Poems

In my opinion, the poem that we should discuss in class today is "The Runaway Slave at Pilgrims' point". I think that this poem fits best with what we have discussed in class because it focuses a lot in the human body, a topic that you have emphasized throughout the course. However, in this case, we get to see the body from another perspective, which is race. In this poem, the slave keeps saying how she is black and the differences there is between being black and being "fair" (which is how she, or people in that time, called whites). In this poem we can see how the difference in color can affect one's life, how the body can produce certain emotions and attitudes and how it can sometimes affect us. The issue of race in this poem is very strong, I think we could discuss how our racial body can affect or influence us in our daily basis. For example, why did the slave called her child "fair" and thought of him different than herself, why she covered him with a handkerchief just because the baby was whiter than her. I think it is very interesting because we haven't discussed racism during that period of time.

St. John and Jane

St John is talking about this missionary trip to India he is going to in the near future, and why it is important that he learns their language. He suggests that Jane should quit her German classes and start learning this Hindu language with him. After a long discussion with Jane about the trip, he invites her to come with him as a missionary. What Jane didn't expect was St. John's proposal to come to the missionary trip as his wife. St. John thinks strongly that Jane should marry him because it was the best for his christian way of life. Jane, on the other hand, replies that she wishes to go on the trip but not as his wife. She is not in love with St. John and that is why she strongly disagrees with them getting married. One of the Rivers sisters also tells Jane that she shouldn't marry her brother, that he would use her. In my opinion, Jane is still thinking about Rochester and that is why she does not accept a new idea into her life, however, I think she still wouldn't marry St. John because they do not have the love needed for marriage.

Who is Jane Rochester??

In the passage that you gave us in class, the one who is speaking is Rochester. He feels now guilty of trying to marry Jane while he is still married to Bertha, a Creole from Jamaica. Before the wedding, Jane was feeling uneasy about it; she had bad dreams and predicted something awful. One night, during her nightmares something woke her up, it was a woman/creature in her closet ripping her wedding veil in two. Since when all of this happened Rochester was out of town, Jane told him as soon as he arrived. However, he was not entirely truthful to her. The day went by and on the next morning when she was about to get married to Rochester, Mr Briggs (a stranger) stepped up during the ceremony declaring that Rochester was already married. After this they went to see his wife who was kept in seclusion away from everyone. Rochester declared that she was mad, she seemed like a wild animal. When they went to corroborate this, they all saw this creature he was talking about and why he had to marry her because of his father's plan and her fortune. Jane soon realizes that this creature was Mason's sister and it was her who stabbed mason the night he stayed at Thornfield. She learned that Bertha was guarded by Grace Poole. All of this information clears the mystery that we were having about a strange laugh and strange events happening in the house. However, in this passage, Rochester is telling Jane how he loves her and how he should have been true to her the whole time. That he feared that by telling her the truth he could not have had her, he refers to himself as coward.

Rochester

I think Rochester was wearing a costume because he was trying to get Jane's attention. He was also mysterious and kind of unpredictable so I am not sure if these were his intentions. However, when he returns from his trip with all of his guests, Blanche included, he acts as if he is really into Jane, so this makes me think that his intentions were to let Jane know that Blanche was not the girl for him. He tricks Jane while the "gypsy" is reading her fortune, Jane believes Rochester is behind all of this, she later questions if it was him or if it was Grace. Another note is that when Blanche hears from the "gypsy" that Rochester does not have a lot of money she acts unkind and with a bad humor, which I think also cleared Rochester's thoughts about his feelings for Jane.

2 examples of gothic

Two examples of Gothic I could point out for today's assigned reading are, first, when Jane comes to this big manor (thornfield) and hears strange noises and a laughing noise that appears mysterious. She finds out that Mrs. Fairfax was the housekeeper, not the mom. Adele was left at that place by her mom, a french singer. The darkness of the scene where Jane is at the top-floor and sees this horse coming by and a dog soon appearing, both seeming ghostly, is also a feature that connects this novel to gothic. Another scene I could mention is when Jane comes to fin Rochester's room on fire and saves him from death, soon discovering that this was a murder attempt by Grace, the strange seamstress who had the mysterious laugh. All the darkness in these chapters are related to gothic, how they have troubled lives, how they hear and see strange things, and also how the people involved can be somewhat questionable and mysterious. Jane by now knows that Grace was guilty for what happened in Rochester's room, however, she is surprised by why nothing was said and she was allowed to get away with it.

And on to: JANE EYRE!

A character from Jane Eyre that I could describe is Mrs. Reed. She is Jane's aunt. Jane moved in with the Reeds when her parents died. Mr. Reed, who died in the red room, was very fond of Jane. At the time of his death, he asked Mrs. Reed to promise to take care of Jane as if she were her own. Mrs. Reed did nothing of that sort, instead, she somewhat "abused" of Jane in some way. She called Jane a liar and made her feel unfortunate to live with them. She allowed her 3 children to bother Jane and disrespect her. Towards the end of chapter 4, Mrs. Reed meets with Mr. Brocklehurst, in an attempt to send Jane away to Lowood, a charity school for female orphans. Mrs. Reed interactions with Jane at this point are always harsh and lacking harmony. Obviously, Jane is aware of her aunt's attitude and feelings towards her, which make Jane actually want to leave for school (even though at this point she doesn't know it is a charity school for female orphans). I think Mrs. Reed is despicable and rude, she takes advantage of Jane and treats people as inferior. Mrs. Reed kind of gives me the idea of the "evil step-mother" in the story.

Frankenstein Vol. III

In our reading for today, Victor decides to move away from home for 2 years. He told his father that this would be a chance for him to rediscover himself and retrieve that happiness that he lost. However, he had a purpose for moving away. During this time, he planned to build the creature's female companion. However, he decided one day of stopping the process of building this creature. He leaves his laboratory decides to quit the process. The creature then comes to Victor to ask why did he decide such a thing. The creature hears Victor's regret in agreeing to build his companion and starts to get very angry, in fact, he threatens Victor that if he did not continue to build his partner, he will be present at his wedding night. Victor then decides to throw what was built of the female creature into the water, which made the creature even more mad. The creature responded by killing a man in Ireland, which Victor then discovers that it was Henry.

Victor's motivations for deciding not to go ahead and create this female creature was to not follow his past mistakes of creating a hellish creature that could potentially harm others, as his last creation did. He fought in his mind about the safety of his friends and family and why they would all benefit if the second creature was not created. However, then he found himself worried about their safety given that the creature got so mad and threatened to do something about it.

Frankenstein Vol. II - the creature's side

In volume II, we, as readers, got the chance to read about how the creature feels. I honestly believe that what we all thought at first of him needs to be thought through. I believe in second chances and I believe that him, most of all for being a creation of science, can change. In my opinion, what make him more likable was the fact that he was trying to become better. He studied to learn how to read and write, he really sought a way to become a better "person". I think that we have to return to the fact that he was scientifically created to remember that he can have faults, after all, a human created him. However, by the killing of William, it is a fact that this creature became less likable in that moment. More than that, Victor's deep depression and sense of guilt puts a dark cloud over this creature.

Poems!

The poem I liked the most, or should I say, reflected to the most, was (sorry if the name is incorrect) Tintern Abbey. I choose this poem as my favorite because it brought to my mind several things that have to be taken into account every single day. The most important thing to take from this poem is that the past is the past, even if its rough or sweet, the present is happening right now, and the future is yet to come. When this person gets to this place he once visited while he was not so fortunate, he realizes that the beauty of nature hasn't changed. He thinks about the present cheerfully, thankful that he is no longer unfortunate, but not regretting that it once happened. He now sees the future bringing good things and does not worry him. I believe this is something that helps us to evaluate the real meaning of life and what we are here for; which is to grow, mature, and overcome hard obstacles, between many other things of course. I think we should discuss this poem because it can bring some positive thought to the table that could help us, as students, to see the worlds differently. Appreciating nature for it not being disloyal, leaving the past behind, appreciating the present, and anticipating a good future!

Letters, letters. letters.... (Lady Montagu and Burney)

In my opinion, what both Montagu and Burney achieved in their letters was more than just the portrayal of the "characters" or people involved in the letters, as physical beings; they tried to describe in detail characterics that are more than just physical. They both described actions and attitudes that they either compliment or discourage. Montagu gave a detailed description of the women (or men) she was describing as her letters developed. Both Burney and Montagu have a "feminist" point of view. For example, in Burney's letter, when she prefers to denominate "nobody" (who was going to be the recipient of her letter) as a female. In Montagu's letters, she gives malice, envy, and other negative attitudes a male gender.

Gulliver's Travels

I really like Gulliver as a narrator. The reason for this is that I find him very reliable and trustworthy. During the first part, when he sends a letter to his cousin, he is not afraid to write about how his stories were told (or written in this case) incorrectly, by the fact that they took out what they thought was inappropriate at the time. He did not give in in order to write "what was best" politically at that time. Gulliver surely did not cross his arms and surrender to what he thought was not fair. Gulliver as a narrator is not afraid to say what is true; what is the current situation. I find that honesty and saying things as they are is very honorable of him. I also find him very courageous and brave; he is always trying to do good for others. I find him particularly similar to Oroonoko when he says that people shall "die rather than to break their eggs at the smaller end". Oroonoko says something really similar, which is that he prefers to die rather than to surrender to slavery. I find his courage and his honesty to be the factors that make him more reliable and trustworthy from my point of view.

This is me...

My preferred name is Juan. I'm 23 years old and I'm from Guatemala City, Guatemala. I am currently a senior at TCU, majoring in economics. I also have an interest for other languages, that is why I also chose to minor in french. I have been living in Texas for the last 4 years and I really enjoy being here.

I once had a fear for British literature. I could not understand shakespeare and it was something that frustrated me since high school. As ignorant as it sounds, I thought shakespeare was the major author this course reviewed. However, when I read some works from other British authors I learned that I could understand it and I enjoyed it. Right then was when my interest for this course arose. What I would like to get out of this course is some knowledge in British literature. Also, I would like to say at the end of the course that I like British Literature and that I enjoyed the course, which I'm sure I will.

As I mentioned before, my experience with british literature has not been the best. However, I do enjoy reading. My favorite author is Paolo Coelho, I have read almost all of his novels. I have found myself reading more modern literature rather than classic literature. One thing that I would like to accomplish in this course is that enjoyment for classic literature.

I consider myself a fast learner. I am eager to learn and to work hard to achieve my goals. However, something that has sometimes kept me from doing well in school has been an anxiety disorder that I've been dealing with. I have worked a lot on getting rid of this disorder, however, it takes time and effort to achieve it. I believe I'm close to getting rid of it, I try to relax as much as I can in order to pay attention in class and to function well in my daily basis.

An interesting fact that I would like to share with you is that I am a photographer on my spare time. I have a passion for street photography and I try to work on it as much as I can. In fact, I have a blog in which I post my pictures (the address to my blog is provided in the links). I relax when I am taking pictures and it is something that I enjoy very much. I also enjoy learning other languages, as I mentioned before, and currently I speak spanish, english, and french.


Final note: I have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of the course syllabus.