Stuarteynon's Blog

Caleb’s Motivation?

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:36:23 +0000

In class the other day, we thoroughly discussed why exactly Caleb is telling his story. I think it has much to do with the insatiable curiosity that is so pervasive throughout his character in the entire book. His unceasing desire to articulate and comprehend the very details of that which he does not require to know, is what is ultimately his doom. As with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, I feel our Caleb Williams may be doomed to fall, mortally wounded, by this one fatal and characteristic flaw. Such is life. Many of us will find ourselves face such calamity, is perhaps what our narrator intends to imply. Perhaps he wishes to convince us that the grasps we fabricate upon our lives are merely illusions, brought to light by our own wanting perceptions of reality. Falkland, certainly, of all people, seemed to have control of everything. And yet, the road that lay before him was beset with strife and misery. Why must Caleb persist in his seekings? When such incessant inquiry is no longer necessary? What good is that?

Equiano and Narrative Style in a Historical Context

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:30:50 +0000

In Equiano, I am struck by the narrators ability to remain, quite simply, just that; a narrator. When dealing such an emotional issue, to which Equiano himself has such a direct relation (it’s an auto-biography for pete’s sake!), one would expect a certain level of malice in the words of our given writer. However, for Equiano’s own good, he is able to abandon such shallow resent for more higher facilitys. He recognizes the logical functioning of the white man, and the reason that they all possess within them. If he is to be able to free his people from the mighty grasps of the black man, he must rise to this level, and seem not disgruntled or overly frustrated. A cool head will be necessary, so as not to give the mighty dominant white power structure any more reason to enslave Equiano’s kind then they already have for themselves. Given the precarious nature of Equiano’s status as a free man, he is able to approach these matters with a level head that he could just as easily have forgotten amidst the heat of his life. However, for him and his fellow kin, this approach is ultimately a benefit. Equiano’s biography helped further the movement for black rights in the growing Europian slave colonies, and helped free his entire race in the future. Well done Equiano!

on my final project….

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:04:26 +0000

For my final project, I wanted to do something that would encompass some main points from the majority of the course and perhaps illuminate some observations missed by the rest of the class. When exploring the various works upon which we have touched, in choosing which to write my project on, I found that “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” would allow me to, most accurately, depict some main points I believe professor Leuner was attempting to impart upon us for the course. It deals with infallibility of past actions, and the consequences which they may incur in the future. Many of our works have touched on the idea of the absolute, and none does this more the the Rhyme of the Mariner. One action, leads to unending consequence. The Mariner is literally plagued by his decision, and it’s grip upon his life is absolute and ruthless. The lack of control over the powers that rue him is incredible; he has neither ability to defend nor repose to attack. He is a stray barnacle at the sway of the mighty sea, and his fate is sealed from the outset. Events and circumstances align in a way that the Mariner’s actions are both avoidable and yet still, somehow, strangely destined to be.

Tis a strange paradox of absolutes. I think it will serve as an aqeuate jumping point into the rest of the final project.

Infinite Jest

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:38:30 +0000

Infinite Jest. I can not help but make a post about this book. I read it this summer, and given that this is a Literature class, I feel it would be a shame to not give it the resounding recommendation it deserves. This book, single handedly, made me fall in love with reading. Know, however, it is a goliath; coming in at an impressive 1250 pages, with footnotes to boot, the book is known for its unforgiving difficulty. Those who are able to muster the attention span, however, are in for a treat the likes of nothing you have ever touched. Wallace is, in my opinion, the contemporary whiz kid of American Lit, and the fact he would succumb to suicide a few years ago makes my affection for him only greater (see the post below for more on genius and mental issues). The insane cast of characters and mind bending fiction brand of writing that he employs is hilariously entertaining and yet remarkably effective. The books primary locations are a year round tennis school for boys, and a halfway home for recovering drug addicts. Confused already? I hope that didn’t throw you off too much, because the twists and turns that Jest takes are many in number. However, the ride is one well worth the time required to invest, and it is the sort of book that can truly alter ones perspectives on life and way in which we interact with those around us. Simply put, I love this book, and if anyone is looking for a challenging, yet thoroughly rewarding and powerful experience, please, pick it up.

In Praise of the Crack-Up

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:26:13 +0000

In Jeannette Anderson’s “In Praise of the Crack-Up”, a short commentary posted on my teachers blog a few weeks ago, disects the rather eery relationship between the writer, and the mental instability. Indeed, as she recognizes, the parallel through history is powerful. Van Gogh, Wine House, Dickinson; all suffered heavy mental paranoia and anxiety in one form or the other. What Anderson attempts to posit, and in my opinion, successfully so, is that the creativity we produced is essentially the byproduct of this dark energy. We are able to take our frustrations on the mundane, the sober, and the oh so repetitive, and transform them into something special, something noticed, something real. Because what is real if it is not noticed? She states, quite succinctly; “Creativity takes the heavy mass of our lives and transforms it back into available energy. Taking the mundane or the weighted, the overlooked or the too familiar, art is able to re-show us ourselves and ourselves in the world. Art holding up a mirror to life is commonly misunderstood as realism, but in fact it is recognition. We see through our own fakes, our own cover stories, we see things as they are, instead of how they look, or how we’d like them to be.” Brilliant, truly. One of my favorite sayings it that literature must always “Lie to tell the truth.” So true. In the day to day, me not take the time to examine things worthy of our time. To stop and smell the roses, as it were. Human artistic expression allows us to draw out from this massive, black void, something beautiful, real, examined, and noticed. Of all things man is capable of, this is perhaps the most powerful. To grant that which is taken for granted. To notice that which goes unnoticed. To scream everything that everyone else seems terrified to say.

on social pressures

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 04:14:29 +0000

in all the novels we have read for Romantic Travels in British Classics, social constructs have played a vital role in the way in which the stories developed. Many of the novels we have examined take place amongst the aristocracy; a high brow, wealthy party of social elites, often with connections to the affairs of the state and other various public interactions. As a result, the courses of action that many of the characters within undertake are highly manipulated by this exterior force. It’s funny to me that this countenance of external social perception is so critical in the decisions we make and the manner in which our daily lives function. It’s like this massive burden we all must carry, and bow to, The will of the collective, the driving force of courtious behaviour and social standard. It is the construct to which much of our behavior may be obliged, and the form it may take is almost entirely arbtirary. There lies within no inherent rhyme or reason, merely gestures and symbols that pull the collective merit of the public in it’s wake. Here, we cross into the realm of Symbollic Capital, or: non material merit, respect, or power. For instance; The Dalai Llama has some of the greatets Symbollic Capital in the world, his spiritual sway is practically absolute.

However, I stray from my point. We should at all times be knowledgable of the pressures society applies, and the way in which we can manipulate and perceive these pressures.

required reading in lit classes.

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:58:39 +0000

The concept of “required reading” is a tricky one indeed. On the one hand, those with experience in the worlds of lit and writing should, in theory anyway, have some concept of what is worth spending time examining and what is not. On the other hand, I believe students should be involved in their learning, and that education should be a dynamic experience. There should really be no rules; all is fair game in the realm of academia. However, at what point do we cross the boundary from intellectual room to grow into unguided nonsense and tripe? I suppose the greatest fear in letting students choose their own readings is that theyll simply pick something simple to read, or something that they have read in the past. Indeed, such fears are valid, but in this case I can not help but feel for the student who truly wishes to examine a really “out of the box” text and finds himself limited in his attempts to do so. These are the sorts of obstacles that face education today. We must engage the students in the text, and by thus doing so encouraging active engagement with said text. If this were to be pulled of successfuly, it would result in a completely new manner in which the typical classroom is run. Oh well, in a perfect world. i was just thinking about how often people bitch and moan about “required reading” in English classes, and the ways in which we can circumvent such complaints.

on destiny

stuarteynon — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:35:49 +0000

In Caleb Williams, we find our characters constantly called to deal with various absolutes, certain factors so entangled in the fates of themselves they can be neither restrained nor repressed. Ultimately, these particular factors will have the most devastating consequences for almost all parties involved; of those born into the whirlwind of this entanglement, four lives shall be claimed. Despite the greatest efforts and most monumental appeals to reason, our characters find the pull of this deadly and seductive curse, for all practical purposes, impossible to escape. As a natural extension of this fact, the theme of “destiny” is discussed often in Caleb WIlliams. Is there a fate to which reasonable men, whom other wise would avoid such affairs, can be bound without option? Is it simply a matter of unresolvable pride and unfailing ego that causes our heros problems to never yield? Perhaps it is a combination of all these things, but regardless, they come together in such a way in Caleb Williams so as to doom all parties involved. The causes of effects and effects of those effects are like a domino chain, whose course has been determined from the very beginning. In life, I would like to think that I have more control over my personal affairs then that. Should a confrontation reach such a height, I would like to think my cooler head would prevail and I would succesfully sidestep any unecessary travesty. Alas, Sir. Falkland believed the same thing.

beginning rough draft for final

stuarteynon — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:50:31 +0000

here’s the beginning of my final for class, hope all enjoy!

In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s timeless classic, “Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”, we find a man, besieged by calamity and misfortune beyond the grasp of any mortal man. He is forever haunted by a past he has no ability to change, and finds himself a man with little control over his own fait. In Part 1 of “The Mariner”, our unfortunate protagonist slays himself an albatross; the so-called “pious bird of good omen.” that had, until that point, seen the Mariner and his crew through the deadly ice and fog of the northern arctic. It’s not long after committing his dasterdly deed that the Mariner finds himself brought before the condemnation of his fellow crew: “And I had done an hellish thing, And it would work ‘em woe: For all averred, I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow. Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow!” By establishing the distaste of the crew toward the Mariner’s actions, Coleridge explicitly establishes the slaying of the Albatross as a sin. It is this initial sin that is doomed to plague the Mariner so ferociously throughout the rest of the story. Though his crew shall ultimately escape the fog and ice of the north arctic, their shifts in geographic location will be insufficient to escape the sin that now haunts their ship and dooms all intentions. By presenting the death of the albatross as original sin, Coleridge illustrates the absolute nature of sin, and it’s indifference to time or location in relation to the subconscious burden placed upon the sinner.

It’s not long before the Mariner and his crew are forced to face catastrophe beyond the scope of anything they’ve been made to face before. “Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink.” At the unforgiving mercy of the mighty pacific ocean, the Mariner and his crew find the very ground crumbling beneath them. Even the mighty winds of the Northern Pacific could not bring them to escape the sin to which their fates were no so uncompromisingly tied. It’s not long before a mighty demon ship, the angry vessel that comes forth with neither sales nor tide, descends upon the poor crew. In an instant, the entire crew is eradicated, brought to bear the terrible price that the ignorant Mariner has doomed them to pay. “Four times fifty living men, (And I heard nor sigh nor groan) With heavy thump, a lifeless lump, They dropped down one by one.”

the seaaaaa

stuarteynon — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:15:27 +0000

When ever Im made to conduct some form of analysis in school, I’m always struck with elastic nature of said analysis. Be it historical discourse or literary analysis, I find, when left with room for creative influence, the postulations I can present and the arguments I’m able to form add up into infinitum. As I read the assigned books for British Classics, I’m further convinced of this conviction. The world is such a vast place, permeated with so many thoughts, people, ideas… The fact that these elements are never really brought together in any coherent manner, that so much goes unsaid, almost startles me. One of my very most favorite songs discusses “The Great Aeroplane Over the Sea”, and the trip we must all take in aforementioned airplane. The Sea represents the great expanse of experience that compromises the world, our reality, and just the strange, strange experience that life is in the day to day. The plane serves to represent the individual, and the perspective one takes in reference to the great sea. I think the metaphor is elegant, and really articulates the idea of the “great expanse” and the individual, personal relationship to it that we all have. Such music lies along the fringe of mainstream music culture, and that is truly a shame, as I think it harbors lessons we can all carry into our daily life. When reading through the texts for brit. lit., I’m often surprised at the number of topics the authors are able to touch on in such simples tails… It makes me believe that some of the greatest truths are found in the most mundane of things.