Oh, man! T.S. Eliot, to what planet is your mind on? I have discovered that the High Modernism is way out there!
I read ‘The Hollow Men’ before I read ‘The Waste Land’, and I am truly glad I did! If I would have read it last, I would not have been able analyze it as my brain could not function after ‘The Waste Land’. At least with ‘The Hollow Men’, I could get a small semblance of what Eliot was talking about in this poem, whereas with ‘The Waste Land’ I was only able to add on to my vocabulary.
The whole poem ‘The Hollow Men’ centers around the title itself. A hollow man is like a puppet or a robot that does what it is told to do and only when is it is told. They do not think for themselves; they do not have a mind of their own, they see what they are told to see. They are forgettable.
However, Eliot cautions not to forget the hollow men, as they are just as human as the rest of humanity. They may be controlled by the puppeteer, but they are not ‘nothing’; they are someone. Though their ’dried voices, when we whisper together, Are quiet and meaningless as wind in dry grass’, they do have a voice. They are not just ‘lost violent souls’, but hollow men that are controlled by their puppet masters. As we all are at some point in our life. Does that make us forgettable and hollow? No, it does not, for everyone is someone.
Eliot goes on to discuss how even hollow men will have to face the ‘cactus land’ of thorns and barrenness to get to the ‘twilight kingdom’. They too will face death. And in death, they too will face their judgment accordingly.
I thought it was interesting that Eliot referred to the Lords Prayer right after he quoted a revised children’s song. However, with that being said, to use the term ‘prickly pear’ instead of ‘mulberry berry bush’ is indicative to the meaning that everyone will have a long, thorny journey to reach their goal of their own sweetness. This being heaven for some, and for others, it my be something totally different and even tangible in some cases.
Not every person fits into the same mold. Just because they may seem different, like Eliot himself ( on offense), or even indifferent, does not mean that they are ‘hollow men‘, and that they have no meaning. No one should be forgettable.
“ This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper”. Seems to me that T.S. Eliot needs to take his own advise. Whimpers are forgettable, bangs are heard around the world and never forgotten.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
English Clud Reading 3/10/10
First off, let me just say that for those of you who did not go to this reading, you missed two terrific readers! They were both fantastic! Amanda did a great job conducting also! Kudos to all who participated!
I had only been to one other reading before this, and because I enjoyed it so immensely, I was looking forward to attending this one as well. It did not disappoint let me tell you!
It began with Amanda introducing Zack, as he was the first reader of the night. The introduction was hilarious! We learned in a very amusing way that Zach is a student here at CWI, he is from Horseshoe Bend, adopted, smokes Marlboro Reds and if you ever see him in a bar, you are to buy him his favorite drink, which is a martini WITH salt.
I should have guessed with the introduction, that this was not going to be a reading that will have a person yawning. It was funny from beginning to end.
Zach starts out by plugging the Beard Club competition and acting as if he owns the prize. Then he informs us that one of the stories he will be reading is going to be an essay that he wrote entitled “My Little Friend.”
OK, this sounds innocent enough, right. Wrong! It is a good thing that we were all adults, not faint hearted, and that there was a bathroom close by just in case someone was in need of one in fear of peeing their pants from laughing!
As it turns out, Zach’s “Little Friend” was an imaginary tapeworm named Ally, which he had longed for since the fifth grade. He goes into great detail about how he would love his tapeworm, how he would take care of it, where he would harbor his “Little Friend”. I will not go into as much detail on his answers as he had, as I am fairly certain that we need to keep this at least at a PG13. Let’s just say that he was very descriptive and personal, not to mention funny as hell!
In the end, Zach never did get to have his tapeworm, though he still dreams of ‘her’. However, in or about 2003, he was blessed with a different sort of parasite; KING size parasites! (I will let you use your imagination to figure this one out!).
His second story that he read was entitled, “She Settled on a Sundress”. Though this story was not on a personal basis, it was however just as adult themed, descriptive and compelling. There did seem to have been a reoccurring theme to both these stories though. They both involved crustaceans! Was this done on purpose? I have no idea, but it worked!
Zach did a wonderful job with writing and reading these stories! He definitely knows how to get the reader, or listener in this case, into his stories. He also has tremendous guts to share the things he did! Though, maybe just a little too much information! But I have to admit, it was hilarious!
Just a side note: the second reader to which I will not name names due to the fact that he thinks it would be weird and his ego couldn‘t take it ( as he has said this himself), did just as an amazing job as Zach! Way to go!
The next time there is an English Club reading, I encourage everyone to go. You will not be disappointed!
I had only been to one other reading before this, and because I enjoyed it so immensely, I was looking forward to attending this one as well. It did not disappoint let me tell you!
It began with Amanda introducing Zack, as he was the first reader of the night. The introduction was hilarious! We learned in a very amusing way that Zach is a student here at CWI, he is from Horseshoe Bend, adopted, smokes Marlboro Reds and if you ever see him in a bar, you are to buy him his favorite drink, which is a martini WITH salt.
I should have guessed with the introduction, that this was not going to be a reading that will have a person yawning. It was funny from beginning to end.
Zach starts out by plugging the Beard Club competition and acting as if he owns the prize. Then he informs us that one of the stories he will be reading is going to be an essay that he wrote entitled “My Little Friend.”
OK, this sounds innocent enough, right. Wrong! It is a good thing that we were all adults, not faint hearted, and that there was a bathroom close by just in case someone was in need of one in fear of peeing their pants from laughing!
As it turns out, Zach’s “Little Friend” was an imaginary tapeworm named Ally, which he had longed for since the fifth grade. He goes into great detail about how he would love his tapeworm, how he would take care of it, where he would harbor his “Little Friend”. I will not go into as much detail on his answers as he had, as I am fairly certain that we need to keep this at least at a PG13. Let’s just say that he was very descriptive and personal, not to mention funny as hell!
In the end, Zach never did get to have his tapeworm, though he still dreams of ‘her’. However, in or about 2003, he was blessed with a different sort of parasite; KING size parasites! (I will let you use your imagination to figure this one out!).
His second story that he read was entitled, “She Settled on a Sundress”. Though this story was not on a personal basis, it was however just as adult themed, descriptive and compelling. There did seem to have been a reoccurring theme to both these stories though. They both involved crustaceans! Was this done on purpose? I have no idea, but it worked!
Zach did a wonderful job with writing and reading these stories! He definitely knows how to get the reader, or listener in this case, into his stories. He also has tremendous guts to share the things he did! Though, maybe just a little too much information! But I have to admit, it was hilarious!
Just a side note: the second reader to which I will not name names due to the fact that he thinks it would be weird and his ego couldn‘t take it ( as he has said this himself), did just as an amazing job as Zach! Way to go!
The next time there is an English Club reading, I encourage everyone to go. You will not be disappointed!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Mina Loy "Feminist Manifesto" pg 1502
Upon my reading of Mina Loy’s ‘Feminist Manifesto’, I was struck with a sense of bitterness from her. One of my first impressions was that she was either a women scorned from a cheating, and demanding husband, or she was a mistress herself and her lover would not leave his wife for her. Another impression was that she sounded, at times, to be gay or bisexual. (DISCLAIMER: To each his/her own, I don’t give a hoot!)
Though I don’t think this last observation is completely true simply because she states, “The only point at which the interests of the sexes merge--is the sexual embrace.” Basically, to me, she was saying that men pretty much are only good for sex toys.
With that being said, Loy talks a lot about the sexual freedoms that women of the time did not have but felt should be granted. Sex is sex, there should be no restrictions. What’s good for the man should be good for the woman, “…there is nothing impure in sex-- except in the mental attitude to it--” So, my jury is still out on whether she may or may not have been gay or bisexual. (Please see DICLAIMER above).
I do believe completely however, that Loy was a definite feminist radical! To even suggest “surgical destruction of virginity…at puberty” is way beyond radicalism! To do this, does not mean that a girl loses her virginity; this only suggests that a young girl loses a sense of herself. By under going surgery, this is saying she is not good enough to fit into the man’s world as she is; a world, at that time, she was being kept out of. This would only bring her down even further.
Loy herself say’s that “…the value of woman depends entirely on chance, her success or insuccess in manoeuvering a man into taking the life-long responsibility of her--”. To have the ‘veil of virginity’ (to put it delicately) taken by surgery, in this time period, would be a sure fire way to condemn a girl to a lifetime of struggle. For no man would take her as a wife, in turn leaving her to struggle even harder to survive, and quite possibly making her turn to prostitution.
Then again, this seemed to be Loy’s wish; to make the women completely free of anything doing with a man. Including giving up love and virtue. In her eyes, a woman should love only herself and do as she pleases. If this meant turning to prostitution, then so be it.
These sentiments was hard to get past to see what she was saying. Yes, I do believe a that a woman should not have to depend on a man financially if she so chooses. I also believe that a woman should have a child because it is a MUTUAL agreement between partners, or if she is single, between herself and the sperm bank,(whether it is an institutional sperm bank or a ‘friend with benefits’).
I do not believe however, that a woman should be more responsible for the child than the man. Nor do I believe that a woman should only think of herself and be deceitful in doing the things she chooses to do. No one, man nor women, should destroy themselves or others for personal satisfaction . It takes away the very respect that a person should be trying to gain.
I think that for her time period, during the oppression of women, Loy’s thoughts were too radical to be said out loud. Maybe this is why this letter did not get published until after her death. Then again, it is too radical for the present time as well.
Mina Loy would have enjoyed living in our time period. A period where women go to school, hold jobs and put their kids in daycare. She would also enjoy the fact that prostitution is legal in some states, gays and lesbians have ‘come out of the closet’ (please see DISCLAIMER above), and there are ‘adult’ stores for all the ‘toys’ she would want, hence, leaving the man out of the equation all together.
To each his own. I personally think Loy was too much of a weird radical feminist. I am sure that there are some that would cherish and agree with everything she said in this letter. I, for one, do not. Chivalry in a man is refreshing, an occasional complement is nice and a bouquet of flowers are beautiful. This does not make me submissive. It makes me a woman. Being a woman, IS being a feminist.
Though I don’t think this last observation is completely true simply because she states, “The only point at which the interests of the sexes merge--is the sexual embrace.” Basically, to me, she was saying that men pretty much are only good for sex toys.
With that being said, Loy talks a lot about the sexual freedoms that women of the time did not have but felt should be granted. Sex is sex, there should be no restrictions. What’s good for the man should be good for the woman, “…there is nothing impure in sex-- except in the mental attitude to it--” So, my jury is still out on whether she may or may not have been gay or bisexual. (Please see DICLAIMER above).
I do believe completely however, that Loy was a definite feminist radical! To even suggest “surgical destruction of virginity…at puberty” is way beyond radicalism! To do this, does not mean that a girl loses her virginity; this only suggests that a young girl loses a sense of herself. By under going surgery, this is saying she is not good enough to fit into the man’s world as she is; a world, at that time, she was being kept out of. This would only bring her down even further.
Loy herself say’s that “…the value of woman depends entirely on chance, her success or insuccess in manoeuvering a man into taking the life-long responsibility of her--”. To have the ‘veil of virginity’ (to put it delicately) taken by surgery, in this time period, would be a sure fire way to condemn a girl to a lifetime of struggle. For no man would take her as a wife, in turn leaving her to struggle even harder to survive, and quite possibly making her turn to prostitution.
Then again, this seemed to be Loy’s wish; to make the women completely free of anything doing with a man. Including giving up love and virtue. In her eyes, a woman should love only herself and do as she pleases. If this meant turning to prostitution, then so be it.
These sentiments was hard to get past to see what she was saying. Yes, I do believe a that a woman should not have to depend on a man financially if she so chooses. I also believe that a woman should have a child because it is a MUTUAL agreement between partners, or if she is single, between herself and the sperm bank,(whether it is an institutional sperm bank or a ‘friend with benefits’).
I do not believe however, that a woman should be more responsible for the child than the man. Nor do I believe that a woman should only think of herself and be deceitful in doing the things she chooses to do. No one, man nor women, should destroy themselves or others for personal satisfaction . It takes away the very respect that a person should be trying to gain.
I think that for her time period, during the oppression of women, Loy’s thoughts were too radical to be said out loud. Maybe this is why this letter did not get published until after her death. Then again, it is too radical for the present time as well.
Mina Loy would have enjoyed living in our time period. A period where women go to school, hold jobs and put their kids in daycare. She would also enjoy the fact that prostitution is legal in some states, gays and lesbians have ‘come out of the closet’ (please see DISCLAIMER above), and there are ‘adult’ stores for all the ‘toys’ she would want, hence, leaving the man out of the equation all together.
To each his own. I personally think Loy was too much of a weird radical feminist. I am sure that there are some that would cherish and agree with everything she said in this letter. I, for one, do not. Chivalry in a man is refreshing, an occasional complement is nice and a bouquet of flowers are beautiful. This does not make me submissive. It makes me a woman. Being a woman, IS being a feminist.
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