What does it take to create a change??

   Throughout our lives as well as the lives of all of those before us, there have always been many important social issues which people try to either pretend that they do not exist due to their own best interest, people who ignore these issues, as well as those brave individuals who have the courage to stand out above the rest to make a change in this world. But i ask myself what does it take to truly be able to say that you have managed to make a change for the best in this world? Is it taking a stand by using your freedom of speech in public places such as the freemont strip or UNLV campus in order to attempt to force on others your religious views? Is it done so by changing your Facebook profile picture from yours to that of a cartoon for a few days to help bring awareness of child abuse?
   Throughout this past week of preparing for my finals as well as simply observing what goes on around on campus, and what is taking place within my social life, as well as being a part of a close friends final project for his sociology class which he choose to put together a montage against GLBT bullying, It all really got me thinking all the writers which I have read this semester from this class and all my others, I've learned to agree with most writers, art does last forever! What does this have to do with what I have been rambling on about you may ask yourself?
   Well its simple, all of my favorite writers till this day including: Alexander Pope, as well as William Blake, Jonathan Swift and many others demonstrate this within there writings which all have great meaning and purpose behind them. A few examples of how this is done is demonstrated with Alexander Pope's, "The Rape of the Lock" for the fact that his work demonstrated how being so vain leads nowhere good, and these women who are nothing more then beauties should realize that before its too late! William Blake's, Songs from the Innocence and his Songs from the experienced are multiple poems which demonstrate the struggles that many in the world had to go through whether simply innocent children and or grown adults. William Blake also was and artist who made plate paintings that went with his poetry and provided a visual to go with his writings. Lastly Jonathan Swift was a man good with words and who used this to his advantage to get what he wanted out to the world with the use of satires.
   So what does it take to create a change? Getting out there one way or another! If you manage to catch the interest of at least one individual and that manages to get the attention of others then by all means do it! Raise awareness after all, theres no harm in that! But be smart about how you raise awareness, its better to do something that will create a long lasting change in the lives of others or yourself, then to simply take part in something that will fade off and be forgotten.

Happy Holidays!!! :)

The Rape of the Lock: Vain Beauties

   The Rape of the Lock, by Alexander Pope makes it very clear how people within ones society react towards what is considered to be attractive. This is still something very much seen today! But what is of most importance to realize is that it is one thing to be aware that you are a beauty and another thing to act in such a foolish manner due to being nothing other then being vain!
   Alexander Pope places much emphasis on hair, and within one of the footnotes within this reading even states that this is present due to the fact that "Berenice, the wife of Ptolemy III, dedicated a lock of her hair to the gods to ensure her husband's safe return from war." This is clearly a great demonstration as to the level of importance which was placed on a women of beauty to be expected to have beautiful locks of hair. It's almost as if beautiful hair is a must in order to be considered a beautiful women in the first place.
   Pope also greatly emphasizes within The Rape of the Lock, the charm of women who are beautiful and how they act proper and always provide a smile and how when they turn someone down, they never do so in such a manner which would be considered to be an insult to anyone. The beauties spoken of within The Rape of the Lock, receive the exact same reaction from all men, and that is nothing less then a breath taking aw-reaction. These are the women who bring excitement and light into a room with their charm and dazzling looks!
   Sadly though, Pope does not mention that there is anything more to be offered by these women, they are simply to a great extent considered to be nothing more then trophies to men. The Rape of the Lock also mentions that women hide their flaws by presenting a pretty face which functions as a distraction which does not allow others to see the true individuals that they are. Lines 9-20 From Canto 5; however, make it clear that in reality beauty won't do anything productive for you at the end of the day. Beauty can't cure anything and just because one is considered a beauty, it does not mean that it will keep you from aging and of course with aging comes getting wrinkles! Oh no!!
   Being as these women are not seen as anything other then looks due to the distractions which they have formulated from allowing anyone to see who they are on the inside, Pope makes it clear that in order to be a women who is beautiful, but can manage to gain pleasure from reading The Rape of the Lock, the women must have a sense of humor, and be willing to admit to things how they are and not feel offended. But of course in the end "Beauties in vain their pretty eyes may roll;" (Canto 5, line 33).
   The lesson well taught within this reading is clearly as follows, no matter how beautiful and charming you are, you will not gain much of anything at all from it later on in life. Therefore, embrace beauty, but do not ever make it the only thing you have to offer! Overall absolutely enjoyed this reading!

Paradise Lost: Forever?

   The well written Paradise Lost, has done an amazing job with re-mytholigizing the story which was written in the Genesis of the story of Adam and Eve. And has created many changes by adding much about satan and well as satan's minions which were not told within the original story, Paradise lost also provides a more detailed explanation of how Eve was convinced by being told that nothing bad will happen, after all if God created this fruit which provides those who eat it with the ability to create their own opinion on what is right and wrong as well as allow them to form their own personal opinions? Where as this is not demonstrated in much detail within the reading provided in the Genesis. After Eve is in fact convinced to eat the forbidden fruit, Adam then realizes that because Eve ate the fruit she will in fact suffer consequences for having done so, and due to his enormous love for her and to want to continue to be with her, he eats the forbidden fruit as well even though he does know it is wrong to do so. In the reading in the Genesis it is not in the least explained that Adam knows it is a bad thing to do. Lastly, another very important part of Paradise Lost to note is that in this reading it is clear that when Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden, and are never to come back to the place where they have known as their home they leave together feeling a rush of emotions and sadness, almost as if regret is present. The emotions present clearly demonstrate that all the perfection which was present in this garden is now forever lost, and will not be recovered.
   All the emotions and additional pieces of information provided within Paradise Lost that is not present within the original story of Adam and Eve has made it so that this story provides the readers with many explanations to things that were never previously explained in the Genesis. This leads me to the fact that for this reason many learn to see the story of Paradise Lost as not only a re-mytholigization, but more like a story which is believed to be as a more truthful version of the original. This great work was written in such an extraordinary manner that many do not see this story to be false, if not take this story into great  consideration when learning this religious story of Adam and Eve. For this reason Paradise Lost is the most successful re-mythology of the story of Adam and Eve.
  

The Questioning of Sexualities: Blog ungraded

   Throughout the years and till this day still, it has been made very difficult for those who are part of the GLBT community to come out in the open without waiting to be greatly judged and critiqued from left and right by all those who do not find same sex love to be acceptable. Therefore leading those wanting to come out to possibly even begin questioning their own sexualities for no other reason then not wanting to become a disappointment to the society which they are a part of. A great example as to how these concerns by the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender community has been around is clearly demonstrated in Shakespeare's, The Twelfth Night. Between the love of Orsino and Viola, it is of much importance to realize that Orsino kept thinking over and over to himself that this love was in fact not okay for the fact that he knew that by the views of society, it was not acceptable for a man to love another man. Orsino did in fact fall for the man which Viola pretended to be. After Orsino discovered that Viola was not a man, but actually a woman, it is almost as if he gained a great relief. This love to Orsino finally became acceptable. In reality though was it not just societies aproval that Orsino needed?
   Our societies even till this day make it so that gay marriage is not permitted like that of a marriage between a man and a women. Does this mean that love is not true love simply because it's of the same sex? Gender roles till this day also are still greatly apparent in all cultures. Men are expected to be the providers and head of the household whereas women are expected to care for and nourish their loved ones. Is this to say that the roles can not be reversed?
   Many great writers such as Shakespeare greatly demonstrate that these gender role issues have been around for many years and it is in fact necessary that society begins to accept the fact that for those who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender they are still human beings which play a normal role in our society no matter what gender they find themselves attracted to and it not mattering what gender role they choose to play. After all is it not important to realize that no individual human being is worth more or less then the one he or she stands next to?
  

Amelia Lanyer: Late Blog

   The reading of Amelia Lanyer, for once has provided me as the reader with a different point of view on Adam and Eve, the story of Adam and Eve has been re-mythologized so many times that is almost impossible to know what story one is truly supposed to follow. After having finally read the story as told exactly by the Genesis did I finally begin to realize and recognize the changes which were present throughout these various re-mythologies.
   The greatest difference which was very obvious throughout the story as told by Amelia Lanyer is that for once Eve is being defended and not only being viewed as the one to blame for all of the circumstances which have arisen by the decision of eating the forbidden fruit.
   This difference may seem insignificant to some, but to me this difference in how the story is told provides the audience/reader with a very different view point as to women being the cause of problems which arise, and this for some leads to thinking in a much more sexist manner. Such as Adam had no blame, it was no one other then Eve's fault. Therefore making it seem that no one, but the women is to blame in this situation as well as many others.
   This story leads one to do what one is told as well as naturally taught to not do, which is question authoritative discourses. Among these are those of our religious, political, societal, educational, parental, and law authorities which we have grown to believe should not be questioned. Questioning these authoritative discourses by deciding whether Eve is to blame or not, may lead to a change of one's own interanimation of discourses.
   All this brings me to the conclusion that whether Amelia Lanyer, just as many others simply took the story of Adam and Eve and re-mytholigized it, it is clear that she has successfully planted the thought in my mind that it is possible that my previous views on how to portray Eve can in fact now be questioned, and I have now come to the conclusion that there is a possibility that previous writers could have simply been sexist and Eve could be more innocent then I have thought her to be all along.
   Another term greatly discussed within class was that of Dialogism, after learning the meaning of this word, I discovered that there is much more behind this term then I ever thought to be present. This is for the fact that, it is important to realize that during the time period in which this re-mythology of the story of Adam and Eve was written was in fact a much more male dominated time period and for this reason alone it is in fact possible that people may have not questioned there previous beliefs as to the story of Adam and Eve for the fact, that it was highly doubtful that a man could be at fault, or much less that a women wasn't at fault, for the fact that this time period was such a sexist society in which women were barely beginning to be viewed a bit more as individuals who were to be worthy, and not just as the lesser version of the man. However, when a story such as this one is read today in a different time period where women are just as powerful as men, this is when it may begin to affect the internally persuasive dialogue of an individual more then ever.

Modern Works of Art

   After almost having competed the entire semester within this class, I have greatly learned that my passion is in fact for the Modern works of art. Modern works of art place all the chivalry off to the side, as well as all the romance and greatly focus on the culture as well as the society.
   Modern works of art by writers such as Shakespeare provide much historical knowledge of that time period and is also an extremely enjoyable classic to enjoy. Modern works of art demonstrate the importance in gender roles, as well as the social classes, and also demonstrate the changes from the previous era's. It is very important to understand that those in the Modern era do not follow the same points of views as those in the Victorian period, if anything they are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

V- Hero or Villain?

   After having watched the movie in class the first question that came to mind during the first part was is this man sane? Is it good to kill so many people even though they have done harm? Is he seeking anything other then just revenge?
   The movie begins by having V saving the woman EV who were attempting to punish her for being out past curfew. After saving the girl, V invites her to join him for his spectacular musical show in which there is the destruction of the statue with lovely fireworks for all the people to see.
   V is working on killing many people who have done great harm to others, and warns them that their death will soon arrive with the symbolic presence of a red rose. Although V is in fact killing many it is of great importance to understand that he is not going after innocent people. V who hides his face behind a mask is against the government and has great beliefs that if enough people come together and go against the government they can achieve the accomplishment of making a positive change.
   Although one would believe that a hero does not need to create any destruction before being able to solve a problem, the fact that V only has good intentions in mind and is looking out for the interest of others, makes him a greater hero then villain.
   This movie not only allows me to understand that V is a hero, but it also permits me to better understand that if people unite together for a good cause change is in fact possible, even if it must have its consequences which in this case was the death of V at the end of the movie. A true hero is one who is willing to sacrifice his own life to better the lives of others, and for this reason V is nothing more then a good hearted hero.