Putting Chaos in His Place

Tyger Tyger

In reflection on poetry that has impacted me, I looked way back to a television show I

 watched as a junior in high school, The Mentalist.  In this television show the Protagonist, Patrick Jane, is on the hunt for the serial killer known as Red John who killed his wife and daughter. He enlists as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation as he seeks at all cost to chase down this murderer. In his search (spoiler) he discovers an undercover illegal association among the justice system of California known as the Blake Association. Red John being the leader of this association has created the name of the association from the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake. As the series continues Jane runs into many in this association that feed him a single clue, the words, “Tyger, Tyger.” On one occasion while tied up with ropes Jane meets a masked Red John face to mask and Red John recites for him the first stanza of the poem.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What Immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Upon reflection of this poem as a clue for Jane and his team, they discuss the meaning of the poem; that of opposites, light and darkness, life and death, the lamb and the tiger. In the show, this theme and symbolism makes sense as Red John fits the portrayal of the tiger while Jane fills that of the lamb. This made for an exciting series and gave a Ying/Yang stifle that I still enjoy watching. However, as I have reflected on this poem and analyzed it, its meaning has changed and developed in a different atmosphere for my own life.

From Empty Shelfs to Libraries

My growth in analyzing and critiquing literature this semester can be
compared to the building of a library. Each book is assembled and read one at a time. It may start with just a few books, but eventually grow to be a large library. In similar fashion I believe I started this semester with a very thin book shelf of knowledge. Maybe a couple of dusty copies of Dr. Seuss and Narnia filled the shelf but since it has grown to a more established shelf that is ready for more.

As the semester began and we started to watch plays I was interested to see the purpose. I felt that for an introduction to English studies it was odd to see blogs and dramatic performances take the front end of the semester. However, I can see from looking back at my analysis of "The Death of a Salesman" that allow though I noticed some things such as theme, lighting, and music I didn't truly understand how to analyze a play with respect to costuming, where the play is being performed, and the different types of vocal performances that place a profound influence on how a line in a production is received.

I also had new experiences this semester as I attended the play "Romeo y Julieta" and participated in the English Student Symposium. From the play on the campus of BYU I was fascinated at the ability they have to paint a story while having limited technology and funding. They were able to demonstrate the imagination I need in my writing and analysis even when I don't have much to work with. From the English Student Symposium, I learned that whatever my argument may be I must have absolute passion for what I am arguing. Without the passion for their topics I watched some students struggle to defend their position when critics asked hard questions, and with the passion for their topics I watched other students nobly stand for their argument with solid evidence and conviction. Any solid thesis statement must not only have the evidence to back it up, but the rigorous conviction of the writer.

Possibly most important, in regard to what I have learned and how my writing and literary analysis has developed from blogging in this class this semester, is the worth of being myself. As I read through blog teammates such as Mya's and Allie's post I found that the most impactful posts were the ones where I could hear their voices as I read their words

Martin Luther King once taught:

Human Progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal... requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.

I am not even close to having a full bookshelf full of skills and knowledge in analyzing and writing about literature. Yet, from this class and blog I have felt small steps toward a distant goal. It's required some sacrifice, struggle and yes even some suffering but I do feel that I have expanded my bookshelf and it's open for more.

Darwinism in Literat- Oh wait, no, that's not quite what this is.

When I did literary analysis in the past, it always revolved around a couple distinct things: character, plot, theme, figurative language, and symbolism. That's it. I honestly had no idea what "new criticism" "Marxism" or "structuralism" meant. Although I undoubtedly used some of those approaches in past analysis, it's not the same thing as truly knowing them. Perhaps this is a crude comparison, but it's like the difference between knowing how to throw a punch in a fight and knowing exactly ho to hit someone to knock them out. In the first scenario, you can fight, sure, and you can perhaps get a knock out because in general you know to throw punches at people's heads, but in the second scenario you're going to fare much better because you know exactly where in the head to hit, how hard, and how to create appropriate openings in order to get there. It's all about refinement and knowledge of technique. This is like making an analysis because now I know more than a general "this is what you do to write a literary analysis". Now I know how to look at how the specific plot structure synthesizes with the metaphors and diction to create meaning. Now I know to look for tropes that combine with the setting to add emphasis to particular points.

This is how my literary analysis has evolved. I also learned a great deal about reader-response-ism. I felt like most of what we did in class focused on this type of literary criticism, and I think it is the most important, because, in the end, it doesn't matter how a piece of literature was intended or crafted, it matters how it was received (I don't mean favorably/unfavorably, I mean the definition of reader-response. How it makes us feel, think, etc.). I am learning to synthesize all these different types of analysis into one great whole. I did this the best on my Literary Analysis essay, where I was able to successfully synthesize many aspects of the story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", such as title, setting, plot structure, diction, and tropes, character, extended metaphors, and symbols, to produce a viable argument for what I thought the piece meant. The Personal Literary Essay was also helpful, but more in reading other pieces than making my own, and seeing how others were able to successfully capture the true purpose of literature in their own analysis of how it affected them. 

I'd say that from now on my way of analyzing literature is changed. I am more skilled and have more tools on my belt than ever before, and that's going to be a gift that keeps on giving.   

Links, for those who are interested, to the most influential analysis for me:

Mommy Blogger in the Making

From where I started to where I went with my blogging has evolved.

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings: A Very Strange Tale Most Definitely Not for Children

I am analyzing Gabriel Garcia Marquez's short story "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings: A Tale for Children".

Thesis/Intro:
This is a story about an old man with vulture's wings who appears in a small village off the coast sometime in the mid 20th century. It is a story about how the people of this small town assume that he is an angel and that he can perform miracles, and how they use him. My working thesis on the paper is this: "Though Marquez claims that this is a story for children, it is really a story about the absurdity of human nature, and is quite unfit in various ways for a child audience." I think this is true, although I am unsure because he may just be giving it that title to fool with people.

Section one:
So this part of the paper i explain the story and it's interpretation. basically, each person in the story represents a distinct form of human absurdity, and i will show this through a character and plot analysis.

Section 2:
Just having some character analysis wont be enough. so i will also delve into how the old man is actually a metaphor for Jesus Christ in the story, and how it parallels how people treated him. this will further support my thesis. This is the town reaction, on my paper, because they are the ones who give the biggest impression of this link between the old man and Christ.

Section 3:
Now I need to delve even deeper. lets talk about the story structure, how the symbols (like the wings, a typical symbol of power, are given to a weak old man), contrasts, and everything else sets up a greater structure that mirrors human absurdity.

On the Beauty of Poetry and it’s Overall Importance

Annotations of Ars Poetica by Archibald MacLeish

Claims:
Policy: Archibald Macleish’s poem should not be read literally, as most of it is metaphoric.
Definition: The poem is saying that although to have meaning is important, a poem cannot transcend unless it is beautiful too.
Comparison: The unorthodox structure of the poem is like how poetry should feel to us: unique and timeless.
Evaluation: It is good for us to give poetry meaning, but it should be beautiful too.
Casual: Reading the poem figuratively evokes many beautiful images that are unstated about what poetry truly is.