Have you ever experienced a predicted dream? Has anyone ever suggested something about your future that has actually come true? Did their comments influence your actions and the results that followed?
I actually had a lot of dreams that i got to experience later in life. (Dejavu sort-of like) It was really nothing though. Mostly it was something very random and out of no-where. One dream that i remember was that i saw my friends playing this game on the computer and and one of them screamed that she's gonna go kill someone due to the frusteration that she felt from the game. Then, a few days later, the same exact thing happened, or it felt like the same exact thing happened. It was freaky, but i didn't think it meant anything special.
When i first came to korea, my friend was showing me around seoul. There was this tent outside, and it said 'Tarot Card'. I asked what it was and my friend told me it was something like a fortune teller. In america, it was pretty hard to see someone anything close to a fortune teller, so i decided to try it with my friend. We got to pick a category of relationships, grades, family life, etc. Me and my friend picks relationships and we got some feedback on how are relationships with people is going to be in the future. She said some things that i thought it wouldn't happen, but everything she said came true. At first, i was really amazed, but i think it's just a lucky guess. I don't believe in Tarot, but i think it's just fun once in a while to give it a try.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Macbeth Blog #3
Is there a personal incident in your life you wish could erase? Envision Lady Macbeth wringing herhands, unable to get the imaginary blood off of them. She is haunted by her participation in the grisly deed.Do you think her response is plausible? Do you think you would be consumed with guilt yourself if you foundyourself wrapped up in such a heinous crime?
So far, i haven't comitted such a crime to the point where i would feel extremely guilty and regret until now. And as long as i keep up my reputation as it is, i dont think i would want to erase anything that happens to me even though i regret what i have done. I think the mistakes that i make and the hardship i go through by that experience makes me into a wiser and a bigger person.
However, in the circumstances of Lady Macbeth, I think anyone would want to erase that part of their life. (Exception of crazy maniacs) If i was put into her shoes, I don't think i'll ever be free from my guilt and what i have done. Even if i never got caught or there was no way for other people to find out of what i have done, i think that i would never be able to live life with my head up high. I think that i would be paranoid for the rest of my life, and always carry that feeling of remorse with me wherever i go. In our society, you can see many people like Lady Macbeth through world news, media, etc. Even in that one incident in Virginia Tech where after the killer had gone around killing random people, he has committed suicide for the fear of having to deal with the future. The answer is, that we are all afraid of facing death. But due to the temptations we face, we all take that risk of sinning and hope that we can get away with it.
Therefore, i personally think that if you think you're going to regret it, it's better off not doing it.
Therefore, i personally think that if you think you're going to regret it, it's better off not doing it.
Macbeth Blog #2
What do you think about the character of Macbeth? Was he a good guy before he met the witches, or do his actions imply that he was always capable of dark deeds? Is he to blame for his actions, or are the witches really to blame?
Maceth i think is a character who does not know how to control himself. He is rather controlled by others such as the witches, Lady Macbeth, and somewhat King Duncan. For some reason, i get this sense of goodness through Macbeth even if he did murder King Duncan. I think that Macbeth is not really sure why he has killed King Duncan when he had respected him so much. That transition in his mind and thought... where did it come from? I think the witches strongly have to do something with how Macbeth thinks and what he should do in the future.
In the beginning of the play, we are presented with 3 witches where they give us a foreshadow of evil deeds later in the play. They also say where they should meet Macbeth, which gives us a clue that they will be involving Macbeth into their evil deeds.
One example we can see within the play is the scene right before the murder. Macbeth sees or hallucinates a dagger that leads him to the killing of King Duncan. It's as if he is a puppet on a string controlled by the witches and does everything for the witches and get blamed for it.
However, i think we cannot fully blame the witches for all the evil deeds that Macbeth comitts. I think that Macbeth himself is just not a strong character who can have self-control nor self discipline. Everybody has evil thoughts and temptation of wanting to do things that shouldn't be done. However, we all have the right to choose what to do and not to do. Therefore, witches may have a huge role in making Macbeth do bad things, but we cannot fully blame them for Macbeth's actions.
Maceth i think is a character who does not know how to control himself. He is rather controlled by others such as the witches, Lady Macbeth, and somewhat King Duncan. For some reason, i get this sense of goodness through Macbeth even if he did murder King Duncan. I think that Macbeth is not really sure why he has killed King Duncan when he had respected him so much. That transition in his mind and thought... where did it come from? I think the witches strongly have to do something with how Macbeth thinks and what he should do in the future.
In the beginning of the play, we are presented with 3 witches where they give us a foreshadow of evil deeds later in the play. They also say where they should meet Macbeth, which gives us a clue that they will be involving Macbeth into their evil deeds.
One example we can see within the play is the scene right before the murder. Macbeth sees or hallucinates a dagger that leads him to the killing of King Duncan. It's as if he is a puppet on a string controlled by the witches and does everything for the witches and get blamed for it.
However, i think we cannot fully blame the witches for all the evil deeds that Macbeth comitts. I think that Macbeth himself is just not a strong character who can have self-control nor self discipline. Everybody has evil thoughts and temptation of wanting to do things that shouldn't be done. However, we all have the right to choose what to do and not to do. Therefore, witches may have a huge role in making Macbeth do bad things, but we cannot fully blame them for Macbeth's actions.
Macbeth Blog #1
Do you feel sorry for Lady Macbeth? Why or Why not?
Reading Macbeth, i have had some scenes where i felt slight pity on Lady Macbeth. It is true that she has started the whole murder and the vicious deed that put herself into a sorry position, however if i think of the reason why she might gotten that idea, i feel sorry for her. At that time in the play, it is very much like a man's world where men hold all the power and control. I think that she just feels like as a woman, she has nothing to do with her life. Therefore, she steps forward and tries to do something where she will atleast be acknowledged and be honoured by men and women.
I also feel sympathy for Lady Macbeth in a way that she has realized she had committed such a terrible sin. She realize that 'what has been done can never be undone' and she, i think, disciplines herself with all the nightmares and the state of paranoia.
Lady Macbeth might be portrayed as a very evil woman throughout the beginning of this play, however i feel that she is a very strong character. She's not the best of human kind, however you can see that by the crime she has committed, you can see her unselfish love towards Macbeth and how much she wanted things to go well for him.
I think that there is more to the character of Lady Macbeth, and we should look at the reason behind her actions rather than focusing only on the things she does.
Reading Macbeth, i have had some scenes where i felt slight pity on Lady Macbeth. It is true that she has started the whole murder and the vicious deed that put herself into a sorry position, however if i think of the reason why she might gotten that idea, i feel sorry for her. At that time in the play, it is very much like a man's world where men hold all the power and control. I think that she just feels like as a woman, she has nothing to do with her life. Therefore, she steps forward and tries to do something where she will atleast be acknowledged and be honoured by men and women.
I also feel sympathy for Lady Macbeth in a way that she has realized she had committed such a terrible sin. She realize that 'what has been done can never be undone' and she, i think, disciplines herself with all the nightmares and the state of paranoia.
Lady Macbeth might be portrayed as a very evil woman throughout the beginning of this play, however i feel that she is a very strong character. She's not the best of human kind, however you can see that by the crime she has committed, you can see her unselfish love towards Macbeth and how much she wanted things to go well for him.
I think that there is more to the character of Lady Macbeth, and we should look at the reason behind her actions rather than focusing only on the things she does.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Margaret Atwood 2
Siren Song
This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song t
hat is irresistible:
the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.
I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song
is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique
at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.
Through the title, i predicted that it was going to be something about either fire, injury, hospitality, mermaids, male, chaos.
After finding all the context clues of this poem, i have came to the conclusion that the main message of this poem has something to do with the origin of the word siren. Once, my art hakwon teacher had told me this story of Greek mythology that the word siren actually came from monsterish mermaids. They would lure men who sail among the sea with a song, and when they come near, this creature would eat them up. And by looking at this poem, that story of greek mythology connects totally well with this poem that Atwood had written. (Words like: Island, birds, mythical, singing, 'help me' gave me clues that this poem had a lot to do with the origin of the siren story.) Also, I think that the significance of the 'siren monster' has got to do something with feminism because the monster is a female that attack men. Looking at our history, woman is stereotyped as being weak, powerless, defenseless. However, in this poem, the main power is held by a female character.
I think within this poem, Atwood is mainly trying to come across a feminism idea. That woman might be treated as a second priority, but that we can hold power and have some strong side of us as well as men. yes, very cliche thing for me to say, but that's what i think :)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Margaret Atwood 3
In class, we had read over the poem "Morning in the Burned House". The Harmartia that is expressed through this poem is the fact that people become too overwhelmed when they lose something.
people in our world today in most parts are obsessed over consuming many things. Money is the major problem. In our society, all we care about is to strive for success and happiness. In order to do that, we all live up to the American Dream. However, to achieve that american dream requires endless effort and arrogance. Yet many people tend to fall even with all the hard work put through all their life, and encounter this 'loss' (loss of time, life, and chances) which makes a lot of us to become overwhelmed and result as doing something stupid as suiciding.
It seems as though within this poem, Atwood is trying to say that being so caught up with the American Dream can only lead you into destruction. I personally think that within this poem, i was able to feel what the speaker was feeling throughout the poem. It seemed as though for me, that the speaker was realizing something after she had gone through the process of losing her family, house, and possessions. So the connection between how i took in this poem and the use of harmartia seemed to enhace the understanding of the message that Atwood was trying to present.
people in our world today in most parts are obsessed over consuming many things. Money is the major problem. In our society, all we care about is to strive for success and happiness. In order to do that, we all live up to the American Dream. However, to achieve that american dream requires endless effort and arrogance. Yet many people tend to fall even with all the hard work put through all their life, and encounter this 'loss' (loss of time, life, and chances) which makes a lot of us to become overwhelmed and result as doing something stupid as suiciding.
It seems as though within this poem, Atwood is trying to say that being so caught up with the American Dream can only lead you into destruction. I personally think that within this poem, i was able to feel what the speaker was feeling throughout the poem. It seemed as though for me, that the speaker was realizing something after she had gone through the process of losing her family, house, and possessions. So the connection between how i took in this poem and the use of harmartia seemed to enhace the understanding of the message that Atwood was trying to present.
Margaret Atwood 1
Out of the three poets that were given, I feel that Margaret Atwood has the most similar thoughts about some issues as i do. She is widely recognized as a feminist, which can connect with my life in many ways being a female myself. I might not be like a total feminist freak, however I tend to seek interest in that area of woman rights. Also in many of my art works I have created, it has a lot to do with feminism and the idea of perusing equality within the society. So I guess we’re kind of similar in ways where she creates poems, and I create art as well. Also, out of those 3 poets, I know that Margaret Atwood has a humorous side of her (hockey clip) which can also connect with my personality because I am not considered to be a very serious character. I’m not really sure about the other two poets, but Atwood also wrote books for children which can relate to how I much I love children. J
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Language
"Language is the best tool we have, but it keeps getting in the way. So in science, we revert to mathematics. And in theology, we revert to poetry. Mathematics and imagination are two ways of talking about things beyond normal language."
Based on your experiences with poetry in previous years, and in the beginning of our new unit, comment on this excerpt. Here are some questions to get you thinking: Can mathematics and poetry be linked in this way? Why does language get in the way? If it gets in the way, why is the language of poetry more apt to tap into truth than other forms of language (prose, etc.)? Is it possible to "part the veil", to "see beyond" our experience through the medium of words - the words of poems in particular? Is McLaren suggesting the languages of poetry and mathematics are holy in some way?
= Well, personally, I have always thought of how language is the start of everything. It's amazing how just words itself can change someone's emotions or even drastic as change someone's life. It can make someone cry yet it can make someone smile. It can make someone want to go do something as to change the world, yet it can make someone go suicidal.
Language does constantly get in the way of our everyday lives. We all have times where we have to say something to express a thought, but you just don’t know how to say it right to deliver the exact feeling you want to put to words. Simply as when we need directions, many people tend to take out a pencil and draw to explain than to rather inform the other person with just words. In math equations, we need to draw some figures to find out what a polygon is or what’s not. Sometimes, you have to see it in a different perspective in order to know what that exactly feels. This is where poetry comes in. Poetry is like feelings poured down on a piece of paper but by comparing it with different things rather than directly saying it. (That’s what I think at least) Sometimes you have to tell your friend, “You know that feeling when you do _____? It feels like that!” Like, you don’t know how to describe it so you have to compare it to something else for them to understand. For example, people often ask what love is. Nobody can explain the exact meaning of love. So we all tend to describe love with something else that we have experienced through.
As my personal opinion, I don’t think McLaren is suggesting that languages of poetry and mathematics are holy. I mean, they help but to the point where it’s holy I’m not sure. Yet sometimes, the fact that mathematics and poetry can inspire people’s lives and the fact that they get to express through these two sources is what I find it remarkable about those two.
Based on your experiences with poetry in previous years, and in the beginning of our new unit, comment on this excerpt. Here are some questions to get you thinking: Can mathematics and poetry be linked in this way? Why does language get in the way? If it gets in the way, why is the language of poetry more apt to tap into truth than other forms of language (prose, etc.)? Is it possible to "part the veil", to "see beyond" our experience through the medium of words - the words of poems in particular? Is McLaren suggesting the languages of poetry and mathematics are holy in some way?
= Well, personally, I have always thought of how language is the start of everything. It's amazing how just words itself can change someone's emotions or even drastic as change someone's life. It can make someone cry yet it can make someone smile. It can make someone want to go do something as to change the world, yet it can make someone go suicidal.
Language does constantly get in the way of our everyday lives. We all have times where we have to say something to express a thought, but you just don’t know how to say it right to deliver the exact feeling you want to put to words. Simply as when we need directions, many people tend to take out a pencil and draw to explain than to rather inform the other person with just words. In math equations, we need to draw some figures to find out what a polygon is or what’s not. Sometimes, you have to see it in a different perspective in order to know what that exactly feels. This is where poetry comes in. Poetry is like feelings poured down on a piece of paper but by comparing it with different things rather than directly saying it. (That’s what I think at least) Sometimes you have to tell your friend, “You know that feeling when you do _____? It feels like that!” Like, you don’t know how to describe it so you have to compare it to something else for them to understand. For example, people often ask what love is. Nobody can explain the exact meaning of love. So we all tend to describe love with something else that we have experienced through.
As my personal opinion, I don’t think McLaren is suggesting that languages of poetry and mathematics are holy. I mean, they help but to the point where it’s holy I’m not sure. Yet sometimes, the fact that mathematics and poetry can inspire people’s lives and the fact that they get to express through these two sources is what I find it remarkable about those two.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Death of a Salesman
3. What is the difference between having a nice personality and being a good person? (What is a "personality" anyway?) Relatedly, what is the difference between having a nice lifestyle and living well? Do you see anything in common between the notions of "personality" and "lifestyle"? If so, please describe it.
Having nice personality and being a good person can have very common traits but there are slight differences which can make them be two very different things. A person with 'nice' personality can easily be judged as to being a nice person. However, having a nice personality does not always correspond to being a good person. You might have a nice personality where you get along with many people and be the joker of your class, but that does not mean that you don't go out at night and steal other people's car or hack into somebody's computer. Similarly to the previous question, having a nice lifestyle can be similar but very different with living well. One might have a nice lifestyle of everyone doing things for you and all you do it sit around and do nothing but do what pleases you, but does that really mean that you are living well? That person will never learn how to respect or put others before himself. I'm not referring to everybody here, however, is having a nice lifestyle going to make you a person who lives a life well? Personality is a major factor that affects one's lifestyle. If your personality is likable and congenial with others, people are going to want to be with you and support you through life. However, if your shy or you don't get along with other people as much, people tend to never notice you or don't even bother getting along with you at all which leaves you thinking that you have the worst lifestyle that anyone can have. But that's the part where life's not fair. Because a person with ‘nice’ personality does not mean they are a 'good' person, it's not fair that people like them and support them anyway. People in our world are so corrupted with their superficial views and judgment at things that chances for other people decrease just because of personality difference. We all have to admit, we are more attracted to things that glow and shine than things that are dull and blunt.
Having nice personality and being a good person can have very common traits but there are slight differences which can make them be two very different things. A person with 'nice' personality can easily be judged as to being a nice person. However, having a nice personality does not always correspond to being a good person. You might have a nice personality where you get along with many people and be the joker of your class, but that does not mean that you don't go out at night and steal other people's car or hack into somebody's computer. Similarly to the previous question, having a nice lifestyle can be similar but very different with living well. One might have a nice lifestyle of everyone doing things for you and all you do it sit around and do nothing but do what pleases you, but does that really mean that you are living well? That person will never learn how to respect or put others before himself. I'm not referring to everybody here, however, is having a nice lifestyle going to make you a person who lives a life well? Personality is a major factor that affects one's lifestyle. If your personality is likable and congenial with others, people are going to want to be with you and support you through life. However, if your shy or you don't get along with other people as much, people tend to never notice you or don't even bother getting along with you at all which leaves you thinking that you have the worst lifestyle that anyone can have. But that's the part where life's not fair. Because a person with ‘nice’ personality does not mean they are a 'good' person, it's not fair that people like them and support them anyway. People in our world are so corrupted with their superficial views and judgment at things that chances for other people decrease just because of personality difference. We all have to admit, we are more attracted to things that glow and shine than things that are dull and blunt.
Death of a Salesman
2. What is the significance of Willy's suicide attempts? Why and how is he trying to kill himself? What does he expect will result from his death? Will that happen?
Willy tries to attempt suicide when he realizes he is hopeless and a complete failure in life. Willy's mind was far too tangled, making it impossible for Willy to know his true identity and what Willy Loman really meant. He knew he cannot be the same person as David Singleman and he knew that the life that he wanted was never going to happen. Feeling no support from his own family and everyone around him, Willy thinks that the only escape rope was death. The significance of Willy's suicide attempts refers back with Dave Singleman's funeral. Even though Willy had the same occupation as a salesman like Dave Singleman, Willy had died with no respect but solitude. It shows how Willy's character was such a cumbersome character that just went too far with his dream, affecting many people around him in many ways. Not knowing that being oblivious with the idea of American Dream can only result nothing but death. But the whole purpose of Willy dying was because he still expected people to be at his funeral. In Willy's mind, he is probably thinking that all of his hard work and dejection from people will all pay off someday when he dies. He thinks people will miss him and that they will mourn in his funeral and will realize that he was the one who was right all along. Ironically, nobody comes to his funeral except his family. In addition, even his own wife says, "We're free." at the end of the play which means that Willy was nothing but a burden in the family. Willy is a character that never got what he wanted and never will.
Death of a Salesman
1. Who is "Dave Singleman"? What is the significance of his name? What is Willy's attitude toward him? What does he find admirable in him? What is the attraction which surrounds the figure of Singleman and his saleman profession? Is Willy's motivation for going into salesmanship related to a way of dying rather than a way of living?
Dave Singleman is considered to be the "legend" in the business world. He is so called to be a great salesman and he was known for never having to leave his hotel room while he did his job. I mean, he could make a living by just calling the buyers and selling products not like those men who have traveled around the world to sell their products. The significance about his name is actually pretty simple. Dave "SINGLE"man can be guessed to a man who needs to stand alone and face isolation with such occupation. Salesmen are known for having no friends or having deep relationships with people for many reasons. However, it's sort of ironic because in the book Dave Singleman had many people around him that respected him for his skills. Therefore, maybe Dave Singleman is like the "key" to becoming isolation since that's what happened to Willy. Willy had admired David Singleman so much it came to the point where his whole life depended on becoming like him. He wanted that success of American Dream that David Singleman had achieved so much that he wanted that for his son Biff. It was mainly because of the respect and success David Singleman seemed to have that Willy was so astonished about. However, this obsession had lead him no where but death. Willy was too blinded by the real idea of what success is and everything in life after Dave Singleman was just times wasted. Because one should not think that money and respect is everything. Or else they will end up having a sad death with nobody attending their funeral.
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