Author Archives: geraldine.hippolyte
Posts: 4 (archived below)
Comments: 1
In-Class Assignment (Gertrude Stein Poem)
I judge Napoleon who came first as a King.
Would he like it if I told him, he presently teaches it for kings?
Now actively coming, exactly as they do, to Napoleon because he is a King.
Digital Project Proposal
I’m very excited to be working with the Mary Oliver poem but it has been really hard coming up with a thesis for the written portion of the project. But for the video, i think me and my groupmates still have conflicting ideas just because there are so many directions we can with the meaning of the poem and how we portray it. I’m an advocate for the plain and simple; I don’t think our portrayal of the poem should be too abstract because its not an abstract poem. My idea for the video is a fast slideshow of all the amazing things that can happen in someone’s life such as parties, starting a family, graduations, and etc. then a short scene in which the person who has had a wonderful life, gladly walks away with someone who will be portrayed as “Death”. With this idea, I definitely feel like, if planned correctly, it won’t go over the specified time. I can’t wait to really put this plan into action and see the final results =)
Final Paper/Project Ideas
My internet had been down a few days but while i was cruising the web at the library (yes, those still exist), i found an awesome poem by Mary Oliver called “When Death Comes”. The title seemed a little dreary but interesting at the same time. I thought this poem fit perfectly with the class theme of happiness. Her poem is basically saying that when its all over, i dont want to leave this life with no good memories; to die and have not had any amazing experiences. And after doing some research about Mary Oliver and reading some of her other poems, i realized that she was more on the romantic side. She included a few references to nature and animals. She compared the coming of death as “the hungry bear in autumn” which I though was a great comparison beause the bear has to get all its food to hybernate for the winter; basically coming for what it needs and leaving, like Death.
I think a video for this wont be too hard but there are just so many ways you can go with this poem. The hard part of this project is coming up with a thesis for the essay. I’m finding that aspect very difficult due to the vagueness of the prompt but i LOVEEEE this poem so i don’t want to get discouraged and jump from poem to poem. But i’m thinking that if Professor Kaufman allows me to (i have yet to request to do this awesome poem) my thesis may be focused around how Mary Oliver used personification to give things in nature a voice that adequately relays human thoughts and feelings such as sadness and satisfaction… It needs work but that’s all i got right now
http://www.poetseers.org/contemporary_poets/mary_oliver/mary_oliver_poems/when_death_comes/
Happiness: A Mirror Image
Sometimes I totally forget the theme of the class (Happiness) and completely miss the purpose of some of the things we are shown in class. When Professor Kaufman showed us “Best in Show”, I dismissed the concept of happiness and just laughed at the hilarious movie. But at the end of the movie, Professor Kaufman mentioned how all the dog owners had their own definition of happiness. This may be true but after watching the movie, I feel that we are happy when we see that something or someone close to us is happy.
Throughout the mocumentary, the various dog owners took great pleasure in taking care of and making sure everything was perfect for their prized pooches. They all went to great lengths to make sure that their dogs would be happy and put their best paw forward for the dog show. Some of the treatment seemed very peculiar and exaggerated, but it was done in the best interest of the dog, regardless of how crazy it made the owner seem. For example the opening couples, Meg and Hamilton Swan, treat their dog as if she were their actual child. When the dog accidently sees them having sex, they take her to a therapist to try to make the song “understand” that sex is a beautiful thing between “Mommy and Daddy”. They feel that therapy will help make their dog happy and in turn increase their happiness because it is their responsibility to provide for and maintain the contentment of who they love (in this case, a dog). Failing at this job would, no doubt, cause conflict as it did in the movie; failing to keep their dog Beatrice happy caused a rift in the couple’s relationship until they got rid of Beatrice and got a new [lower maintenance] dog because the guilt of not being able to keep her happy made them themselves unhappy. This familial relationship led me to believe that our happiness is based on our loved ones happiness’. And “Best in Show” depicted that this is especially true when we feel responsible for their level of happiness.
Happiness has a mirror effect sometimes. Much like when people move away from someone who is depressed because their mood is “contagious”. So i guess in this case, the question is not WHAT can make us happy, but WHO will make us happy?
