The poem "To Myself" interested me because the tone I felt was kind of longing but apathetic...if that makes sense? Or maybe what I mean is longing and accepting of that...Whatever it is...the poem was really interesting to me.
Before I read the title I read the whole poem and I thought that it was a poem about being infatuated with someone else, but when I noticed the title the second time I read the poem, I thought it was really cool that it was actually the poet speaking to himself...or herself.
I think the whole concept of "finding out who you really are" is interesting and I used to be obsessed with finding out "who I really was." Then I saw this quote book at Barnes & Noble in the bargain price section and one of the quotes said, "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." This quote shifted my whole view of my life...it is funny how on little quote in a bargain priced book at Barnes & Noble did that.(:
Anyway, I got off topic...Sorry!
The poem does not rhyme but it uses a lot of repetition in sets of lines like "you" and "not." The poem has about the same number of words in each line so the poem keeps a rectangular shape. It is only one stanza, but there are 16 lines.
I thought the poem was accepting because in the end it says "you are not time and who speak in the words but you are not what they say you who are not lost when I do not find you." I had to read this a couple times over, but I basically think it says that when I don't know who I am, I am not lost because I am not someone that needs to be found...Actually! This goes hand in hand with my story! You are always trying to find yourself...but you really don't need to because in the process you become who you really are. You "create yourself."
I guess this poem's meaning is that you shouldn't spend time finding out who are if you are "lost" and you should just accept the mystery of life because life will never let you find yourself because it is always changing in time, and you will change because of that.
Did I just "tie this poem to a chair and beat it with a hose?"
Oh well...(:
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Kite Runner
This is the second time I read The Kite Runner and it really helped me focus on the author, Khaled Hosseini's, style.
I noticed how Hosseini took the time, and brilliantly, set up the whole book to make you understand the causes and motives for the plot. I ended up analyzing the characters psychologically, rather than just reading the book as a story.
For instance, Amir's love-hate relationship with his father. It seemed strange that Amir would do anything to please his father, but at the same time would despise him. When I first read this book, it took me a long time to like Amir because of what he did to Hassan; the second time I read this book I loathed his father and felt pity for Amir. Although what Amir did was not right, I felt his father was the backbone of his actions. It seemed that Hassan turned out to be the "perfect" boy because of Ali's unconditional love.
Anyway, I liked annotating this book for the Arabic words that I learned. This summer I worked at a Lebanese restaurant and the owners would speak in Arabic a lot of the time so it was cool that I was able to make a connection. I would also have to file papers from people that worked in the restaurant and I would see names like Nader or Rahim that were mentioned in the book. It made me feel like I understood the culture better.
My favorite part of the book was the end when Amir finally redeemed himself and flew a kite with Sohrab. Even though I felt so much sorrow for Sohrab, I'm so glad he had a chance to live freely, without being oppressed because of his race.
Reading this book again reminded me that I need to read Khaled Hosseini's other book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, because he is such an amazing author...Thanks!
I noticed how Hosseini took the time, and brilliantly, set up the whole book to make you understand the causes and motives for the plot. I ended up analyzing the characters psychologically, rather than just reading the book as a story.
For instance, Amir's love-hate relationship with his father. It seemed strange that Amir would do anything to please his father, but at the same time would despise him. When I first read this book, it took me a long time to like Amir because of what he did to Hassan; the second time I read this book I loathed his father and felt pity for Amir. Although what Amir did was not right, I felt his father was the backbone of his actions. It seemed that Hassan turned out to be the "perfect" boy because of Ali's unconditional love.
Anyway, I liked annotating this book for the Arabic words that I learned. This summer I worked at a Lebanese restaurant and the owners would speak in Arabic a lot of the time so it was cool that I was able to make a connection. I would also have to file papers from people that worked in the restaurant and I would see names like Nader or Rahim that were mentioned in the book. It made me feel like I understood the culture better.
My favorite part of the book was the end when Amir finally redeemed himself and flew a kite with Sohrab. Even though I felt so much sorrow for Sohrab, I'm so glad he had a chance to live freely, without being oppressed because of his race.
Reading this book again reminded me that I need to read Khaled Hosseini's other book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, because he is such an amazing author...Thanks!
Heart Of Darkness
I found that this book was the easiest to annotate, which is cool, because it was the hardest to read. The pages seemed like they would not end and the plot appeared to be so simple that reading the book was very dull.
It was strange, though, because once I reached Part III, the last part of the book, it intrigued me and caused me to finish the book and pay attention to the details. I realized that the story Marlow was telling was not told for entertainment, but for the end of the book, showing how Kurtz's darkness prevailed.
The way I annotated it was through using a glossary (which helped me very much!), underlining important parts, and by circling every time I saw the word darkness. At first, I just circled darkness because I wanted to understand the title of the book, but by the end I noticed that darkness is the most important and symbolic part of the book.
I found out that in the book, darkness is the safe place...Marlow even says, "The sunlight can be made a lie, too." Kurtz had gone so insane with greed (because of ivory) that he became senseless, explaining why going back to Europe and "reality" would be out of the options for him. In the end of the book when Marlow meets Kurtz's loved ones and acquaintances, he is confused by how they described him as a musician and activist. Kurtz had changed when he went to the forest and became consumed in darkness, it was the only way he knew how to be.
It was interesting that after Kurtz died, a lot of things Marlow associated with him was darkness. Especially when he met Kurtz's "Intended" in Europe and how everything turned dark when Marlow was speaking to her.
It still confuses me why the natives liked Kurtz. Didn't they realize his insanity when there were decapitated heads on sticks of people from their tribe?
I still don't fully understand this book, but the main plot actually interests me now when I am trying to figure things out.
It was strange, though, because once I reached Part III, the last part of the book, it intrigued me and caused me to finish the book and pay attention to the details. I realized that the story Marlow was telling was not told for entertainment, but for the end of the book, showing how Kurtz's darkness prevailed.
The way I annotated it was through using a glossary (which helped me very much!), underlining important parts, and by circling every time I saw the word darkness. At first, I just circled darkness because I wanted to understand the title of the book, but by the end I noticed that darkness is the most important and symbolic part of the book.
I found out that in the book, darkness is the safe place...Marlow even says, "The sunlight can be made a lie, too." Kurtz had gone so insane with greed (because of ivory) that he became senseless, explaining why going back to Europe and "reality" would be out of the options for him. In the end of the book when Marlow meets Kurtz's loved ones and acquaintances, he is confused by how they described him as a musician and activist. Kurtz had changed when he went to the forest and became consumed in darkness, it was the only way he knew how to be.
It was interesting that after Kurtz died, a lot of things Marlow associated with him was darkness. Especially when he met Kurtz's "Intended" in Europe and how everything turned dark when Marlow was speaking to her.
It still confuses me why the natives liked Kurtz. Didn't they realize his insanity when there were decapitated heads on sticks of people from their tribe?
I still don't fully understand this book, but the main plot actually interests me now when I am trying to figure things out.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Great Gatsby
The thing that struck me most about The Great Gatsby was the melancholy tone and pessimistic symbolism. The symbolism that I focused most on was the green light (page 26 & 189). In the end, Nick, the narrator mentions that the green light signifies the future, but I think the green light symbolizes the whole book; the unattainable hope that the book will have a "fairy-tale ending" and that Daisy will leave Tom and go with Gatsby.
It is funny, because even though I would think the book would be unoriginal if Daisy left Tom, I still desperately wished for it to happen. The reason I liked the book was because of this longing that provoked me to identify and understand the characters(I annotated in the text-to-self way). Yet it made me so mad in the end when I didn't hear anything about Daisy!
It was the only part of the book I thought hated! This may sound bad, but I wanted to read about how Daisy came back and was devastated...she hated herself for not being with Gatsby...she lived the rest of her life in misery, losing the love of her life...
But then I understood that this is not what would of happened with Daisy...
I disliked Daisy from the start. She was an airhead, shallow and annoying. I did not understand why a man as affluent as Gatsby loved her.
Fitzgerald left the end open for assumptions, so I assume that Daisy was saddened and guilty by Gatsby's death, but she moved on, and wasn't in love with him after all. She had chose Tom over him.
This made me so mad. Gatsby lost his life for a girl that didn't even truly love him (I think). I guess the tragedy in this story is what made it a classic. I know that it is a better book for it...even though deep down, I wish the green light wasn't a symbol of false hope, but of real hope.
It is funny, because even though I would think the book would be unoriginal if Daisy left Tom, I still desperately wished for it to happen. The reason I liked the book was because of this longing that provoked me to identify and understand the characters(I annotated in the text-to-self way). Yet it made me so mad in the end when I didn't hear anything about Daisy!
It was the only part of the book I thought hated! This may sound bad, but I wanted to read about how Daisy came back and was devastated...she hated herself for not being with Gatsby...she lived the rest of her life in misery, losing the love of her life...
But then I understood that this is not what would of happened with Daisy...
I disliked Daisy from the start. She was an airhead, shallow and annoying. I did not understand why a man as affluent as Gatsby loved her.
Fitzgerald left the end open for assumptions, so I assume that Daisy was saddened and guilty by Gatsby's death, but she moved on, and wasn't in love with him after all. She had chose Tom over him.
This made me so mad. Gatsby lost his life for a girl that didn't even truly love him (I think). I guess the tragedy in this story is what made it a classic. I know that it is a better book for it...even though deep down, I wish the green light wasn't a symbol of false hope, but of real hope.
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