Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

HEY EVERYONE

well it is an end of an era, no more literature after this semester and to be honest it is very sad. I must say that this area of my study has truly been the most beneficial, it has also been the most interesting and most rewarding. There is no doubt that Michael is a large part of its success. I have not witnessed so much dedication from any other lecturer, he inspires good work in his students and develops a new appreciation for literature. I must admit at times when approaching a new area in literature I would often hesitate, but, Michael would always change my mind within the first few minutes of the first class. All of the elements in our literature courses have been great the posting, the discussions, the drama… great. I only wish that other lecturers would take Michael’s teaching as an example and vary their teaching approaches instead of just getting us to do essays.

This week we were visited by our friend David Malouf, a great Australian writer. His mini-lecture was good and their was one point that I wanted to expand on here. It came about that Malouf was asked by Kat if he believed if there was a reason as to why the Romantics had such a profound effect on her let alone others. They both felt that it had something to do with the way in which they (the Romantics) reached to the core of things. It got me thinking about our generation and how and perhaps why writers such as Blake have such an effect on us. 

Our generation is one that was propelled into the ‘now’ by the eighties movement of ‘greed is good’. People my age and younger have been always told that we can do and be whoever we want to be/do. This has resulted in us wanting things NOW, wanting things easily, when we have not really deserved them. Think about our grandparents, they went through a war, maybe even two major ones and they had to deal and struggle through times where their future was unknown. They had to work for a living, they had to make their fortunes and they mostly stayed in school, got married – stayed married and saved. Us on the other hand have always been given things on a silver platter, have been reassured that things will fix themselves, have expected that things should just happen because we need them to and do not associate hard work with a gain of any sort. The younger ones of our generation are doing everything earlier, we are in debt earlier, we leave school, we may get married, get divorced, have kids, then get re-married, run out of money and go to Centrelink expecting the government to fix up the mess we have gotten ourselves into.

I also thought that the Romantics were people who wanted to get to the core of human experience, something that my generation tend to avoid. Instead of questioning establishments, looking at humanity and questioning our existence, religions, love, feelings… we are obsessed with the latest gadgets, celebrity gossip, fashion, facebook – we do not even communicate unless it is through a digital screen of some sort (I know I am doing this right now). I have also observed that we are complacent toward creativity, we often think that it has all been done before, that we would possibly have nothing to offer and we often say to ourselves “I won’t worry about that another person can.”

So as I was watching what I like to call the “talking heads” on the news this morning telling us about the boy in the balloon I could not believe it had made the news. Who cares, who cares about those stupid parents that were not watching their kid… SERIOUSLY I am positive that their was something much more news worthy perhaps even a famine, a war or an economic collapse? The media only perpetuates the state my generation is in and the governing powers sit back, pat each other on the back and laugh at the riff raff (us) who revel in insolence and ignorance. We as a generation are as detached from the Romantics as we could ever be we simply skim across the surface of things and develop an understanding without looking any deeper.

WE ARE SCHOLARS OF TRIVIA.

Michael I would like to thank you for being the best lecturer I have had… and thank you to those who have been with me on the journey that is literature. Hopefully you can save some more of my generation Michael I know you have opened my eyes to a world that I now love…

Comment people I would love to hear from you, prove me wrong…

This week I commented on G’s WP

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00067739/2009/10/16/week-11/#comment-17

Thanks heaps G, I wish you all the luck in the future, may whatever you do make you happy, you have a real talent for writing and acting so keep it up. D o not let anything get in the way of your dreams…

Candy

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

After staring off our discussion this week I could not help myself commenting on Question 2:

“The Everlasting Gospel” (445-453)“The Vision of Christ that thou dost see/ Is my Visions Greatest Enemy” (453). From these two lines (in the context of what you know of Blake- of this poem), is Blake’s “Greatest Enemy”?

Initially I thought Blake was taking a direct hit at the representation of Jesus and other biblical characters within churches and religious establishments. I could not get past this thought and began to wonder if Blake was protestant in the way that he disregarded the extravagance of the Catholic Church and those who were in its heirachy.

If this was the case then Blake would believe strongly in the following commandment:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth

These representations of Jesus, Mary, The Disciples etc… are therefore false idols, although they give us a visual reference, they should not be made. We in faith should not need images to reinforce our belief. Therefore, one can assume that Blake was also commenting upon the misuse of these idols by the church to enforce fear and perhaps even enforce their own agendas.

Ahhh Blake you seem to be a man of my own heart…

This week I commented here

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00092434/2009/09/26/literature-journal-week-9-my-own-leaf/comment-page-1/#comment-16

Great poem! i really liked all the imagery you were able to put in it, if i may could i suggest perhaps separating your lines more, because some seem to detract from the flow and it would make a large difference if they were on a new line. just a suggestion, none the less, great work.

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

 

 

 

 

Hey everyone if you were unaware I was very unwell during this week, so much so I was admitted to hospital and so I have combined this entry, it is going to be a creative entry however and the following piece is something small I have been working on which I may use at a later date for our Creative Writing unit…

Her feet stuck to the linoleum floor, detaching themselves slowly as she shifted her pregnant weight around the small kitchen. Stirring the aromatic meal around the aluminium pot she added some seasoning that she knew would make her husband and her one year old daughter happy. The fetus in her womb kicked fiercely, as it would later in life and soon her water broke, sending her flat-fast to the floor. The pot of food spun on the stove as sweat poured down her face, she had done this before, but, she still found herself confused and startled, screaming for her neighbour, who subsequently threw open the heavy set front door and stumbled down to where my grandmother lay panting from labour pain.

I would like to hear some feedback guys as this I feel may be the beginning of a portrait I am doing on my grandmother…

Hope you enjoy the pictures above…

Following are my two comments for this and last week

Jesse’s blog -

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00067617/2009/09/11/week-seven-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-4

hey Jesse
I enjoyed reading your post, it is ironic how a man who did not wish to be disturbed let alone disturbed by the very thing he hated got disturbed! I agree that if I was Blake I would have reacted the same particularly because I would have been guided by my political beliefs.
Good work…

Mick’s blog -

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/madmickbeyondliteraturedome/2009/09/13/literature-post-week-7/

hey there thought I would return the favour by commenting on your post. I enjoyed your poem, it made me think of the many friendly arguments I have had with my mates over the footy and also about friendship itself and how when we are in such a trusting relationship we tend to tred lightly at times in order not to provoke a negative response… keep up the good work!!

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

Is it not amazing how even now some 200+ years after Blake was alive his work creates so much argument and discussion. Is he a criminal or even dangerous? Well after the tutorial and lecture last week I have to conclude that Blake was not these things by nature but he was more a threat to the heirachy that was in place, particulalry that of the church, as he called his readers to think beyond the restrictive square that has been placed upon their freedom and imagination.

Blake it seems never claimed that he was a genius, however, critics have placed this label upon him along with the label of an insane religious prophet. Blake chose to see the other side of God, the God that people did not fear, the God that one could begin to understand and accept through one’s imagination.

Blake I feel was a realist willing to break down the barriers that were placed upon him, yes, he used images of rape and homosexuality, but hey let’s be realistic these things exist and he was willing to take notice. He did not want to sanitise his work and so he shouldn’t have!! Perhaps, Blake was dangerous because he anticipates the questions his critics would have by giving them answers in his text. He is like Eliot Ness…Untouchable. 

Through the discussions this week my group and I have discovered how important and vital Blake sees the imagination to be and in particular how important and vital it is toward our experience and knowledge.

The question of experience being regeneration or what happens when we forget is interesting. Both of theses theories have plausible ideas attached to them.

The first -

- the re-generation of society causing new experiences

- experience leads to the regeneration of ideas and is therefore something positive

The second -

- you may make a mistake and then you learn from that experience however, you may forget the lesson until you repeat that action

 - forgetting the experiences you wish to have

Overall, I feel that perhaps the more we experience the more we re-make ourselves. None the less it is certain that imagination helps us experience and gain knowledge and I think that Blake knew this and tried to share it with the world.

I have made two comments and here they are:

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00071075/2009/08/26/literature-entry-week-5-engl214/comment-page-1/#comment-437

hey Bec,
cool post and nice anime too, I am glad to see your doing some poetry, good on you. The poem was good and I loved how you captured that last minute of time where the day ends and a new day begins.
Cheers,
Candice

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00067739/2009/09/03/week-6/comment-page-1/#comment-6

G,
I am very interested in your piece it sounds great so far continue please so I can keep on reading, you obviously like toe tease your audience haha. Keep up the good work…
Candice

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

I forgot to actually press post on this last week and saved it as a draft…stupid

Anyway…

This week we explored the man himself, that is Blake. What inspired this man? How was he in real life? Who was he?

Essentially most people at the end of the lesson concluded that we did not need to know Blake to understand his work, that his character had no effect upon his work. Although I initially agreed with these thoughts I then reconsidered my original assumption and this was because of the detailed nature that Blake’s pieces have…

I usually when approaching a text like to know a bit about the author whether it be his inspiration or his general context and although I do agree that it is not neccessary to know about Blake to appreciate his works, I have to admit prior to taking part in this unit I explored who he was as a person. The additional texts we looked at today built upon the knowledge I had previously learnt, I now see Blake as a man determined to remove the masks that humanity places upon themselves, in order to add authenticity to the human experience. He was a man of ideals, one who appreciated the imagination above all wordly possesions.

This understanding I feel has helped me comprehend the meaning behind his text on a level that is further than face value. I can connect what is being said about certain things in his poetry to instances in his life, his faith or his religious experience.

This week I chose to comment on Lyndal’s Post:

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00067500/2009/08/22/week-4-how-time-flies/

i agree with you Lyndal i did find myself disagreeing with the majority of the class on this issue. i usually like to know a bit about the author of a text before I dive into it, I feel it helps me understand the hidden meanings behind texts also, so do not worry your not alone and I felt that reading these letter brought me one step closer to the illusive man himself.
cheers,
Candy

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

This week instead of devouring what has been learnt about Blake and regurgitating it I thought that I would write some poetry…

As the sun sets

on a sorrowful day

the wind blows

through your

dark curls

your dress

clings

to your

moistened body

and your feet

make their imprint

on the soaked sand

the waves

they crash

on ageless rocks

and the clouds rumble

in an ominous nature

 

You are unphased

as your free spirit

dips its toes into inspiration

as your smile

runs across

your young face

those eyes they glisten

and you hands

they hold the wind

as it fiercely brushes

past you.

 

Twirling

as you outstretch your shall

your bangles clink together

reminding you of a tune

your father used to sing

when you were wrapped

in his strong gypsy arms

amongst the trees

of an unknown forest.

 

You remember

your childhood

when you ran across

small quiet towns

pressing your bare feet

and your scarfed head

upon their thoughts…

you would return at night

to your comfort

a fire, music and laughter

 

Now older,

I wish I had your freedom

your whimsical nature

untouched by the burning

of modern life

of responsilbility

and

expectation.

 

I wish

I were you

dear sweet

musical gypsy.

 

by Candice Insuasti

My comment for this week was on Bec’s Word Press:

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/becb/2009/08/14/week-three-entry/comment-page-1/#comment-2

here it is:

hey there,
i really liked the parallels you drew here between the bees and native australians, great work. it was particularly good to see you adding a sort of poetic touch to malouf it worked surprisingly well and it helped me picture the scene more successfully as when it is given to me in a block it is a bit more difficult. thanks again for sharing some solid work,
cheers
candy

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

I wrote this last night on my way home at 11pm on the train:

After watching ‘Home is where the HeART is’ performed by The Sydney Street Choir, I cannot help but think of the way in which we as humans treat each other. The underlying story of Orpheus and Eurydice was moving to say the least but, with the addition of reality, that is experienced events by the actors, the play took my social conscience to another level. It was inspirational, the actors pulled at me, the clawed at my heart, at the fibre of my humanity, they questioned my morals. Prior to watching the piece I now realise that although at time I would not admit it I would often think that homeless people are lazy. I know, I know, how horrible of me, but, I have gathered that its modern society and its constant reminder that an individual’s value is behind what they have, what they do, how much they earn. This play changed me. It reached deep down into the chasms of my soul and wrenched out the humane element of my existence, the part that brings empathy along with it. The adversity that these people faced, is probably something that I could never do, I would probably give up, something that despite all the odds being against them, they never did. They had strength and the will to go on, I have been condition to rely on other people, to find value in things that are rudimentary and insignificant and to overlook the important things such as family and friends…things I take for granted. Our society, I feel places too much importance behind social success, behind material gains and has pushed aside the innate purity of the human experience.

The fact that the recollection of human experience can be behind the guise and label of ‘homeless’ can also deter one from approaching the possibility of a certain uniqueness. Sometimes, I personally feel that the advancement of society is to the detriment of our humanity – our humanity is lost through our progress. The fact that our world is impersonal is perpetuated by our environment and the technology we use. This disconnection with one another creates a disconnection with ourselves and with humanity and humane things. This disconnection also limits our response to emotional experiences, it prohibits us to feel what we want, it instead causes us to create a false self, a false identity, which is brought forward to ‘keep face’, to be accepted and to create a sense of normality within ourselves.

Similarly to Blake and Ginsberg the play broke the ‘manacles’ often placed upon those who have survived the wounds of a harsh reality. These individuals determined to an audience, of which I was a part of, that it is often in the unknown that the greatest lessons can be learnt. Their stories made me appreciate my life, my family, my semi-sanity and my luck. It allowed me to recognize the possibility of hope, the possibility of kindness. I often find myself to be untrusting and tragically judgmental; I often feel that my experiences and problems are the most important and the most dire.

I am wrong…this production made me realize this.

Some that attended may have laughed at the actor’s awkwardness or uncensored humility, they may have questioned their attitude and attire, or they may have even found the whole experience pathetic and to be honest prior to watching the piece I thought it was going to be a real slap-bang of a production, unorganized and predictable…wrong Candice, very wrong.

For those of you who did not go …Bad Luck. You missed out on an opportunity to enlighten yourself, to connect with humanity and what is innately human. So now as I recollect and try to express what I have experienced, I congratulate Jonathon the man that made it all happen, the man that has helped me realize how selfish and self-centred I am.

Thank you Sydney Street Choir.

 I commented on Nancy’s Blog this week:

http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00065244/2009/07/27/hello-world/#comments

here it is:

Great to see that someone else enjoyed the production. I watched it last night and to say the least I was moved. At times I did not know how to react and then at times I didn’t expect I felt my eyes welling up. I think the production overall allowed me to appreciate my life more and realise how lucky I am, thanks for your post Nancy.
Candice

Adios

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

Although I was not able to make it to the lecture I feel that Blake has already had a profound effect upon me. His work seems to echo many of the sentiments that I try to portray in my own creative pieces – poetry that reflects upon life, the human condition and questions the possibility/reliability of faith. In the tutorial we explored Blake’s poem:

 “The Human Abstract”… a piece that had me in awe just from its heading, I initially presumed that Blake was describing an incomplete and segmented human, someone effected by expectation and exterior forces, confused and infused with doubt over their existence. I was partially right, it seems as though Blake is displaying the thought that every human is intrinsically evil, that it is an inevitable part of our nature and it has been sewn into the tapestry that is the human condition from the beginning of time, from The Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. This inate ‘evilness’ is unavoidable, the virtues described by Blake can not exist without vice, they counteract each other and this is how they exist. I also felt that in the 3rd and 4th stanza Blake begins to describe a sort of god fearing existance where humans are afraid of what God thinks of them but are also appreciative that they have somewhere to turn to. I also noticed that in the second last stanza there is a considerable amount of imagery that is infused by religious connotation. The most poinant image was that of the raven, a dark and scavenger like bird, often used to represent evil. I am definately looking forward to the following weeks.

Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.

I think my best entry is
 WEEKS 8/9 SHAKESPEARE AND POST-COLONIALISM

http://aussielatina.livejournal.com/16467.html

CHEERS

I think my best entry is
 WEEKS 8/9 SHAKESPEARE AND POST-COLONIALISM

http://aussielatina.livejournal.com/16467.html

CHEERS