Thesis Proposal 2

Formal Essay II

Thesis Proposal

17. Can William Butler Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming” (1919) be considered a foreshadowing or prelude to what Pablo Neruda writes about in his poem “United Fruit Co.”(1950)?

William Butler Yeats writes “The Second Coming” in response to WWI. Yeats believes that the world is on the brink of revelation; his vision of revelation is filled with darkness. Yeats’ second coming is a period of anarchy, fear and destruction. Yeats believed that history works in cycles and that the cycle that is about to begin is “an age dominated by indifference and authoritarianism” (1350). The darkness and authoritarianism that Yeats discusses connects directly with Pablo Neruda’s poem “United Fruit Co.” Neruda discusses the injustices committed by huge corporations and dictators toward the people of Central America during the post Colonial era. There are so many connections between both poems that Neruda seems to be playing out the nightmare that Yeats envisioned in his poem. The connections between these poems are both contextual and literary. Literary devices and topics these poems use; closely reflect each other. Both poems make references to Christianity. Both poems use personification; flies for dictators and a half man-half beast sphinx. Both poems give representation to those who will suffer. “The Second Coming” was an abstract dream and “United Fruit Co.” is a realization of that dream. Both poems have historical and political backdrops, modernism and post-colonialism, that needs to be considered in analyzing what the poems are trying to express. Yeats’ poem comes almost 30 years before Neruda’s poem and can be seen as a foreshadowing of what was to come. The post-colonial era could be a realization of Yeats vision of the end of the world. The literary similarities between both poems make the connections that much more compelling.

MoMA

Gino Severini

Italian 1883-1966

Dynamic Hieroglyphic of The Bal Tabarin 1912



This painting caught my eyes because of the colors, as they are so vivid. The painting has so much details and lines; it’s so expressive and vibrant. The painting is so mesmerizing, I kept looking at it trying to figure it out and the longer I looked at the more I seen more details. I notice a woman’s face on the top of the painting and kind of a man’s face towards the bottom of the painting.

After reading the description of the painting then I was able to see the woman brown curls and her beautiful, colorful dress. It was definitely a captivating painting.  The painting makes you use your imagination and put images together; like looking up at the sky and making up images with the shapes of the clouds. I love the painting as it’s full of stories. It’s like a moving image.

I enjoyed the trip to the MoMA. This was my first time there and I trully enjoyed it and all the paintings and sculptures where great. I wish one was allowed to take pictures of the German Expressionism exhibit because I loved it. The paintings were so different and so intense, its a great exhibit.

“The Tempest” by: Judith

If Judith would have written “The Tempest” the story would have been completely different because Miranda’s life would be better. Miranda wouldn’t be stuck just learning from her father and letting her father make all her life decisions for her. Maybe they would have had a better relationship and her father would have been more supportive of his daughter decisions and whatever she decided to do with her life. Her father would defend her more and be there for her when she most needed him, he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.

Miranda would have been a more independent woman and would have been more interested in learning and going to school and learning about the world she lived in outside of her four walls. She would have been able to make her own decision on who she wants to be with, without anyone choosing for her, without being forced to be with someone she didn’t know or care for. Overall Miranda would have been able to just enjoy her life and be open to new opportunities and had a supporting father by her side and being able to learn more than what her father could have taught her. Miranda would have been an outspoken woman full of adventures and ideas.

Manifesto

You Must Take Action!

I never knew what RA was or what it stands for, but after my 28 year old sister had her 1^st child she was diagnose with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). She was scared out of her mind and she was so upset because she couldn’t understand why her. After she was diagnose I decided to do some research and find out more about what RA was and how and why people got it.

RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) is an auto immune disorder where our immune system is not functioning properly. When your immune system is low them your body is at a high risk of RA, because yeast forms in your body and it targets your joints. RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) is not curable it’s something that you have to learn to manage for the rest of your life, but it’s your choice if you choose RA to live your life or you choose to live with RA. Even though RA is not curable there are medication that can help you ease the pain, reduce inflammation and stop progression of the disease, RA is a managing disease you just have to learn how.

Once you are diagnosed with RA you should always get a second or third opinion it won’t hurt to find out more about your health. Don’t depend on other, and only on what doctors tell you, do your own research and take charge of your own health. Before taking any medication research the side effects as all medications have side effects. Find out how other people are living with RA, don’t ever feel alone there are thousands of people living with RA and there are groups you can join so you will never feel like you’re dealing with this alone.

My sister has been living with RA for one year now and it is not easy. It is hard for anyone to understand what she’s really feeling as we are not in her shoes; we are not feeling the pain and stress she’s feeling. My sister has not taken charge over her life she’s letting RA live it for her. She can’t enjoy raisin her own child because RA has taking over her life. She don’t have the strength to carry her own baby, to open her bottles to make her milk or even give her baby a bath because her hands are swollen and she is in chronic pain. So I decided to do research and help her out and help her change her life around.

Program for Change

Ø  Find answers to your questions by doing research

·         Reduce stress: stress increases chronic pain

·         Learn Meditation techniques: it helps the body relax, which eases pain

·         Exercise: helps reduce the risk of any other disease like heart disease and it also reduces pain

·         Join support groups: speaking to people that feel your pain can help you not feel alone and you can help and teach each other how to live with RA

·         Get massages: it reduces stress and releases tension

·         Eat Healthy: it can help you increase your immune system and prevent you from getting worst.

Being able to gain control of your life again is a great feeling, so take charge today. Don’t give up and let a disease run your life learn how to live with it and be who you want to be. I changed my life around so I can help my sister gain control of her life. I work out with her all the time; I make plans for her, make a schedule so she can follow it and help her find answers. I knew she couldn’t do it alone so I wanted to help her start her life over and be able to enjoy raising her child.

What does Basho's & Equiano's Travel Narratives have in common & what do they differ on?

Basho’s, “Narrow Road Through the Backcountry” and Equiano’s “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” are two very interesting stories. Both of these writers express so much emotions and details of their travels that it makes vivid images in one’s mind. Their journeys are different, as to where they’re going and what they are experiencing, but they both found freedom. They both found spiritual freedom in different ways. I choose these two readings because as I went back to some of the readings it reminded me of each other and in my paper I will be explaining what comparisons I found and what make their journeys alike. Even though their journeys led them to appreciate different things they both got a lot from their journeys.  Basho learned and had a special appreciation to the natural world and Equiano found a deeper appreciation to God as he believe to be a “fortunate one” and based on his experience he consider himself “as a particular favorite of Heaven.” Their journeys might differ in many ways but the way they express themselves in very vivid ways and their main focus; which is their journey and what they learned is not much different. Both their journeys revolved around special and specific moments in their lives. Both of them wrote about their travel experience and I would explain what things they had mostly in common and what they differ on.

Slavery.....

It is just sad to see how slavery; something that we read about in history class, English class  and many other classes is a topic that is still part of our lives in more than just readings. Many people have family members that had experienced it first hand and some that are dealing with it till this day. In many countries slavery is still happening not exactly how it was before but people still working for miserable payments, being kept away from their families just to be able to work with the hopes that in some near future they can get back together with their families and have enough money to start all over.

Slavery is not only about working under someone and being told what to do, it’s also about how much work you do and what you get in return, how much opportunities are you really allowed and how far can you really get without having to climb a wall that’s just to high… immigrants come to NY thinking it’s the land of opportunity but it’s not easy being an immigrant, or a non English speaking person or just anyone under Superior people. There are many opportunities but with dead ends more than with endless possibilities…. Just going to school don’t cut it anymore, money speaks louder than anything in this world, the higher class people will always be higher class and anything under that will always remain there. But it’s good to always stay positive and always reach for the unreachable.

Enlightenment

“Reply to Taga Bokkei” Translated by Rosemary Mercer

“Being humans we see things in relation to ourselves, a habit that we cannot readily abandon when we look at other things. It is a human habit to think of things and see things always in human terms. Look at children’s picture book about a rat’s wedding, or at a book about goblins. The rats are not treated as rats in the form that we have always known them, they are made into human beings in every detail. The bridegroom wears ceremonial robes with a pair of swords; the bride wears a gown with long veil and rides in a palanquin borne by footmen and soldiers, all in imitation of a human wedding.”(pg 386-387)

When I was reading “Reply to Taga Bokkei” and I read this passage, it interested me because it just reminds me of something that we were talking about in my Childhood Education class. The teacher was telling us that when we become teacher we will always look at things and always relate it to our lives. When we teach we always use personal experiences or relate it to things close to oneself to better explain it or express it.  It can be a good habit but also bad because when you’re working with children’s you can’t always expect them to think that they are relating it to their lives, but instead help them find a connection so they can find a way to understand it in their own special way. When it talked about the children’s rats book it just makes you think how in a child eyes everything is innocent and closely related to everyday life but in an imaginary way. As one grows the imagination grows with you.

As a human you always learn by experience or trial and error and as you read you always find yourself trying to find a connection to your life based on what you’re reading and the reading becomes more interesting and more realistic. As I was writing my philosophy of education I went back to some readings that I found connections to and it gave me better ideas of what to write about and I learn to understand that even when we want to compare or find the relationship between two things we also have to have an open mind and see what the reading is really trying to convey. And also go beyond the meaning of the story.

The Literature of Travel

           

Write about one aspect of the reading(s) that

interested you. This can include making

personal connections with the reading(s) or

making creative connections to other course

texts or to material outside the course. Your

blog entry must be at least 250 words.

    What interested me the most about Basho was that despite his success, Basho grew dissatisfied and lonely. He began to practice Zen meditation, but it seems not to have calmed his mind. In the winter of 1682 his hut burned down, and shortly afterwards, in early 1683, his mother died. He then traveled to Yamura, to stay with a friend. In the winter of 1683 his disciples gave him a second hut in Edo, but his spirits did not improve.

    In 1684 his disciple Takari Kikaku published a compilation of him and other poets. Later that year he left Edo on the first of four major wanderings. Traveling in medieval Japan was immensely dangerous, and at first Bashō expected to simply die in the middle of nowhere or be killed by bandits. As the trip progressed, his mood improved and he became comfortable on the road. He met many friends and grew to enjoy the changing scenery and the seasons. His poems took on a less introspective and more striking tone as he observed the world around him.

     When Bashō returned to Edo he happily resumed his job as a teacher of poetry at his Basho hut, although privately he was already making plans for another journey. The poems from his journey were published as. In early 1686 he composed one of his best-remembered haiku. This interested me so much about Basho for two reasons, he always seemed as if he would be very satisfied inside since he was so satisfied on the outside yet, he wasn't. Another reason why I found this was so interesting is because of the way Basho went for being unsatisfied with himself and having his mother dying to being a happy and successful poet.  

The Tempest

The Tempest.

Think about the characters in

With which one do you most identify or

sympathize? Explain why in 250 words or

more.

In the book The Tempest I believe that the most sympathize character was Prospero. The reasons why I saw Prospero as being the most sympathetic out all the other characters is because  he is shown to be one of Shakespeare's more enigmatic protagonists, also because he was wronged by his own usurping brother. The pursuit of knowledge gets Prospero into trouble in the first place.

By neglecting everyday matters when he was duke, he gave his brother a chance to rise up against him. His possession and use of magical knowledge renders him extremely powerful and not entirely sympathetic. Despite his shortcomings as a man, however, Prospero is central to The Tempest’s narrative. Prospero generates the plot of the play almost single-handedly, as his various schemes, spells, and manipulations all work as part of his grand design to achieve the play’s happy ending.

Then again it depends on your point-of-view and interpretation since Prospero is viewed by a number of critics as flawed. He can also be seen as meddling and vengeful person rather than sympathetic. But in order to go through all that trouble with people such as when he took Caliban's island in return for his own lost title, he manipulate his daughter, is cruel to Ferdinand and Caliban, and kind to Ariel only when the spirit is totally subservient you must have some own personal problem inside. He is unkind to his closes people such as Miranda his own daughter because deep down Prospero is too sympathetic to appreciate all the people and good things he has.

Introduction

1)Describe your background and goals.Who are you and what interests do you have?Do you have an international or multi-lingual background? What are you studying and what career are you pursuing?

My name is Kenia Rosario and I am 27 years old, I was born in Dominican Republic but my family moved to NYC when I was 1 or 2 years old. I was raised in the Bronx but I currently live by Central Park West. This is my fourth semester at BMCC but I am still missing two classes to graduate; after this semester so hopefully I will be taking them in summer school. After summer school I was planning on attending Hunter College but my plans have changed a bit and now I am planning on moving to Florida by July or August. So now I am currently looking for a college in Florida where I can continue my career and get my Bachelors.

One of the things that I enjoy the most is working with children; I do have a passion for it. I love how you can learn from children even when you think your teaching them your learning with them. I want to be able to share my knowledge and help them become who they want to be and I want to be able to inspire them the same way many of my teachers have inspired me. Currently I am a fulltime Nanny of a 2 year old girl and I have been working as a Nanny for a few years but I have also explored other fields. I used to be a Manager of a gym for 2 years and worked for that company for over 7 years, so I keep myself busy as well as being a fulltime student.

I speak Spanish and English but I am more fluent in English because it’s the language that was forced upon me since I was a child due to a “necessity to be able to survive in NYC”, as my mother would say. I took Spanish courses in high school but that didn’t go to well, but I took two semesters of Spanish at BMCC and I learned a lot. My Spanish writing is not that great but I can read it better now. I speak both languages at home but mostly English, except with my mother she’s not very fluent in English.

I am currently studying Childhood Education and trying to stay strong and pursuit it as a career. I want to work with young children and maybe someday become a Math College Professor.

2)Describe your interest in this course.Why are you taking this course? Be honest.

I am trying to keep an open-mind and trying to find interest in literature because I know how important it is in my field of interest and in general, but it’s not my first choice. I am taking this course because it’s part of my major requirements and would like to learn from it and by the end of this semester I woud like be able to enjoy all type literature and understand it

3)What kind of literature do you enjoy reading?List some of your favorite authors

and titles. Specifically, what book has most influenced you? Provide a brief synopsis andexplain its importance to you.

In all honesty I don’t read much on my own time, only what’s required of me to read for my classes. I enjoy reading children books as its part of my job and I read to the children I care for everyday.