Blog 5, Week 7

Near the end of Eliot’s “The Waste Land” he writes

“These fragments I have shored against my ruin”.

In the spirit of Eliot’s vision of the world, write a poem or a short prose passage that uses this line as its opening.

 

These fragments I have shored against my ruin

The darkness building up inside of me

The daemons from Rome rising beneath

Yet no one around can understand or see.

Glaring to right the darkness is there

Blanket of stars will not save me now

Squealing women wandering the path

Yelling and screaming being fools

Ladies take a bow!

 

These women taunt me

They have no real purpose

The Bible showed us Eve

The “perfect” woman

That did no good but all harm

Being deceitful

Showing us their charm.

Darkness within me is because of them

Their lying nature tricked us all

Ask poor Adam,

As he took his grand fall.

Now we’re damned for eternity

She is to blame

All women are alike

Eve’s now fanning the flame

 

Her sin is his sin

One that I must carry now

Through the darkness to infernum

It’s all over now

I tried to write in the style of T.S.Elliot and attempted in embody this life experiences of his hatred for women due to his failed marriage. I like how Elliot plays with religious elements within his works because I believe he tries to make references to failures with in history and how he believes women as second level when compared to men. Similar to traditional views of women, I wanted to express a misogynist view of the 1950’s.

Peer Review 3

Hi Daniel, I really liked your blog post about Paul Cezanne’s “Banks of the Marne”, I enjoyed your reasoning for why it left an impression on you. The only thing I’d like to comment on is your statement “Artists such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Lucien Freud and Paul Cezanne were prominent icons in this Modernist movement”. Why were they prominent artists and what made them so well known in the art world? Just a another sentence on that or two would make the blog flow better as you jump from this statement into Cezanne’s work without any further discussion. Also I’d recommend you go into more detail about the context of the work. When I describe an artwork in blogs or essays, I like to imagine that the audience is blind and that you need to create this image for them. Apart from that, keep up the good work.

 

https://daniel4946.wordpress.com/2016/09/03/week-6-blog-post-4/comment-page-1/#comment-19

Blog 4, Week 6

Discuss the work in the gallery that left the deepest impression on you. Can you describe the work in detail and say why it left that impression on you?

One of the works that I found the most interesting at the NSW Art Gallery was the Nude in a Rocking Chair by Pablo Picasso in 1956 as in relationship to this topic, I believe it conveyed the true meaning of Modernism.

The abstract painting itself is of a faceless woman, depicted in only black and white, sitting in a rocking chair that has horn like arms. The chair is painted a medium pastoral green  that continues the top of the work. With the rest of the space being blocked out by a bold red, yellow and black. One part of the work that I don’t completely understand is why in the top left hand corner, Picasso has left a square of white with a blue plant  inside it. I felt that I only noticed it the plant after looking at the work for a while and that it could draw away the attention of the nude lady for some of the audience. I spoke to my friend Natasha about this work a day or so after the visit, she stated that the plant was the way that her interest was drawn to the painting and that she didn’t see the lady initially.

One of the reasons that I feel that this work left more of an impact on me was I have studied Picasso in Art throughout the majority of my school life. I highly appreciate the ways in which Picasso uses colour and forms to create his subject matter and the way that he is able deliberate his emotions through his works. Although when I first think of Picasso this work does not come to mine first but rather his works such as The Weeping Lady or Guernica which do depict more realistic images and notions. However Nude in a Rocking Chair does make the audience delve deeper in to thought about conceptional message being created.

Images from:

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/66.1981/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)

Peer Review 2

Hi Maz, I really enjoyed reading your blog this week! One thing I’d like to comment on is your grammar, just make sure you proofread your work before you post it. I did find it very interesting that your “quiet” space was your local park and I liked how you thought of an example that most people would understand within your own context. I did find it a tad ironic because the chronicles of Narnia were written in the early/mid 20th century. Great work and keep it up!

https://manizhalalee.wordpress.com/2016/09/02/blog-3-2/comment-page-1/#comment-39

Blog 3, Week 5

With reference to the way Paul tries to comfort young 19-year-old Kemmerich on his deathbed, describe how you might respond to a close friend who is going through the same experience.

In the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, Paul is confronted with many ordeals but one of the most memorable was the death of his school friend Kemmerich. The reaction to Kemmerich’s death, Paul begins to question his place and meaning in life. In particular; Paul starts to question the meaning of war as well as see the downside to war. If I were in that same situation of Paul during the first World War, I probably would have a strong retaliation to a close friend of mine dying. My reaction to death would not have been as composed Paul’s as personally I don’t cope well with death; I grieve very openly. But in a time of war, I feel that my reaction to death would become similar to Paul’s due to Paul is being completely surrounded by death. The constant threat of death I believe change the way that I looked at life and death, in a way I feel that I would gain a higher appreciation for life and regard death as the norm.

One part of Paul’s reaction to death I found quite interesting was the way he thought about the boots then also the way he selectively spoke to Kemmerich about them. The way that Paul views the shoes is almost desperate because he internally he discusses the worth of the boots and almost disregards that they are Kemmerich’s; although he says anything to Kemmerich unlike the Paul’s comrades. I think in a situation of war, I would act in a similar way as decent boots were seen as a luxury in the trenches but unlike Paul, I would view it more a survival element rather than a luxury.

Blog 2, Week 4

Write a letter to Sassoon or Owen telling them that their vision, their ideas are still sorely needed in the world today.

Dear Wilfred Owen,

I strongly believe that your works are very powerful in meaning and that they are still needed now in the 21^st century as wars continue to plague our world. Not so much a physical war but more so political wars between countries regarding materialistic ideologies. One of your works stood out to me in particular, this being “Anthem for Doomed Youth”. This work reflects the concept of war and is the effects of war truly what a nation wants.

Firstly, the poem “Anthem for Doomed Youth” produces an image of a battlefield where the concept of Nationalism and religion is brought up. With the line “No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells” indicates that regardless of someone’s religious beliefs and their love of country, these men were forced to fight in the war and that they will inevitably die for their government’s cause. This is why I feel that your poem is still needed in today’s society as countries Iraq use men to fight their own political wars, forcing their men to fight for a cause that they may not believe in. Now, I’m not too sure if this is what you were aiming for in your poem but this is the way that I have interpreted it.

Almost with your word choice of cattle being a metaphor for boys being taken to be slaughtered reminded me of the Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 film, The Great Dictator. Where Chaplin delivers one of the most recognizable speech that is still referenced today. The fifth paragraph of this speech too discusses the notion of men be destined to die in war.

“Who drill you – diet you – treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to these unnatural men – machine men with machine minds and machine hearts! You are not machines! You are not cattle! You are men!” Chaplin.

As well as this, you both use the sound and imagery of machinery to create an uneasy atmosphere. In my opinion, the machines in your work can also relate back to those in power, symbolizes that individuals in war are more a number than a person with an identity. The imagery of machine men and mind minds from Chaplin’s speech creates this idea of that governments have become more so a business rather than a group of leaders caring for their own society. As governments have become desensitized because they would rather sacrifice the lives of people than come to a conclusion that allow both parties to gain something. I’m not sure that your work does portray this but I believe that you do show that those in power have become cold-hearted. I feel that this is still extremely important in the present day as regardless of both works referencing this in war; as society needs to start recognizing individuals for who they are rather than judging them off age, gender and race.

The last line of your poem “And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds” has confused me. I am not sure if to how to view it. It can be interpreted as either the end of the day, the end of the day or as the end of a soldier’s life. Also with the word chose of “blinds” reminds me of the end of the show, so I am not confident in how I should I view it.

Thank you,

Riley Powers

Transcript of the Great Dictator Speech http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/synopsis/articles/29-The-Great-Dictator-s-Speech

Images from:

http://www.realteachertutors.com.au/wilfred-owen-poetry-hsc-english-standard-module-b/; https://anewlifewandering.com/2015/11/15/charlie-chaplins-speech-from-the-great-dictator-1940-one-of-the-greatest-speeches-in-the-history-of-cinema/

Peer Review 1

Hi Natasha,

I loved the imagery that you created in your poem. The image created sounded like a fantasy world which i thought was beautiful but to personally, I feel that there was no change over from Winter to Spring. Could of added maybe one small stanza on Winter in the beginning. Also I liked how you referenced a 20th Century artist in your world, Pablo Picasso, showing the effect that he has made on art history. Also one other thing I’d like to add is, please be very careful of your grammar and punctuation. Apart from that I really liked your poem

https://natashahartblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/spring-fling/comment-page-1/#comment-19

Blog 1, Week 3

Take the first line of any one of Hopkins’ poems and write your own poem celebrating the arrival of Spring in your part of the world. Try to incorporate some of Hopkins’s amazing experimentation with language texture especially with sounds.

Márgarét, áre you gríeving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Sighing, crying, the river flows from your eyes

As time goes by.

 

Colour draining cheeks, your dull bright mind

mourns over the unstitching pattern of your lines.

Margaret, is there more than what you see

Your eyes wide open but yet blind as can be.

The solace brings the darkness and cold

But the trees still stand, tall and bold,

Feet tangled, arms linked,

Mud crawling over their knees.

 

Hush young child, the world has not ceased

Your brows still creased

The rebirth of salty sweet trees,

The returning songs of birds and bees.

The reincarnation of life flourishes

After The judgement of darkness nourishes;

The ground for you to rise to your feet.

 

Márgarét, áre you still gríeving

Over Goldengrove unleaving?

Image from http://crazy-frankenstein.com/autumn-in-australia-wallpapers.html