Henri

The existential, literary, "french" silly cat video.

Cats Playing Patty-cake, what they were saying...

Funny...and not in any way related to anything we read this semester!

Class Canceled, 11/18

Class is canceled tomorrow, 11/18. Please relay this to as many students as you can.

Send your freewriting to me via email or drop off at my office G 108.

Thanks,

Prof. Hebert

Abbey Lincoln: Throw It Away

The poet, the singer, of my Friday morning rainy day.

Maybe you'll like the words too.

Amended Course Schedule

Read the following very carefully.

Lit 201 HA Schedule

The class schedule listed below is the amended schedule for the rest of the semester. Note: Due dates for research paper assignments as listed on The Yellow Wallpaper research paper hand out. Also note: The final exam has been canceled. The final research paper will weigh more as a result. Make sure to get started now, and to complete all stages of the research paper requirements in order to receive a good final grade.

Week 9
10/28
*** List of reliable scholarly sources (minimum 4) in MLA format

Week 10
11/4
Elements of Poetry: Images/Sound/Meter
Modern Poetry: Celebration of the So-called Ordinary
Emily Dickinson, I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain,, Much Madness is divinest Sense, I heard a Fly buzz – when I died, Because I could not stop for Death (534-537))
William Carlos Williams, excerpt from Paterson (handout)
Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers (handout), Harlem (577)
Pablo Neruda, (handout)
Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken (550)
Sylvia Plath, Daddy (632)
Journal question: Read the poems listed above aloud, if possible. Poems are meant to be heard, like music. After, choose several poems you enjoy or are interested in. Your journal should be about your response to the poems and why you feel what you do, as well as what you think the poet is saying/feeling.

Week 11
11/11
Modern Poetry: Social Commentary and the Subversive
Sonia Sanchez (handout)
Paul Lawrence Dunbar, We Wear the Mask (548)
Adrienne Rich, Diving into the Wreck (624)
Walt Whitman, From Song of Myself (519)
A selection of Nuyorican poets: Miguel Algarin, Maggie Estep and others (handout)
Pablo Neruda, (handout)
Allen Ginsberg., A Supermarket in California (608)
Recording of Ginsberg’s Howl (provided in class)
Journal question: Read the poems listed above aloud, if possible. Poems are meant to be heard, like music. After, choose several poems you enjoy or are interested in. Your journal should be about your response to the poems and why you feel what you do, as well as what you think the poet is saying/feeling.

Week 12
11/18
Modern Poetry: Religion to Surrealism
Gerald Manley Hopkins, God’s Grandeur (540), Pied Beauty (540), Spring and Fall (541)
Anne Waldman, Make up on Empty Space go to http://www.poetspath.com/AWaldman/Empty_Space.htm
Charles Baudelaire, (handout)
Wallace Steven, The Emperor of Ice Cream, Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock (556-557)
James Tate, The Wheelchair Butterfly (667)
Other poets to be announced.
Assignment: Read the poems listed above aloud, if possible. Poems are meant to be heard, like music. Be prepared to discuss.
***Research paper freewrite due

Week 13
11/25
No class - Thanksgiving

Week 14
12/2
Greek Drama
Sophocles, Antigone (handout)
Reading and writing assignment to be announced.

Week 15
12/9
Antigone continued


Week 16
12/16
Research paper due
Film: Frida

Cup of tea.....or coffee?

Meret Oppenheim, Object, Paris, 1936

Maybe this is a cup Gregor might like?

Reading Kafka could make you smarter

Science Daily (Sept. 16, 2009)-- Reading a book by Franz Kafka --- or watching a film by director David Lynch--- could make you smarter.

According to research by psychologists at UC Santa Barbara and the University of British Columbia, exposure to the surrealism in, say, Kafka's "The Country Doctor" or Lynch's "Blue Velvet" enhances the cognitive mechanisms that oversee implicit learning functions. The researchers' findings appear in an article published in the September issue of the journal Psychological Science.

"The idea is that when you're exposed to a meaning threat -- something that fundamentally does not make sense -- your brain is going to respond by looking for some other kind of structure within your environment," said Travis Proulx, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSB and co-author of the article. "And, it turns out, that structure can be completely unrelated to the meaning threat."

Meaning, according to Proulx, is an expected association within one's environment. Fire, for example, is associated with extreme heat, and putting your hand in a flame and finding it icy cold would constitute a threat to that meaning. "It would be very disturbing to you because it wouldn't make sense," he said.

As part of their research, Proulx and Steven J. Heine, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and the article's second co-author, asked a group of subjects to read an abridged and slightly edited version of Kafka's "The Country Doctor," which involves a nonsensical -- and in some ways disturbing -- series of events. A second group read a different version of the same short story, one that had been rewritten so that the plot and literary elements made sense. The subjects were then asked to complete an artificial-grammar learning task in which they were exposed to hidden patterns in letter strings. They were asked to copy the individual letter strings and then to put a mark next to those that followed a similar pattern.

"People who read the nonsensical story checked off more letter strings -- clearly they were motivated to find structure," said Proulx. "But what's more important is that they were actually more accurate than those who read the more normal version of the story. They really did learn the pattern better than the other participants did."

In a second study, the same results were evident among people who were led to feel alienated about themselves as they considered how their past actions were often contradictory. "You get the same pattern of effects whether you're reading Kafka or experiencing a breakdown in your sense of identity," Proulx explained. "People feel uncomfortable when their expected associations are violated, and that creates an unconscious desire to make sense of their surroundings. That feeling of discomfort may come from a surreal story, or from contemplating their own contradictory behaviors, but either way, people want to get rid of it. So they're motivated to learn new patterns."

Thus far, the researchers have identified the beneficial effects of unusual experiences only in implicit pattern learning. It remains to be seen whether or not reading surreal literature would aid in the learning of studied material as well. "It's important to note that sitting down with a Kafka story before exam time probably wouldn't boost your performance on a test," said Proulx.

"What is critical here is that our participants were not expecting to encounter this bizarre story," he continued. "If you expect that you'll encounter something strange or out of the ordinary, you won't experience the same sense of alienation. You may be disturbed by it, but you won't show the same learning ability. The key to our study is that our participants were surprised by the series of unexpected events, and they had no way to make sense of them. Hence, they strived to make sense of something else."

Source: Association for Psychological Science (news : web)

The Surreal

Rene Magritte, The Lovers.

In high school I saw this painting and was inspired to write a poem. What do you think of the painting?

Merriam Webster dictionary definition of Surrealism: the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations

Below is The Empire of Lights also by the French Surrealist, Rene Magritte. Do you notice anything irrational or unnatural? Click on the painting for a full view.


Below is the surrealist painting, Persistence of Time by Salvador Dali. Have you seen this painting before? Click on it for the full painting. It looks like a scene Gregor Samsa might wake up to, if he hadn't already turned into a bug!

The work of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, has often been described as surreal or dream-like. Here is her painting What the Water Gave Me. You decide.


Also by Kahlo, The Two Fridas. Click on image for full painting.

The Violence of Grace

Caravaggio, The Conversion of St. Paul on the Road to Damascus (Click on image for full painting)

On his way to Damascus, Saul is knocked from his horse, blinded for 3 days in a violent moment of conversion captured here by Caravaggio, an Italian artist between 1593 and 1610, considered the first great representative of the Baroque school of painting. This is Flannery O'Connor's grandmother, hat knocked off to one side, legs askew, sitting on the dusty road. Some vacation!

Here is another painting by Caravaggio, The Martyrdom of St. Matthew. Notice how the sword of death is coming, as Matthew reaches to the angel's extended hand. Again, click the image, for the full painting.

Journal responses

I love this image- found it on google images and it fits the purpose of this post.

The following are some of my tips for doing well on journal assignments. I'm going to break it down into the smallest details, because, well, I can. I'm writing a blog post, after all.

First...read the journal question(s) before reading. You're paying attention to everything, annotating as you go, but you want to keep the questions in mind.

After you fully comprehend what you've read, spent time with it, uninterrupted (I don't recommend texting), go back to the journal question.

Next, I recommend freewriting out your thoughts. Some people like typing, others prefer writing in long hand. Write without worry, let your thinking develop by asking yourself questions: Why? How? What do I mean? Where is this in the story? You may recall some quote or instance. Do so without summarizing, as the journal questions
never ask for summary.

You should know by now that if you give a simple explanation, like for example, "Sonny explained what he went through in being addicted to heroin, and his brother had trouble understanding" that you need to go back to the text. You can do much more explaining and exploring, but the author's words themselves will help you get there.
If you look at the exchange the brothers have specifically, thinking about the meaning of what they say to each other, including certain quotes, and your analysis, then you're on your way to doing good work.

I recommend freewriting these thoughts out, and then organizing them into paragraphs, editing out repetition and adding anything more later. And you must, after all this proofread! MUST proofread!

You know the requirement is 2 typed pages double spaced (no additional spaces) and in 12 font. If you do this process, you won't have a problem "filling up" 2 pages.

I'll see you're thinking, taking it on, showing care, and even if your interpretation is not perfect, you engaged and worked.

Remember: interpreting literature is not a matter of opinion with all opinions being correct. What happens in the case of opinion-making regarding literature is that people can then make up their own stories, often conventional ones. They might then fail to listen to the writer, who is often far quirkier and more challenging to understand.

I would welcome your sending me journals every once in a while for review, before passing them in, if you think my feedback would be helpful.

Annie Seikonia responds to your questions

Martha Miller, Portrait of Annie

First, a little bit about me. I live in Maine, as you know. My sisters taught me to read before I went to kindergarten and I have been reading ever since. The books I read when I was a teenager had a profound effect on me – they were like secret worlds far away from school and my family and the place I lived. I still love to read poetry and stories especially and to me those poems and stories are passports to another world – better than movies even – because I can imagine everything that happens, which makes it even more potent. I am drawn to writing that engages elements of fantasy and ambiguity, because I think there are many extraordinary parts of the ordinary world we live in. These magical parts of the world exist everywhere and reading and writing helps me to notice them and adds richness and depth to my life. I think nature, poetry, stories, art and music are powerful spiritual treasures that help us to realize how amazing life is, no matter how bleak it may seem at times.

Where did Graywolf come from?

In the story, it says Graywolf is English. It also says, “He was born, perhaps, from a fairy tale. As if the wish became so strong it emerged into reality, fully clothed, gentle, fur-­clad and unmasked.” Perhaps he truly is an ancient spirit from England who is immortal and lives with human companions as their “spirit guide.” Perhaps the narrator, when she was small, wished for a special companion so deeply or believed in a story so completely that he became real. Perhaps he came from her imagination. He is real to me and I like the fact that even though I wrote the story, I am not certain exactly where he came from – that is part of the mystery. Because I don’t know, the reader doesn’t know either, although each reader might have their own theory, and that is part of the story.

Do you think of the story as taking place in the present, or some different time?
I think of it taking place in the present. It does have elements perhaps of fairy tales or an older romantic era, but I find those elements apparent in the modern world all the time. The present to me is a constant mingling of the past and the future and this story to me is set in a modern time despite its otherworldly aspects.

Why did you pick a wolf?

When the original idea about an imaginary friend popped into my mind and the instant I thought about writing a story about it I visualized a young woman with an imaginary wolf friend named Graywolf. A wolf to me has traits that I would like in an imaginary friend: mystery, a bit of wildness, a softness, a quiet confidence and wisdom. If the imaginary friend had been a rabbit it would have been a totally different story and that would be fun to write as well, to see what kind of person would have a rabbit as an imaginary friend and how that would turn out. I think my best stories aren’t always planned out – I don’t always know what will happen either, and as I write, the characters themselves help to determine how the story evolves.

I really like the setting of the story. Is it set in Maine?

The story isn’t technically set in a specific place, though I did use a lot of Portland, Maine in visualizing the scenes, so I guess you could say it is set in Portland. Portland is an interesting smallish city next to the ocean with lots of art and cafes, four seasons and old brick buildings that give it an aura of history and romance. You should all try to visit it someday.

Did you ever experience anything similar to the narrator's experience of an imaginary friend?

When I was a child I had a very powerful imagination and considered stories and toys as “real.” I don’t remember a specific imaginary friend, but I thought my dolls and toys were friends and they all had personalities. I have also always loved animals and have had many cat and dog friends who loved me unconditionally and vice versa. These too were like imaginary friends even though they were real.

What inspired the creation of Graywolf?

I think mainly the inspiration was my deep love for animals and how much I learn and receive from them. Although they don’t dress and speak and walk and talk like Graywolf, they communicate in other ways. I was thinking of the nature of an ideal friendship and how cool it would be to have an imaginary friend that you never outgrew, that stayed with you and remained real past childhood.

Why did those 3 particular people see Graywolf as well?

Sometimes it’s interesting to me how a few people can experience the same phenomena that other people may not be attuned to. I think these three people can see Graywolf because, like the narrator, they are able to connect to a different reality beyond the “ordinary, practical” one that operates the world. I think there is no one reality – we each create our own – and sometimes, if we are lucky, we meet other like-minded people who are open to different realms.

Thank you for reading my story!

Annie Seikonia September 26, 2010

Jacob Lawrence - Harlem Renaissance Artist

Jacob Lawrence, Migration Spreads (from the Migration Series)



Jacob Lawrence, One of the first Race Riots Occurred in East St. Louis (from the Migration Series)

Jacob Lawrence (September 7, 1917 – June 9, 2000) was an African American painter; he was married to fellow artist Gwendolyn Knight. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism", though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem. Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth century African American painters, a distinction shared with Romare Bearden. Lawrence was only in his twenties when his "Migration Series" made him nationally famous. The series of paintings was featured in a 1941 issue of Fortune magazine. The series depicted the epic Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North.

Go to this url to see the slide show of the complete Migration Series
http://www.phillipscollection.org/migration_series/flash/experience.cfm

Here are more of Jacob Lawrence's paintings. Click on the image to get a full view. What do you think of them?


Jacob Lawrence, Harlem


Jacob Lawrence, Story Painter


Jacob Lawrence, Barber Shop (click on image to see full view)

Julie Heffernan

Broken Home, Julie Heffernan


Enchantment, Julie Heffernan


What do you think of these paintings? Heffernan is painting NOW, yet somehow her paintings seem like from a different time and place... A "place" that reminds me of the magic of Graywolf, or just the possibilities of the imagination.

Art work by Annie Seikonia

Fence, Annie Seikonia


Graywolf, Annie Seikonia

We didn't discuss it. What do you think of the drawing of Graywolf?

Did the drawing influence how you imagined him?

Above Graywolf is a photograph Annie took that has a certain mysterious feeling to it I like. It's almost like I can see Graywolf in this scene. What do you think of it?

Check out more of Annie Seikonia's writing and art work on her blog, The White Cafe,
http://www.aseikonia.blogspot.com/

Plums

photo from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

The title of this blog is from William Carlos Williams’ poem of the same name.

This Is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

The poem was a note to Williams’ wife, Flossie. Instead of writing — Ate the plums! Bill or We’re out of plums. Sorry. Bill, he wrote this poem. Every day living can be the subject of poems. Just as every day people, can have a wolf as an imaginary friend.