Semester Reflection

The “Most Beautiful Work Award” for my writing goes to my personal statement, without a doubt.  It's a work of love and labor - I've spent countless hours on it, getting it reviewed by my peers and mentors.  It's my personal favorite piece of this year, and I hope it helps with my college admission process.  As a reader, I have learned to analyze what I'm reading more deeply, thanks to the Inquiry Project.

I've learned how to write well.  It's simple, sure, but a great skill to have.  Between my in-class essays and longer pieces, I really learned a lot about writing both with a time constraint and with more preparation time.  Other than this, I really expanded with creative writing with my own short story - it can be seen in my blog.  I have never written like that before, I wrote like a man possessed.  I'm pretty happy with the end product, as well.


There are several "Lessons I'd Like to Learn".  I feel that I need to be able to analyze writing more deeply, for one.  When reading Vonnegut, I heard that he used several metaphors, I never caught them.  I think I'm too used to reading casually that I focus on the story alone, and completely ignore some of the more subtle hints.  As for the next semester, I really don't know.  This English class has been amazing so far, thanks a lot!

Poetry Essay

For my English class, I wrote an essay on Mark Twain's poem, "Genius".  Here it is.

Gustavo Guerrero
December 6, 2010
English 4
Stephanie Lytle

Genius?

In “Genius”, Mark Twain, otherwise known as Samuel Clemens, speaks about the defining qualities of a genius.  His poem describes the exact meaning of being a genius.  The speaker’s tone is one of contempt for geniuses.  While it is subtle at first, near the end it becomes much more powerful.  A gradual tone of contempt and the heavy use of satire make this poem extremely related to the writing style of Kurt Vonnegut, who also uses many of the same tones of satire.
            “Genius” is a satirical look into what a genius is, and a main way this is shown is by the tone Twain uses as the poem progresses.  In the opening stanza, the poem states that “Genius elevates its possessor to ineffable spheres/far above the vulgar world and fills his soul/ with regal contempt for the gross and sordid things of earth/It is probably on account of this/that people who have genius/do not pay board, as a general thing”.  This opening stanza, as written by Twain, seems to show a tone of contempt for geniuses, stating that, because they are smarter, geniuses think they are superior.  As the poem progresses, however, another idea opens up – geniuses are not smart at all.  Twain writes a section that says “If he is too proud to accept assistance/and spurns it with a lordly air/at the very same time/that he knows he can't make a living to save his life,/he is most certainly a genius.”  This statement is one that is repeated several times throughout the piece.  He uses different words, but the same general idea, points to the fact that for all their brains, geniuses aren’t necessarily the smartest people.
            Aside from his tone of contempt, the other overarching theme in “Genius” is satire.  For the first few stanzas he has minor and somewhat normal examples.  However, as the poem progresses, Twain says that the genius is so smart that he has become unintelligent, in the sense of connecting with the real world.  In the poem, he uses an extreme example in his second-to-last stanza: “If he throws away every opportunity in life/and crushes the affection and the patience of his friends………./persists in going up some infamous back alley/dying in rags and dirt,/ he is beyond all question a genius.”  Twain clearly has a mindset going on:  He thinks that a genius is indeed not as smart as they are perceived to be.  At least, until the very last stanza where he says that “But above all things,/to deftly throw the incoherent ravings of insanity into verse/and then rush off and get booming drunk, is the surest of all the different signs of genius”.  This last line, however, hints that he is simply describing himself, having just “thrown the incoherent ravings of insanity into verse”, referring to his poem.

“Genius” connects a few different writing concepts, most noticeably satire and tone, to create a truly unique piece.  This style of writing is also reminiscent of the works of Kurt Vonnegut, who is famous for using satire in many of his works. A genius is many things, and Twain’s analysis cannot be a complete definition of all geniuses.  This poem is extremely critical, although satirical.  Otherwise, one would be inclined to say that you cannot lump people into one category, something that this poem does.  Since it is satire, however, not meant to be taken seriously, it avoids this argument.  He seems to hint that the genius he is talking about is no one but himself, which exemplifies the satirical nature of this poem.            

Exploring Kurt Vonnegut's Writing

This week, in preparation of my final English project, I have been exploring several aspects of Kurt Vonnegut's writing.  I've found several essays written by him, as well as several poems.  These poems are not by Vonnegut, but come from his inspiration, Mark Twain, as well as black humor that is much like his writing.  From what I've found by reading several of Vonnegut's books is that he really likes black humor in his books, his writing makes you laugh while thinking seriously.  Next week, I will update my blog with my essay I will have written for this class about this project.

Tragic Creation - Jim Blake

“Jimmy, we need you to pay up.  It’s been weeks, now.  Any longer and we’re going to have to start hurting people” said the man hidden in shadows.  Jim had no idea where he was, he had been walking down the street when a blow struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious.  He was just coming around when the heavyset man was speaking to him.  He didn’t know where he was, but his nose sensed the strong smell of fish.  The wharf, maybe? he thought while the man, who he only knew as Big Bill, began walking towards him.  “You have one more chance.  Meet us at the Point Pinos Lighthouse one week from now.  You don’t, you might have an…accident in your house” the man whispered.  “We’ll see you then”.  Jim heard a noise from behind, then nothing.

Where am I? Jim thought as the world became bright again.  Looking around, he saw grass, and a house in the distance – My house, he realized with a start.  How did it come to this?  What did I do?   I’m going to need to talk to Laura…how did this happen?  

“In other news, a Monterey man has won the state lottery, for a total sum of 1.4 million dollars.  We were able to interview him as he accepted the check.  When asked, he said that he was planning to go on an overdue honeymoon with his wife and buy a new house”.  The announcer’s face disappeared as Jim turned off the television in the honeymoon suite by the beach. 

“Honey, we were just on the news!” Jim cried from the lounge. 

“I heard!” responded Laura, his newlywed wife.  She walked into the room, sitting next to him.  “Can you show me the house you are looking at again?” 

“Sure, here we go” Jim said, opening his new laptop.  “Right on the edge of town – spacious, luxurious, but close enough so that we don’t get removed from the city.  How do you like it?”

“It’s amazing.  And we have enough money to buy it?”  Laura said in disbelief.  “Yeah, we do.  We can also get a car, new” he exclaimed breathlessly.  “I don’t know what kind, but whatever it is, we can afford it.  The house is only $600,000.  We can buy it completely with cash, and never pay a mortgage ever again.  We’d still need to find jobs, though.”  Jim thought of his own fruitless job search.  He had sent out over two dozen resumes in the past month, with no response.  I’ll find something eventually.  The money we have left over should be enough for a while.  “What about investing all that we have left?  The housing market’s going to boom again, soon – everyone’s talking about it”.

Laura hesitated, and then said “It sounds a bit…risky.  I don’t want to lose all of this money we just gained.  What about...half?” 

Jim thought for a minute, then muttered “Okay, I guess that could work”. 

After the honeymoon, Jim searched online for an investor specializing in real estate.  Finding one, he called and arranged for a meeting.  This is a great idea.  I’ve looked everywhere, the returns look massive! As Jim walked into the office, he talked to Todd, the investor.  “I see you’re looking to invest in…real estate?  Might I recommend looking into buying foreclosed homes?  They’re extremely inexpensive, with your budget; you could easily pick up two or even three.  How does that sound?”  Jim, skeptical, inquired more into the subject, and Todd convinced him that it would be a great investment.  Jim signed the papers and headed home in his new Civic. 

“Laura, I went through with it!  We’ve got two foreclosed homes; they should sell within the year!” Jim cried across the house. 

“Sounds great!  I put the rest of the money in the bank!”  After a brisk dinner, Jim sent out a few more resumes to prospective employers.  Life is finally turning around, he thought as he fell asleep.

Months later, as Jim returns from his first day of work at Genetech, a red light is blinking on the answer machine.  A new message?  Who would call my home…maybe Todd?  Intrigued, Jim clicks the button and a firm voice spills out:  “Mr. Blunt, this is Kerry with the Monterey Police Department.  We have some information we’d like to share with you.  Please come down to the police headquarters in downtown tomorrow, Tuesday.  Thank you and have a great day”.  Jim shuddered, not liking what he was hearing.  He firmly pressed the “Delete” button, not intending to tell Laura until he figured out what this was about. 

The next day, Jim arrived at the police station and was greeted by a tall, graying man.  “My name is Kerry, I’m a detective with the police force.  Can we go into another room?” he asked, motioning to his office.  The two of them entered, Kerry asking “Tea?  Coffee?” 

“No Thanks” responded Jim.  “What’s all this about?”  Kerry pushed forwards a massive file labeled “Todd Marshall Real Estate Fraud – CLASSIFIED”. 

“I’ve been investigating fraud in the county recently, and one that slipped unnoticed until it was too late was one concerning Todd Marshall’s firm.  He left the country a month ago, taking all of the money with him, while the value of the homes plummeted.  I’m afraid in addition to losing your investment with him, you also appear to owe…$150,000 on the foreclosed homes.” 

Jim had gone silent, his jaw open.  He blinked a couple of times and stuttered “S-s-s-urely you can’t be serious?!” 

“I am very serious, Mr. Blake.  I would recommend you speak with an attorney as soon as possible.” 

“But…I need to leave.  Thank you”.  Jim promptly left and headed down to The Devil’s Nest, a bar in the outskirts of town.  Several hours later, he came home to a very cross-looking Laura. 

“Where have you been?!  It’s almost midnight!  Is that alcohol I smell?  What the hell have you been up to?!”  Cringing, Jim explained what happened, and Laura gasped.  “Oh my god…let’s talk about this tomorrow.  You need to rest”. 

I’ve lost almost all our money.  We need it back.  There’s a casino called the Gold Country….

Jim was hitting everything, from roulette, Texas Hold ‘em, and slots.  A lot of slots.  One of these damn times, it’s going to have to pay out….screw it.  I’ll try Blackjack at the high tables.  I’ve always been good at that.  Several hours later, Jim was much more drunk and had a significantly lighter wallet.  I’ve run out, he realized.  Laura is going to kill me….if she sees our bank statement our marriage is as good as over.  Checking his account from his phone, he saw that it was straddling the line close to $0 in the balance.  I could talk to a loan person….they can help, until I get a promotion at my job.

Jim, his head still hurting from his encounter with Big Bill, walked into the house.  “Laura, we need to talk”.  Laura walked into their kitchen, looking quizzically. 

“Wait, honey, you’re bleeding!  What happened to you?!   We need to go to a hospital as soon as possible!”  “It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt that much.  I need to talk to you”.  Jim explained what happened, watching as Laura went from horrified to hurt and saddened.  Tears welled up in her eyes as she said

“I need to go.  Don’t call me, I’ll be back in a few days”.  She stormed out of the room, and Jim heard the screech of tires as she sped away from the house.  My life is ruined.  My wife is gone, I’m going to lose the house, get beat, maybe even killed… Jim spent the night awake, not sure what to do.  His company called in the morning. 

“I’m sorry to inform you that due to drastic cuts we’ve had to make, your position has been terminated.  Please come pick up your belongings within two business days, if you fail to do so, they will be disposed of.”  That’s it, then.  No job, no wife, no home soon…what now?

Richard had seen plenty of strange people walk into his store over the years, ever since he inherited Shear’s Guns and Ammo, so the average-looking man who walked into his store today didn’t cause him to blink.  “Can I help you?” Richard asked from across the counter.  “Yeah…can I buy that revolver?” the man said softly, not menacingly, but in a tired voice.  “Sure, just show me your ID, and I can do a quick background check…..you’re clear.  That’s going to be $200, you get 10 free rounds with the purchase, is that all?”  “Yeah, that’s going to be it.  Thanks.”  “No problem, have yourself a good one!” Richard responded to the beleaguered man leaving the store.  I wonder what’s on his mind…nothing a good round at the shooting range can’t fix, thought Richard as he flipped through the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.

The moon was shining overhead as a new Civic rolled up to the shoreline of Forest Lake.  This is where I took her on our first date, Jim thought to himself.  We listened to…102.8…  Jim twisted the tuning on the car radio as an oldies station turned on.  “Imagine me and you I do…”  So Happy Together started playing…louder, louder as Jim cranked up the volume dial.  He looked at the moon, the shining light.  A single tear rolled down his cheek.  He tightened his finger – the light of the world disappeared.

Tragedy Essay!

Since I'm still working on my tragic creation, I've decided to upload my essay for my classmates to see!  Enjoy!

Greek Tragedy in Today’s Theatre and Life

The way tragedy is presented, and what it means, has changed drastically over time.  In the time of the Greeks, tragedy was, for a very long time, a one-person activity, accompanied by a chorus.  With the coming of Sophocles, it changed to a two to three person activity, complete with a set.  Apart from changes in format, the very definition of a tragedy changed during the long span of time between the era of Sophocles and Shakespeare.  Ancient Greek tragedies, such as Oedipus Rex, were seen by Aristotle as “the perfect tragedy” but modern people have a new vision of what is a tragedy.  What is not so easily seen is that the tragedies of the Ancient Greeks and their elements have a lasting influence on modern tragedies and life.  

            There are many individuals who believe that the modern use of the word “tragedy” is misguided.  One of the main proponents of this is the 1940s drama critic Joseph Krutch, who criticizes the current definition of tragedies in his essay “The Tragic Fallacy”.  He believes in the “old” idea of tragedy – where the protagonist is someone in a high place, who has a “tragic flaw” and falls down hard.  He states that “Nobility is inseparable from tragedy, which cannot exist without it” (Krutch).   His argument has some merits.  Nobility has a strong standing in tragedy, but tragedy can be and is preformed without it.  Today, nobility is almost never present in tragedy.  This change is in no way bad.  The characters have changed, but the key elements still have a large role today.  These new characters connect the viewer more, but don’t detract from the overall message of the play, because the main characters still will almost always have a “fatal flaw”, much like Greek tragedies.

In Tragedy and the Common Man, playwright Arthur Miller voices this argument that “The common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were” (Miller).  Nowadays, with royalty nearly nonexistent, tragedies can be and are about anyone, anywhere.  As long as a character has a “tragic flaw”, anyone from a homeless man to a priest can be a protagonist in a tragedy.  By having a normal human be a protagonist, the audience can more easily relate to them, as opposed to trying to relate with a king.   In a 1998 Washington Post article, Doom is Blooming, Lloyd Rose speaks about how Greek tragedy is resurfacing.  While audiences still see the plays, and connect with the plots to some degree, he draws a contrast between Greek plays and Shakespearean plays.  He states that “there is awful emotional resolution when Othello kills Desdemona; there isn’t when Medea slaughters her children – it’s just unrelievedly horrible” (Rose).  Greek tragedies don’t focus at all on emotional aspects – they focus on the descent of the character, no matter how horrifying it is.  Modern tragedies, from the Renaissance and onward, focus more on a personal connection to the viewer – generally through an emotional resolution, like in Romeo and Juliet.  Rose offers another perspective:  “The central question that powers modern drama – ‘What happens next’ – is irrelevant.  What Greek tragedy says instead, in the most terrible way possible, is ‘What is happening now?’…Greek Tragedy is more psychologically penetrating than any of the more ‘realistic’ drama that follows” (Rose).  Greek tragedy is both of these, although some might argue with Greek tragedy being more “psychologically penetrating” than modern tragedies.    

While there are and always will be differences between Greek plays and modern plays, some plays bridge this gap.  Timothy Sexton addresses this in Tragedy in Classic and Contemporary Drama, where he points out that several plays contain elements of both types of tragedy.  He speaks about A Raisin in the Sun and Oedipus Rex, claiming they have many similarities.  Upon inspection, they both do indeed have a very similar element – the fatal flaw.  This theme, a fatal flaw, has presided in theatre as long as it has been around; in this case, the flaw is hubris.  There are probably countless other such comparisons, but the point is that Greek elements have been and will be in the foreseeable future, an integral part of theatre.

Outside of theatre, some of these elements are present in everyday life.  Especially with the financial crisis, “tragic flaws” are becoming a hot topic of discussion.  In particular, CEO’s on Wall Street are being blamed of, among other things, hubris.  In Victor Niederhoffer’s On Wall Street, Pride Signals Fall, he states that “The sense of being above the world, illustrated nicely by the story of Icarus, seems basic to corporate hubris” (Niederhoffer).  This hubris, a common theme in Greek tragedy, applies directly to real life.  People and corporations that are high up, so high that they can’t possibly fall, do.  And when they do, everyone panics, much like in Greek tragedies.  The author points out that as hubris gets greater in real life, the companies the people represent tend to do badly, as shown with the Enron scandal.  Greek tragedy today, while not as present as modern tragedy in the theatrical aspect, still has themes that are very much alive.  Simply look at a newspaper, with headlines speaking of executives who thought they were immune to the risks of the world and made bad decisions.

Tragedy reveals a fatal flaw in mankind.  Whether it is the hubris from Oedipus Rex or the impulsive nature of Romeo and Juliet, tragedy always contains these flaws.  Tragedy reveals  fatal flaws through the actions of the characters, although in Greek plays this is pre-determined, where in modern plays the character take certain actions that lead to their downfall.  In the end, the flaw is revealed and the outcome depends on the play.  Where in Romeo and Juliet, both the protagonists die, in Oedipus Rex the protagonist lives on, confronting his flaw, accepting and defeating it.  Tragedy takes many different forms throughout the ages, but the core, the spirit, is the same.

My Own Tragedy

For class, we have to have a visual representation of a tragedy. I decided to create a script or short story, I'm not sure which one yet.  The plot goes like this:

A man is on his honeymoon, which he paid with money that he had won from the lottery.  It was a substantial amount, so with it, he also buys a house.  Suddenly, he’s out of money.  Unknown to his wife, he begins buying more and more lottery tickets.  He has a “fatal flaw” - gambling.  It turns out that he couldn’t afford the house completely, so he took out some loans and hasn’t been able to make ends meet since.  The story will follow his tragic decline, as his relationship and life crumble.

Modern Tragedies and Greek Tragedies - Updated analysis.

When I first read the Greek Tragedy Oedipus Rex, I didn't like it at all as a tragedy.  I found the "tragic" twist more humorous than anything.  I've grown up in a world where tragedy is defined generally as a romance that gets destroyed.  After reading several articles for Stephanie's class, I have realized that Greek tragedies are simply different.  They do not revolve so much around emotional aspects, such as Romeo and Juliet, and focus more on the suffering and fall of an esteemed person, such as Oedipus.  Greek tragedies start with you knowing the back story, including some details that the protagonist does not.  It's a different style of play, one that I have come to appreciate more as I have looked more into it.

*Sorry about the late blog post - I stayed up until 10:30 last night finalizing my Common Application, which I have submitted to 3 colleges.

Is Oedipus Rex a tragedy? A modern analysis

Oedipus Rex has been called "the perfect tragedy" by famous philosophers such as Aristotle.  Aristotle claimed that the "perfect tragedy".  According to his work, Poetics, it does seem like a perfect tragedy. But Oedipus Rex is only a "perfect tragedy" in the sense or Aristotle.

Nowadays, people can relate to tragedies.  They revolve around realistic people, or at least, realistic emotion.  It is almost impossible to relate to a man finding out that he has married his mother and had children with her.  In fact, most people found the ending entertaining and ironic.  We are more attuned to a new kind of tragedy - a love tragedy.  Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of this.  While most people will probably never experience this in their life, it is at least more normal than the plot of Oedipus Rex.   

Greek Tragedies

This week in class we've learned much about tragedies and how the Greeks were a massive influence on the way we perceive them today.  In the earliest days, there were two main types of plays:  tragedies and comedies.  These were presented annually in a festival for Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility.  The tragedies at the time were very different than what is seen today - they were sung, by a choir.  There was no acting in early tragedies.  As time went on, different thinkers, most notably Aeschylus and Sophocles, changed how these tragedies were preformed.  They added actors, creating dialogue, and Sophocles even established the idea and practice of specialized scenery.  One of his works, Oedipus Rex, was called "The Perfect Tragedy".  After I read Oepidus Rex, I blog about my thoughts.  

Slaughterhouse Five Impressions

I've been reading Slaughterhouse Five for the past few weeks now, for Stephanie's English class.  I entered it with the question "Why do so many people enjoy Vonnegut's writing style?".  I wouldn't know, since I have never read any of his books before.  I picked up Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse Five.  I started with Slaughterhouse Five because it's the most famous of his books.

As I've read the book, I've come to be able to begin to answer my initial question.  I think that the reason so many people enjoy his writing style is because it is humorous, serious, and thought-provoking at the same time.  The characters in his books are extremely interesting, they have actual spirit, they aren't mindless protagonists that always do the right thing.  They're just human.  Finally, I like how he fits in why he decided to write his book so well in the beginning of the book.