Marilyn's Literature Blog

In this story, there is a man named Demitri who is married but unhappy in his marriage. He is in the beautiful place of Yalta, where he sees a beautiful lady names Anna, who is out walking her Pomeranian. They have an affair and then later decide to part their separate ways. Later, Demitri decides that he loves Anna and wants to be with her. Anna was terribly worried that Demetri did not respect her, because they had had sex. Demetri actually loved her.
I think Demetri loved Anna so much, and was initially attracted to her, only because of her differences compared to his own wife. He disliked his own wife, so he wanted a woman who was the polar opposite of her. Anna was just this girl. He pursues her once he realizes his love for her, and hope that they will be together.
Later in the story, in ends with Demetri hoping that one day they will be together and not have to hide their love affair from others. The ending is very ambiguous and leaves the reader to determine if Anna and Demetri stay together or just end up parting ways later on down the line. I like this ending because it gives the reader some creative freedom to interpret as he or she likes. This reminds me of a type of youth novel that was popular when I was younger. These novels would start out with a story, in the story the main character (which was supposed to be the reader) would go through a series of events. Typically some sort of conflict or situation would come about that would require the subject to make a decision. The reader would be given control over this decision. Based on the readers decision, he or she was instructed to flip to a certain page to continue the story. In this way, the reader controlled the course of the story and the ultimate ending. Perhaps Checkov's "The Lady with the Dog" was the source or inspiration for these novels.

This story is strange and dark. I think its quite funny how the story was inspired by a drugged induced stupor. Coleridge dediced to take a bunch of Opiates and then read about Kubla Khan. I found it weird that he decided to read while taking drugs. This does not seem like what I picture drug user doing while taking drugs. I picture drug users to go out to parties and hang around other people. Anyhow, once Coleridge started reading he soon fell asleep. This led him to dream of Kubla Khan. His dream was dark and gothic and very weird. Later he, woke up and decided that his dream was so interesting that he should write it down so that he would not forgot. As he started to write, he was interupted by a visitor at the door. After the visitor left, he tried his hardest to remember the dream, but he said that he couldn't remember it as well as before.

I can relate to Coleridge with his diffulties in remember his dreams. In High School I took a psychology course that required us to journal our dreams and then interpret what we thought they meant. We were instructed to write the dreams down as soon as we woke up, because we would remember them best then. I remember several times when I would wake up late for school and not have time to write my dreams down becaues I needed to get ready for class. Then, I would try to write my dreams down once I got to school. Usually my memory of the dream was much less vivid by the time I reached school. The fact that I had to get ready for school was an interuption to my writing, much like Coleridge's guest knocking at his door.

I did not understand what was going on at all here. I feel that I put more than a reasonable amount of effort into trying to figure out what the author was saying here, I just could not get it. I was really frustrating and annoying because it made my brain feel like mush and my self esteemed plummeted. I felt as smart as a brick! :-) I was very relieved to learn in class that the poet actually WANTED me to feel this way when I was reading it. I like the message that Dr. Angel-Cann said was in the poem, I just still can not see the idea very clearly. I even gave the reading a second shot and it was to no avail. Oh well, I guess I will not understand everything I read no matter how hard I try. I prefer things to be written in a much more diret way. I dont mind the subject matter being difficult to understand, but I would prefer it not to be because of words the author chose to use.

This story was so glum and depressing. My favorite characters were Nagg and Nell. I felt very sorry for them. Hamm was a creul and ungreatful son, making his mother and father living in ash bins with lids and sheets over the top. His parents had to beg for their "pap", which I envision to be this nasty gruel of food mashed together. This is no way to treat the people that are responsible for your very life. Hamm seems to hate life, and feels depressed, so he aims to make everyone around him as miserable as he is. This is a really crummy outlook on life, and it really doesn't accomplish any point to make others so miserable. In the scene where Nagg comes out of his container and knocks on the lid of Nell's container to ask for a kiss, I felt sad when I pictured Nagg and Nell straining as hard as they can to reach each other's lips, but to only have to give up because their containers are too far apart. Poor Nagg and Nell. I've seen dogs treated better than they were. But, the ironic part is the fact that Nagg and Nell seem happier with their lousy meager exhistance than Hamm does with his own. Hamm has a servant and a house, but yet he is the sad one. It seems to serve him right.

I thought this peice of literature was soooo long and boring. I wanted to cry when I started to read it, and barely made myselfe complete it. Perhaps this is just me being lazy because it is Christmas break. This was by far my least favorite story of the semester. Because I was so sleepy during the reading, I have very little memory of what went on. I do think it was sad and I didn't like how the lovers did not end up together though.

I did not like this story because it was dark and gloomy. It made me kinda worry about my own life. Life is so short, and I sometimes worry that I am not living my life the way that I should. Perhaps I put too much time into school and my future career and not enough time into spending with my family. I dont want to have a long list of regrets when I and getting old. I think that has to be an aweful feeling, to know that you have wasted you life. Poor Ivan lived a life that he thought would please everyone around him, but in all his worries over what others would think, he forgot to live a life that he himself would be proud of. Also, he alienated himself from him family and his kids. By the time he started getting very sick, it seemed as if the only person that really cared was his son. His wife was more concerned with making money of his death. She should have cared that her husband was gone and that she'd never see him again. I found it ironic thought that Ivan did not live his life with "the end in mind" but that he wore a necklace that reminded him to do just that.

I really really enjoyed this piece of literature. This might be why I chose to write my paper on it! :-) Anyhow, I think the story was sad, inspirational, disturbing, frustrating, ect, ect. There are so many feeling that this story evokes because there are so many aspects to it. Poor Gregor, the bread earner for his family and a good and supporting brother, is mysteriously transformed into a giant nasty cockroach. As if this was not bad enough, everyone in his life slowly learns to hate him. He doesn't want to be a bug, but he is trying to deal with this as best he can. His sister starts off seeming like a kinda and compassionate human being, but soon she shows her true colors and reveals that she doesn't care as much as we thought. Gregor is selfless and kind right up until the moment of his death. He is more worried about being a hassle to his family that he is concerned with is own well being. Its quite sad to see him being so concerned with them, but they hate him so much that they would rather see him dead.

This sad story actually reminds me a lot of my family. I do so much for my mom, constantly helping her out with anything she asks, often driving home from college to house sit and take care of her 30+ animals so she can go away for the weekend with her boyfriend. I once spent my whole Christmas break by helping her watch a new litte of puppies that had just been born. She was worried becaues the mother has sat on one of the puppies and killed it. As a result, I was supposed to watch them round the clock. In exchange, she was going to split the profits with me for what she sold them for. Instead, she used 100% of the money from puppy sales to buy my brother a 2003 Chevy Avalanche. He uses this car to commute! When I asked if she would help me buy a CHEAP truck so that I could haul my horses to and from college, she scoffed at me and called me a spoiled brat. Our relationship is great as long as I do all the giving with no asking. Gregor's family loved him when he did all the giving and never asked anything of his family. Once he needed his family's help, they hated him and turned their back on him. Its kinda sickening!

In this story, the Ancient Mariner was an adaptation of the "Wandering Jew" motif. The wandering Jew was a figure from ancient biblical times that was said to have been cursed to walk the earth and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ because he was bad and hurried Jesus while he was carrying the cross. The Mariner is a twisted version of the wandering jew because he was not preaching about Christianity. Instead, the Jew preached about Nature Gods, which could be viewed as pagan gods. The Mariner was an old scary looking man who had been sentenced to this punishment for killing and Albatross who was flying above the ship. The poor bird was just minding his own business and for no good reason, the Mariner shot him down out of the sky. I think that this was unkind of the Mariner. I am glad that the Mariner was not able to just get off for this crime without a fair punishment. I wish that there really was a nature god that looked over all the animals. Hunters who hunt animals soley for sport should be punished like the Mariner was. I would love it if every hunter had to carry around deer horns on their head for killing helpless deer. It makes me quite ill to think of sensless hunting. I dont mind killing for food or clothing, but not just for fun.

I liked this story, but I did not enjoy the style in which it was written. The story was funny to me because the girl became so upset after her hair was cut off. I understand that many girls value their hair as a prized asset to their beauty, but the girl only had one lock of hair cut off. I am sure that with some creative styling, she could disguise this missing lock without any problem. It was even more amusing that she wanted the lock of hair returned to her, as if it would do any good to replace the hair that was missing. I am pretty sure that this story was written before the time of enzymatic protein glue used for extensions. So, this girl would not be able to really do anything with the lock. I think she wanted it just so that he would not be able to keep it.

This is a classic piece of literature by Jonathan Swift that is discussing a plan of action for combatting Ireland's famine problem. In the story, Swift makes a disgusting proposition to end the hunger problem by suggesting that the people of Ireland should eat children. Even more than that, he actually proposes the idea of poor people making money by "farming" babies to sell for money.

This plan for action is appauling and disturbing. If swift were to have live in modern times and made that suggestion, he would have surely been arrested or persecuted quite heavily by members of relgious groups. Today, with the great debate over abortion and a womans rights to choose, this suggestion would not be taken lightly. Many people feel that a baby, from the moment of conception, is a human being with rights, feeling, emotions, and a soul. To kill this living being would be no less than murder. Swift's proposal can not be considered to be anything less than a murderous genocide of the Irish infant population. It would be quite bad if families actually did purposefully bear children in order to raise them up for sale. I understand that this peice is supposed to be a satire, but I do feel that Swift went a bit too far. His words might be taken as serious by some, and following such advice too closely will lead to nothing but trouble.

In the story of Bewitched, there were a lot of literary tools used that were prevalent during the 18th century period. One of which was the Gothic theme. Bewitched featured several elements of the gothic peice of literature, including decay and ruin of the buildings. There was alot of witch-craft and magic seen in the text. I enjoyed this reading very much. The story was very intriguing and made me want to read more to find out what would happen next. The dragon lady was very enchanting and spell-binding. I can see how she was able to get the man to fall in love with her by using her seductive powers. She reminds me a lot of the Sucubus figure in some literature, or seen in one episode of South Park (the cartoon TV show on comedy central). She was evil and just wanted to use the man for her own benefit. Not a nice gal.

I enjoyed the reading of my last Duchess, even though I was not particularly fond of the narrator and the plot. The Duke was not a good man. In this story, he is talking to the servant of a man. The Duke is hoping to marry the daughter of this man. The reason that this Duke is in need of a wife is because he has killed, or was responsible for, the killing of his last wife, the Duchess. On the wall before the two people is a portrait of this Duchess. She is a young and beautiful woman who was kind and caring to all that she met. This would normally be something that would make a husband proud of his wife in today's society. The Duke was not pleased with this behavior of his wife, because he was a jealous man and took her kind actions as attempts to flirt with other men. This enraged him so much that he actually wanted her dead. Or so at least he wants the audience to think. He later reveals his true motive, which was not love, or jealousy at all. It was money, the good 'ol root of al evil. The dumb Duke was out of money and needed more. He knew that if he married another woman, especially a woman from a wealthy family, he would recieve a large dowery. So, he had his wife killed so he could get a new wife, and thus a new dowery. He should have managed his money better and not spent his lasts wife's dowery on silly tasks like taming a sea horse. Dumb dumb duke. What a jerk!

This literary work was dark and creepy. It was more difficult for me to read that the rest of tonights assignments because it was written in very poetic language. I like it when things are written in the vernacular, so I can understand the meaning. But, then again, that might be because I am a scientist and not a poet. The imagery was good, in some places I could really imagine the landscape. When Roland talked about the earth being bare and the left over stumps being like "stubble" it made me able to visualize the earth as the big round curve of a man's cheek and the tree stumps like facial hair that has grown out for a day or two. The soil was dry and parched just like skin needed moisturizer. The imagery about the horse was sad too. That poor abandoned animal who was betrayed by his owner. Perhaps the horse was not evil, but rather the person who previously owned the horse. I didn't really like the reading, but I did like the overall take-home message of perservering until the very end to ensure one's success. Also, the point about having the goal in mind during your journey is a very good point. It has made me think about my own life and goals. I have been focusing on certain aspects of my life that are perhaps just small obstacles that are trying to distract me from my ultimate goal and purpose. Good motivation!

I did not really enjoy this reading assingment due to the confusing language used by Wordsworth. It was difficult to follow and my brain just kinda shut down and all the words melding into a bunch of meaningless hodge-podge. Perhaps I'll read it again and see if it gets any better the second time around. Needless to say, this is not my favorite passage thus far. :(

This reading assignment was very fun and light. I enjoyed the melodic and rhythmical pattern to the passage. The Lamb reminded me of something that we would sing on Sunday morning in church, so it naturally gave me warm fuzzy feelings. I like the fact that it was lightly religous but yet not overpowering in one certain belief. The Little Black Boy was a more sad story to me. I hate reading things about racial injustice and inequality in children. Its so sad to think that this poor fictious child may have actually thought that he was less special or good than a white child, as suggested by the line "White as an angel is the English child; but I am black, as if bereaved of light". At least it suggested that this boy felt that he would be finally equal to the white child once they were in heaven. Still, its a shame to hear the boy talk less of himself. If Blake wrote this because he felt sorry for black children, then I applaud him for creating a realistic and likeable poetic character. If, to the contrary, he felt that the little black boy actually was less special than the white child, then I feel annoyed at Black. Perhaps this is just a reflection of the sentiments of this time period. I didn't quite understand "The Tyger", but I get a feeling that this tyger is in fact the devil. Does anyone else have ideas?

It seems as if I forgot to introduce who I am! Let me tell you all a bit about myself.....

My name is Marilyn Connor, and I am a senior Biomedical Science major at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. Along with a BS in BIMS (what we call Biomedical Science at A&M), I will be graudating with two minors, Chemistry & Business. I am a member of the honors college and will graduate with Foundation, University, and Research Fellows honors... and hopefully with Cum Laude distinctions! :-) After I graduate this next year, I will be either pursing my master's degree in Physiology or joining Teach for America for two years to fight the inequalities in today's public education system. Most likely I will be teaching math or science, due to my major. I like both those subjects, so I'd be happy and comfortable doing either. I really enjoy teaching, so I am sure that if I am accepted into teach for america I will love it. I have worked for many years as a teacher of horseback riding lessons, so I do have some instructional experience.

My hobby and passion is horseback riding. I own an Arabian mare named Star who I am training in Dressage and Jumpers. She is a sweet girl, but she is too small for me and I hope to sell her and buy a larger horse with the money. I am training her for a favor to my mom. I also love animals of all shapes and sizes. I spend a large portion of my time volunteering in Animal Rescue. I am the Fundraising Coordinator and on the board of directors for a non-profit charity called Woodstock Animal Foundation of Texas (www.woodstocktexas.org). I enjoy what I do to help them, and its very rewarding, even if I dont get paid. I also do research, and am currently working on my own senior research thesis. I haven't started the thesis writing part, and I am very much dreading this! :*(

I dont get a whole lot of time for fun, because my schdedule is so packed, but when I do I really enjoy spending time with my family, riding my horse, or taking my dog to the park. I own a 3 year old Blue American Pitbull Terrier named Argos. He is the sweetest and best dog in the whole world, and I love him like my own child. He is spoiled rotten and we like to go for jogs together in the park. (He is snooring next to me right now dreaming of our next trip!)

I am taking this class for one of my international and cultural diversity electives at Texas A&M as part of my graduation requirements. I need to make next semesters course load much lighter because I have to write my thesis, present it, possibly travel to some research conventions to present my work, and take an MCAT prep course and study for the MCAT test in the spring. Hopefully, if I do well on the MCAT, I'll be going to medical school in the Fall of 2007 or 2008. We'll see. Anyhow, I hope that this class is enjoyable, and that we can all have a good time together.

Man, I stayed up literally ALL NIGHT studying for this test, and still did not have time to get through all the reading. I had to try to skim through alot of it, and then read some online summaries to even try to have some level of preparation for the test. I am the slowest reader in the world! It was not a good idea to pull two all nighters in a row with only one 3 hour nap in between. I could not remember anything I read and was falling in and out of sleep while doing the test. I think I will sleep now for a week to make up for that. I dont think I did nearly as well as I'd like on that test. The test covered alot from the first day, which I missed! I got notes, but I think i was still missing alot of info. The test was written in such a way that if I had had more time to prepare, I feel confident that I could have aced. I like essay and short answer tests! I just hope my grade will not pull me down too much in the end.

Now Tartuffe reminds me more of a modern day guy. He has no self control and is a big fat lying faker! He has people fooled into thinking he is a good and noble man, but some people can see through this smokescreen to the imposter that he is. I enjoyed his reading, especially the part where he gets set up so that the truth can finally be revealed about his true colors! It took a smart gal to do it. :-)

Unfortunatly, I couldn't stay awake during the discussion on Candide. That could be because I had to stay up all the night before and pack, ect. I left College Station at 4 AM to make it in time for the 8 AM class. Four cups of coffee was just not strong enough to fight my narcolepsy. Anyhow, I got a lot more from the reading. Candide is a strange love story mixed with an adventure story. It seems very typical of older literature. Love can't just be simple and easy. There always has to be a family member that does not approve of the love, and then a journey filled with danger and lots of fighting. Certainly, the man must battle and prove his love for the woman, or at least go through many hardships before he is finally permitted to be with the woman. If this was still the way love worked, no one would ever get married! Men are not willing to put that much work out! Its rare to see a man chivalrous enough to open doors, pay for dinner, and be a gentleman....let alone go through all the trouble poor Candide did to finally end up with Conagonde.

I signed up for this course a day late, and man do I feel like that was a mistake! I was hoping to be able to get up to Dallas sooner, but a Fundraising I was incharge of took a lot more wrapping up than I had intended. Anyhow, I am glad that I was able to still sign up for the class. Everyone seems really cool, even the prof! How refreshing! This is a very different class environment from the large & stuff classes at Texas A&M with like 250 other people enrolled and a prof who doesn't know your name, and most likely doesn't want to know your name and would rather not be teaching but is forced to in order to recieve funding for their research project. That is not my ideal teacher. Anyhow, today we learned about two litarary works, Candide and Tartuffe. I had not read either at that point, and I bombed the first quiz accordingly. Anyhow, I will write my thoughts on each of these works in a separate log.