A man said to the universe:
“Sir, I exist!”
“However,” replied the universe,
“The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation.”
Before the Civil War, the United States was essentially an idealistic, confident, and self-reliant republic. What does the quotation above (from Stephen Crane’s War is Kind) suggest happened to the United States as a result of the war? What do you think Crane was trying to say about man's existence? How do you feel or what do you think about this point of view regarding the relationship between human beings and the universe?
- The quotation above from Stephen Crane suggests that as a result of the war, the United States changed its ideals about life because of the hardships of life during the war. People no longer believed that the idea of romanticism is the theory and idea of reality and of the natural world. They started to believe in realistic ideas, and thus came the period of realism and the realists.
- In the quotation above, Crane is trying to imply one thing about the man's existence: the man's existence is not at all important to the universe (which can also be thought of as god that created us). The man doesn't create a difference in the world, unlike what the universe can. The sentence "The fact has not created in me/A sense of obligation" allows us to infer that even if the man is reasonable or is asking for the universe to be obligated towards him, the universe believes that it should not be obligated to anyone, or else it wouldn't be fair.
- Regarding the relationship between human beings and the universe, I believe that it is quite reasonable, even though the truth is sad and depressing. Nothing will stop for any individual, and one person doesn't make a difference. The point of view of the poem is like saying that the universe continues on with what it was doing, regardless of what happens to any individual within it.
Write about any topic you choose. Be sure to write at least 200 words.
- All of the academic stress has been getting to me lately. I've been extremely moody and having large mood swings these days. I snap whenever something irritates me or is annoying me. I also feel very tired, and always want to sleep - I'm not getting enough sleep. In other words, I'm thoroughly stressed out from all the homework, tests, and test preparations.
- I believe that an overdose of homework is really bad for people like me, also known as the STUDENTS, because our bodies aren't able to cope with all the stress. This will lead to exhaustion as the stress eventually depletes us of our body's resources. I strongly believe that the students shouldn't be receiving such a large amount of work, or that students should be given at least periodic periods of time for them to rest and recuperate. I also believe that test preparations, especially for standardized tests, are depleting students of their energy and resources.
- I sometimes wonder why teachers even want to give out such a large dose of homework to the students. The teacher themselves also need to check the work, as well as grade it. This means that they also have to spend time and energy. Therefore, the teachers shouldn't give so much homework - this not only benefits the students, but also the teachers themselves.
Describe the power relationships in The Handmaid’s Tale. Who has power over whom? Why? Which relationships are overt (in the open and sanctioned by law), and which relationships are covert (hidden)? Does the narrator have power over anyone? Explain. Now discuss the power relationships in your own life. Who has power over you? Do you have any power? Over whom? Explain.
- In the Handmaid's Tale, women are extremely oppressed by men. A new order was created, crushing and eliminating any rules or laws that gave women power. Women couldn't own jobs or property, and they became handmaids, or tools that were only needed for men with wives unable to bear children, used as a surrogate mother to bear children. The women, especially the handmaids, had their freedom restricted by the government, as well as the household they served. The over relationships were the handmaids, the ones who were required by the law to have sex with men to bear children. The covert laws were the relationships where the handmaid's had affairs with someone other than their commander or owner, as well as the relationships between women and the secret organization that is trying to overthrow the current power. Basically, the narrator doesn't have any power over anyone, not even herself - she cannot decide her own life.
- In my life, I only have partial power. I can make some decisions, but not all. Most of my life is under the control of my parents. Basically, my parents and my family have power over me. I sometimes have power over my brother because I have to make him listen to me and make him do what he's supposed to do, and not pull me down with him when he doesn't do what he's supposed to do and get yelled at. I hate it when I get yelled at for something I didn't do, or did do. So, I have partial power over my brother.
Most people don’t like to speak in public, much less perform. Since today is the poetry contest, and some of you or your peers will be reciting their own work in front of the whole school, write down your feelings about public speaking. Is it something you fear, or do you enjoy it? Is it easier to make a “prose” speech, or recite a poem? What is the difference from the kind of public speaking in which the speaker shouts out from the crowd, and the kind where the speaker stands before the crowd? Why do you think so many people like to do the former, but fear doing the latter?
- My feelings about public speaking are feelings that are very common among people: I am afraid of participating in public speaking. But this was only at the beginning. Now, I do not feeling that way anymore. Instead, I enjoy, and may even love, public speaking. When comparing prose speech to reciting a poem, I believe that prose speech is easier than reciting a poem, because prose speech allows for more freedom of expression and it makes it easier for one to convey emotions. Shouting out from a crowd differs a lot from a person actually standing before the crowd. The main reason is because shouting out from a crowd among many other people takes away the pressure that a person feels when actually making a speech in front of an audience. Making a speech in front of a crowd makes a person feel the pressure of preventing oneself from embarrassing him or her.
- I do not have any special liking or preference between the two types of speech: shouting from the crowd or in front of the crowd. When a person is in the crowd, he or she can talk to his or her friends to discuss about what they want to "shout" out to the other people around them. When a person is making a speech in front of others, he or she can practice their articulation and public speaking skills, as well as his or her confidence.
In Dickinson’s poetry she uses deceptively innocent observations about birds, flies, and flowers to reveal deep and sometimes disturbing ideas about life and death. Think about nature: do you think nature is nurturing and helpful, or is it threatening and hostile? What examples can you provide to illustrate your opinion?
- Nature can be nurturing and helpful under the following circumstances. First, nature provides us, as well as other organisms, a habitat and the environment live. Secondly, nature provides us materials that we need to live; it provides materials such as construction materials, raw resources, and other resources that we need to use to create daily use. One of the most important things that nature does for us is that it provides for us food and water that we need to consume in order to survive. The last thing that makes nature nurturing and helpful is that it provides us a place for solitude, as well as a cleaner environment, in contrast with the polluted civilization.
- However, nature can also be threatening and hostile. One of the most common examples is natural disaster. These are devastating because they destroy homes and take away lives. Some examples of natural disasters include floods, storms, and earthquakes. Also, there may be many dangerous organisms that can be found in nature. Nature may sometimes not only provide environments for habitat; it might also create environments that are very hostile and dangerous. This includes the different climates created by the environment, such as raining and storms.
Refer to p. 396 of your text and read Dickinson’s “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant.” The title of this poem may reveal Dickinson’s method of survival as well as the essence of her own poetry. What do you think it means to tell the truth “slant”? Is it the same as telling a lie? Also, examine the poem and look for its literal meaning, as well as figures of speech, rhyme, and other poetic devices.
- The title of the poem "Tell all the Truth but tell it Slant" reveals the methods of survival as well as the essence of Emily Dickinson's poetry by twisting and distorting the whole, complete truth to make it fit certain purposed and circumstances. To tell the truth slanted means to twist and distort the truth that that it is acceptable by others. Sometimes people do this to prevent further chaos from occurring, because sometimes the truth hurts. Telling the truth slanted may also mean that the person is omitting some crucial information, which is another way of twisting and distorting the whole, complete truth.
- Telling the truth slanted is similar to lying, in some ways. Both of them mean that one does not tell the complete, whole truth. However, lying usually means to create and tell someone else a completely false version of what the "truth" is. Telling the truth slanted, however, means that one tells it in a version based on the real version of "truth", changing some messages and meanings of the original truth.
- I believe that telling the truth slanted is always better than telling a lie. This is because even if people found out that you didn't tell the complete, whole truth, you told them the basis of the truth. Another reason is that maybe the person might understand why you didn't tell the whole truth.
In Dickinson’s “If you were coming in the Fall,” the speaker indicates feeling some kind of hope. Do you think the hope expressed in this poem are fairly common, or are they rare and odd? Given the general pessimism of Dickinson’s work, does this poem stand out as showing some optimism, or does the attitude toward the hope and its likelihood of being fulfilled keep it consistent with her other works? What experiences have you had in life in which you hoped for something but had no way of knowing if it would ever happen?
- I believe that the hope expressed in this poem is fairly common. Many literary works include the aspect of hope, and the feeling of hoping for something, because the majority of the people will always hope for something good to happen, even if they are pessimists or realists. This poem, though generally pessimistic, has some optimistic attribute within it. However, this doesn't make it stand out. Why? Because the attitude towards the hope and its likelihood of being fulfilled is consistent with the other works of Emily Dickinson.
- There have been some instances in life in which I hoped for something but had no way of knowing if it would ever happen. For example, the lottery. Even if I buy a lot of lottery tickets, I will never know if I will win it or not until the results come out. So I speculate about what might happen, what could happen, and what would I do with the money if I actually win it. But in the end, I still don't know if I will win the lottery or not, so basically, all of my speculations were useless. This is very similar to Emily Dickinson's poem "If You Were Coming in the Fall".
Many of Dickinson's poems deal with topics like loneliness, isolation, or death. Given what you know about her life, as well as what you know about women's place in society at that time, discuss why you think she might have felt that way. Do you ever feel pessimistic? If so, why? What experiences have you had that might lead you to feel like Dickinson?
- I believe that Emily Dickinson felt the way she felt because of the circumstances that she were in. First, women during her time had no freedom, or if they had any, very limited freedom. For example, they were expected to stay home and do the housework and the chores. They were also ordered around and expected to complete tasks that were given to them. They couldn't complain, because they were in no place to complain to others. It was basically their role in society, and if they didn't conform to it, they would be condemned. Also, Dickinson felt extremely pessimistic, lonely, and isolated because she couldn't be with the people she loved; she was rejected even before she was able to communicate her feelings because the men she loved were married (in most cases of her stories, since we do not know the exact circumstances and situations). All of these together caused her seclusive nature.
- I do feel pessimistic at times. For example, when I have a lot of work to do, because I feel extremely tired. Also, I feel pessimistic when I have problems that cannot be solved. When I'm angry, I also feel that way, because I look at the negative side of everything. Another example is lottery. I bought many lottery tickets, but I have never won money, and this caused me to think that I won't win, so why bother to send money and buy lottery tickets?
Dickinson’s “The Soul selects her own Society” is about making choices and the instinct that leads each one of us to prefer certain things and cherish some people about others. Dickinson implies that this instinct is not of the rational mind, but rather comes from the spiritual part of us called the soul. How do you think most people select their friends—with their minds (thoughts), with their soul (feelings), or with a combination of the two? Or is there some other answer? What about you? How do you select your friends? Give examples.
- Most people select friends with a combination of both the mind and the soul. How? When people are selecting friends with their mind, they are at the same time observing and evaluating and a person's doings, actions, behaviors, point of views, morals, and attitude towards certain things. People decide whether the other person is doing something wrong or right, and then decide whether the person is worthy or being their friend or not. When a person is using the soul to identify and decide if a person is worth being a friend or not, he or she usually use their initial feelings about the person. This makes first impressions extremely important, because one's first impression is what gives other people feelings - whether the feelings are comfortable or uncomfortable.
- I do the same to select my own friends. But, I am basically friends with almost everyone. There are only certain cases when I feel extremely uncomfortable with a person or when I dislike a person's attributes and characteristics so much that I wouldn't want to be friends with them. When there are actually these cases, I would try and stay as far away from these people as possible, so I don't necessarily break off all my ties with them, just in case I ever have to interact or work with them.
