Questions: Socratic Seminar

1. Do you think you can gain self respect? If so, how, and if not, why can't you?
2. Should everyone posses self respect? Is it a necessity?
3. Can you help others gain self respect?

Socratic Seminar - "On Self Respect"

I found this article to be very interesting. Self respect is a very complicated issue. I think the author breaks it down rather well and has a lot of good points to present. First of all, she says that one of the conditions necessary to have self respect is to have been driven back on yourself - to be put down, or not able to do something. This is a good thought and I think it is very true. If you are going to respect yourself, you must be able to take setbacks, and be able to live with them, perhaps even make a positive situation out of them. Another idea that the author presented was that self respect has nothing to do with the approval of others. Once again, I believe this is very correct. If you truly respect yourself, then it should not matter what other people think, or if other people approve or not. The author also says that people with courage can do without the approval from others, and the 'good reputation'. This is a good way to think of self respect as something more than just liking the way you look, or the way others think you look.

A point that the author presents later in the article is quite bold, but also true in my point of view. She says that, essentially, to have self respect is to have everything. If you have self respect you can posses love and remain indifferent. if you do not have self respect then you remain incapable of love and you cannot be indifferent. She also says that if you do not respect yourself, you must despise those that do respect themselves and you are not able to have the perception to recognize your "fatal weakness". Personally, I think that all of these ideas are true. Self respect is a very important thing and having self respect enables you to respect others as well.

Response 3

http://specializedforserious.blogspot.com/

Response 2

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Billy Budd Chapter 22 - 30

4. What is the significance of Billy’s last words? How does it connect to themes and symbolism in the text?

Billy’s last words hold a lot of significance. First of all, the words “God Bless Captain Vere” are symbolic of Billy’s dedication and belonging to the ship and its crew. He wants everyone to know that he still has respect for his captain, even on the verge of death. The words are also symbolic of Billy’s character and the kind, loving person that he has been the entire book. It shows us that Billy has always been respectful of his captain and role model, even though Vere is the man essentially responsible for Billy’s fate. Billy’s last words are also symbolic of his innocence, for many of the same reasons they are symbolic of his kind loving personality. It is his innocence that saves him from fearing death, and regretting any and all the decisions he has made before this point. His innocence is also what enables him to still respect and admire Captain Vere, even though he is pretty much responsible for Billy’s death.

8. What is the battle between the Bellipotent and the Athieste symbolic of? Who wins and why?

The battle between the Bellipotent and the Athieste is symbolic of the battle between the good (Athieste – atheist) and the bad Bellipotent (war ship). It is symbolic of the relationship between Billy and the others. Billy is good, while the others, including Captain Vere and Claggart are the bad. In the battle, the bad prevails over the good. Which is exactly what happens to Billy. The ironic part of all of this, is that Captain Vere dies because of this battle. He dies because of the good, which is what Billy represented throughout the novel. What makes it even more ironic, is that witnesses of his death say that his last words were “Billy Budd, Billy Budd”. 

I chose the picture because I think it represents in our modern day knowledge, what everything that Claggart did, and everything that happened around Billy was to him. We know so little about the galaxy, and the billions and billions of stars that are part of it. It is unknown to us - about it, we are naive. This is exactly how Billy was throughout the entire novel - unsure, and naive. 

http://www.utahskies.org/image_library/deepsky/messier/m031/M31-RobertGendler.jpg

Billy Budd Chapter 15 - 21

5. What is the tragedy of Chapter 19? Do you sympathize with Billy Budd? Why or why not?

The major tragedy of Chapter 19 is the death of Claggart. The other thing that I personally think is a tragedy is the fact that Billy burst, and was actually the one that killed Claggart by punching him in the face. I sympathize with Billy, but I also don’t.  I sympathize with him because I feel sorry for what he did, and I know that it was mostly not his fault that he did it. I also don’t feel sorry for him, because even though is temper and his anger is not something that he can control at all, or rarely control, I think that he should know how to deal with it, and be able to manage it. I think that Billy definitely did not purposely punch Claggart, and he most definitely did not intend to kill him by doing so. Billy’s anger and pent up emotions just got to a certain point when he heard what Claggart was blaming him for, and he just could not hold it in anymore.

7. Is justice served for Billy Budd? Why or why not? Who is to be thanked or blamed for the decisions of the court?

I believe that justice is served for Billy Budd. While I feel really sorry for him, I also think that he deserved what he got. If this had happened now days, I would say that Billy should have been helped and taught what the right thing to do was. However, this story is based a very long time ago, and that sort of thing was not an option. Billy killed someone, and was punished correctly for that offense. I think that Claggart and Captain Vere are to be blamed for the decisions made in court. Despite the fact that Claggart is dead, it is his false accusations that prompted this whole event in the start. As for Captain Vere, he is to be blamed because he was the sole witness of the event, and is the only one that can tell an accurate and precise story to the ‘judges’. He is the major influence in the courts decisions, and the one most responsible for the conviction of Billy and the resulting sentence.

I chose this picture because I believe it represents what happened to Billy when he punched Claggart. I think that Billy had all of this anger and resent (the water) built up inside of him, and when Claggart blamed him for what he did not do (the dart), he just couldn't hold it in anymore, and burst. 

http://www.lamajigme.com/images/bursting_balloon.jpg

Billy Budd: Chapter 8 - 14

1. Discuss the character of Claggart. How does his physical appearance relate to his internal character, as far as we know?

Claggart’s physical appearance is quite stereotypical of an enforcer of the ‘law’. He is thin, tall, has black hair, and according to the narrator has and “his eye could cast a tutoring glance” (pg. 313). His internal character, as far as we know, is quite dark and sinister. The narrator makes it sound like Claggart is quite cruel and makes reference to him as the devil on the micro-community of the ship. What we also know that enforces Claggart’s internal character is his attitude towards Billy. In normal conversations, and regular encounters on the ship, Claggart is nice to Billy, always saying nice things about him etc. But Billy notices that Claggart often bugs Billy for doing little things slightly wrong, and consults an experienced sailor, “the Dankster”. The Dankster explains to Billy that he thinks that Claggart may have a grudge against Billy. Billy does not believe this, because of how Claggart treats him around the rest of the crew. This is an example of Claggart’s nice, physical appearance, and his sinister, evil interior that is rarely exposed to the ships crew.

2. How are the tensions between Billy and Claggart developed? What are they symbolic of?

The tensions between Billy and Claggart are developed because of Claggart’s envy of Billy. After an incident where Billy accidentally spilled some soup and Claggart made some sarcastic comments about Billy’s ‘handsomeness’, the narrator says “But at heart and not for nothing, as the late chance encounter may indicate to the discerning, down on him, secretly down on him, he assuredly was” (pg. 323). This essentially assures the audience of the notion that Claggart secretly envy’s and dislikes Billy.  Claggart is mostly envious of Billy’s good looks, charm, and good intentions. Claggart envy’s Billy’s ability to do good, because, as the narrator suggests, Claggart’s evil interior is not a chosen trait, it is simply the way he is. Billy and Claggart’s relationship is symbolic of the good and the evil, the innocent and naive and the experienced and scarred. Billy represents the “ideal man”, the young, handsome, kind sailor, while Claggart represents the battered, old, torn sailor. Essentially, Billy and Claggart are symbolic of the two polar opposites of a typical society, and the tension and envy that encompasses their personalities. 

Billy and Claggarts relationship is like fireworks in the night sky. Billy represents the fireworks - the bright, sparkling lights that everyone admires, while Claggart represents the dark, haunting, evil night sky, that many people are afraid of. 

Personal Response #1

Personal Response
Nicole Evans

Emotion is a very powerful tool. It is what makes great poetry great. It is what reaches out to the audience, what pulls them into the text. Good authors are able to connect to the audience on an emotional level, which is what makes their poetry so amazing. There are many ways that emotion can be created in poetry. In Prophyria’s Lover, the author Robert Browning creates emotion using imagery, situational irony and diction.

Imagery is one of the best ways to create emotion. Using words to create an image in the reader’s head better allows the poet to convey certain meanings and  emotions. Imagery is used in many occasions in Prophyria’s Lover. When the author is describing Porphyria after what her lover has done, he says “ I, warily oped her eyes: again/ laughed the blue eyes without a stain./ And I untightened next the tree/ about her neck; her cheek once more/ blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:/” (Lines 44 – 48) This specific excerpt creates a beautiful image in the readers mind of Porphyria lying, dead on her lovers shoulder, still with some life to her – her blue eyes open and cheeks blushing. The imagery here creates a very odd, yet peaceful emotion, because you know Porphyria is dead, yet you still feel overcome by the beautiful description that the author has given.

Another powerful tool used to create emotion is situational irony. In this poem the author uses situational irony as the basis of his entire work. The poem is about a man and his lover, Porphyria. From the author’s description of Porphyria at the beginning of the poem, the reader expects the poem to be a romantic tale of love and beauty. The author even mentions Prophyria’s love for her partner, and the passion between them. The ironic part of this poem is that the situation does not become what you believe it is going to. Instead of turning out a romantic, sweet love story, it goes in quite the opposite direction. Prophyria’s lover decides that he no longer wants her to be living, and able to ‘talk back’. He strangles her with her own hair, saying “I found/ A thing to do, and all her hair/ In one long yellow string I wound/ Three times her little throat around,/ And strangled her.” (Lines 37 – 41). This is very ironic, because the entire poem is about love, yet Porphyria’s lover ends up killing her, because he wants her silent. In this case, situational irony creates a very strong emotion, due to the extreme nature of the event.

 Diction is the third and final way that Browning creates emotion in the poem Porphyria’s Lover. His use of words throughout the poem is absolutely astounding. The way he describes things creates so many emotions. When he is describing Porphyria after she has been strangled to death, he says “Only, this time my shoulders bore/ Her head, which droops upon it still:/ The smiling rosy little head,/” (Lines 50 – 52) Browning’s use of words here is so incredible, that the reader is able to picture exactly what he says in their mind. By being able to picture what is said, it is easier to emotionally connect to the poem, making the text more intriguing and interesting.

In Porphyria’s Lover, emotion is a very important part of the poem. The author, Robert Browning is very good at reaching out to the audience through words and allowing them to emotionally connect to the poem. In this specific poem, Browning does this through the use of the literary techniques of imagery, situational irony and diction.

Response 1

http://systwo-english20.blogspot.com/

Billy Budd: Chapter 1 - 7

 1. What is the effect of having a third person narration in this story? Suggest why Melville chose this particular narrative stance and its value with reference to the novel.

The effect of having a third person narrate this story is that the reader gets a deeper insight into everything that happens throughout the story. By having the novel written in third person, Melville is able to give the audience a history of the happenings of the time, and make sure that the reader knows all of the background information necessary to understand the story. Having the novel written in third person also allows the author to sway the audience’s opinion about certain things in the story, and thus better allows him to convey meaning and symbolism throughout the story. An example of this is in chapters 3, 4, and 5 when the narrator stops talking about Billy and his story, and starts talking about a few important historical events that occurred around the time when this story takes place.

4. Discuss the possible significance of moving from a merchant ship (Rights of Man) to a war ship (Bellipotent).  What might Melville be suggesting with this transition?

There are a few things that Melville may be suggesting by moving Billy from the Rights of Man, to the Bellipotent. First of all, Melville could be suggesting that Billy is growing up and becoming more of a ‘man’ as opposed to a boy. It is possible that by moving Billy from the merchant ship to the war ship, that Melville wants the readers to see Billy as more of a responsible, mature, grown-up, rather than a young boy, new to the realm of the sea. Another possible significance of moving from the merchant ship to the war ship is that the author is trying to symbolize the influence that society has and had on people. Even the names of both of the boats symbolize this influence. The “Rights of Man” symbolizes the individuality of the people, while “Bellipotent”, which means power of war, symbolizes the power of society. In this story, Billy is forced into what society wants him to do. An example of the differences between Billy's old ship, and his new ship, occurs when Billy's old shipmaster, and the new shipmaster are talking, and the old shipmaster is explaining to Billy's new shipmaster that Billy is a "peacekeeper". Billy's new shipmaster replies "Blessed are the peacekeepers, especially the fighting peacekeepers." He the gestures towards the ships cannons, to symbolize exactly what he is saying. This shows the difference between Billy's initial posting, on the Rights of Man, and his new posting on the Bellipotent. 

I chose this picture because it represents something having power over something else. The man being over the building symbolizes societies power over people. This idea is very important in the story, Billy Budd. 

Goals for English 20 :)

1. I would like to get better at citing sources and incorporating quotes into essays.


2. I would like to learn how to better use outside sources and comparative novels to support my points in essays and responses.