A Poison Tree

I felt that "A Poison Tree" was an important poem because it shows the bond and strength that friendship entails. The guy was clearly upset about something that happened with his friend, but instead of holding a grudge, he told his friend and they worked it out. On the other hand, the guy he had a problem with that he was not friends with, he did not tell. Instead of the  feeling just going away, it grew bigger and bigger until it was much more of a deal than it should have been. He ended up killing the guy over an issue that, if he knew the person, he would have talked out with and would have diffused the situation instead of going to extremes. I think it is important too because this also applies to the world we live in today as well. Just recently, a guy killed his girlfriend because he thought she was cheating on him. If they had just talked it out, I do not believe he would have gone to such extremes. A lot of problems that people have with other are solely because they have an issue that grows so big and out of control that it ends up being detrimental when they could have talked it out much earlier.

The Dungeon (pg 62)

The Dungeon is Samuel Coleridge commenting on the way society goes about treating its prisoners. Coleridge debates if a prison or a dungeon is truly the best way to reform/rehabilitate a person who offends against society and this argument is still alive in many forms today. Prisons have been around for a very long time and they seem to make perfect sense; when someone causes harm to someone else or the greater populous, we take them out of the population so they cannot continue to do harm. Coleridge argues that taking these people out of society and surrounding them with other criminals is only causing more harm to that person whereas they should be receiving some sort of support or help. According to Coleridge, prisons deform souls to a point where they were better people before they entered. Colridge’s answer to this problem show the person all the good in the world and all the world has to offer and eventually, the soul in question will be touched by love and beauty and not wish to cause any more harm.

While I may not fully agree with Coleridge on how he thinks prisoners should be helped, I do agree that there is something wrong with the system we have been using. I feel in many aspects prisons are used as a deterrent or forced retribution where they should be used to rehabilitate and help prisoners be able to become productive members of society. I realize there will be outliers and not every can or wants to be helped but that does not mean that everyone who ends up in a prison must be punished so severely.

Rob Bacovin


Blog post 3


Character of the Happy Warrior






                
                      I chose the poem "Character of the Happy Warrior".  When I think of why a poem


would be important I think that it is because the poem says something that is meaningful to who is


reading it or to everyone.  This poem is about a warrior who is everything that a warrior and


man should be.  I think this poem is different from some of the other ones in the collection.  It seems


like a lot of the other poems in this collection are more on the sad and gloomy side.  This is one


reason why I think this poem is important.  The poem goes on talking about this warrior who "every


man in arms should wish to be".  I think this poem is important because it talks about qualities we all


should strive for in our lives.  I think this poem gives good guidelines on how to be a good person. 


The title states that the warrior is happy and I think this is important because the poem is saying that


these virtues and beliefs will lead to some sort of happiness. 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner pg. 63

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge tells the story of a sailor and his journey through the Pacific Ocean and his troubles during the adventure. It provides us with the concept of having an albatross around one’s neck. The sailor kills the albatross that he believes is bringing the fog while they are sailing, when in fact it was bringing them wind. As a punishment to remind him of his wrongdoing he says that, “Instead of the cross, the Albatross / About my neck was hung” (67). With the wind no longer moving the ship, the crew of the ship beings to starve and the albatross is hung around the Anceint Mariner’s neck to remind him that he is responsible for the death of his crew and he is punished by watching them die when he is forced to stay alive.

            This poem is important because it provides a moral and an important idiom for the English language. This poem provides a moral to not kill innocent creatures and to love all of God’s creations, when Coleridge said, “he prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great and small; / For the dear God who loveth us, / He made and loveth all” (81). In this Poem Coleridge provides us with a moral to the tale of the Ancient Mariner that we can all learn from. He provides the idiom of the albatross that is still prevalent in literature and popular culture today in novels such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the Bastille’s song “Weight of Living, Pt I”. Because Coleridge provided a story that is still deemed important today in our popular culture and literature and because the moral of his story is still relevant in our society “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is an important poem.  

CIE Blog post 3

                The Poem I have decided to write about is “My Heart Leaps Up” by William Wordsworth. I chose this poem because it delivers a short but simple message that I believe is extremely important but is often forgotten as we grow old. The message I am talking about is not letting the inner child in you die once you become older. Do not let the things that use to excite you and fill your days with joy escape your life. Because as we become older and our lives get more complicated I am sure that all of us could use anything we can to brighten our days, even if it is just a little bit. I also think that, at least for me, this poem kind of relates to the stage I am currently at in my life. In my first year at college, leaving home for the first time, leaving all my friends and family for the first time it can be really easy to feel like I am growing up real quick. And with all the responsibilities that being at college and on my own for the first time brings you have to start to be mature and handle your own responsibilities. Sometimes you forget you are still only 18 years old and really in the prime of your life. when I read this poem I remind myself to relax a little bit, remember to embrace all the small things that make me happy in life, and be a kid.  

'A Poison Tree'

This poem is important because it has a universal message and it’s constructed in a way that supports the storyline. In this poem, the speaker is first angry with their friend, who they confront and relinquish their wrath, and is then angry with an enemy, who the speaker does not confront, and therefore their wrath grows. The speaker cries about the wrath, which makes it build even stronger, but he conceals this with smiles and tricks the enemy into thinking everything is ok. Eventually this anger creates a poisonous apple that the enemy eats and dies from. I think the message is to “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” The key stanza of this poem is the first one: “I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.” We don’t know why the speaker was angry with these people; maybe what the friend did was easily forgivable, while what the enemy did was inexcusable. All we know is that the speaker presented his anger to his friend, talked it out, moved on, etc., but kept his anger concealed from his enemy. By giving the foe a false sense of security (“And I sunned it with smiles”), the speaker was actually one step ahead of them because he was able to manipulate (“And with soft deceitful wiles”) the enemy to win / pay revenge. The poem has an AABB rhyme scheme and every line is either seven or eight syllables long, so ‘A Poison Tree’ has a beat and is calculated, just like the speaker’s actions toward his enemy are.

"Auguries of Innocence"

"To see the World in a Grain of Sand

and Heaven in a Wild Flower

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour"

Blake presents a never-ending sets of paradoxes  whose imagery juxtaposes all that which is innocent and natural in the world with the unnatural and corrupt introduced by Man. His 'auguries' serve as a metaphorical omen to the disastrous dominant reign that mankind has exerted upon nature; and, in between the lines, the oppression that society has put on those who are innocent and forgotten. The significance of this poem lies in the inevitable consequences that await humanity for its cruel mistreatment of nature, which Blake believes severely strays away from what it means to be human, "He who shall hurt the little Wren // shall never be beloved by Men."

I personally find great meaning in the first stanza (quoted above) because it reminds me of how glorious, the seemingly trivial parts of the universe are, yet often overlooked by most. It serves as a wonderful motto for the appreciation of beauty which pervades the natural world. These days, most young people walk outside with their heads down, staring at the artificial light of smartphone screens.  Even I wonder to myself, how often do people look up at the sky anymore? Would anyone in our CIE section care? In this technological age, there is a widening gap between humans and the environment, accompanied by an increasing desensitization that we have to the existence of this gap,  our indifference to how the Earth is treated. The omen is resounded by environmentalists, climate change activists and naturalists alike--by assuming ourselves as "planetary managers" of the Earth, humans are greedily taking most of its resources in a manner that is inefficient and could have devastating  repercussions for the future of this species, our children. If we covered all of the globe with skyscrapers, would that be ok? A frightening question arises from this corruption of innocence, of whether human morality would be degenerated.

Pawel Kuczynski

"The Garden of Love"

What is important about this poem is that the Garden of Love is reminder to remember our loved ones that have passed on.  In the first stanza it says “A chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green. … An I saw it was filled with graves, And tomb-stones where flowers should be;” This poem is reminding readers to remember their dead ones, and that their dead ones are loved ones. It is saying don’t just abandon or forget them. Their tomb-stones should have flowers every once in a while to show that they have not been forgotten. The poem then goes on to say, “And binding with briars my joys & desires.” This line shows that there are things left behind when a loved one dies. Deceased love ones, in this line, are our memories. It is that when we remember them, our thoughts are full of joy and happiness to be with them. It is that the memories about deceased loved ones are joyful, remembering how much fun we have. However, they are also full of desires. The desire to have more time with them, to ask them questions that only they can answer. This whole poem is important because it reminds the reader to think of their loved ones and remember them. It is reminding the reader that a graveyard is a “Garden of Love” because everyone there is a loved one for someone else. It is reminding the reader to respect how their deceased ones and to not forget them.

"When I have fears that I may cease to be" A.Basla Blog 3

I believe that "When I have fears that I may cease to be" (p.228) presents some of the most relatable content despite any circumstances. The poem is about the narrator's fear of not being able to accomplish the goals on his checklist before his death. This is quite fitting, due to the fact that John Keats, the poet, unfortunately died young. His fears may stem from the loss of his loved ones from a young age as well. As a poet, one of his obvious worries is to not be able to write all the things he desires and get all of his thoughts down in his own crafted words. Another fear mentioned is the fear of not having this “unreflecting love” or that of “high romance.” His lack of fame and acknowledgement does not go unnoticed by Keats, as it is something he fears he will never get before his death. He pictures the way in which we will watch his life from a shore alone, seeing all the things that he was never able to achieve sink before him.

            I think this poem is incredibly relatable because everyone has this thought, or else they wouldn't try to do anything with their lives. No matter what the things sought after are, we intend on trying for something. Death is our conclusion, and we want our pages full before we reach that point. Keats has always been my favorite poet for his darker and meaningful poems that are conveyed through flowery and purposeful language. I find this poem to be an excellent example of his way of expressing our common fear. 

"I wandered lonely as a cloud" (pgs. 43-44)

I believe this poem is important because it’s applicable to everyday life and makes me think a lot about how I perceive the world. When I was flipping through the book this title caught my attention, and when I read it, it was fairly easy to read and interpret. I think this is because Wordsworth is describing the feared but attainable unknown of our thoughts and actions in the world and how we perceive and present them to society and ourselves.

Because “important” is a subjective term, in this context I’m going to define it as something that can be meaningful to one’s life. I think the main idea that Wordsworth is addressing in this poem is fulfilling loneliness through realization, acceptance and changing.

My interpretation of the “plot” of this poem is as follows: in the beginning he’s expressing lonely thoughts, than he’s following them and realizes that they are everywhere, but mainly in good, relaxing places, and finally he accepts these lonely thoughts and now thinks that they are a part of being happy and okay with yourself in life. Why I think this plot line is applicable and important to lots of peoples lives in general is because I think we all feel lonely at times and wander off, thinking about what to do, where to go, etc. We realize overtime through experience, time and maturity that sad thoughts happen but don’t have to consume us; that there should be more good than bad and that we can take sad and bad situations and deal with them and perceive them in a happy, healthy way. I think that is exactly what Wordsworth is doing with this poem—following his lonely thoughts, accepting them, and being okay and happy with himself in the end of his journey following those thoughts.

Blog post #3 - Post by Tuesday, Feb. 10, 9:00 PM

Post to the blog before Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 9:00 PM.  Pick a poem from our collection English Romantic Poetry, and defend why you think it's important.  (What is meant by "important" is part of what you should state and defend.)

Remember that the first sentence of your 250-300 word blog post should be the thesis statement of your whole post.

Place your post on the blog's main page (not as a comment to this post).

Ashley's Rights

I believe that Ashley's rights would have been violated if she was a perfectly capable human being that was able to consciously make the decisions for herself. Just like how people can violate other's rights I believe it is possible for us to violate or own rights especially if we aren't in control of our body or know our rights. From what I understood about the article the surgeries were made to benefit not only the caregiver but Ashley herself. Up to a certain point I believe that depending on your age (this is an idealistic view) you kinda forfeit your rights to your parents. This is a belief made with the hope and assumption that the parents are responsible and truly care about the child. In that case I believe they would do anything they need in order to make sure that their children are safe and healthy. At that young of an age children do know what they want but not always what they need and at such an age what they want may actually be harmful to themselves. only when they are older do they understand the value of a life and how to preserve it. I believe it is at that point that they would be able to make decisions for themselves; however in the article I believe that it says Ashley mind has not grown past the level of a toddler's even if she physically has grown mentally as a human she is still a baby which is why I feel the decision should stay within the parent's hands.

Ashley's Rights

I feel that Ashely's rights were not violated. The surgeries would be considered inhumane to me if she was a normal girl, but because she has very little mental and physical capabilities, it makes it much more easier and convenient for her parents to take care of her. Plus, Ashley does not have the ability to make tough decisions like this for herself; her parents have to do everything for her regardless of what size she is. It is much more convenient for Ashley's parents to take care of her at a smaller size than try to transport and take care of a grown women from about 16 years old until the rest of their lives. Her rights were not violated because it was done for Ashley's well being. Being smaller allows her parents to be able to take care of her with less struggles of taking care of a grown up. The surgeries were done without the consent of Ashley, but she obviously would not be able to have a say because she cannot think at that level. If John Locke had a say in this case, he would not even consider Ashley to have rights because she does not have the mental capabilities that most people have. So if her parents want to stunt Ashley's growth in order to better take care of her in an easier fashion, then I do not believe Ashley's rights were violated.

Ashley's Rights

Given the circumstances of Ashley’s case her rights were not violated. Ashley is a minor living with her parents as her primary caregivers and with her physical disability and her mental condition, the decision for the surgeries was her parent’s rather than hers. Her rights would be violated if she was eighteen or over and was fully capable of making her own decisions. Also, her parents made their decisions in her best interest. While some might say the decision to keep her at a smaller size was a violation of her rights and was for the convenience of her parents. While it is true that it is more convenient for her parents to have her at this size; however, their convenience has to be a factor in the decision making process because if it is more difficult for them to transport her and bathe her then it can make them do it less which in turn would prevent them from caring for her as well and keeping up her basic hygiene. As for the other surgeries which some again say violate her rights were also done in her best interest. Some said the surgeries were inhumane and violated her basic right to gender identity. This is true it does partially take away a large part of her identity; however, if it is for her protection and for the convenience of her caregivers so that they can take better care of her then it is acceptable. While arguments can be made for both sides of the case it, Ashley’s rights were not violated.

Does The Ashley Treatment violate Ashley's rights?

Ashley X, known by her parents as their "Pillow Angel." 

Ashley's rights would be violated, if she had the mental capacity to exert the full extent of her rights. This would seem to be a troubling statement; as if to say: Ashley, as a disabled individual, has less rights than that of a normally functioning human being. However, Ashley will always have the mind of a three month old girl, incapable of thought processes that would lead to making her own decisions. In many developed countries, it is widely recognized that 'normal' children are too young to make their own decisions until the age of 16-21; and often, parental consent is required for many activities which are not already set by a legal age limit due to a child's poorly developed sense of judgment. In Ashley's case, she could never be able to make her own decision, so her parents have the right to govern her as long as their decision are made in her best interest in regards to her health and well-being.

 As her caretakers, Ashley's parents can make decisions for Ashley without her consent. They were acting in her best interest: instead of "abandoning her to the wolves," (as Peter Singer describes the Western culture's raising of children to flee from the nest into the adult world) they are improving her quality of life in the future. Ashley is not the same as other children--she will never be able "to grow up," to mature from her infantile mindset, and therefore would be incredibly unprepared for the struggles that arrive with female adulthood. The treatment protects Ashley's health and happiness, by preventing the onset of the menstrual cycle and other complications. It could be said that Ashley has had her reproductive rights taken away from her--however, mothers with profoundly irreparable brain damage would be a harm to their child, as they are unable to take care of themselves. It could be said that Ashley's ability to have the freedom of gender self-identification would be taken away; however, she is again not of the mental capacity or self-awareness, as other children wouldn't be at that age of psychosocial development, to understand such a concept.

Therefore, as an individual who will always presumably be a child, I think Ashley's rights are not violated because they do not encompass those of a fully functioning, mature adult. I recognize that Ashley is a human being, with the ability to feel emotion and have good taste in Italian music (I read she likes Andrea Bocelli); however children do not have the same rights as adults and do not earn an expanded sense of dignity until they grow older. I do not think the Ashley Treatment degrades Ashley or hurts her dignity--if anything, her dignity is recognized by amount of care put into sustaining her life, the fact that she is still alive and has people who prioritize her life.

 It would be unjustified if it was a treatment fundamentally for cosmetic purposes but this seems to come from a basis that it would benefit her health, as the medical benefits are evident. Rather, an objection would be that another possible motive exists: of physically retaining the innocence through a child's body, by preventing her from growing for the sake of the parents not having to face the psychological consequences of what would be an inevitable dilemma. The concept of the "pillow angel" exemplifies this possibility in their having personal motive for the treatment, outside of their specific care for Ashley, because the fear of the ultimate realization that the individual they see with their eyes as their child is in the body of a full-grown woman...to them it could be embarrassing for Ashley's perception or, they reason, traumatic in terms of the ways she could be taken advantage of.

In conclusion, the Ashley treatment would be a violation of Ashley's rights if she was conscious enough to understand and refuse the operations her parents decided to have had performed on her. Yet, her condition itself prevents such comprehension. The treatment serves to aid her and add means of substance to her life; in no way does it physically or emotionally harm her or her range of feasible freedom given the mental incapacity she is in.

Pillow angel

The issue of whether or not it was right for Ashley's parents to give  her all of the procedures that they put her through is a huge conflict. In my opinion the parents were in the complete right for putting their child through these procedures simply because they were only doing so for her comfort. Every thing that they did was to make her life easier and more comfortable for her. The reduced height procedures were to make her more comfortable and making it easier to transport her so that she could be more part of the family. Also the height reduction would keep her from undergoing the pains of growth which would be miserable for her. The breast reduction surgery was necessary because of her families history of large breasts and the growth and development of such would out her through a great amount of pain and discomfort. Her comfort was of up most importance because of her state that she was in. With her not being able to move or talk she needed to be in the most comfort especially since she would never be able to communicate her pain. This situation would have been completely different if Ashley weren't in the mental and physical state that she was. IF she was able to communicate but not able to move I'm sure she would still want everything that happened to her so that she would be comfortable. Her parents were just always looking out for her and making sure that she could be as comfortable as possible, which in no way was violating any rights of hers or in anyway making her parents selfish.

Blog 2 - Ashley

If Ashley had been completely mentally healthy and her parents decided against her will to go through with the treatment, then Ashley’s rights would have been violated, no question. But because Ashley has the mental capacity of a three month old and is incapable (from what I understand) of speaking, thinking, etc., she is under complete control of her parents, and they chose to go through with this treatment to IMPROVE Ashley’s life, therefor I don’t think her rights were violated. Ashley’s parents want to freeze their daughter in time and essentially keep her as a child forever, so that 1. her mental and physical ages are closer together and 2. so that they can care for her more easily. From what I understand, Ashley’s condition will never improve over time, period. So stunting her growth can only be seen as beneficial to me because it almost ensures that she will be well taken care of by her parents and by caregivers after her parents pass away. As for the removal of Ashley’s uterus and breast buds…it gets a little dicey. I don’t personally see the benefit of going through all that trouble just to avoid POSSIBLE menstrual discomfort and POSSIBLE breast discomfort. One of the parents’ reasons for removing her breast buds was that she would have had large breasts and that “’could sexualize Ashley towards her caregiver, especially when they are touched while she is being moved or handled, inviting the possibility of abuse.’” Seriously? I think instead of pulling these arguments out of their asses, the parents should have just stated that they felt it would be best for Ashley to keep her prepubescent body and kept it at that. But the bottom line is, the parents thought this treatment would benefit their daughter who cannot speak for herself, and I have to respect their decision.