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.