr. Cook, so here's the deal. I'm probably not going to be working much on this project this week due to the AP exams and the enormous amount of stress they're putting on me. I should be able to work on it a little bit on Wednesday night, but I have nothing written for today and won't be writing anything tomorrow most likely. I will take full advantage of the class time we have tomorrow and jump off from there, but my homework time is filled. I will have a paper to hand in to you next Tuesday. Just trust that.

Fuller Project 5/1/11

I think I am pretty much ready to start writing my paper. I have spoken with you enough to have a general outline to follow in my head, and I have read enough to know most of what I need to about Fuller and her work. I have finished reading the two sources that I will be relying most heavily upon, so the next step is just sitting down to write. I will do my best to get the paper written up this week so you can have a rough draft to look at before it is do next Tuesday, but with my AP exams weighing upon me, I'm not sure how much time I will be able to devote to it. I will do my best though and keep you updated with where I am. I was not able to work this past weekend because I had a track meet Friday night and then a Boy Scout backpacking trip Saturday and half of Sunday. I will work to make up that lost time though.

Fuller 4/27/11

So let me tell you what I have come up with as my project based on what we have talked about. A brief outline;

1. Intro
2. Background/early influences
3. Beliefs as from The Great Lawsuit
4. Analysis of beliefs and their implications? maybe
5. Conclusion

It's the fourth segment that I'm not too sure what to do with. I am going to spend tonight doing some more research, and then hopefully I will be pretty close to writing. If you have suggestions based on that fourth segment, let me know. I will probably be by to talk about all of this again pretty soon.