Reading Response #3

The title of the article by Samual Taylor Coleridge is called Coleridge and the Radical Roots of Critical Philosophy. I honestly do not know what the main idea is of the article. I can never understand the poem let alone the article that I have chosen. I have been stressing on this sense I first got the article. I really want to understand what the authors are saying in their writings. Especially most of Coleridge's poems. Every now and then I am able to understand because of how his writings relate to an experience that I have been throuhgh. But what I can determin is that Coleridge and Kant have worked together to compose some poems and that sometimes they would have a misunderstanding. And that Coleridge became fascinated with criticalo philosophy in the 1790's when he was reading the English versions in papers and pamphlet.

Reading Response #3

"Christabel: A Variety of Evil Experience" is an article that analysed the poem "Christabel" by Samuel Coleridge. The author, Lawrence D. Berkoben, analysed the article with goal of exposing not only the internal conflicts, but also the external conflicts, including witchcraft, lesbianism, and the Devil, along with discussing the two central characters and how the affect each other.  Berkoben starts the article with, " Shortly after the death of his uncle, H. N. Coleridge coined the epithet "witchery by daylight" to describe Christabel.  His phrase oversimplifies the theme of the poem, but it suggest the ambiguous quality which has preoccupied criticism of the poem to the present day."  By starting with this he not only explains what the poem is about, but then criticizes it because the epithet simples the theme too much.  The author talks of the poem and tells of its dislodgement of the narrator from the characters, but he also explains how the words told by the narrator makes people believe he is in love with Christabel, the protagonist, and Geraldine, the antagonist.  By explaining all of central words that attach the narrator to both, Berkoben explains that the narrator is afraid for Christabel.  When the Devil comes into the story Berkoben explains what Geraldine is here for and explains that is why the narrator and Christabel are obsessed with her.  Not only does she have extreme temptation that seduces both, but because this is given to her by the Devil makes her an embodiment of temptation itself.  This also why she has snake like qualities as well.   How the author conveys his message on "Christabel" with comparison with "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" not only shows that Coleridge has mastered symbolism and convey what he wants with his words.  Berkoben likes to express that Coleridge is one of the Romanticism Period Poets that likes to use Gods stories into their poems.  The Devil gives a witch snake like qualities as well as being able to speak to the dead which goes to suggest that Coleridge was going for the Devil reacting to that ages people and their ability to be manipulated and hurt easily.

Geraldine in Black and Christabel in White, Innocence and Temptation meeting.

I find the article to be correct into what Coleridge was trying to convey in this poem.  I mean it is a classic story of good and evil, just with a twist.  That twist is that the good and evil in body another thing, Innocence and Temptation.  These separate entities meeting was something that was in the making, but it was not so suppose to be in this manner.  This manner included the Devil and witchcraft.  This is no match for Christabel, innocence, because she has nothing backing her up except her for narrator crying plies to save her.  The narrator, who was retelling the story and must of heard it before because he knew of what was going to happen before it did and implied it.  I assume the narrator to be male because of obsession with Christabel and Geraldine.  In the article Berkoben talks that the narrator asks a lot of rhetorical questions to be answered later in the poem.  By doing that Coleridge can control what the happens without it happening yet. What I still don't understand is why Geraldine was created by the Devil.  It is explained in the poem of the purpose, but I don't understand the meaning behind creating it/her.  It is just something I don't understand why Coleridge would create Geraldine with such a evil demeanor as the Devil.  "Christabel" is a poem that I could read over and over again and still find something new with it.  The first and second time I read it for this article was just to get where the author was pulling his information, while the third and fourth were more toward looking for the symbolism and making sense of it.  But the recurring theme that always would show was the Temptation attacking the Innocence.  It wasn't something the article's author wrote about, but it is what I found to be the central theme.  Berkoben is really a good author because I had an interesting time not only figuring out what he was saying, but was also interesting to figure out what Coleridge said and how Berkoben interpreted it.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Community Blog

Rime of the Ancient Mariner Blog

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What is surprising is they focused on one poem by Coleridge while our blog focused more on him overall.  Right now their blog is still developing but I think you should follow them.  Their group consists Maria Tobon, Angela Ly, Jordan Currier, and Kerri Peetz.  Their from Period 3 on A Day.

By focusing on one poem I think that they did a very good interpretation and understanding of what the poem is. When we covered it in class we didn't go very deep into what and why the poem was written that far, in our class anyway.  I mean the iconic image of the albatross hanging around the ship captains neck still sits in my brain.  Yes there is the conversation on what we really think it is but seeing another classes understanding is really awesome.

There is an awesome post on the albatross.  Angela focuses on how the albatross is a major part of the poem and that how the death of albatross is the whole reason for the poem, it is what sets the poem into motion.  I like that she uses a lot of metaphoric and symbolic analysis because with this poem, a lot of the this poem is really based on the universal law of karma and she nails this on the dot.

I strongly recommend anyone to go see the blog by these students because they have not only captured what Coleridge was focusing on in this poem.  To think that four people could produce something that has such a compressive understanding of the poem and what Coleridge was trying to convey.  If you enjoyed our blog on Coleridge then you will definitely want to go visit their's.

My final note is I wish our blog would of focused more on one poem or or a couple poems rather than on a whole because I feel we could of not only had a well rounded blog but a more concise one as well. 

The Journal

Throughout the day, any time of day,

I would grab my journal and just start writing about events of any kind.

Most of the time I just write about what I did throughout the day,
I would also write about how I feel at that time.
Anger. Frustration. Confused. Sadness. Happiness.
And sometimes accomplished.
Writing in my journal always brought comfort and less stressed.
It feels like I am letting everything pout out of my head and my heart.
And than as I finish writing my last few sentences its like I feel as light as the clouds.
Stress free.
every now and then  I would keep my thoughts in my head and not tell anyone or write about it,
It really hurts my head and I feel like screaming.
But recently I haven't been able to write because of school and trying to get myself ready for next year.
I really wish that I could just stay home and just write in my journal.
All day.
With no distractions.
But life is always just a dream.
You want things to go the way you planned and never does.
Most of the time.
I love having something to write about. It makes me feel better.
And besides I have to work on my writing somehow.
Sadly most people don't like to write.
I do not know why but I find it mentally relaxing.
Writing helps with school and it also gives you something to do when you are bored.
My journal will always be there for me whenever I need it.

Common Sense

 

I think this is a pretty cool quote.  I take it as common sense is something that you don't have often even if you are very knowledgeable.  Yes you know where the movie theater is but do you know how to get there without being shot.  Common sense is something though that I feel you gain with experience and is different from wisdom because you could just read about someone else's experience.  Wisdom to me is really only a state of knowledge that makes you arrogant.  So I think that what he was trying to say is that you can be wise but not smart with what you know.  This applies to a lot of things.  For instance, you could have a lot of money but you spend it all and can't hold on to a single dollar.  Well when its time that you need something really important and you have no money left, you can't get it.  But then there is going to be that person that saves half of their money every time they get a paycheck and then get hit by a truck and need to pay for the surgery on their back.

Coleridge is really interesting because what he takes in to considerations for his poems is that they are really universal.  In any language someone could read this and get the same thing for the quote.  I like what Coleridge does because it does not have to be a complex quote that only Rhode Scholars understand.  Everything he says could be put into terms that could be explained even to a five year old.

Coleridge uses a lot of symbolism when he writes.  In my prose poem Coleridge was one of my main inspirations because he writes with a style that is elegant but also intelligent.  My prose poem ties into this because I feel that this is just as intelligent and elegant as my poem is.

White Night

A long walk ahead.

Silent and Dark.  Still, as if it is dead.

It is the forest. A sad green with no movement.  Pine trees gloomily watch me as I walk by.

There it goes again.  Rustling.  Sounds of large animals. No.  Sounds of falling death. No. Sounds of new life.

Snow.  White. Restless, but still.  It is not alive.  Is it?

Movement again.  Frozen still.  Crash!  Crash!  Crash!

Rested.  No movement.  

Trees sway back and forth.  Wind is picking up.

I fall.  White water washes across my face.  A puddle?  No.  A Pond.

The center is still frozen.  The rest has melted.  

Wind picks up even stronger.  I embrace it.  I take it in my lungs.  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Hold.

I close my eyes.  One second. Two seconds. Three Seconds.  Four Seconds. Stop!

Exhale!

I open my eyes.  I am in the center of the pond.

I take off my jacket.  Blood stained.  My blood.

I take off my shirt.  More blood.  This time not my blood, but my blood and someone else's.

I inhale one more time.  This time there will not be an exhale.  That final breath was sweet and crisp.

My gift, my wings.  Feathers look beyond the light shimmering like metal on my back.  

Still holding my breath I draw my blade and close my eyes.

Slice. Slice.  Tears drip down my face.  Blood drips down my back.

I feel the life leave my wings.  They start to dissolve.

The snow melts. It begins to rain.  Blue.  Green.  Purple.  White.  Black.  Red.  Yellow.  Orange.  

The new world.  My sacrifice. 

From my feet the world grew.  Vines sprouted and expand from my feet like locomotives.  

The frozen center I once was standing on turns to mud and rockets above the scenery.  I watch my sacrifice.

Every rain drop produces a new tree.  Each a new kind.  Some with spirals, others straight, puff balls, leaves.  The pines which were gloom now as happy as the new born baby's parents.

Conflict arises.  The beast arises from his resting place.  Drenched and angry.

A cross on his claws,  science on his teeth.  It runs toward me.  I stand firm.

The blade in my hands I stab it blind.  Into the brain.

I open my eyes and see nothing.  Here is beauty, at the cost my wings and my eyes, and I am not allowed to see it or fly to experience it.  I am frozen to this spot so others do not repeat me.  I am the birth of new and the death of old.

By Wade Kimble

Quote:

"Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom."

-Samuel Taylor Coleridge

 Coleridge is referring to the way that people view society. We are not driven to exceed. Instead, we are processed to become average. Instead of opportunity, we see competition. From the beginning, we are influenced to reject the literal concept of education. We use our intelligence against each other to create a feeling of dominance and superiority. Common sense is viewed as wisdom, because common sense is the desire to become educated.