Lé Final Blog Post

Ladies and gentlemen it is the last week of our 8-week adventure and we've survived!

Well, almost. I've still got the third essay to do but hey.

This course has been fast paced, as expected from any 8-week course. It wasn't really hard, but it was tedious. But I guess I learned some things. Probably the most fun I had was reading the poems and seeing the parallels between the time the poem was written and our current world. We still share a lot of the same feelings and problems, though we have come a long way. It's a huge comfort to see we're not alone in the way we feel, and that even our great-great grandparents probably felt some of the same things we feel today. Feminism, religion, true happiness, despair, hope-- all of these thoughts, beliefs and feelings are still things we struggle with today.

I guess what's so great is knowing that even back then people didn't have their shit together. So we millennials can take a breath.

Studying things from the past (and I'm not just talking about the generic textbook business), but the arts-- the paintings, sculptures, books, poems-- is important. They tell us tales of the people before us and can bring us comfort about what's to come. They've treaded through the world, hacking away at the tall jungle grass with machetes. We know which paths we should take and what we shouldn't, which ones are best for us and which ones aren't. Reading what others have thought, said, and did can help us not make the same mistakes. We can rest assured that we're not the first, we're not the last, and that we're completely normal (in the technical sense, anyway)

It's been fun, classmates! Thanks for posting awesome insights on the stuff we've read and thanks for responding to my thoughts as well!

Stay smart and stay fabulous, and remember that you're not alone and you're not the first to barrel through a tangled jungle!

That Darn'd Love Triangle

You know it when you see it in a book: Two guys and one girl. Surely it's a triangle. But what about the aftermath once the girl has picked the guy?

That, my classmates, is what you get with Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolf.

Now I'm no stranger to love triangles. I was an avid Naruto fan once upon a time and wanted Naruto and Sakura to get together. But NOPE she got together with the other guy in the triangle. She would have been happier with Naruto What

BUT ANYWAY

But with Clarissa she isn't really unhappy with the man she chose, rather she's entertaining the thought of what life could have been like with Peter. Now, she has no intention of leaving Richard, but she can't help but wonder what would have happened reciprocated Peter's affections. Maybe she would be traveling. Or something. She might not be surrounded by nice things, a calm life, stability, and parties. Richard is a pretty bland guy-- but he was the safe choice.

Still, what would life had been like with Peter? Let's face it Peter was an idiot as a young man and still sports a small dunce hat as an adult, but let's play along. More than likely they wouldn't have gotten along all the time. They would have butted heads, hurt each other's feelings, called each other out, and a menagerie of other things. But could they have made it work? Absolutely. They could have tried to talk things through and live in the moment, rather than actively seek comfort. They would have had to have put time and effort into their relationship and that can be a really rewarding thing. There could have been passion.

With Richard there isn't any real passion. He's not really around too much. He's stable and bland. In terms of survival, I suppose Richard was a logical choice. But in her fifties, Clarissa is thinking about her life and all she's done and if everything has been rewarding. If she had picked Peter then maybe things could have been rewarding. But maybe not.

But I think it's normal to think about the "what if"s in life occasionally. Just don't overdo it like this piece of brocolli

Which, as we have established in a past post, has no chill.

When You Are Old

So this week we're going to talk about the poem "When You Are Old" by W. B. Yeats.

I loved this poem personally. Which is why we're gonna talk about it, obviously, but let's go over what the poem is about first.

It's about an elderly women by the fire reading a book and thinking about her love. He has since passed away, but he was with her from her younger years and beyond. He loved that she aged and that she had a "pilgrim's soul".

First of all, I find this to be true love right there. Anyone who will stick with you throughout all your hardships and physical changes truly and deeply loves you and cares about you. They aren't obsessed with your looks and  they can handle you at your bad times. And God knows we all have bad times.

It says that many people loved the woman's glad graces and loved her beauty, but her deceased lover went beyond the superficial and gave me. He loved that werewolf transformations (metaphors ladies and gents), he loved the crows feet and the wrinkles. What he loved about that pilgrim soul was everything she had been through and everything she had become.

So even though she may have been like that werewolf in the gif from time to time, her lover ultimately saw her as this:

So the lesson in this poem would be to find someone who loves you for you. Your insides, your outsides, your good, your bad, your ugly and your beauty. Find someone who roots for you and fangirls for you-- and be sure you feel and do all the same for them

That's it for this week, my ladies and gents! Keep on lovin' until next week (actually keep on loving forever because the world needs it).

Artistic Objectification (In An Artist's Studio)

We may be talking about how an artist objectifies things, but this also might wander into feminism territory

So in Christina Rossetti's "In An Artist's Studio" the poem basically hints at the objectification artists have with their subjects. They don't really see their subjects. They only see them physically and can't appreciate them for who they are or what it is. The painter in the poem can put the woman in any dress, design or atmosphere he wants to put her in, but he isn't acknowledging her as a human being and does not represent her as such. She's just a pretty object.

The additional forum question asked for our class was "Does artistic rendering naturally lead to objectification"

My answer: Yes. And No.

Now I'm at an advantage here in that I'm a bonefied artist. Or sorts, at least. I have an Associate degree in Visual Arts from OCCC. I was in Drawing I & II, Ceramics I & II, Painting I, as well as two other art classes. I had to do a lot of drawing and painting from objects.

Now, I never painted or drew a person (I opted out of this be volunteering to be the model). But I did draw a lot of objects and abstracts. I can definitely say that there is a lot of objectification or lack of feeling when it comes to simply drawing what is in front of you--especially if it's a non-living thing.

Example no.1

I felt nothing and saw nothing but paper bags. That's what this was. They were a bunch of paper bags stapled to the wall. The only emotion I felt was rage and the only wish I had was for someone to shoot me in the foot so that I could get out of the nightmare that was this mess. You can't really objectify this. Now you can feel really damn proud of it after your done (as I did) but you can't really humanize it very well.

Example no. 2

Again, you can't exactly objectify fake tree leaves touching each other. That being said it wasn't as if I didn't feel anything after the fact. I felt...happy. To me these two trees touching looked like two lovers who were finally able to connect, and I was able to capture the moment. But it's still an object and even though I had a vague backstory, it's not a person.

Now I haven't really painted or drawn people, so maybe my point is mute. But I have drawn my late dog, Rusty.

I can assure you that it wasn't objectified. I didn't draw this an object. I took the utmost care of it. I tried to get everything as right as I could. I felt like I needed to do this for myself and for my dog. I cried while drawing it, because I missed him (this was a reference from a picture). This was my little boy for 13 years.

So the answer is that, no, artists will not always naturally objectify things. It really depends on the subject and your relation to it.

As for the poem itself it probably was more than likely objectifying women. When you read Rossetti's poem "Goblin Market" it talks about girls staying away from the goblin men and being self-sufficient in saving each other. They didn't need saving. So it wouldn't be a surprise to see Rossetti making another poem dealing with a feminist topic such as objectification. Obviously not all men will objectify women in paintings. However in this poem he has painted her as a nameless girl, an angel, and a queen-- but he has not painted her as her. She's always something or someone else. Artistically this isn't bad, and if the model is fine with this then there is no problem, but objectification can be a problem, especially if it's outside of an artistic realm and or without consent. Though the objectifications in these paintings mentioned in the poem aren't as damaging as placing your sister in the whore-seat in a novel or drawing her as a dumpster or slut, it still places women below the bar in that they aren't being recognized as equals-- as human beings with names and feelings.

So that's the objectivity in the poem, feminism, and also objectivity and lack there of in other bouts of art.

So, like the last journal, treat everyone equally. Be artistic but don't be an ass. Love people and love your creations.

Peace!

"The Woman's Cause is a Man's"

Kay, can I talk about "The Woman's Cause is Man's" by Alfred Tennyson?

Because I feel like it's really important.

Basically the poem talks about how women and men should not only be treated equally, but as their own entities. Men and women are the same, but they're different. These differences should be embraced rather than spat on, and these differences should be used to complete or assist the other sex. Men and women should "The single pure and perfect animal, / The two-celled heart beating, with one full stroke, Life.'"

Heck yes this is something we still need to read in 2016.

Anyone who gets out into the real world, or spends too much time on the internet, knows that equality is a big deal and so is feminism. Some people cringe at the latter, but what they don't understand is that feminism is also for the benefit of men too in that it gets rid of expectations for not only women, but for men as well.

Some people seem to think this ideology is nothing but a dream and that we will never achieve complete equality. Even the woman at the end of the poem is woeful because she feels that another woman must have told the narrator all of this jargon. The dream used to be hers as well, but she seems to have given up on it.

Well, fictitious woman, I do have some good news! We've come a long way! We're still not equal or completing each other, but we're making progress! Granted, I think there will always be some jabs and jokes. Like period jokes, how men can't take direction, etc. But I think if those are applied during the right moments and with the right people then we can all just chill out.

It's not really the jokes though (those hurt people too) but we need to realize that we can benefit from each other. And rather than bickering we can become one and make the world a better place. It also means that by coming to this realization and utilizing it our relationships can become healthier too.

So is it sad that inequality between the sexes is still a problem? Yes. Is it comforting to see a poem about it during that time period? Somewhat. Again, it's upsetting because it's still a problem. But the comforting thing about the poem is the insight. Even if it was written well over 100 years ago. There is still great wisdom to be found in the past on hot-button topics we deal with today. It means that we can look back on it and keep learning how to move forward in the most progressive way possible.

With that, my classmates, is a wrap! Let's keep it simple and not think about the differences. We're all human. So let's just hug it out until next time (and even after that)

Frankenstein in the Media

Hmm looks like I have no other choice than to talk about Frankenstein this week.

First of all let me state that the read was a lot more enjoyable than I anticipated. To be fair, I was a little excited to read it since it's a classic-- and not just any classic, but one of horror. This might actually be a book I'll have to own.

It's really interesting to see how Frankenstein was written and crafted in comparison to how it's interpreted today. Most modern interpretations do not mention much about Victor or his upbringing, and they certainly don't mention that the monster had feelings. They've basically stripped away that most important layer of a classic story in order to focus more on the horror and, in some cases, satire.

Most kid's cartoons the Monster is named Frankenstein, which ultimately erases Victor from the equation. The Monster is seen as scary in most instances and can either be the actual monster or a man in a mask. In some newer media featuring the creature he is sometimes depicted as a sweet dork.

Like this one:

Soccer moms are trying to take away the fear factor I s2g (But I can't talk but I love Frankie in Hotel Transylvania)

ANYWAY then there are other takes on Frankenstein's Monster that are just...interesting. One of my favorite parodies of Frankenstein is the AdultSwim show Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.

In this scene you can see that Victor's monster is a lonely and pathetic existence who wants nothing more than to know of his kin. Of course, Victor is tired of this yearly wish and bluntly exposes to the monster where he's from. In this show Victor is more annoyed with his creation than scared. He lives his life as an immortal along with Elizabeth, his creation and many other quirky characters.

While these parodies, remakes, and depictions are all fun and delightful in most circumstances, it's still important to remember where they came from. I think it's important to look at the beginnings of things in order to properly appreciate them. I can certainly tell you that whenever I watch the video above I find far more humor in it and a bit more understanding of the characters (or rather who they're supposed to be), which makes it even funnier!

Anyways, my fellow classmates, always remember where things begin and enjoy the ride as they continue on through the generations. I'm sure we'll see hundreds more renditions of Frankenstein's monster in the media, but at least since we've read it we get the humor.

So dance and love thy creations until the next post!

"Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and Depression

Alright so I'd like to talk about something important today and it's tied to a poem titled "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" by Percy Shelley.

And that, my classmates, associates, friend and family is depression.

Upon reading the poem through the first time I struggled to understand what it was trying to make sense of, but after doing some online research it became very clear that the poem was referring to a feeling rather than a person or spirit.

Essentially the narrator is speaking about how when Beauty is not around everything seems dull, frightening and solemn. It's like looking through a fog or feeling like you're a million miles away from people even when they're just two feet away from you. You go through the motions of living but you're not actually living.

Basically you feel like this:

So to lack the sense of beauty, in my mind, means to be depressed.

However when beauty is present you are able to see things in technicolor and feel the wind caressing your skin while the smell of the nearby flowers comfort your nose. Of course, even when your depressed you can still see things in color and feel the physical things, but what you lack is the appreciation.

Obviously you don't have to be all smiles all the time and jumping up and down with excitement when beauty is present. Like, this broccoli that clearly needs to chill.

You just feel more light, airier and like the world makes sense.

As someone who has suffered from depression in the past and has pushed through a day in the life of a young adult I know what it's like to be wandering in that fog and then to reach a point where I have clarity and am able to see again. Those times where it feels like I can see and am energized are the best. Beauty is present and I can see it all around me.

It's like, when you're depressed you'll see the flowers in a garden bed and be like "Oh flowers. Guess they're pretty."

But when beauty is present (Ie when your world is at peace and there is a sense of happiness or content) you're like "HOLY SH*T THESE FLOWERS ARE GORGEOUS LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL."

But maybe not in all caps. Again, we're not that broccoli up there that just can't calm down.

In short, Intellectual Beauty represents the feeling of being content, thankful, happy, and at peace. Where as when said beauty is absent one feels dismal, fatigued, and like the world is stagnant.

So, my darlings, I hope that you see things in color and taste the beauty of what life has to offer like this cat.

Peace out for this week!