Power of Creativity

Being a psychology major, “Shakespeare Behind Bars” is extremely appealing to me. Watching people transform themselves, forget who they are and what they’ve done by losing themselves in character is one of the most thrilling things I have seen in a long time. The inmates are given the chance to live another life, and see firsthand the power of change.  Watching the documentary reminded me of a student I once knew in high school. He was a year younger than me, passed along from home to home, and with a rather impressive juvenile record. Many people thought there was no hope for a future, barely a chance to even earn a high school degree. However, he truly transformed his life through creative design and made a future for himself despite all odds.

Growing up in a small, somewhat rougher town comes with much misfortune. Peer pressure is inflated astronomically, along with drug and alcohol use, early sexual endeavors and the ongoing fear of not fitting in with the limited social crowds available. Although many children are able to escape these trials during their development, many cannot. This boy was sadly one of the few who could not. But after what seems like a miracle, my fellow student found a passion in duct tape design and pulled himself out of his dark epoch. He started by designing a wallet for himself which drew attention from his friends and those around him. They all started asking him to make one for them. His small entrepreneurial business soon grew to girls asking him to make them duct tape prom dresses and other outlandish endeavors. He lost himself in his creativity, finally found something dependable to love, earned a high school degree, and now owns a small craft store in my town.

The power of creativity is obviously extremely powerful. People are able channel their imagination in a positive fashion and progress beyond all odds. I am not sure of the exact psychology behind these amazing stories, but I can imagine that creativity allows you to become someone that no one else knew you could be. It allows you to not only show other people, but yourself, that you can do something that’s interpreted as good and beautiful. My fellow classmate is forever indebted to what creativity did for his life. It would do our society wonders if we could incorporate an aspect of creativity into other places where people unknowingly desperately need it.

Perspectives on Stage

Staging Utopia would be like asking a band of thespians to act out a dream you dreamt the night before. The problem is in perspective. “Utopia” was written completely in Sir Thomas More’s point of view of a perfect society, and attempting to stage one person’s complete viewpoint is an impossible request to fulfill.

Actors are usually given roles of characters which they then adapt to and make their own. They undoubtedly keep the writer and director’s personality of the character at forefront, but tweak it in such a way to personalize it and lose themselves in the part. The problem with staging “Utopia” is that they would not be able to do this. The actors would have to completely act in Sir Thomas More’s perception. The only way for this to truly happen would be if “Utopia” was an animated movie voiced in the exact way he prefers, Sir Thomas More plays every character role, or he is simply a puppeteer. Without being done in these ways, the original view of Sir Thomas More would be lost in the modified perspectives of the actors.

Another major conflict would be plot. Although Sir Thomas More describes various aspects of “Utopia” there is no one story that it is centered around. If a screenplay was to be adapted to his writings, a plot would have to manifest. One way this could happen would be if the storyline followed a single family living their daily lives in “Utopia.” Another possibility would be someone who grew up in “Utopia” but questioned its’ differences between the mainland, or vice versa: someone who escapes from the mainland and somehow manages to cross the obstacles on his journey and reach “Utopia.” Either way; however, making a plot out of Sir Thomas More’s writings run the risk of changing or tweaking his perspective, and if this happens it truly isn’t his “Utopia” anymore.

The key point is that “Utopia” can undeniably me made into a play or screenplay, but it would no longer be Sir Thomas More’s personal views of a perfect society. His original ideas would be lost in the adaptations of other writers and directors amends. There is no possible way that the original “Utopia” could fully be transferred onto stage unless Sir Thomas More was still existing, and planned to make the entire script himself as well as act it out or voice it. If these things are not done then it is not his “Utopia” anymore, and who is to say that anything besides his exact words is still, in his mind, a perfect society?

Where is the Love?

Sir Thomas More describes, what seems to be, an effortless and altruistic living situation, disconnected from the callous and material cravings of mainland life. However, this way of life that seems too good to be true is also stripped of the one emotion that our society’s family life is grounded upon: love. Throughout his elaborate depiction of “Utopia”, Sir Thomas More describes many aspects of the family that are completely void of emotion and affection, raising the question if his writings are a reflection of his personal marriages or family life? From what is documented of his life; however, Sir Thomas More was very involved with his children, writing letters to them often and seeing to it that they all, daughters included, received a quality education. Therefore, either his writings must reflect inner emotion about family that he tried to rarely show, or “Utopia” is simply a creative, fictitious manifestation of thoughts distinct from his true thoughts about life.

On page 551 he writes, “As a rule, the son is trained to his father’s craft, for which most feel a natural inclination. But if anyone is attracted to another occupation, he is transferred by adoption into a family practicing the trade he prefers.” The act of adoption is usually an extreme action taken only in severe circumstances. Sir Thomas More describes adoption in very light terms, hardly taking into consideration the separating of families that ultimately accompanies it. This could reflect the fact that he regarded the children of his second wife as his own, or that he became the guardian of a child without extreme difficulty. Regardless, “Utopia” takes the learning of certain trades as far superior to the bonds of a family that are so crucial in modern societies such as ours.

Later Sir Thomas More describes how the nurses of “Utopia” do most of caring for infants. “Thus the nurses may lay the infants down, change them, dress them, and let them play before the fire. Each child is nursed by its own mother, unless death or illness prevents. When that happens, the wife of the syphogrant quickly finds a suitable nurse. The problem is not difficult” (p. 555). Although mothers provide the milk for their children, most other activities necessary are carried out by a nurse, and if a mother dies she is quickly replaced with no problems. Usually when a mother bears a child she wants to spend every moment possible with them, only lending them to alternate care when necessary.

Aside from adoption and childbearing, “Utopia” also takes the act of marriage extremely lightly, almost as a burden. He writes, “The reason they punish this [premarital sex] offense so severely is that they suppose few people would join in married love—with confinement to a single partner, and all the petty annoyances that married life involves—unless they were strictly restrained from a life of promiscuity” (p.570). Love itself if not enough for the people of “Utopia” to sustain a marriage, they must be bound by contract and restricted from premarital sex. This is extremely interesting, for people of today’s society regard love as the main reason to marry and maintain this union throughout life.

The differences between “Utopia” and our society today are obviously extremely different, but differ the most in the emotional realm. Although today’s culture has changed tremendously from the time of Sir Thomas More, the idea of love was still present, as can be observed in other artist’s writings of that time period. It can only be speculated then, whether his lighthearted views on family in “Utopia” are a product of his inner emotions or simply make believe. 

WILDCARD LETTER To My Brother in Guam

Dear Tyler,

            I am extremely excited for you to come home from Guam and visit me, here, at UD! I’m sure the atmospheres are polar opposites so hope you aren’t too “shell shocked” (ha ha) by all the outrageous college kids.

            Anyway, how is Guam? The last I was able to hear from you, you said that you were in flight training but had to go to Texas to take the final text—hope you passed and are alive! I am so proud of you for, not only pursuing your dream, but also helping protect our country (and our puppies).

            Believe it or not, I’m graduating this Spring—weird, I know. I’m currently crossing my fingers that I get accepted into grad school but won’t find out for sure until June. I know dad isn’t excited, though, he’s already shoving student loan bills down my throat. I wish there were better financial aid plans that give students more wiggle room to keep going further in school. That’s life for ya though, I guess!

Can’t wait to see you in 15 days!

Love ya bro

Bren

Sexist or Spiritually Influenced?

On first pass of John Donne’s “Elegy 19 To His Mistress Going to Bed” the forwardness of his writing is quite alarming. It is hard to ignore the poem’s boldness such as in line 7: “Unpin that spangled breastplate which you wear.”Donne seems to abandon genuine love for another that can be found in many of his other poems and focus principally on the physical body. He certainly focuses on sexual behavior in his other writing’s, but his language throughout Elegy 19 seems to be on another level than the others. However, when taking his Neo-Platonic views into consideration, his descriptions of the female body could very much be taken as a compliment rather than a cheeky pass at women.

Line five of “To His Mistress Going to Bed” writes, “Off with that girdle, like heaven's zone glisterin” (line 5). At first glance, Donne is making a very provocative demand; however, when you look closely at the metaphor he is comparing a woman’s body parts to an eternal Utopia. Further, in line 21 he writes, “A heaven like Mahomet's Paradise” (line 21). Mahomet refers to the prophet Muhammad further establishing the comparison to heaven.

Later in the poem Donne begins to compares the sexual exploration of the female body to colonialism. He writes, “O my America! my new-found-land,/ My kingdom, safeliest when with one man manned,/ My mine of precious stones, my empery,/ How blest am I in this discovering thee!” (line 27-30). “My kingdom” representing her body, could represent heaven directly or royalty which is believed to be closely tied to holy entities. Discovering more of her body is related to the discovering of land, and that it is better for just one man to occupy her land.

At the closing of the poem, Donne again equates the female body to holiness using very provocative language. “Themselves are mystic books, which only we/ (Whom their imputed grace will dignify)/ Must see revealed” (line 41-43). A woman’s body is as sacred as holy writings and only he should be able to see her revealed. The last line writes, “To teach thee, I am naked first; why than,/what needst thou have more covering than a man?” Her body is so beautiful that she does not need clothes, just a man to lie above her.

Donne undoubtedly voices his love for sexual exploration in a very aggressive way, but underlies the poem with many complimentary comparisons of women to an eternal goodness. This is consistent with Neo-Platonic views of an eternal good and it is interesting how he ties his love for the female body and sexual endeavors to heaven. 

Feeling Further than Physical Fantasy

Donne has a remarkable writing style unique from other poets of his time. Each of his poems is comprised of massive amounts of writing instruments such as: similes, metaphors, alliteration, and punctuation to paint a more lucid picture of what he is trying to say. In many of his poems, Donne also uses complicated rhyming schemes as well as alternating between poetic meters. For example, in “The Sun Rising” is metered in pentameter, dimeter, as well iambic tetrameter.  However, “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” is atypical in that although many writing instruments are used, the rhyme scheme is a very simple ABAB pattern. Also, instead of interchanging meters, he simply uses iambic tetrameter throughout the poem. In accordance with the rest of his writing, the simplicity of his rhyming scheme as well as how it is metered is done purposefully in order to communicate a certain message.

Beginning in line 25, Donne uses a metaphor comparing their love to a compass to show that their love is everlasting. He writes, “And though it in the centre sit,/ Yet, when the other far doth roam,/It leans, and hearkens after it,/ And grows erect, as that comes home” (line 29). Although the two points are separated they are a part of the same object, meaning him and his wife are a part of the same soul. Although space will separate them, he will always “end where he begun” (line 36). A simile is also used in line 24 when he compares him and his wife’s soul to gold showing that their souls are not being separated, rather, stretched and elongated. “Our two souls therefore, which are one,/ Though I must go, endure not yet/ A breach, but an expansion,/ Like gold to aery thinness beat” (line 20). Gold can be thinned if it is pounded, but it will always be the same consistency, just like although their souls will be stretched by the distance it will never be separated.

Another tool Donne utilizes throughout the poem to communicate his thoughts is alliteration. “Whilst some of their sad friends do say” (line 3), and “Dull sublunary lovers' love” (line 13) are just two examples of the many in this poem. Alliteration supports his writing by stressing certain lines in the poem to better convey an idea.

Finally, and most noteworthy, Donne uses a very simple rhyme scheme of ABAB. He uses this in order to communicate that their love is not complicated. It need not be thwarted by distance, but always remain very pleasant and simple. Metered in only iambic tetrameter, this also stresses the same point. The rhythm of the poem is consistent and never changes, just like when they are separated their soul and love will never change.

REBELUTION lyrical sequence

Reggae is not usually the first genre that comes to mind when I think of love songs; however, “Rebelution,” the first album by Rebelution, is a lyrical sequence incorporating atypical, yet extremely interesting themes of love. One of the most intriguing parts of the album is the very relaxed tone it carries throughout the songs. For example, in “Safe and Sound” the lyrics write, “Yea this is the kind of sound that I want to hear, Yea this is the kind of vibe that I want to feel.” It is a very loose approach to feeling love that is hard to find in other genres. Although many typical feelings of love are found throughout the songs, such as: realizing everything you’ve wanted is right in front of your eyes, working for what you love, and never having enough time, the overriding tone of relaxation still makes this a very interesting and unique album.

Weed 3 Rumination

Female Pioneer

                Mary Wroth’s Pamphilia to Amphilanthus highlights her complex theories of love during an age when women had little freedom of speech and self expression.  Wroth was able to break the gender barrier and compose a sequence of sonnets that shed light on a woman’s perspective of love. Her style of writing is modeled much off of Sir Philip Sydney’s Astrophil and Stella, and works well to communicate her dilemma between reason and passion. This sequence of sonnets is significant, for she is the first woman to compose her rather cynical and multifarious ideas about love.

                The first sonnet communicates many of her ideas about the power of passion. In lines 7 and 8 Wroth writes, “And at her feet, her son, still adding fire To burning hearts, which she did hold above” (p.1457).  She is saying that desire is beginning to consume her. Her burning heart represents that the passion she feels is being held above her, out of her control. This is further iterated in line 12 when Wroth writes, “He her obeyed, and martyred my poor heart” (p.1456). She is a prisoner to her love, and passion is beginning to conquer reason.

                Many instances in her sequence of sonnets highlight her negative view on love. In sonnet 68, lines 1-3, she writes, “My pain, still smothered in my grieved breast, Seeks for some ease, yet cannot passage find To be discharged of this unwelcomed guest:” (p.1459). Her flaming heart that she referred to in the first sonnet cannot be eased by simply writing. Her language is describing love as harming her and filling her with false hope.

                Sonnet 77 references a labyrinth. Wroth writes, “In this strange labyrinth how shall I turn?” (p.1460). In Greek mythology, a Labyrinth refers to a maze-like structure which contained a half man, half bull creature. I feel as if she is saying she is trapped in a maze and does not know which way to turn. The bull refers to her desires, and the man refers to reason. She goes on to write about the different directions she could turn, and how each way is either dangerous or suspicious or shameful (p.1460). Wroth uses negative adjectives to describe each of the directions, further demonstrating her negative outlook on love. She feels as if love is trapping her in this maze and no matter which way she turns, there seems to be a disapproving outcome.

                It is clear through many of her sonnets that Wroth does not view the complexity of love in a positive fashion. Although this sonnet sequence is remarkable, for it is the first known published sonnet sequence by a woman, her writing is rather depressing. I did not expect her to write in such discouraging language; however, I feel as if it reflects the struggles of women at the time. She had to choose between desire and reason, and no matter which she chose, she would either be viewed in a negative light or be unhappy.