"Bermudas"

"To His Coy Mistress"

I believe that the argument in this poem is straightforward. The speaker in the poem is arguing with his mistress and tries to persuade her to have sex with him. He begins by saying that if he had eternity and wealth he would spend enormous amount of time courting her and praising her. However, he says that if lovers do not consume their love, then they would only grow old and die, and so the theme of "Carpe Diem" is introduced. Also, if their love wouldn't be consumed, instead of being penetrated by her lover (lose her virginity) she would instead be penetrated and eaten by worms in a tomb where there is no love. Therefore, the speaker says they should combine all of their strenght into a single act of violent lovemaking and then they could at least make the most of the time they had.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

Bermudas

I find that I like this poem a lot better than To His Coy Mistress because I think it makes more sense and is different from the previous ones we have read that have been about love and sex and men trying to have sex which gets pretty old when reading about it during the sixteen hundreds. I think this poem makes sense becuase it's easy to understand how these sailors have just survied some sort of unexpected event and they are praising God and his will to make sure they get through it. They thank him for providing them with furit and shelter and an island to live on and for making the fruit taste so good and for providing the seas that give them life. They hope that their song reaches God's ear's and is then echoed throughout the sea for all to hear and gain inpiration and faith in God. I think that this makes sense to the reader and delivers the messge in a creative way by placing it in a song and giving a story to give the reader some context as to who and why the song is being sung. It is inspriring and could give people hope who have not only been shipwrecked but to anyone who has been in dark time and can't find a way out of it.
unespied- to not see or catch sight of.
Prelate- bishop or high figure in the chruch.
ambergris- a waxlike substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture.

John Milton

I don't really understand why Milton is so famous for his epic poem "Paradise Lost". I understand it was the first time anything like that had been done but when Laz explained it in class today it seemed to me that all he really did was retell the bible. It doesn't make sense why he got credit for retelling a story that had been written down hundreds of years before.

Katherine Parsons

To His Coy Mistress

First some background on Andrew Marvell, lived 1621-1678 who supported the Puritans along with John Milton. The poem was written before serving for Cromwell and he died before it was published.
The poem's main topic is "carpe diem" => seizing the day....it is said to be one of the finest poems of this topic ever put into verse. What I like about the poem is that it is very straight forward, the speaker is simply trying to persuade his mistress into having sex with him. A metaphysical conceit is presented stating that if he were wealthy he spend alot of time courting her. If she weren't to love young and lose her viginity she'd grow old and eventually die without love and be in a tomb full of worms. The speaker believes they should combine all their strength in making love toward one another, and to make the most of the time they have.

Discussion in Class : Marriage

I think that the times have changed, where before marriage was all there was to look forward to in life, especially for women since their only purpose in life was to serve their husbands and make babies. Now instead, there is a lot more to expect out of life, and everyone wants to at least try if not reach their goals in life before settling down and forming a family. I believe that mid 20s to about 30 is the perfect age to marry and form a family because by that time he/she would have definitly enjoyed youth , and also because it is better and easier to have children at a young age so that he/she can definitly see his/her children grow up and become full matured adults.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

Sonnet XIX When i consider how my light is spent

I found this poem very confusing to read and understand at first and it took me a few readings to somewhat understand it to the point where I got the general message. I think it is harder to read because of the lack of punctuation which makes the first half of the poem seem like it's rambling on. I think that the author is trying to explain that he is questioning his purpose in life and wheather or not he is serving God in the right way in the right amount. It seems to me that he has this dark talent but feels guilty about exploiting it and feels that he should be more dutiful to God. He ask's God if labour is the right way to serve him and God responds by saying that this is not the most important thing to him and that his best "disciple's" are not those who labor but rather those who carry his modest message of fatih and salvation with them every day and present themselves as examples of Christ's power to everyone they meet. These are the people who serve him best. Patience is a very important thing also and this is what allows someone to truly become a man of God. If they can wait with the other thousands to send God's message across the land or to simply recieve God's message whather it be thorughout a lifetime or thorughout a single day.

"Bermudas"

So this is what I can come up with for this poem so far.

Andrew Marvell wrote it as though sailors were singing it. Thats what the lines "from a small boat, the listening winds received this song" means. Then the sailors are thanking God for guiding them through the ocean to this unknown island, which I guess is Bermuda. He says God gives the people everything they need. Towards the end of the poem, he mentions making a temple and "let our voice praise God." This could be about traveling long distances for religious freedom because that is what happened in England and that is where he is from. At the very end of the poem he mentions the sailors again. He says they are from England (which is another reason it could be about religious freedom.) So thats what I got out of it. Please add to this if you figure out something else.

John Milton

Thought I'd take the John Milton biography and try to extract the important terms from it. He was born in December 1608 in London , his family was somewhat wealthy (enough to own two homes). Was a good student at St. Paul's School starting when 12, and learned latin, greek, and hebrew. In 1625 Milton went to Christ's College of Cambridge University where he was called "Lady of Christ's". Graduated on time in 1629, despite being suspended for a year due to fighting his tutor. "On the morning of Christ's nativity" was written that same year. Got his masters degree in 1632 and decided he'd write poetry for a living while educating himself at home while living with his rents.
Wrote a masque, Comus, in 1634 at Ludlow Castle, in honor of Earl of Bridgewater. 1635 he moved to Horton, Buckinghamshire, where he also learned Italian. Milton's classmate drowned in Irish Sea in 1637 so he wrote Lycidas in memory of him. 1638 he toured continent to further his education, met Galileo and Grotius. Between 1641 and 1660 wrote no poetry because of Puritans, he took Parliaments side and wrote pamphlets for them. He married Mary Powell in 1642, she was of royalist family. In 1644 published two famous pamphlets: Areopagetica and "Of Education".
Mary returned to John in 1645, had three daughters for John before death in 1652.
1649 pamphlet "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" was written after Charles I death. His second wife (Woodstock) died in 1656 and Cromwell died in 1658 forcing him to hide before being imprisoned and executed upon Charles II return. He was saved by Marvell and after 1660 he retired from Public life due to oldness and blindness. Paradise Lost came out in 1667, died in 1674.

This does not include the Epics or the poem, but really depicts the important things out of the bio, hope it helps.

12 hour reading

posting now because of the strange feeling left with my after reading that much of lord of the rings in 12 hours

i'm not really tired and i'm not super energized. i'm more in a mental meltdown wiuth all that information cramed in my head most of which is forcing finals information out kinda like the inn keeper

did any one notice that when froto found the sword the next morning after the attack that it melted down to the handel alot like in baewolf??

i would really like to make more connteions and analize but i'm far to melted to do so

- zack

"Sonnet XIX: When I Consider How my Light is Spent"

I think that this poem is saying that God can use all kinds of people. No matter what their ability is, God will find a use for them. The poet himself mentions in this poem that even with his physical disabilities God still gave him a purpose and worked through him. But then the poet expresses how unsatisfied he is of the role that God gave him, and complains of his wasted potential. Finally, in the last lines, the poet reminds himself of the insignificance of his abilities in comparison to God's will. So, I think that this poem is about faith and submission, but also ego and ambition.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

Too soon...

12 hours uhh

_gepp

"To The Virgins, To Make Much Of Time."

This poem was easy to read but each sentence in each stanza had a lot meanings. I think in the first stanza the poet expresses the saying of "Carpe Diem" that urges someone to "Seize the Day",and he believes vergins should do so. I also think that the rose buds symbolize the vergins, fresh and youthful, but brief. Life is compared to a flower, where one day one experiences joy and then the next day dies. The second stanza I found very hard to understand, but I think that its trying to say that life is like a day, there is first a sunrise and then a sunset. So I think that this stanza is trying to say that death is the end of existence. The third stanza I believe is saying that youth is the best time of life since young people are strong and are more able to enjoy themselves. Finally, I think that in the last stanza the poet is saying that each person should take control of his or her life, and spend their time wisely. Since life is short, the poet says to enjoy life and try to make your dreams come true.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

"Delight in Disorder"

I think that this poem is about the wantonness of clothes. I think that the writer believes there is a delight in both the thought that the wantonness of a woman's clothes might mean a similar wantonness in bed. There is also a fear of it, of the "wild civility" of it all.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

"Clerimont's Song"

I think that in this poem, the writer is criticizing a woman's way of dressing up for a feast. He talks about the "art" she uses to get ready for the party, which would be make-up and other beauty supplies. All this "art" though does not strike the writer since he prefers simplicity and grace over the use of so much "art". He finally says that the "art" only strikes his eyes but not his heart, in other words that the outer beauty only strikes his eyes and therefore is not an important factor when seraching for true love. I believe that the writer is trying to promote simplicity and inner beauty over the "arts" and fake outer beauty.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

"Come my Celia, let us prove"

I believe that in this poem, the writer is trying to seduce a woman and trying to convince her to have sex with him. While reading the poem I do see a similarity to some of Catullu's poems, especially to the ones he wrote to Lesbia (I read them in latin), and I also picked up on the reference to the latin saying "Carpe Diem". The writer believes that they shouldn't waste time and instead "Seize the Day" and make the most of it. He believes that there is no crime in trying to live his life to the fullest and so she shouldn't feel guilty nor shy to have sex with him.

Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo

12 HR READ-A-THON = FUNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Okay so, I just wanted to let you guys know where I live.

My address is: 401 Parry Drive.
In case you can't find my house, my number is: 231-0405. I'll help you get here/

So from Main Street. Go down the street across from Passeriello's. That's High Street. Its just a really short street. Take a left onto Prospect. The second right is Parry which is my street. My house is the first corner of the 3rd block on the left side.

I guess I'll expect people starting at like 10:30? So that you're definitely there on time and everything. Remember to be on time!! He won't let anyone in late!!

For dinner, I figure the best solution would be to have pizza. If you guys can just bring like 3 dollars for pizza so that my parents don't have to put down a bunch of money, that'd be wonderful.

We have enough chairs for everyone. But I guess if you're picky about where you'll be sitting, bring your own chair. There will be a chair for you to sit in though, so don't bring one unless you have to. We definitely won't need any extra chairs just chilling.

CAN'T WAIT TO READ WITH YOU GUYS FOR 12 HOURS!! IT'LL BE A BLAST!!

In the Person of Woman-kind

The title of the poem makes you think that the poem is about women, and as soon as you read the first line you know this is true. The first line straight out tells you that a woman is speaking. This is totally my own analysis, but I say what I see in the first stanza: The lady says the men make the women sing over and over to other men (almost like bragging), even the the women really don't have any ambition to, but still do it for the men. Finally the speaker says that men should allow the ladies to brag of what they'd want to, and to not have to brag in front of the men's friends to make him look good.

All I have for now, if someone sees anything more or anything different please post!!!!

Man

I know these notes are a little late but they can help to study for the final. The man seems to me to be a very profound poem that Vauaghan wrote to explain to himself and others how humans think and live their life. In a broad sense the poem is divided into two sections. The first consists of the first two stanza's and they talk about nature and how it nature lives its life. The second part consists of the last two stanza's and they talk about the way man kind lives their lives. It seems ironic to me that the part of man kind is easier to read and understand than the first two stanza's. Vaughan gives three examples of how nature thinks by sowing us the birds, bees, and flowers. The basic point of these examples is to show us that nature does not ask why or what about something. Nature takes time as it is and whatever it brings. Nature also stays steady following the patterns of the seasons and what their genetic code tells them to do. They are not like humans where they are continually moving about and looking for change or better things. Nature is content with the present. Humans on the other hand tend to ask questoins about everything and why stuff happens. We are continually moving and don't have a home. We may think we have a home but it's not a permanent one as in nature of a plant or tree. Ww don't know exactly where our home is. We wander about this earth hoping to find one but we will never on this earth. Our permanent home will be found in either heaven or hell. There is one line in particullar that caught my attention: And intercourse of times divide. This seems to be complicated but it actually is quite simple. The time of the birds crosses the understanding of time by us. Time is whatever we make it and we divide it up so we can better understand it into minutes, hours, seconds, days, years, etc. The birds only understand time by that which is defined by the temperature and the seasons. IT is harder for us to udnerstand their time but easy for us to understand it as it is defined by our culture. Time is different in many cultures and it is whatever you make it.

though i am young!

the second stanza is giving me a little trouble. the first 4 lines im confused as to if Love caused the ruin or love remains in a ruin or if anything caused the ruin. I might be thinking a little to far into this. help? any thoughts?

Ben Jonson Biography

I thought I'd take the Jonson biography and just explain what I feel to be the most important points (aka the points I feel could be on the quiz). His birth on June 11, 1572 son of clergyman. Went to Westminster School and taught by scholar, William Camden. Did bricklaying for short amount of time until he decide to join Flanders. Returned to England-1592, married 1594.
Joined theator comp, Philip Henslowe in London in about 1597. He was also imprisoned then. Killed fellow actor in 1598, Gabriel Spencer. While in prison converted to Roman Catholism but soon (10 years) back to Anglicanism in 1610.
1598 a play of his was performed with Shakespeare in cast at Globe theator. It was his time of fame. In Poetaster (1601) he attacked dramatists and was attacked back by them in Satirmastix. In 1603 he once again got in trouble for a play he wrote and was imprisoned for controversial views.
Wrote Satyr in 1605 and was appointed Court Poet. Seemed Jon liked to write comedies, like his play in 1598 as well as others between 1605 and 1614. His folio came forth in 1616. He went to Scotland in 1618 and got MA degree and lectured rhetoric shortly after is return. In the 1620's he turned to writing masques=>(A dramatic entertainment, usually performed by masked players representing mythological or allegorical figures, that was popular in England in the 16th and early 17th centuries.) Poets that followed in his footsteps were called Cavalier Poets. He died in 1637 and buried at Westminster Abbey.

Its a heck of alot but atleast its less then the bio itself, hope it helps.

Though I am Young

This poem done by Ben Johnson is fairly easy to understand. However,the point the author is tryng to get across is very powerful. As you look at the title you see that the narrator of the poem is young in age. He/she does not fully grasp the whole idea of love or death, because they have not experienced them. The person, however is able to give us some keen insight on these two things as they are compared throughout the poem. It is known that both love and death cause pain. The narrator comes to the realization that in the end love conquers all. Even while death will inevitably have its way with you, that certain event will pass, and love will continue on after death.

The Retreat

Here are some of my notes from class about The Retreat. There are two different meanings of the title. The first meaning is a physical trip to get closer to God. One where you would normally go with some sort of church group. The second is a step backwards as in a millitary retreat but one where you retreat your mind to an early point in your life where you were innocent about God and the whole concept of religion. You have the best relationship with God when you are youngest in life because you know not of sin or temptation in an evil sense. As you get older temptation for sin becomes apparent to you and you can easily stray from having a strong relationship with God. The greatest glory in one's life would be to go our of your life as you had come in. Being innocent of all things of the world and having a strong relationship with God. There are also three different races which one goes through before during and after their life. THe first is before you are born. That is time spent your soul spends with God in heaven. This is the closest one will get with God. The second is your departure from God to come and live on this Earth. The third race is where you depart this Earth, hopefully innocent again, to hopefully reunite with God. You are never the same however, after living a life of sin on this Earth. I think this poem is very interesting and makes one think about the metaphysical world we live in.

Henry Vaughan

Much like George Herbert, it seems that Vaughan had a privileged childhood in regards to his education. He and his twin brother wer taught privatley then attended the college of Jesus at Oxford. Vaughan left college to study law in London but then joined the Royalists in the Civil War and Fought in South Wales. This experience could have influeneced him in his writing by making him more of a secular/physical thinking person rather than being more like Herbert who believed strongly in writing about God and religion in general. It seems to me that Vaughan was more interested in writing about women and people rather than God. This is appartent in his Poems with the Tenth Satire of Juvenal Englished in where he writes about Mrs. Katherine Phillips. Vaughan's first few sets of poetry are very much about the secular world, Women, and a metaphysical state of mind. He only starts to write about religion when he is inspired by Herbert's work. Vaughan's poetry greatly reflects Herbert's The Temple. Vaughan is still interested though in natural abjects and mystical communion with nature where Herbert seemed to wrire strictly about religion. Overall I think that Vaughan is a very interesting man who gives us a good mixture of religion and secular thoughts. I think that we can learn a good deal from Vaughan about how to connect these two topics in our own life. It's also interesting to see this metaphysical poetry evolve over the years from Donne to Herbert to Vaughan. This evolution can partly be attributed to the fact that Donne influenced Vaughan but only through what showed through Herbert.

Man by H. Vaughan

I'm having trouble figuring out what Vaughan is saying in his poem "Man". Just wondering if anyone has any ideas to what it main idea could be..

The Collar by Herbert

Just thought I'd point out some important things I found in Herbert's "The Collar.":

The poem is similar to Donne's Holy Sonnets in that it is violence against God or not against God, but violence that somehow involves God. The third meaning to Collar that most readers do not know is choler which is within one of the four humours- yellow vile which is anger. The rope described in line #22 isn't a physical rope, but as rope within the mind of the speaker. Throughout the entire poem the speaker is denying his faith with God, he's trying to escape the "collar" of religion...he's making his case until the final to lines, when he believes he heard the lord call to him "Childe" and in response he says "My Lord." By saying "My Lord" he's pretty much ending his argument and accepting the collar that restrains him from leaving the faith of God.
The form of the poem is quite random in that there is no set order to how the lines are setup, but this just adds to the speaker's attitude. The attitude in which the speaker has no real discipline toward rebellion, as we see he makes his case and quickly dismisses it when the Lord is present.