1. Blog Post 2 The Shepherd Williem Blake
2. Blog post 5 A Midsummer Night's Dream New Historicism, Cultural Studies
3. Blog Post 6 “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Play vs. Film
4. Re- Psychoanalytic "The Metamorphosis"
This semester I learned how to analyse a text and look for the profound meaning. I learned the close read, so I can understand the text as same as others and find the strategic points of the text and analyse them with a proper theory. I also learned what is remix and mashup and why they are in our lives.
I choose Blog Post 2 The Shepherd Williem Blake because it is the my first try to analyse a text. The essay maybe is not good to explain the specialty of the poem, but I think I described my understanding about the poem.
The second choise Blog post 5 A Midsummer Night's Dream New Historicism, Cultural Studies, it is the first try to use the quotation to support my opinion. It is hard to find an same idea or a close analysis to support when the title or focus text are unusual. But in the title, I find the close analysis, and it was great to support my opinion, but regrettably, the form of the quote was not good and it disturb to read.
I choose Blog Post 6 “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Play vs. Film because I learned the most important point in this semester. Before I finish an essay, I should make sure reader can be understood the sentences and the opinion of you write. It should be populer words and esay and clearly sentence. So I check every sentences and try to fix them after I post it.
I choose Re- Psychoanalytic "The Metamorphosis" because the analyse was unclearly before I rewrite it. I rewrite all the essay and delete some useless part and look for some new quotation to support my work.
Throughout this semester none of my essays were completely perfect each one had flaws and need improvement, but I think the final project show the all the things I have learned in the class. I believe it is my best work in the term.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
New
Historicism, Cultural Studies
How
are events’ interpretation and presentation a product of the culture of the
author?
Event:
families’ feud
I’m
focusing on the reason of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the families’ feud. In
the original play and the film, it does not mention what the feud is about, or
how it started. It is thought that the feud has been going on for such a long
time that even the families don't remember what it was about. At the end, the
families are reconciled by Romeo and Juliet’s deaths
and agree to end their violent feud. For the hostile family reason, the families
lost their children. Usually, they would be angry and more hostile to each
other, but they are reconciled. We can think that the feud is not very
important, or they don’t have the reason to keep the feud. In fact, the feud is
not because the conflict of interest, also it cannot bring any advantages to
them, too. We can suppose the families
want to end the feud, but they don’t have the opportunity to reconcile to each
other. When they are reconciled, they already paid a heavy price.
Why do they keep the feud when they both want to end it?
We can find a clue in the play. “Juliet's cousin Tybalt incensed that Romeo had
sneaked into the Capulet ball, challenges him to a duel. Romeo, now considering
Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight. Mercutio is
offended by Tybalt's insolence, as well as Romeo's "vile submission,"
and accepts the duel on Romeo's behalf. Mercutio is fatally wounded when Romeo
attempts to break up the fight. Grief-stricken and wracked with guilt, Romeo
confronts and slays Tybalt.” (Romeo and Juliet) We
suppose Mercutio refuses to fight too. What will they gain? I think they will
not gain anything without shame and insult, and they will lose their honour and
dignity. I quote a part of the original play,
“CAPULET
He bears him like a
portly gentleman;
And, to say truth,
Verona brags of him
To be a virtuous and
well-govern'd youth:
I would not for the
wealth of all the town
Here in my house do him
disparagement:
Therefore be patient,
take no note of him:
It is my will, the
which if thou respect,
Show a fair presence
and put off these frowns,
And ill-beseeming
semblance for a feast.”
Romeo refuses the duel, and he knows it will harm his family’s
honour. It is a nice try to solve hatreds between the two families. At the end
of the story, he chooses death with Juliet but not revenge to Capulet (Juliet’s
family). It is impulsive, but it is sane too. It is the best way to end their families’
feud (he thinks Juliet already died). He is a brave man. Someone needs to pay
price if he want to end the feud. It is not Romeo’s fate, but Romeo chooses it.
In the unlimited feud between Montague and Capulet, he is brave to try the
first step of end it. The feud will result
in the hatred, and the hatred will result in the tragedy. Only
the brave man can endure the hatred and end the feud, and it prevents more
tragedies.
Works Cited
“Romeo +Juliet” Wikipadia, The free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. June 25 2012. Web. June 26 2012.
“Romeo and Juliet” Wikipadia, The free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. June 21 2012. Web. June 26 2012.
“Romeo and Juliet”
Shmoop, We Speak Student. Shmoop University, Inc. Web. June 26 2012.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Re- Psychoanalytic "The Metamorphosis"
The story The
Metamorphosis was
written by Franz Kafka in 1912, first published in 1915. (“The Metamorphosis Background”) The hero, Gregor, transforms into an insect. The
story describes his life and the relationships between him and his family after
he transformed. From the story, we can see that the money is an important element
of the human relationships, and in the author’s opinion, people usually abandon
the affection if it conflict with their money.
In the
story, the relationships have been changed two times. The first time is when Gregor
lost his job, and the second time is after his family members can earn money by
themselves. At beginning of the story, Gregor is the most important person in
the family because he is the only one who earned money in the family. After he transformed,
he became their liabilities. “Grete tells her parents that they must get rid of
Gregor or they will all be ruined. Her father agrees, wishing Gregor could
understand them and would leave of his own accord.”(“The Metamorphosis”) They leave Gregor alone and look
for new life only because they can earn a lot of money from that. We can’t find
affection between Gregor and other people in his family. “Upon discovering that
Gregor is dead, the family feels a great sense of relief.”(“The Metamorphosis”) They did not feel sad or regret anything
when Gregor die.
Gregor also represents
the author, Franz Kafka himself. We can find many elements from the story, and
they are same as author in the real world. He did not have the concern from his
family. His father was always strict with him. “His father, Hermann Kafka,
was described as a ‘huge, selfish, overbearing businessman’.” And when Kafka changed
his job, he did not get encouragement from his father because his father was
not pleased. “His father often referred to his son's job as insurance officer
as a "Brotberuf", literally "bread job", a job done only to
pay the bills. “(“Franz Kafka”)
Kafka feels loneliness.
He feels like Gregor transformed to an insect. He feels like his family did not
treat him like a human. His parents were too busy worrying about money.
When I read The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s father agreed
to abandon his son because it can save the family money. The father thinks his
life was more important than his son. What will be happen if Gregor still can
earn money, even if he transforms into an insect? Do they still leave him alone?
The metamorphosis is not the reason why Gregor lost his family’s affection. It
is better to understand like conversely, everyone transforms into an insect
without Gregor. They transformed when they pay most attention to the
money, so they lost their human heart. That is the reason why Gregor feel he transformed.
That is what Kafka wants to express.
Work Cited
“The Metamorphosis Background” GradeSaver LLC. Not affiliated
with Harvard College. Web. June 20 2012.
“The Metamorphosis” Wikipadia, The free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. June 20 2012. Web. June 20 2012.
“Franz Kafka” Wikipadia, The free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc.. June 18 2012. Web. June 20 2012.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Blog Post 6 “A Midsummer Night's Dream” Play vs. Film
“A
Midsummer Night's Dream” Play vs. Film
Law
and Interpersonal
Relationship
A midsummer Night’s Dream is a play by William
Shakespeare. We believed the play to have been written between 1590 and 1596.
The play of the film “ShakespeaRe-Told: A Midsummer Night's Dream” was written
by Peter Bowker. The story of the film was similar to the original play but in
the modern time. There are a lot of differences between the play and the film
because the eras are different when the stories were happening.
In the original play, we can find this:
“Be
it so she; will not here before your grace
Consent
to marry with Demetrius,
I
beg the ancient privilege of Athens,
As
she is mine, I may dispose of her:
Which
shall be either to this gentleman
Or
to her death, according to our law
Immediately
provided in that case.” (William)
The young men and women
had to run away from the city if they wanted to marry with who they loved. We cannot
think about someone must die if she does not want to marry with who her parents
choose, and we also cannot believe the absurd thing can be a law. In the film,
the daughter refused her father’s request and left with her boyfriend in the
party, but nobody stop them because they didn’t have the right. They can’t restrict
lover personal freedom because it is illegal.
In the film, the mother argues with the father, and the
King talks with the father, too. At the end, the father admits his mistake and
apologizes to the mother, so they can make a happy end. That is a good example
of modern interpersonal relationship. In the play, there is not a lot of description
of the family after the lovers left. The lovers did not try to change the
parents’ decision because the law gives the parents overmuch right. The thing
like a good friend goes to advise the parents will not be happened because it concerns
their honor. If somebody did that, maybe the father will duel with him. “Although
originally, the offended honor of a man could be restored only by the inherent
danger of the duel, this norm was gradually replaced by the likelihood that the
opponent would not attempt to kill him in return.”(Banks)
We also can find the events of duel from other Shakespeare’s plays. Duel was a culture
in Europe in the pass, and it was popular because it is legal. (Duel)
They are more likely to use violence but not talk to settle a dispute with somebody.
After we compare the two stories, we can see the progress
of laws. The laws protect personal freedom and safety. People can settle disputes
with others in peace. That is helpful to improve the interpersonal relationship
but not create conflicts and hatred.
.Work
Cited
Banks, Stephen Journal
of British Studies; Jul2008, Vol. 47 Issue 3, p528-558, 31p
Duel, Wikipedia The
Free Encyclopedia, 6.13.2012 web.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Blog post 5 A Midsummer Night's Dream New Historicism, Cultural Studies
A
Midsummer Night's Dream is a famous play by William Shakespeare.
It is comedy. The story is talking about two men Lysander, Demetrius, and two
women Hermia, Helena elope to a forest, and the spirit Puck makes trouble. An
event, elopement in the story is prominent. It is not accidental. Another
famous play Romeo and Juliet also had
similar event in it. That presents the current culture of the
author’s time.
In 16th
century, England, the arranged marriage was popular. There was no free love
between young men and women. It was more severe between the noblemen. Their
children usually were engaged when the children were 12 to 14 years old. The
noblemen did that to maintain their power and social status. “The
treatment of the crime of 'rapt', the marriage without parental approval,
illustrates how magistrates in the 16th and 17th centuries incorporated their
own opinions and values into the laws. Control over children's marriages was
important both to the families trying to improve their status and to the
political and religious authorities. The magistrates of the Paris Parlement,
representing the interests of the nobility of the robe, strengthened the
authority of the father by adding more severe provisions to the laws and by
consistently judging and sentencing in favor of the parents. Thus the robe
nobility gained control over marital alliances to benefit their prestige,
status, and power.” (Cummings) Of course, that was not happy for the noblemen’s
children, but most of them cannot change anything before they married. When the
children grew up, they maybe have to do same thing to their children too
because they were in the noble family. That was why the elopement is scandal in
the noble family, but elopement drama still was popular on the society.
On the
other hand, the play had a happy end, but it was not changed by human power but
by mythical blessing. We can know the author was not satisfied for his marriage
too. “The hamlet of Shottery was only a mile from the town of Stratford where
William Shakespeare lived with his family. Anne Hathaway would have often
visited the town and would have therefore had the opportunity to meet William
Shakespeare. At this time Anne would have been 26 and William 18. A
considerable age difference, with William Shakespeare still under the age of
consent (21). It is apparent that Anne Hathaway became pregnant prior to
marriage which would have no doubt caused a scandal for both of the families.
Not an auspicious start for a marriage or a perfect choice of a wife for the
son of an ambitious family. William Shakespeare's father John, in particular,
would not have been pleased at the detrimental effect that the gossip would
have had on his own social standing in Stratford. A hasty affair would have
been arranged.” (William) The author wanted some change of the marriage
culture, so he wrote the play to encourage other to do something.
Elopement
is an important event in the play. It is not a good choice of the young men and
women, but they have to choose it to look for happiness. We can know the social
culture from the play, and the play also expressed author’s opinion on the marriage.
Work Cited
Cummings, Mark Proceedings
of the Western Society for French History; Oct1976, Vol. 4, p118-125, 8p
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
"The Metamorphosis" by Peter Kuper is a comic book
of the original adaption. It almost expressed the story and talking of original
“The Metamorphosis”. It also had some change, or we can say it is Kuper’s
understanding of The Metamorphosis. For historical reasons, Kuper changed some
importance when he created the book, but it cannot hinder we read the work and made
comment it.
Kuper changed some details in his work. In the comic
book, the father is a fat, ugly and old man. When he draws the hero, author
gives him a good face. As the insect, the face looks like a human face. It has a
wealth of expression, and it is pitiful when people read. It is an important
point of comic. The comic usually need to prettify advantages and uglify
disadvantages. The author often uses overstated technique of expression to draw
the most important things. Kuper omitted many details like the father’s feeling
and the family status, and he highlight the things he wants to say.
In summary, Kuper’s book can save reader’s time and help
reader to know the story. It also changed some details and some original
meaning. If we just want to know the story, Kuper’s book is a good choice, but
if we want to consider the original meaning or know Kafka, it is better to read
the original book.
Work
Cited
Dale, Graham R., et al.
"Exploiting the e-Serialization of nano-fiction to enhance undergraduate
health and safety lectures: A back to the future perspective." Journal of
Chemical Health & Safety 19.3 (2012): 23+. Academic OneFile. Web. 30 May
2012.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Psychoanalytic
"The
Metamorphosis"
The fiction The Metamorphosis was the
author Franz Kafka wrote in 1912. The story talked about the hero Gregor wakes
up to find himself transformed into a giant insect, and his family’s emotions
from care changed to hate. At the end, he was lonely and going to death. The
fiction reflected the people’s emotions change after people’s economic and social
status has been changed. It also expressed the opinion that he wants his relatives
and his family to give him the concern.
Gregor
took care about his family. The thing has not been changed during
story. He was the pillar of the economy in the family because other family
members did not have jobs. At the beginning, His family members like his sister
was care him too, but after his sister had to work and earn money, he was the burden
of the family. His sister began to hate him and left him alone at the end of
the story. “Gregor's manifest physical separation may represent his alienation
and inarticulate yearnings. He had been a "vermin," crushed and
circumscribed by authority and routine. He had been imprisoned by social and
economic demands: "Just don't stay in bed being useless . . . . "”(Coulehan)
That was the defect of the society. He was useless because he cannot work, no
matter family love and society pity. He lost all of the survival value when he
lost the work skills.
The story
also expresses the opinion of the author. Gregor is the emblem of author Franz
Kafka. In 1912, Franz Kafka wrote The
Metamorphosis. He was not life by writing. His articles usually express his
dissatisfaction. “Gregor Samsa appears to be based upon Kafka himself. As when
Kafka suffered from insomnia he feared he was repulsive and a burden to his
family, during this time his sister was his caretaker.” (Wikipedia)
The story told us the things of author feared. In the story, Gregor lost the
human outside, and then he lost the human custom. At the end he lost human
heart and went to death. The author fear to lose his heart, and he fear others
hate. His father was a man of assets. His father required him sternly, so he
feared to get rejection from his father. The fiction expressed the feeling of
the author reject loneliness.
The fiction
suggests us that do not change the emotion when the people changed, and do not be
blind by money. We don’t being like Gregor’s family. We need to care about
others and help others, not transitorily but continuously do it. We also don’t
being like Gregor. We need to care our family, not only the support on money,
but same on the psychological communication. The author want people to know
after people got the concern, they need to give others concern, too. So that everyone
won’t be lonely.
Coulehan, Jack New York 01/03/94 First
published: 1915. Translated by Stanley Corngold.
Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, The
Metamorphosis, web, 17 May 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Blog Post 2 The Shepherd Williem Blake
EH 101
Hanyang Liu
5/16/2012
The Shepherd – New Historicism, Cultural Studies
Does the work’s presentation support or condemn the event (peace)?
The Shepherd is a poem from Songs of Innocence. The poem is very short and it only has 8 lines. It is talking about the Shepherd is the watch sheep.
The first print of the book Songs of Innocence is in 1789, and the poem The Shepherd was the first one in the book. The author William Blake is a British man. He was a student at the Royal Academy. That means he had a higher education because at that time, Royal Academy was one of the most famous institution of higher learning. In 1780, Blake was forced to join a riot. He is under an accusation, but at the end, he was acquitted. For the reason of the riot, Blake got the hostility from King George III. He had to leave the politics and the government and do the job about writing. Blake married with Catherine Boucher in 1782. After that, he had a few years of the peace life. During this time, Blake was teaching his wife the read and write, and he also wrote a lot of works. The experiences lay the foundation for create Songs of Innocence (Wikipedia).
The poem was praised the peace and charity. At the fourth line of the poem, the shepherd praises the sheep, and at last line, the sheep also thank for the shepherd protect them. The shepherd and sheep are the representation of peace and charity in the Bible (Bible). In 1783, British lost the American Revolutionary War, and thousands British privates died during the war. British signed the Treaty of Paris and lose their biggest colony. American people had their own country and freedom, but British sank in the poor and chaos. Blake hoped for a peace and happy society. It is an important reason to why he wrote this poem.
The poem’s presentation supports the peace because the poem praised the shepherd. The shepherd stand for strong and powerful ruler can protect the peace society.
Work Cited
Bible Meaning Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772). Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002. http://www.biblemeanings.info/ web.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, William Blake, 5-16-2012, web.
Monday, May 14, 2012
"The Shepherd" Willian Blake a New Historicism, Cultural Studies
The Shepherd.
How sweet is the Shepherds sweet lot,
From the morn to the evening he strays:
He shall follow his sheep all the day
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.
For he hears the lambs innocent call.
And he hears the ewes tender reply.
He is watchful while they are in peace.
For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.
The Shepherd Note
Once again, as in the 'Introduction', we have a bright idyllic pastoral vision, but with perhaps more obvious allusion to the figure of Christ the Shepherd. It is worth noting that, in the poem, the Shepherd may watch over his flock, such that they are at peace and full of trust, but it is he who follows them, and is full of praise for their innocence and trust: the sense is one of mutual trust and responsiveness, rather than docile obedience.
Once again, as in the 'Introduction', we have a bright idyllic pastoral vision, but with perhaps more obvious allusion to the figure of Christ the Shepherd. It is worth noting that, in the poem, the Shepherd may watch over his flock, such that they are at peace and full of trust, but it is he who follows them, and is full of praise for their innocence and trust: the sense is one of mutual trust and responsiveness, rather than docile obedience.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
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