"To Kill A Mockingbird" Review

I've never read the book, so I don't know if the movie is accurate and true to the story, but I liked the movie somewhat. It was a bit boring in the beginning, but it was much more interesting towards the middle and end. I feel as though it is based on a book that is better as a book than a movie, because it's much more interesting to read it than to actually watch it. I wasn't very sure what this movie was about. It seemed pretty pointless until we got to the court. In the beginning, we see the world that Scout and her brother Jem live in. It is filled with climbing trees, running around, and spying on neighbors. They're just children who play. But, when we go to the court with them and Atticus, we are shown a different world. It is a world that is unfair and racist. It is Tom's word against the white woman's and whose word will the white jury take as truth? Even though it seemed pretty obvious that Tom hadn't hurt the woman, the jury still ruled him as guilty. The children get to witness this world where the justice system isn't actually just and how even their strong father is incapable of saving a man's life. In this way, they grow up and see that the world might not be as they thought. Along with them, we are shown the same. It also shows us how certain stereotypes have started and still prevail in our society today. We treat black men as scary and women as incapable of evil. There are women that lie and many have used their privilege of being white to scorn black men. It shows not only how unjust our justice system is, but also how people use their privilege to hurt others and how truly disgusting it is.

"Precious" Reaction

I really liked this film, and although I expected it to be completely depressing, I was surprised by how it was managed. The film didn't seem over dramatic or under done. It had a good mix of everything from funny to devastating. It seemed like real life to me and I enjoyed that the movie did not shy away from the very explicitly bad things that have happened in Precious' life. The abuse that she had gone through was in your face and very real. Sometimes I forgot I was watching a movie. I also liked that although Precious had gone through so much in her life, she still somehow managed to get out and to move ahead. She also could joke around and laugh. She didn't let people take her humanity away from her. She could have easily become like her mom, but instead chose to be different. I really enjoyed the parts where she would fantasize, because that is so important to teens and children and even adults. We always fantasize about doing great things, about making life different for ourselves somehow, and these things, I believe, are what help us to cling to the hope that things will get better. I hardly ever see in any movies, though, about teen girls living in poor conditions fantasizing while they're walking through the streets. This is also telling of what Precious is feeling. Whenever it seems like she's going down, she sees herself as a new person and she continues on. The ending was great, too. In the end, she got her child back, and she was unforgiving to her mother. She understood what she went through and she didn't let her mother get away with her inaction. In the end, we don't really know what happened to her, but that's the point. She has her life ahead of her and she still has her dreams.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail Reactions

I've seen this movie before, so it wasn't a new experience watching it, but I always like to see it again. I think that this movie uses a unique comedy that people will like no matter what year they're watching it in. It's juvenile, but witty. I also really liked the part with the demon rabbit. It's not something you expect. I liked all the characters and their stories and I like that they made fun of this sort of serious myth that people take seriously. The beginning of the film, the credits, was also a part I really liked, because I feel like not many movies do that sort of thing. I feel like they made it start off as something serious, but the credits really set us up for the whole movie. The first time I saw it, I was surprised that you could actually mess around so much, because I just haven't thought about it like that. The part with the monks always makes me laugh no matter what. I don't know why, but it just seems very funny and although seems to be there for simple comedy, actually makes a statement about the practice of religion in the past. The movie seems silly, but it takes something serious, historical, and mythical that we treat with respect and sort of pokes fun at it and makes it fun. Nowadays, I see similar stuff happening, like for example the show Galavant. It is also historical and mythical, but it is funny and satirical, unlike the seriousness of Tudor or Reign. For this reason, the movie is unique and interesting.

"Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud" by John Donne Reflection

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

This poem caught my attention because of the title. I knew from the title that it will be about death and I thought it would be trying to belittle death, or make it seem not as grand or important. The speaker of the poem made death seem like a thing that isn't so grand or terrifying. The speaker told us that death is just another kind of sleep; we awaken eternally or go to the afterlife. The narrator is telling us that death isn't even a real thing. They tell us that "we wake eternally/And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die." They are talking directly to "Death" here and they're saying that death won't exist anymore because no one really dies. This opens up a lot of philosophical dilemmas, but I don't think that is the attitude of the narrator. I think that the narrator is trying to make death seem as not a scary thing to fear it less. I think that the narrator is terrified of death and dying, so they're trying to convince themselves that death isn't so scary after all, since they won't really die. They'll just go to the afterlife and death would feel like a short sleep just like everyday. By making death seem like something that happens everyday or something that the narrator has already experienced, the fear lessens, because it is something known. Death is a big unknown and people deeply fear the unknown, so by making death into something common and familiar, it becomes something less feared. 

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes Reflection

I’ve known rivers:

I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I’ve known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I liked this poem with how it surprised me, because it wasn't completely about what I had been expecting. This poem is written from the first person point of view, which makes it seem personal and sounds like it is coming directly from the author, because it uses "I" many times. This focus on self also tells us that the speaker is conscious of their own self, but still connects to the past and to a larger culture, because their soul is like a river. The speaker also says that their soul is "deep" like a river. A river becomes deep over time. It slowly works its way into the earth and wears it away to become deeper and deeper. His soul has become the same, wearing away and becoming older. Rivers are also a means of connecting. He is connected to the past and to his ancestors. We know he has not actually built the pyramids, as the poem includes different time periods too far apart for a person to survive, but he feels as if he did. It is a connection to his ancestors and their culture's accomplishments. He mentions four rivers: three are in Africa and one is in the USA. He mentions how the Mississippi "sings" when Abe comes down to New Orleans. The river is happy specifically to see Abe, the white man. The river belongs to him, because it is a part of Abe's past. It connects Abe to his ancestors, but it doesn't connect the speaker to his. It emphasizes the speaker being in a foreign land where he has no past. But the rivers in Africa are a part of the speaker's past. And even though the Mississippi isn't his river, he will make it deeper by connecting his past and creating something new. It's about becoming something new without losing sight of where you came from and understanding how your past shapes you.

"Sailing to Byzantium" by William Butler Yeats Response

I

That is no country for old men. The young

In one another's arms, birds in the trees,

—Those dying generations—at their song,

The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,

Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long

Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

Caught in that sensual music all neglect

Monuments of unageing intellect.

II

An aged man is but a paltry thing,

A tattered coat upon a stick, unless

Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing

For every tatter in its mortal dress,

Nor is there singing school but studying

Monuments of its own magnificence;

And therefore I have sailed the seas and come

To the holy city of Byzantium.

III

O sages standing in God's holy fire

As in the gold mosaic of a wall,

Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,

And be the singing-masters of my soul.

Consume my heart away; sick with desire

And fastened to a dying animal

It knows not what it is; and gather me

Into the artifice of eternity.

IV

Once out of nature I shall never take

My bodily form from any natural thing,

But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make

Of hammered gold and gold enamelling

To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;

Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

This poem caught my attention, because I recognized the writer and I knew that he is a really good writer, so I wanted to read one of his poems. This poem was a bit complicated to understand at first. I had to read it like three times before I actually understood the poem and what it was about. There is just so much in the poem that sort of distracted me from the purpose of it. I was swayed by the words but didn't pay attention to what they meant. He is an interesting writer, who is very complex. The poem expresses a certain kind of feeling that I think is perfect to describe using a poem, because I don't think there is a word for it. The speaker is feeling that he's an old man and there's nothing left for him in his home country. It could be any country, but it might be Ireland, since the writer is Irish and the poem is told from first person perspective. This man leaves his country, whether physically or mentally, I don't know, and he goes to another place called Byzantium. That is the old Constantinople, the heart of art, architecture, philosophy, and spirituality. I think that this poem might be about the speaker dying and moving on to another place where he can be more complete and more than just a simple man. Indeed, he can be anything; he could be molded like gold into any shape. It gives us a sense of hope, too, that even though you are old and feel like you have come to a stop, you can still go beyond and explore and grow and change. It shows us that life does not reach a constant; it is forever changing.

"Spring and Fall" Close Reading

                           "Spring and Fall" Close Reading

"Margaret are you grieving/ Over Goldengrove unleaving?"
We are introduced to a character, Margaret. The narrator is speaking to her. She is being asked if she's grieving, because of Goldengrove unleaving. That's a strange word, unleaving. What does it mean? It could be someone coming back, reversing their leaving, but why would someone be grieving over soemone coming back? The "grove" in "Goldengrove" means a small wood or group of trees, so maybe this is referring to actual leaves. Maybe the narrator is asking if she's upset that the trees are "unleaving", that they are losing all their leaves. The season is changing and the trees are dying. The poem is called "Spring and Fall", so it would make sense. 

"Leaves, like the things of man, you/ With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?"
So I notice that the order of the words is strange. The second question seems like it is worded backwards, with the "can you" in the back rather than the front. So perhaps this is written like this for artistic purposes and to create rhythm, but the order might actually be different from what we are reading. It could be saying, "Can you, with your fresh thoughts care for leaves, like the things of man?" Which could mean that the narrator is asking this Margaret if she can care about nature like she cares about things made by humanity. Maybe the narrator is being mocking, in making it seem like she's self-centered, only caring about things that are immediately before her, but are small compared to nature. It makes it seem to me like maybe this person, Margaret, is uncaring and the narrator is mocking her carelessness.


"Ah! as the heart grows older/ It will come to such sights colder"
So the words here are put into an order that makes sense. It says "heart grows older", which could mean a person aging or gaining more experience. I think, with the way the second line is worded, that perhaps this means that the heart will be less caring towards certain things as it grows older. I think it means that as you grow older, you get more used to certain things and you take them for granted. You stop caring about it. On the surface, it means that Margaret is uncaring towards nature and its changes, because she's so used to it. But, there is a deeper meaning. I think it is talking about love. I think Margaret is, like the leaves, falling. She is falling out of love, because she's just so used to it that she takes it for granted. I'm not sure about the tone here. It may be that the narrator is trying at fake sympathy, to again, be mocking. I think this line establishes a connection between the heart and the grove, because it talks about the heart growing colder. It makes us think back about the grove "unleaving", reminding us of fall and it growing cold because of the winter.  

"By and by, nor spare a sigh/ Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;"
So from the start, the two words "wanwood" and "leafmeal" catch my attention. What do they mean and what is the purpose of them? "Wan" means pale or weak. So, I'm guessing this line is talking about the dying trees in the grove. The second word seems more tricky. Meal is something you eat and leaf is a leaf. So, is this supposed to mean leaf food? A meal of leaves? And what does the narrator mean by "lie"? Do they mean that the grove is lying as in not telling the truth, or lying like laying down? The most likely explanation is the first one. So it is saying that although your grove, your heart, will lie to you, you will what? It connects back to the first line of Margaret being asked if she's grieving over the Goldengrove. If we establish that the grove represents her heart, then we can say that Margaret's heart is weak and pale, not red and full of life. Her weak heart lies to her, but about what?  

"And yet you will weep and know why."
I noticed that the will is italicized and it has an accent in the "i". I think it is emphasizing this word to show the narrator's utter confidence that what they say is true and will happen. The narrator is trying to fight Margaret on her denial that she will be upset. Going from the previous line, I think that the full statement is that although your weak heart lies to you about not feeling anything or not being upset, you will still cry and feel sad and you know why. She knows why, but do we? Why would she cry? Is she upset at losing her love? Or maybe she's upset at losing a chance? The narrator tells her that she will know why. The narrator tells her that this is something that will happen in the future and that they know what will happen. Their statements are very confident, like they already know what will happen. They sound maybe a bit bitter. Perhaps the author went through a similar experience and is now warning someone else of what will happen. It sounds like an older person talking to a younger or perhaps more naive person who hasn't gone through heartbreak before.  

"Now no matter, child, the name:/ Sorrow's springs are the same."
I noticed the strange word pattern of the first line, so I decided to rearrange it. I changed it to "Now no matter the name, child:" The use of the word "child" reinforces my belief that the author is talking down to someone younger than themselves. But the lines themselves basically say that no matter what you call it, sorrow begins the same. What does this mean? Whose name are we talking about? Perhaps the author is saying that no matter what you call love or the feeling she's feeling, sorrow begins the same way. The way that sorrow begins, no matter what the reason, is the same. The tone seems defeated to me. It sounds like the narrator doesn't care at this point. 

"Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed/ What heart heard of, ghost guessed:"
The wording in the first line is strange and the rhythm of it is strange as well, along with the strange accents. I think what these lines are talking about is that the mouth and mind cannot express what the heart feels. I think these lines are telling us that what the heart feels or "hears" cannot be fully explained by simply using words or your brain. But then, what does "ghost guessed" mean? A ghost is a phantom. They usually cannot be seen, but you could hear them. They are the left over souls of the bitter dead. It seems to fit into the supposed topic of the theme, which is death and rebirth. The end of something, but there is a continuation. 


"It is the blight man was born for,/ It is Margaret you mourn for."
I understand that it's saying that Margaret is sorry for herself. She doesn't care about anything else, but herself and even when she's upset, she is crying for herself. The first sentence says that "it" is the disease man was born for and I think this means that the speaker is saying that the purpose of man's existence is either to love or to be selfish. Perhaps man's purpose is to exist for himself?