Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

I know it is very upsetting to all of those who have steadfastly followed my senseless ramblings for the past few months but this will certainly be the last. It is customary to acknowledge all of those who lay credit for your individual success so I will not disappoint. First and foremost, this blog would not have been possible if it were not for the person who triggered the motivation behind the project our wonderful and much traveled instructor Elizabeth Siemens. To my classmates, who have confirmed my austere outlook on the present and future status of this much declared great and democratic nation. I hope your enjoying the Royal Wedding. And also my wife and kids. My cat. Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus. God. Jesus. Papa Johns Pizza. Mark Twain. The Academy. Father Time. Mother Nature. The Grateful Dead.(not the group). My last word.

A Desire named Youth

One aspect of A Streetcar named Desire that hasn't really been discussed is the fact that aging and the salacity to maintain our youthfulness can be a daunting process. Blanche reveals her vanity when she tries to conceal the fact that her once tender appearance has now become ripened and dated. I am 46 now and in some ways I can sympathize with her. It is difficult to accept that your attractiveness especially to that of the opposite sex is not as strong as it once was. You try to fend off the symptoms and side effects of growing old, and sometimes it can be costly, but inevitably nature takes its course and you discover that there is no fountain of youth. But I do take consolation in the fact that those in their prime who turn their nose away at those less captivating will soon endure the same certainty.

Barn Burning

The question in the discussion board about whether or not it is justified to destroy someone else's property has pretty much been answered along gender lines. The majority of the class which are woman seem to agree that it is never justified, while Wade and I seem to agree that in certain situations it is justified. I guess as we look through history at certain actions that include the destruction of ones property, like the Boston Tea Party for instance, we see that they are primarily conducted by men. The woman are generally the passive beneficiaries of these brave and noble acts.

Great Gatsby

I just became aware that this blog was part of our final exam. What a piece of cake! I thought the Great Gatsby was a decent book. It took a while for the novel to be given "classic" status, and like the idea of whether or not Gatsby was great or not, it is really quite arbitrary. I would like to see the Robert Redford version of the movie. News Flash: Filming is to begin in August for a new 3-D version with Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby. That should be very cool. Anyway thanks for reading and I think you are all GREAT!!!! I hope that's enough words, I forgot the requirements.

Poetry Pod

The resilient snow has sunk into the spongy earth, bringing forth dark sprouts
Poetry Pod seems so right, for the revisions seem to make one muse
It is tragic, the fate that awaits
The relentless tiring calidity
But I will ponder till then, the reason for this
And then the reason for that

Red Badge of Courage

I feel like I earned my Red Badge Courage by getting through that week. The book was great, but having to do three projects on one story seems excessive. I hope I didn't sound like Mr. Bad Atttude on my last paper, but I think I was starting to get a little frustrated. I'm back to my old happy self now. Bring on the Poetry Pod!

The Yellow Wall-Paper

The Yellow Wallpaper was delightfully eerie. The author, Charlotte Gilman did not reveal the main characters name until the paragraph preceding the last when she writes. "I've got out at last, in spite of you and Jane! And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't put me back." Her husband promptly faints, which I thought was kind of odd. I would be shocked, but I don't think I would pass out. Poor Jane had become the imaginary woman behind the hideous urine toned paper. I do hope she regains her senses, but I am not optimistic.