The waste land - The waste consciousness

According to what we have discussed and my own thoughts, in this poem the author is depicting the miseries of modern culture and how it has been cheapen by human beings unconsciousness. Therefore, he chooses to name this social mess as 'The waste land': a place, a state, a feeling, an atmosphere, where nothing is expected but at the same time; uncertainty is in the air. An unreal and fictitious city in which there is no shelter for whom need it or ask for it; no relief for the ones who feel pain.
For me 'The waste land' is not the depiction of an empty place, on the contrary, it is a place which is full of 'everything' (people, machines, weapons, money, poverty, and so on) thus it lacks relief, shelter and calm. In other words, modern culture (even us) lacks truth.

The main connections I may find are that both works share the same writing style: literary realism. In this sense, each story exactly portrays and captures reality as a photograph, thus, I may realise how D.H. Lawrence is depicting everyday and banal events and experiences in his writing. For instance, both stories portray unhappy marriage's reality experienced by two different female characters ('A woman' and Elizabeth Bates).

Then, it is crucial not to forget that realism rejects sentimentalism and shows human beings objectively with the inclusion of cruel reality’s facts. For example, both women are stuck by a feeling of dissatisfaction because they have hade to face a cruel reality. In 'The Rocking- Horse Winner' the woman is dissatisfied because of an unhealthy desire for wealth as a result of her expensive tastes. Then, in 'Odour of Chrysanthemums' Elizabeth Bates lives frustrated and dissatisfied because of her husband’s drunkenness which certainly damage the illusions concerning her marriage.

In essence, both stories depict exactly what happens with human beings life styles and how they may become wasted lives because of our vices (money and drinks). Indeed, these stories are clearly a picture of our past and current events; a picture of ourselves.

Money' Importance

Acoording to the narrator, money is of the utmost importance because it keeps women from possessing a room of their own. Due to the fact that women do not have power, their creativity has been suppressed throughout the ages. In other words,as the narrator writes, “Intellectual freedom depends upon material things. Poetry depends upon intellectual freedom. And women have always been poor, not for two hundred years merely, but from the beginning of time . . .” In this case, Virginia
is questioning the fact that only a few number of women have been successful in writing poetry. Indeed, the author believes that the writing of novels allows the writer to start and stop easily and frequently, therefore, women are more likely to write novels than poetry. For instance, women must frequently face several interruptions because they are usually deprived of a room of their own in which to write.

In short, I believe that what the narrator wants to emphasize is that without money, women will stay in a second place in comparison with their creative male counterparts. She is criticizing the financial discrepancy between men and women present in those times and pointing out how it has perpetuated the myth that women are less successful in writing.

While I watched the movie, a number of feelings appeared. It was a shocking boy’s life story but hopeful at the same time. Even when this innocent and pure boy experienced the worst adversities, the film showed exactly how Oliver kept his soul clean by wisely overcoming the difficulties. For instance, he was always exposed to the limits but he never lost his self-control.
In the film, I could see how children were battered and marginalized at work. Poor children had to spend their precious time working hard and being exploited by their “owners”. It was very shocking to see the humiliating ways in which children were treated, specially Oliver who was an orphan the which in those times could not even have a name.
On the other hand, what also really bothered me was the shocking image of those people who supposedly believed in God who were just a bunch of hypocrites. They gave children terrible beatings just because they asked for more food (to ask for more was considered an inconceivable fault because it meant to be ungrateful before God).
In short, Oliver Twist’s life was drama and hope, but mostly innocence. Although he had to be exposed to the slums’ life style it did not distort neither influenced him keeping his purity no matter the circumstances.

Progress Meaning

Having read this short story, I may say that it is difficult to understand it at all, but at the same time it is interesting and catchy. While you read it, the characters involve and take you in to the story making you feel as one of them.

On the other hand, after reading and discussing in class I could identify a number of key words that help me to read between lines (immobility, isolation, mechanization, etc.) and infer some hidden meanings. However, I think the most relevant word or concept developed through the story is progress and how it affects people’s daily routine. In this sense, the story conveys exactly the contrasting outcomes which progress may have. For instance, as a result of progress we may obtain mobility, connectivity and money but it always generates the centralization of success. Unfortunately, it means the segregation and marginalization of the poorest population.

According to an educational point of view, I think we can associate this topic with what standardized educational practices are causing nowadays. For instance, with these kind of tests we make generalization about students; taking their quality of being different away. Students understanding performance is only being measure with these tests which catalogue students according to their grades or final scores.

In short, the importance that we give to GRADES reflects the same misconception of progress that we see in the story, because the same question appears: Progress For Whom?

Frankenstein ...

How many similarities do we have related to Frankenstein (the “monster”)? Who is the “monster”, actually?
According to what we have discussed in classes I have found too many similarities among Frankenstein (the wretch monster”) and us, the human beings. For instance, how many times have we fell or see ourselves as outcasts? or how many times have we feel somehow that we do not belong here? Indeed, how many times have we been considered as weird as Frankenstein (the wretch “monster”) just because of being different?
Unfortunately, what society consider right or wrong (what society believes in), certainly, affects how we see ourselves, how we behave, or what is more; it affects how we look (the importance of physical appearance). In this sense, this wretch “monster” deals with discrimination and marginalization only because he is particularly different.
In short, how many times we call for diversity’s respect but the quality of being not alike is rejected? Otherness is set aside as inferior in quality only because it conflicts with the “normal”.

I wandered lonely as a cloud (by Wordsworth)

A joyful company

Having read the poem, it strikes me that these daffodils represent one of the means which nature uses to convey its majesty to the poet. In addition, I think that the daffodils keep the poet company because of his loneliness. In this sense, I think there is an accomplice relationship among them because nature accompanies and pleases him with its dancing movements.

Thus, it is also a pleasure for the readers to read this poem because it exactly portrays what most of the time we feel whence we contemplate nature. Nature makes our solitude something pleasant and really inspiring.

When the poet says: “A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company", he
is expressing gratitude and happiness towards nature company. He clearly enjoys the landscape and states how nature certainly renders calm and satisfaction.