At first glance, Utopia seems like a great place to live. Everything is “fair”- everyone learns the same things, practices agriculture, lives in the same houses, practices the same religion, follows in their families’ footsteps for their professions, trades goods and services with each other without the use of money, etc. Everyone is actively participating in an activity that will better them or their communities- idle time is not allowed. Everyone knows their role in their family and follows the traditions set by the founders of the land. There are minimal clothes and everyone wears the same thing; therefore, there is no prejudice or social status according to material items. Basically, everything in every city is “identical in language, customs, institutions, and laws.”
However, there is little to no representation of individuality in Utopia. This is so completely different than the type of society we live in today where people have different lifestyles and opinions, and for the most part, society accepts these differences. In Utopia, one cannot express themselves through their lifestyle. You can’t choose how you spend your time, what you wear, how you want to run your family, and where you want to travel. The idea of challenging authority is unacceptable and virtually nonexistent. With all this considered, one would be foolish to choose to live in a society like Utopia over the United States, which is founded on freedom and individual choice.
Another aspect of Utopia that really intrigued me was the different customs and feelings of their culture than we are used to as a society. For example, they did not value gold or silver. Because everyone works to provide for everyone and they essentially use a bartering system, these elements have no value for the Utopians. I think it’s interesting to consider how different countries have unique customs and traditions. What is ordinary to you, may seem unusual or rude to someone else. When the ambassadors from another country came to Utopia, they wore their finest gold, gems, and silk; however, according to More “they were decked out in all the articles which in Utopia are used to punish slaves, shame wrongdoers, or pacify infants.”
This concept made me interested in the customs and traditions of other countries today that are different than the United States. Here’s a couple that I found particularly interesting: Enjoy!
- Americans prefer showers, the English prefer baths
- In Australia, the light switch is turned down to turn the light on; in America, we turn it up
- In Thailand, it is considered rude to walk into someone’s house with shoes on
- In America, we get our own plate of food; in Asia people normally share; in Europe, sharing food is considered unsanitary.
- In Asia for Valentine’s Day the women give the men presents/chocolate
- In Africa, a bride wears a veil made of hair
- In Beligum, Saint Nicholas is celebrated on December 6th and this is considered a different holiday than Christmas.
If anyone know if any interesting customs or traditions of other countries I encourage you to comment and share them too!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Contradicting opinions on the kingly power
After reading Crisis of Authority for this week, it is evident how much the civil war in England affected it's society. I was surprised by the strong opinions of the authors of this time. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the political writings by Filmer, Milton, and Winstanley. Each of these authors had a different point of view on the king, his kingly powers, and the use of government in general. In my opinion, they all had strong arguments and made solid points.
Filmer believed in royal absolutism and referred to the bible to support his argument. He believes God appointed kings' authority and that kings should rule over their people as they are their children, just like everyone in the human race, in general, is a child of God. He says that both the kings and people should know and accept their role in this relationship. He refers to Adam and Eve saying "the desire of liberty was first cause of the fall of Adam" meaning because Adam didn't just accept what God told him and his rules about what he was and was not to eat in the garden of Eden, he ruined the life of happiness and pleasure that God had in store for him. In the same way, Filmer is telling the people to trust the king's authority and good intention, and telling the king he should act with fatherly caution when it comes to his people.
Milton takes a completely opposite view saying that there would be no authority/ government leaders if it weren't for the people. The people allow themselves to be governed by these rulers- it is their choice and their decision. This contradicts Filmer because he believes the absolute authority is the king, while Milton is saying that in actuality, it is the people. Milton says that since the beginning of government, authority was put in place in order to maintain order in the country for everyone's benefit. Authority never had the purpose of granting someone (a king) power to benefit themselves more so than the general population because it was the people that appointed their leader in the first place. If a king is not using his power for the good of the people, the people have the power to overthrow him.
Winstanley is less concerned about who is the absolute power and more concerned with the distribution of wealth. This mainly concerns the distribution of land to commoners versus royals. He challenges the private ownership of common land by the royals saying that anyone has a right to this land and it should be divided up equally among all. He brings up the point that they all worked together to overthrow the king, and the Parliament would not have been able to conquer him if it were not for the help of the commoners and therefore everyone should reap the benefits of the king's defeat.
Filmer believed in royal absolutism and referred to the bible to support his argument. He believes God appointed kings' authority and that kings should rule over their people as they are their children, just like everyone in the human race, in general, is a child of God. He says that both the kings and people should know and accept their role in this relationship. He refers to Adam and Eve saying "the desire of liberty was first cause of the fall of Adam" meaning because Adam didn't just accept what God told him and his rules about what he was and was not to eat in the garden of Eden, he ruined the life of happiness and pleasure that God had in store for him. In the same way, Filmer is telling the people to trust the king's authority and good intention, and telling the king he should act with fatherly caution when it comes to his people.
Milton takes a completely opposite view saying that there would be no authority/ government leaders if it weren't for the people. The people allow themselves to be governed by these rulers- it is their choice and their decision. This contradicts Filmer because he believes the absolute authority is the king, while Milton is saying that in actuality, it is the people. Milton says that since the beginning of government, authority was put in place in order to maintain order in the country for everyone's benefit. Authority never had the purpose of granting someone (a king) power to benefit themselves more so than the general population because it was the people that appointed their leader in the first place. If a king is not using his power for the good of the people, the people have the power to overthrow him.
Winstanley is less concerned about who is the absolute power and more concerned with the distribution of wealth. This mainly concerns the distribution of land to commoners versus royals. He challenges the private ownership of common land by the royals saying that anyone has a right to this land and it should be divided up equally among all. He brings up the point that they all worked together to overthrow the king, and the Parliament would not have been able to conquer him if it were not for the help of the commoners and therefore everyone should reap the benefits of the king's defeat.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Wild Card- Letter
Dear Sam,
Just wanted to pop in and say hello, give you an update on my life, and see how the move went. I hope you and Alex are settled in, enjoying the new apartment and all DC has to offer!
My life is very chaotic with graduation approaching. (Too quickly!) I'm finishing up a couple classes, participating in my last dance company show, and trying to work two jobs all at once. I'm also seeing a new guy, which is exciting!
The biggest stressor though is the upcoming Job Fair and applying for teaching positions. There are two job fairs next week in which districts from the surrounding states come to UD and set up interviews with teacher candidates. I've been applying to a bunch of school districts and am open to relocating, but I am still worried because there are not many job openings. I may end up back home with mom and dad after all. (Nooooooo!)
Anyway, I miss you and hope your new job is going well. Talk to you soon!
Jennie
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Audience for Elegy 19??
After watching the video preview of the week's work I tried to keep audience in mind while doing the readings. I think it is pretty clear that in "Ode to Virginian Voyage" that the audience would be the soldiers and sailors who are setting out as discoverers for their country. The author is writing this because he has confidence in these peoples' abilities, he "knows" what a wonderful discovery Virginia will be, and he wants to keep these soldiers and sailors positive and optimistic. For me, this was pretty easy to see when reading the text.
However, I'm not so sure of the audience that Donne is trying to target with Elegy 19. In my opinion the poem is pretty racy. I see how he is comparing discovering the newfoundland of America to discovering a woman's body through sex. But why is this comparison being made? And for what purpose? Am I missing the bigger picture? Help!
However, I'm not so sure of the audience that Donne is trying to target with Elegy 19. In my opinion the poem is pretty racy. I see how he is comparing discovering the newfoundland of America to discovering a woman's body through sex. But why is this comparison being made? And for what purpose? Am I missing the bigger picture? Help!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Morning Greeting
I really enjoyed Donne's "The Good Morrow" which you can see in the translation on the side, means "Morning Greeting." I probably liked this poem so much because it is about two lovers and how strong their love for each other is. When reading this poem for the first time, I got a romantic, almost whimsical feeling from it. In the first couple lines the narrator says " I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I did, till we loved?" The narrator is saying his and his lover's lives are so wrapped up in each other and so intertwined that he cannot even remember what it was like before they had each other. He may also be saying that his life begin when he met this lover; that is how much she means to him or has changed him.
The line "and makes one little room an everywhere" also seemed important to me because I pictured a couple in bed together, not wanting to leave this little room because their world's revolved only around each other and their feelings. Nothing else mattered to this couple- not food, shelter, money- all they needed was their love to keep them happy and satisfied.
The last two lines sum up the poem and summarize the main idea that Donne was trying to convey through his work. He's saying that as long as these people have their love or got to experience this type of unconditional connection for someone else in their life that physical death isn't scary, and that they are content and fulfilled. I also feel like he is saying that death doesn't really exist because this love deep in their souls can never die and will live on forever.
Trying to analyze the punctuation a little closer, commas, semi colons, and colons are used frequently and I feel like they are used appropriately. Because the poem seems romantic and whimsical it needs to flow, not abruptly stop and go with ending punctuation. I think the punctuation goes with the feeling of being giddy about your feelings for someone and being wrapped up in someone else.
The line "and makes one little room an everywhere" also seemed important to me because I pictured a couple in bed together, not wanting to leave this little room because their world's revolved only around each other and their feelings. Nothing else mattered to this couple- not food, shelter, money- all they needed was their love to keep them happy and satisfied.
The last two lines sum up the poem and summarize the main idea that Donne was trying to convey through his work. He's saying that as long as these people have their love or got to experience this type of unconditional connection for someone else in their life that physical death isn't scary, and that they are content and fulfilled. I also feel like he is saying that death doesn't really exist because this love deep in their souls can never die and will live on forever.
Trying to analyze the punctuation a little closer, commas, semi colons, and colons are used frequently and I feel like they are used appropriately. Because the poem seems romantic and whimsical it needs to flow, not abruptly stop and go with ending punctuation. I think the punctuation goes with the feeling of being giddy about your feelings for someone and being wrapped up in someone else.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Sonnet 138 relation to John Mayer Song
Being the huge John Mayer fan that I am, I quickly related Shakespeare's Sonnet 138 to one of his songs off of his album, Continuum. The song "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" is about a relationship that is going no where, but for whatever reason (may it be love for the other person, comfort in knowing another so well, comfort in consistency, afraid of change/moving on etc.) can't seem to let go of it.
Mayer writes
" Can't seem to hold you like I want to
So I can feel you in my arms.
Nobody's gonna come and save you,
We pulled too many false alarms.
We're going down,
And you can see it too.
We're going down,
And you know that we're doomed.
My dear,
We're slow dancing in a burning room."
I related the entire sonnet to this song but I feel like these lyrics relate well to the first 2 lines of 138 "When my love swears she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies" and the last 2 lines "Therefore I lie with her and she with me, And in our faults by lies we flatter be."
In both cases, it seems that the person in question is aware of the downfalls of their relationship. Mayer says they have "pulled too many false alarms" to suggest they have been through too much together and the relationship is unable to be fixed to the where it once was. He goes on to say they are doomed, meaning the relationship won't last, won't be fixed, isn't right, etc. but they are still "slow dancing in a burning room". I take this to mean that they are holding on regardless of the chaos that surrounds them. This couple chooses to ignore it in hopes that their love, obsession, comfort...whatever it may be... will somehow be fixed or rekindled to where it once was. In Sonnet 138, I get this same vibe. The writer knows that his lover is lying to him but chooses to ignore this fact. The reason for this is unclear but it may be because it is easier to stay in a comfortable situation or not discuss problems or bring up uncomfortable topics. The writer may also not want to admit fully that there is a problem or the relationship isn't right. Therefore, in the sonnet the writer lies with his lover and gives the impression that they will both keep lying to each other by saying nothing and continuing on with this unhealthy relationship. In this way, I interpreted one of my favorite John Mayer songs and Shakespeare's sonnet to have similar underlying meanings, which made me enjoy his work way more!!
Mayer writes
" Can't seem to hold you like I want to
So I can feel you in my arms.
Nobody's gonna come and save you,
We pulled too many false alarms.
We're going down,
And you can see it too.
We're going down,
And you know that we're doomed.
My dear,
We're slow dancing in a burning room."
I related the entire sonnet to this song but I feel like these lyrics relate well to the first 2 lines of 138 "When my love swears she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies" and the last 2 lines "Therefore I lie with her and she with me, And in our faults by lies we flatter be."
In both cases, it seems that the person in question is aware of the downfalls of their relationship. Mayer says they have "pulled too many false alarms" to suggest they have been through too much together and the relationship is unable to be fixed to the where it once was. He goes on to say they are doomed, meaning the relationship won't last, won't be fixed, isn't right, etc. but they are still "slow dancing in a burning room". I take this to mean that they are holding on regardless of the chaos that surrounds them. This couple chooses to ignore it in hopes that their love, obsession, comfort...whatever it may be... will somehow be fixed or rekindled to where it once was. In Sonnet 138, I get this same vibe. The writer knows that his lover is lying to him but chooses to ignore this fact. The reason for this is unclear but it may be because it is easier to stay in a comfortable situation or not discuss problems or bring up uncomfortable topics. The writer may also not want to admit fully that there is a problem or the relationship isn't right. Therefore, in the sonnet the writer lies with his lover and gives the impression that they will both keep lying to each other by saying nothing and continuing on with this unhealthy relationship. In this way, I interpreted one of my favorite John Mayer songs and Shakespeare's sonnet to have similar underlying meanings, which made me enjoy his work way more!!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Donna Summer Four Seasons of Love Concept Album
Donna Summer released her fourth album, Four Seasons of Love, in 1976. This concept album related the four seasons to stages/ phases of love. The lyrics for each season match the mood/tone of the characters' feelings in terms of her lover at the time. In "Winter Melody", the lyrics describe the main character as depressed and lonely, wishing her lover did not leave her. She describes herself as all alone and empty. Her mood is evident through the lyrics-
"Emptiness and just a memory. Love is gone with nothing left for me."
This fits with winter being a dark, gloomy season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUlaj3b5Whc
Then Donna Summer moves into spring with "Spring Affair". This song has more of an upbeat tone. The author seems to be giddy with anticipation of what this new love affair might bring or might turn into. It seems like she is stuck on this new guy and hopeful that it will turn into something serious when she says,
"Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
and I'm hung on you
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
and we've got something new, me and you, oh baby
Ooh, guess I'm falling much too fast
Ooh, I hope this love is gonna last, I've fallen
Ooh, the feeling's getting really strong
Ooh, gives me strength to carry on, I've fallen, I've fallen
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN7hRmyC_cI&feature=fvst
"Summer Fever" describes the love affair that started in the spring now in full force. The author's tone moves from being optimistic and hopeful of a relationship with this person to actually being in the relationship. She lets herself go and is absorbed, physically and mentally, with the other person. This song's tone is sexy, which fits with the carefree, relaxed atmosphere of summer. The author is enjoying herself, is happy, and in love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV4HIv6O6Tc
Next the album moves into the song "Autumn Changes." In this song, the author can see her relationship isn't how it was during the summer and something has changed and isn't right. She is questioning her relationship, but it seems like she almost wants to deny her feelings or pretend like nothing is wrong because she is probably trying to rekindle the intense, passionate feelings her and her lover had during the summertime. She states, "This love of ours is gradually fading, something's wrong or someone's faking." It seems he is letting her down and she's almost begging him to keep trying and working at their relationship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxKPp96hqM
This album relates ridiculously well to the lyrical sequences we have read this week. The whole album is in the first person. It is from the perspective of the main character and only discusses her inner feelings, not anything actually concrete about the situation. It is all one sided; we never read what her partner is thinking or feeling.
"Emptiness and just a memory. Love is gone with nothing left for me."
This fits with winter being a dark, gloomy season
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUlaj3b5Whc
Then Donna Summer moves into spring with "Spring Affair". This song has more of an upbeat tone. The author seems to be giddy with anticipation of what this new love affair might bring or might turn into. It seems like she is stuck on this new guy and hopeful that it will turn into something serious when she says,
"Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
and I'm hung on you
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair
and we've got something new, me and you, oh baby
Ooh, guess I'm falling much too fast
Ooh, I hope this love is gonna last, I've fallen
Ooh, the feeling's getting really strong
Ooh, gives me strength to carry on, I've fallen, I've fallen
Spring affair, spring affair, spring affair."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN7hRmyC_cI&feature=fvst
"Summer Fever" describes the love affair that started in the spring now in full force. The author's tone moves from being optimistic and hopeful of a relationship with this person to actually being in the relationship. She lets herself go and is absorbed, physically and mentally, with the other person. This song's tone is sexy, which fits with the carefree, relaxed atmosphere of summer. The author is enjoying herself, is happy, and in love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV4HIv6O6Tc
Next the album moves into the song "Autumn Changes." In this song, the author can see her relationship isn't how it was during the summer and something has changed and isn't right. She is questioning her relationship, but it seems like she almost wants to deny her feelings or pretend like nothing is wrong because she is probably trying to rekindle the intense, passionate feelings her and her lover had during the summertime. She states, "This love of ours is gradually fading, something's wrong or someone's faking." It seems he is letting her down and she's almost begging him to keep trying and working at their relationship.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxKPp96hqM
This album relates ridiculously well to the lyrical sequences we have read this week. The whole album is in the first person. It is from the perspective of the main character and only discusses her inner feelings, not anything actually concrete about the situation. It is all one sided; we never read what her partner is thinking or feeling.
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