I dreamt last night, many dreams
and wicked dreams abuse my curtain'd sleep.
Dark night strangles the travelling lamp,
and strange inventions did take shape.
I dreamt of blood and drops of sorrow,
ingrediants of our poisoin'd chalice.
I am Thane of Glamis.
Thunder, lightening, and in rain,
we saw careless trifle.
I am Thane of Cawdar
Neptune's ocean wash this blood,
and summons thee to heaven, or to hell.
The earth hath bubbles, as the water has
and shown was I, stranges images of death.
I am King of Scotland.
The battles lost and won,
who dare recieve it other.
These images, grapples you to the heart and love of us.
Come, lets away, let the frame of things disjoint.
Both the world's suffer.
Come, well to sleep, this night I'll spend unto a dismal and fatal end.
Sleep shall neither night nor day,
for something wicked comes this way.
Good night.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Agbala Do-o-O!
Here's my monologue. Its in Chielo, the priestess', point of view as she tries to figure out her standings in life; she must remain loyal to her god but at the same time, she has ideas to defy Agbala. Agbala in this case, refers to the Oracle.
In the midst of the nervous tension, I forgot to say some lines while presenting so please take that into consideration while reading it.
Agbala do-o-o! Agbala do-o-o!
I address you Agbala, as the priestess of the Oracle of the hills and the caves. Tell me of what is to come! Is Umuofia safe? What Agbala says must and will happen...lest they want to be struck with his anger. Great Agbala will protect Umuofia! Now .. what is to come oh great Agbala?....
There is no answer, he will not answer. I suppose Agbala does not want to tell me...or there is nothing to tell. I admit, I am scared. Agbala tells me things. I hear what others cannot hear, see what others cannot see...It is scary, I admit. For hours I lose conscience and track of time..this is when the spirit of Agbala is upon me. I end up back in the cave of Agbala but I am tired; drained!
For hours, I have no memories. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I get flashes of memories. Just flashes though, mere tid bits. Just last night, as I was prophesizing, I saw the face of my lovely daughter Ezinma. She was looking up at me with fearful eyes. She did not seem to recognize me.
Pray tell me, oh mighty Agbala, tell me that Umuofia will be safe...That those I cherish will live long and that my daughter Ezinma will stay.
...Sometimes I think, if Agbala prophesizes, can I prevent it? With these calloused hands, will I be able to change the future? Protecting my village from unwanted disasters? As the priestess, I cannot do this. I am bound by soul to this cave. This cave so dark and damp that men fear. I must keep strong...but these thoughts take over me just as Agbala does. It is not preventable and plagues my mind. I cannot change the future Agbala has set out. But still, fear lies in my heart; doubt of my ability too. But I must trust Agbala, for this is what my duty is. Be gone such thoughts! Foolish Cheilo...let me prophesize once more before I go to the market...the lively market where I can see Ekwefi...perhaps my lovely daughter Ezinma will also be there. I shall bring them my bean-cakes to enjoy...The market which shall bring me distractions from foolish thoughts...I shall go...Agbala, mighty Agbala, what is to come?
In the midst of the nervous tension, I forgot to say some lines while presenting so please take that into consideration while reading it.
Agbala do-o-o! Agbala do-o-o!
I address you Agbala, as the priestess of the Oracle of the hills and the caves. Tell me of what is to come! Is Umuofia safe? What Agbala says must and will happen...lest they want to be struck with his anger. Great Agbala will protect Umuofia! Now .. what is to come oh great Agbala?....
There is no answer, he will not answer. I suppose Agbala does not want to tell me...or there is nothing to tell. I admit, I am scared. Agbala tells me things. I hear what others cannot hear, see what others cannot see...It is scary, I admit. For hours I lose conscience and track of time..this is when the spirit of Agbala is upon me. I end up back in the cave of Agbala but I am tired; drained!
For hours, I have no memories. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I get flashes of memories. Just flashes though, mere tid bits. Just last night, as I was prophesizing, I saw the face of my lovely daughter Ezinma. She was looking up at me with fearful eyes. She did not seem to recognize me.
Pray tell me, oh mighty Agbala, tell me that Umuofia will be safe...That those I cherish will live long and that my daughter Ezinma will stay.
...Sometimes I think, if Agbala prophesizes, can I prevent it? With these calloused hands, will I be able to change the future? Protecting my village from unwanted disasters? As the priestess, I cannot do this. I am bound by soul to this cave. This cave so dark and damp that men fear. I must keep strong...but these thoughts take over me just as Agbala does. It is not preventable and plagues my mind. I cannot change the future Agbala has set out. But still, fear lies in my heart; doubt of my ability too. But I must trust Agbala, for this is what my duty is. Be gone such thoughts! Foolish Cheilo...let me prophesize once more before I go to the market...the lively market where I can see Ekwefi...perhaps my lovely daughter Ezinma will also be there. I shall bring them my bean-cakes to enjoy...The market which shall bring me distractions from foolish thoughts...I shall go...Agbala, mighty Agbala, what is to come?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Your blog post for this week will be to write a response to your pre-Spring Break essay, where you answered the question, "Is Okonkwo a hero" (you will get your essays back tomorrow). Has your opinion changed now that you've finished the novel? Why or why not? Feel free to include any thoughts concerning post-colonialism or cultural relativity.
Is Okonkwo a hero? My opinion before spring break was that he was somewhat a hero. He definately wasn't a hero in the few chapters of what we read in my eyes...however, that was looking at the defination of hero in a modern scope. If you look at how the Igbo people valued and measured one's prestige, it's easy to tell that there is a major difference.
Okonkwo had an abundance of yams, three wives, many children, and a high class title. "To top it off", even though he was this successfull, he was still quite young. He could be considered a hero to many of the Igbo people (just not by me).
To answer the question, my opinion has not changed. I cannot deem him to be a modern day hero but definitely one from the Igbo culture. I find many of his traits unfavorable as he acts on a conduct of strict masculine principles which ultimately lead to his downfall. His brash and violent attitude makes him a wife-beater and a child abuser; hardly the quality wanted by heroes. Yet, there is something about his moronical persistance towards up-keeping his image of the strong warrior that is admirable in a way. His fiery spirit and determination is what made him so successful and is inspirational to the other village members. They find his success which was built from virtually nothing as a reminder that hard work is rewarded. This belief is common in the Igbo culture and is reflected because there are stories of the tortoise being punished for his cunningness. Additionally, there is the custom of treating men with no titles as the undesirables of the clan.
P.S guys, TMRW is SUPERHERO DAY! (spirit week)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Cycling Through Grief
Your blog post for this week concerns your independent novel study. Please identify and describe the central conflict, or conflicts, in your novel. Who, or what, is involved? How is it resolved (if you've gotten that far)? Does it remind you of a conflict from another work of literature, movie, television, or your own life?
The central conflict in my novel, The Lovely Bones, concerns the main character Susie Salmon and her surroundings on Earth. There are actually many conflicts in this book: father vs. mother, brother vs. mother, sister vs. sister and many more. The small conflicts gather to create one big conflict of how the Salmon family must deal the hardships of losing a loved one. Some examples of the smaller conflicts would include how Susie's younger brother Buckley starts to hate his own mother after she walks out on the family. Even Susie's mother is dealing with a conflict of her own at the time as she has troubles accepting her daughter's death. Her decision to leave the house is made from the desperate desire to escape the realm of memories that trigger depression in her. Another would be Lindsey, Susie's sister, having to deal with the community and everyone around her that sees her not as "Lindsey" but as the "sister of the girl who was murdered". Although on the exterior, the main conflict seems to be the family vs. Murderer and how Mr.Harvey will be caught, the real conflict lies elsewhere.
While there are man vs. man conflicts present in this book, the true conflict should be categorized as man vs self because the story really involves the idea of how each person connected with Susie has to deal with the grief. After some research, I found that there are five stages of grief:
- Shock and denial
- Anger
- Bargaining (asking for a deal with God or the Doctor)
ex: "I'll be a really good person from now on so please bring my loved one back"
- Depression
- Acceptance
Thus, the conflict is resolved when the family and friends of Susie reach the stage of "acceptance". They are able to accept that Susie is dead and cannot come back but is probably watching over them. They still feel some sadness but are not traumatized over it and are able to "get over it".
I'm sure that this process of grief is something everyone can relate to in one way or another. We all must experience losing loved ones in life and understand that it is important to accept the loss. This is a really sensitive topic that many might not be comfortable with.
Personally, the first "death" that I have dealt with is the loss of my great-aunt. I fondly remember her as she played with me in my childhood every time I visited Japan. She withered away as she caught a branch of Alzheimer's disease, forgetting everyone she loved and loved her back. Sometimes I ponder that maybe I never went through that grief cycle with her or that I quickly accepted her death as I did not go through those four other stages. (Or I'm still in the denial stage)
All in all, I wish for her to rest in peace and everyone a long happy life.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Post colonialism
According to Ms.Henrickson, post-colonialism is "the discource concerning the reaction to and the analysis of the cultural legacy of colonialism".
In other words, post-colonialism is related to looking at the effects of the European nations in other countries that were colonized such as Africa. When European nations were the world powers around the 15th to 20th century, they started to "colonize" other countries for goods and raw materials. They would use the country and it's people to harvest supplies such as silk, cotton, and spices and bring them back to the mother country to profit. Consequently, this put the European countries at a much higher ranking than those not of the white race. Born from ethnocentric views, colonies were expected to familiarize themselves and respect the culture of Europeons, abandoning their own foolish and primitive ways. How were the colonies then affected? Studying the effects born from colonialism is post-colonialism...
Moving on comtemporary media:
Has anyone heard of the brand "United Colors of Benetton"? It's a Italian clothing brand but they come up with the most controversial ads EVER.
Here's one example:
Titled, "Angel and Devil",
In other words, post-colonialism is related to looking at the effects of the European nations in other countries that were colonized such as Africa. When European nations were the world powers around the 15th to 20th century, they started to "colonize" other countries for goods and raw materials. They would use the country and it's people to harvest supplies such as silk, cotton, and spices and bring them back to the mother country to profit. Consequently, this put the European countries at a much higher ranking than those not of the white race. Born from ethnocentric views, colonies were expected to familiarize themselves and respect the culture of Europeons, abandoning their own foolish and primitive ways. How were the colonies then affected? Studying the effects born from colonialism is post-colonialism...
Moving on comtemporary media:
Has anyone heard of the brand "United Colors of Benetton"? It's a Italian clothing brand but they come up with the most controversial ads EVER.
Here's one example:
Titled, "Angel and Devil",
Released in September of 1991, the company aimed to spark conversations about the stereotypical "white is good, black is bad" image by releasing the above ad of a white girl being depicted as an angel and a black child potrayed as a devil. The company is quoted to say that they aimed to "feature images from the real world which have some social and universal relevance, in order to break through the barrier of indifference which often surrounds these issues". In reality, they only caused an upheaval of controversy and summoned anger from the public. However, if the underlying purpose was to get public attention, they certainly achieved it.
Address link to the article: http://www.fashionist.ca/2010/07/benettons-most-controversial-advertising-campaigns.html
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why the word "Gorgeous" sounds horrible!
The word gorgeous sounds horrible. It sounds so terrible and ugly, don't you think? If you do not agree with the above statement, a deep hole will be prepared for you to fall in. Guys who use the word gorgeous on a girl are not right in the mind. In a recent poll, 70% of the polls participants said that they do not like the word "gorgeous". Therefore, you should not like it either!
If the word gorgeous comes up more than five times in this paragraph, I will either die or become mentally ill. The word gorgeous is a terrible word because I think I'm going to go snowboarding during spring break. It does not sound nice because it does not roll on the tongue. Additionally, it sounds a lot like gorilla. Because those two words sound so alike, it might lead to girls mishearing it when guys try to compliment their girlfriends. That would lead to a lot of angry girlfriends which would lead to fights which eventually increases the rate of breakups. Later on, the guys would be depressed and stop coming to school. We might even enter the age of a new "Depression" as depression is seen to be a contagious feeling just like yawning. In conclusion, the word "gorgeous" is an atrocious word.
If the word gorgeous comes up more than five times in this paragraph, I will either die or become mentally ill. The word gorgeous is a terrible word because I think I'm going to go snowboarding during spring break. It does not sound nice because it does not roll on the tongue. Additionally, it sounds a lot like gorilla. Because those two words sound so alike, it might lead to girls mishearing it when guys try to compliment their girlfriends. That would lead to a lot of angry girlfriends which would lead to fights which eventually increases the rate of breakups. Later on, the guys would be depressed and stop coming to school. We might even enter the age of a new "Depression" as depression is seen to be a contagious feeling just like yawning. In conclusion, the word "gorgeous" is an atrocious word.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Ghostly Gal
Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones features a 14 year old girl named Susie Salmon, like the fish. Susie Salmon, with fair skin and mousy brown hair, looked like a lot of the girls from the 70's. What differentiates her greatly from all those other girls is the fact that she is already dead. In the first few pages of the book, the reader finds that she is raped and then slashed to death by a 36 year old pyscopath called Mr. Harvey. This fateful, fatal event happens on December 6th of 1973. Susie was part of the Chess club and the Chemistry club and is also "good at acing a science quiz" (page 7). The author makes use of show-not-tell to indicate that Susie was very intelligent in the sciences. In contrast, Susie "burned everything [she] tried to make in Mrs. Delminico's home ec class" (page 1).
As the story progresses, Susie is taken to heaven. Described as perfect but lacking, heaven is different for each of the souls trapped there and are given a set of delights that the soul seeks. However, Susie cannot have the one wish she wants the most fulfilled: to be alive again and be with her family. In this heaven, Susie finds that she can watch her family and friends back down on Earth to see how they take her death as some grieve while others try to unravel the mystery of her lost body and death. Susie watches them struggle and recover from her death as time passes: "Almost everyone in heaven has someone on Earth they watch...A one-way loving and desiring of their mates" (page 246). Although possibly twisted, this is what motivates her. Her links to Earth keep her tied to the small heaven she has and enables her to endure the boredom of afterlife. Because she has not had the chance to grow up, she decides to experience the process through her sister Lindsey. Thus, she keeps on watching Lindsey as well as the rest of her family and friends as bonds strengthen and weaken over time.
Resulting from this watching, the Salmon family feels the conscience presence of Susie everywhere they go. Naturally, grievance and pain come with the death of a loved one. However, this pain is emphasized because both the people on Earth and Susie refuse to let go of the links that tie them together. With Susie's ghostly presence, they feel pressured and stressed. One of the conflicts Susie faces is that she feels immense reluctancy to give up watching and holding on to Earth. Even if she knows that her family would rather get over her quickly , she makes herself present in hope that they will not forget her. She selfishly places a sort of curse to make sure that she will exist forevermore in the hearts of those she loved. Susie knows that this is not the best for her family but holds bitter feelings because she was killed at such a early age in a cruel manner.
Susie Salmon is a very different character from other pieces of work. She becomes a very surreal persona and serves more as a narrator and a conscience. I feel she represents the general question of "What comes after death? How will my family and friends react?". I definately asked that question to myself before. I believe that the question is a concept which shows self-conscienceness and the natural human desire to fit in. I've always wondered how I made an impact in other's lives by developing friendships and interacting with them.
Additionally, although not a literary work, I was reminded of The Lovely Bones when I heard this song on the radio: Coming Home - Diddy Dirty Money.
Lyrics:
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits, and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming
There are surprisingly a lot of connections that I could make to even the rap part of the song.
For example, "Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone?". This could refer to how Susie's departure from Earth impacted the family and their bonds. Additionally, later on in the book, Susie's mother Abigail leaves the family and goes to California in an effort to get away from the place that she feels is the source of her unhappiness.
Lot of fights, lot of scars, lot of bottles
Lot of cars, lot of ups, lot of downs
Made it back, lost my dog
Fights connects to the quarrels between Lindsey, Buckley and Susie's father Jack as the parents try to protect young Buckley from understanding the loss of Susie. Scars would be the mental and emotional scars that run deep and must be endured. Bottles would refer to both the alchohol consumed by the parents as they try to drown their sorrows as well as the botttled ships that Jack and Susie built in her childhood. Furthermore, the Salmon family has a dog named Holiday which joins Salmon in heaven near the end of the book.
So surprisingly, I found many relevant connections that I could make to the song.
Link to song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEjB1zebCko
Rest in Peace, Susie Salmon:
"I wish you all a long and happy life" (page 328).
As the story progresses, Susie is taken to heaven. Described as perfect but lacking, heaven is different for each of the souls trapped there and are given a set of delights that the soul seeks. However, Susie cannot have the one wish she wants the most fulfilled: to be alive again and be with her family. In this heaven, Susie finds that she can watch her family and friends back down on Earth to see how they take her death as some grieve while others try to unravel the mystery of her lost body and death. Susie watches them struggle and recover from her death as time passes: "Almost everyone in heaven has someone on Earth they watch...A one-way loving and desiring of their mates" (page 246). Although possibly twisted, this is what motivates her. Her links to Earth keep her tied to the small heaven she has and enables her to endure the boredom of afterlife. Because she has not had the chance to grow up, she decides to experience the process through her sister Lindsey. Thus, she keeps on watching Lindsey as well as the rest of her family and friends as bonds strengthen and weaken over time.
Resulting from this watching, the Salmon family feels the conscience presence of Susie everywhere they go. Naturally, grievance and pain come with the death of a loved one. However, this pain is emphasized because both the people on Earth and Susie refuse to let go of the links that tie them together. With Susie's ghostly presence, they feel pressured and stressed. One of the conflicts Susie faces is that she feels immense reluctancy to give up watching and holding on to Earth. Even if she knows that her family would rather get over her quickly , she makes herself present in hope that they will not forget her. She selfishly places a sort of curse to make sure that she will exist forevermore in the hearts of those she loved. Susie knows that this is not the best for her family but holds bitter feelings because she was killed at such a early age in a cruel manner.
Susie Salmon is a very different character from other pieces of work. She becomes a very surreal persona and serves more as a narrator and a conscience. I feel she represents the general question of "What comes after death? How will my family and friends react?". I definately asked that question to myself before. I believe that the question is a concept which shows self-conscienceness and the natural human desire to fit in. I've always wondered how I made an impact in other's lives by developing friendships and interacting with them.
Additionally, although not a literary work, I was reminded of The Lovely Bones when I heard this song on the radio: Coming Home - Diddy Dirty Money.
Lyrics:
I’m coming home
I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming home
Let the rain wash away, all the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits, and they’ve forgiven my mistakes
I’m coming home, I’m coming home
Tell the World that I’m coming
There are surprisingly a lot of connections that I could make to even the rap part of the song.
For example, "Is a house really a home when your loved ones are gone?". This could refer to how Susie's departure from Earth impacted the family and their bonds. Additionally, later on in the book, Susie's mother Abigail leaves the family and goes to California in an effort to get away from the place that she feels is the source of her unhappiness.
Lot of fights, lot of scars, lot of bottles
Lot of cars, lot of ups, lot of downs
Made it back, lost my dog
Fights connects to the quarrels between Lindsey, Buckley and Susie's father Jack as the parents try to protect young Buckley from understanding the loss of Susie. Scars would be the mental and emotional scars that run deep and must be endured. Bottles would refer to both the alchohol consumed by the parents as they try to drown their sorrows as well as the botttled ships that Jack and Susie built in her childhood. Furthermore, the Salmon family has a dog named Holiday which joins Salmon in heaven near the end of the book.
So surprisingly, I found many relevant connections that I could make to the song.
Link to song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEjB1zebCko
Rest in Peace, Susie Salmon:
"I wish you all a long and happy life" (page 328).
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