modernism

1. I chose to study the psychoanalysis because of its closeness to my own personal interests, I constantly analyze people's intentions based on facts of human action. I look at human behaviors and think of reasons these tendencies exist, be it evolutionary or learned. I don't think there are any baseless actions for a human being, everything someone does has, at least a small amount of reason behind it.

2. James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a very good story, the story wasn't as psychoanalyzing as I would have expected but I guess that is for the reader. I think Walter is a very good everyman character, he doesn't really seem to enjoy his life. He has a nagging wife, boring home life, and an average living experience overall. Most people can identify with this view of their lives as "average" by definition. most people wish they had a more exciting life but very few are willing to take the risk associated with having a life lived to such an extreme, thus comes the imagination. Walter Mitty is often struck by a daydream so real he starts to believe he becomes a part of it. for moments during his day he might imagine himself as a bomber pilot flying through a storm when he is really just driving the car to the store.
the representation of psychoanalysis is not to the degree I expected, but my idea of psychoanalysis is probably a different one than the author's. Walter Mitty's life is a boring one so he imagines himself in exciting scenarios. at first glance this is something that many people do, and fairly harmless but if you look a little deeper into the story there is a sort of dark tint to it. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. often his nagging wife has to remind him of everyday things, perhaps a representation of Walter slowly losing his mind with his wife as a caretaker. the final scenario that plays out in Walter's mind is also a fairly dark one, "He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last." this story reminds me of fight club, but in that movie the main character doesn't realize that he has invented something in his own mind instead mistaking it for reality, with his companion Tyler. the difference between the two is that in Walter Mitty he is able to snap out of it and lead a relatively normal life, but his flights of fancy
do have some impact on his life. whereas in fight club his other persona completely changes how he lives his life; first blowing up his apartment, and later by convincing him to engage in many seemingly outrageous acts that do make sense in the context of their philosophy, Later in life Walter Mitty might also be completely consumed by his imagination- this is what we call senility, but in Mitty's his case this would probably be expected because of his age.

3. I really enjoyed the poem "Richard Corey" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The poem speaks of a man of true class, a man who is held in high regard among everyone who knows him. This is a man of humanity and wealth. then one night this man shoots himself in the head. this poem rejects the notion that people held in high regard, people with money and class, are happy because of their status. I imagine that Richard Corey was a deeply troubled individual who had been taught over the years to hone his mannerisms and gestures to exude class and politeness. people don't naturally function in this manner, I think Richard Corey realized how utterly useless all of his manner and class was in the great scheme of things and decided to end himself.

The poem "The Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is a very interesting one, one can take many approaches as to the meaning behind it. it never specifically states where the author stands on the issue of good walls making good neighbors. It is obvious that his neighbor thinks no deeper than the words of the phrase, not thinking of why. the author states that the only reason a good wall could make good neighbors is when there is something to wall in or out, which is not the case here. the author could mean that the mending of the wall is what makes the neighbors close, for it is the only time of the year that they see each other. it could also be argued that clearly defined boundaries keep people from mistaking their neighbor's land for their own, thus keeping the neighbors from needing to fight or argue over land disputes. I think that the author doesn't truly have a stance on the matter, instead just being interested in the folly of the phrase, "good walls make good neighbors"

The poem A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is a very odd one, at first it seems like a nonsensical poem, asking what happens to a dream that has been postponed. At first my scientific nature didn't much like this poem, dreams are intangible things, much like any idea, nothing physically happens to ideas because there is hardly any physical side to an idea. but upon a second reading it becomes more intriguing, mainly because it seems to me like most of the poem is filler but there are two lines that seem to really get to the true subject of this poem, "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." the entire beginning seems almost nonsensical, except maybe the festering one. there isn't too much of a metaphorical idea I can get for a dream crusting over or drying up. it seems to me that when someone must get off the track to their dreams they would probably be burdened by this deferral. most people never realize they have been deferred though; most people get caught up in worrying about their place in our society and their wealth and they don't think of what would truly make themselves happy, these are the people whose dreams have been deferred and they don't even know it yet, but it still weighs on them when they realize that all the work they have been doing is getting them nowhere, Richard Corey is a good example. Did Richard Corey have aspirations? if he did they probably weren't to become wealthy and well liked, they were probably something that could help future generations.

The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a fantastic piece, and I can't truly place why I like it, which is rare. It is a simple poem, without very high concepts of human action or intention. I think it rings so true to me because these rivers are what provided life for their respective civilizations, and it was the Negro who tended these rivers. the poem speaks of the resources we take for granted, like water, and speaks of the Negro who has utilized these rivers since the dawn of man. Langston Hughes recognizes the importance of these rivers, something that takes more insight than the vast majority of people have, just as a gymnast is thankful for his muscles and bones and most other people take them for granted. it takes someone to truly know his needs and how to tend for them to truly appreciate the resources themselves.

I am not completely sure what to think of Countee Cullen's "Incident" it is a very blunt piece that seems to slap it's reader in the face with it's meaning. it is obvious that this trip to Baltimore truly affected her, but I can't completely agree with the idea of this being a big injustice. children call other children names all the time, while there was a lot of weight behind the child's statement it is still something that could happen even today. I think that people invest way too much in other peoples opinions of them, I think that Countee was being a bit oversensitive in this regard, I am sure that the children of racist white people still call black people names all the time, but does this mean that it is a huge social injustice? while it is something that should be addressed it seems like the author was so taken aback by this comment that she could focus on nothing else, which is a fault of her own. I can't truly appreciate this piece of writing because it seems like the author was whining, and without using interesting metaphors like most poets.

My thoughts on public school and it's reformation

School is considered to be the place where children learn the basics of how to function in the adult world. If this is the case shouldn’t school teach how to lead a healthy and productive life by teaching skills instead of facts? The structure of school today is that of a book; you have different chapters, or classes, that expound facts for the student to memorize. While this structure might inadvertently teach skills like patience and hard work it does not focus on those skills- it focuses on the facts. Skills cannot be learned through a book, they must be learned by experience, and school almost never focuses on the skills that are most universally useful.
One skill that almost no one has, shown by the obesity epidemic, are proper exercise and diet habits. This could be attributed to lack of physical and dietary education in schools. Our schools have become so preoccupied with stuffing as many facts in children as possible that they have lost sight of the health of the students, if this is not a cause for alarm, what is? There should be mandatory physical fitness classes every semester of school, if a good attitude towards exercise is instilled in children at a very young age there is a good chance that we wouldn’t have to worry nearly as much about the rising cost of obesity in this country.
Proper diet is a huge issue in America today; almost no one eats a very good or healthy diet. Instead of eating natural food with minimal chemicals and preservatives we stuff ourselves with high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavors. Most people don’t realize how tasty naturally grown fruits, vegetables, and grains can be; look at the dietary example schools set for our children. Ask any public school student, school food is awful. There is no care taken in preparing the most essential nutrients for children, you could hardly call the food cooked, it is usually taken out of a can and put in a microwave. There is never fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, or anything homemade in a public school lunch. It is a sad state when what is supposed to train people for life doesn’t even worry about keeping them healthy.
The required classes in school today are very useful at the basic level; general knowledge of math, language, science, and geography comes in very handy in everyday life. To know these things at an extremely advanced level should not be required of students, instead we should educate students in job skills, financial skills, patience, compassion, and health. There are no required classes to teach how to save money, or how to spend money wisely. Our society revolves around money and we aren’t teaching financial skills at a young age- this is a disservice to our children. We also aren’t focusing on any human interaction skills; school does unintentionally teach us how to interact socially, by immersing people in a school society, but it does not acknowledge that this is one of the most useful skills one can have. A person can go very far in life only by being able to interact with people in a way that is mutually pleasing to both parties, but it is not shown any importance in our school curricula.
Parents are usually assumed to teach their children all the skills necessary to lead a happy and healthy life. In this day and age where people are expected to work an inordinate amount, parents are given less time to teach these things. Often the teaching that parents should give is negated by the actions taken by the school, such as the poor nutrition that school lunches provide and the lack of emphasis on general health. There are many more skills that aren’t being properly taught by parents, such as how to file for taxes, and how to stay out of debt. If our parents will not teach these skills than school should. We must educate people to live a happy and healthy life. The preoccupation of learning facts in school is detrimental to children’s ability to adapt to new and varied situations. The structure of school never changes; someone lists facts for a few months and then there is a test on these facts. This is not how the real world operates, there is no give and take in school, there is no compassion, it is just a cold textbook and a test.

Realism

1) A story of an hour responses

a. This story is very descriptive of its character's feelings and surroundings, this is obviously a hallmark of realism. the story itself is very short and only spans a period of an hour, evidenced by the title. In a description of the scenery outside of a window, the author states, " There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window." while this is a short passage it still goes into great detail about the vista outside. there are many examples of this type of writing, it really gives you a sense of being there.
b. This story really deals with the feelings of women and their relationship to their husband in a time where women weren't allowed nearly as much independence as they are now. the story speaks of the sadness of loss but the happiness that can ensue with newfound independence. the woman in the story was wrought with grief for her deceased husband, for she did love him. later she realizes that she is now free from the influencing grip of a dominant husband, letting her be free to do what she pleases. she realizes that she can be happy without a male companion, even today many people think they cannot be happy without a romantically loving companion. People aren't comfortable with themselves and they think they need someone else to validate their interests and beliefs.

2) Battle with Mr. Covey responses

a. This story is an excellent example of realism, all of the details are described without any ambiguity or frills. Frederick Douglass was a truly amazing individual, he managed to escape slavery and educate himself sufficiently to earn enough money to buy his own freedom. This story deals with his early enslavement by a man named Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey was a well known slave breaker, he would break the slave's spirit so he could control the slaves. Douglass was still young, only 16 years old, and still had a sense of self esteem. in describing his trek through the woods in order to get to Mr. Covey's superior he states, "After lying there about three quarters of an hour, I nerved myself up again, and started on my way, through bogs and briers, barefooted and bareheaded, tearing my feet sometimes at nearly every step; and after a journey of about seven miles, occupying some five hours to perform it, I arrived at master's store." you can see in his writing a general description of events without a cloud of feelings surrounding the situation so the reader can make his own judgments about things instead of having the narrator describe everything for them.

b. Frederick Douglass does an excellent job at using unambiguous language in order to get his point across, he describes a situation and lets the reader interpret it without forcing a certain view on the reader. in this story he never outright states that slavery is an awful institution that should be abolished, instead just opting to tell a story about his own experiences. I really like this story if only because of this open ended morality. it also does an excellent job of showing you the wrong things about a certain situation with factual, anecdotal, evidence.

3) the show Planet Earth is a very good example of realism, it shows many of the different ecosystems on the earth in a fantastic documentarian style, with many time lapse photography shots and very clear imagery. the show truly embraces the realistic element, also airing in high definition for an amazing picture of our earth and its inhabitants. the narrator simply explains that which is happening on screen without letting political or other tertiary intrests get in the way.