Death

Paul Celan, in addition to another Holocaust survivor and writer, Tadeusz Borowski, ended his own life after struggling with personal issues. Ironically enough, Celan actually committed suicide on April 20th, Hitler's birthday. Through his poetry, Celan expresses his experiences with death in the concentration camp ("Paul Celan" 1468).

The poem "Deathfugue" "refers to the dance music that an SS commander forced prisoners to lay during marches and executions at the Janomska camp in L'vov, Ukraine" ("Paul Celan"1468). Throughout the poem, Celan mentions "black milk" being drunk in all day and all night. Based of the other lines suggesting "you'll rise up as smoke to the sky/ you'll then have a grave in the clouds where you won't lie too cramped" (1470). Perhaps, this black milk filling the air that the prisoners ingest is actually the smoke from the crematoria where dead (or alive) prisoners were burned. This is in contrast to the prisoners having to "shovel a grave in" (1469). Death is so much a part of concentration camps that while you are digging graves, you are also ingesting the ashes of the dead.

"Aspen Tree" is a poem that focuses on Celan's mother  who "was shot when she was no longer capable of working" ("Paul Celan" 1468). He spends the poem reflecting on all the things his mother will not be able to do while asking questions of nature. He writes, "Aspen tree, your leaves glance white into the dark./ My mother's hair never turned white" (1470). While the world keeps on moving, the tree's cycles continue, his mother's cycle has been ended.


The introduction describes Celan's poetry "responded to the calamities and horrors of his time with a restrained, minimalist art that spoke the truth about the unnamable" (1469). "Deathfugue" and "Aspen Tree" are examples of this.

Works Cited

Celan, Paul.  “Aspen Tree.”  The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2.  New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 1470.  Print.

Celan, Paul.  “Deathfugue.”  The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2.  New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 1469-70.  Print.

"Paul Celan." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2.  New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 1467-9.  Print.

Neruda

In Pablo Neruda's poem "Walking Around," readers are given a description of a busy city. However, it is not a celebration of this city's booming activities. Neruda sets an bustling, gritty tone, so an insufferable image of city life emerges.

"Walking Around" describes the cramped style in which one has to walk in a city, as well as the grittiness the city has within it. Neruda uses words like "navigating," "pass," "cross," and "shoves" to describe the walk through the streets. Each one of these words has more of a bustling connotation (1424). This is not a pleasant, open-field walk but a tight, crowded one. As the speaker is attempting to walk through the crowded streets, readers are given a description of the surroundings. Every description of the city is horrendous. Neruda even describes drying laundry as "weep[ing] slow dirty tears" (1424). Even a description of drying laundry has a gritty, depressing tone. Instead of water dropping from the wet clothes, Neruda calls it tears. Words like "intestines" and "poisons" also contribute to unpleasant descriptions of the speaker's surroundings (1424). 

Overall, Neruda is simply setting a depressing tone. He continuously repeats, "It happens that I am tired of being a man" (1423). This repeated line itself depicts the overwhelming sadness the speaker is feeling. Neruda writes of "cold, dying with pain" to add to this overall depressing tone (1424). There is even an evil undertone of agression- speaking of "knock[ing] a nun stone dead with one blow of an ear" (1423). Of all people to murder, a nun seems an odd selection. This is the only time Neruda writes of pleasantry. When he writes of murdering a nun or walking through the streets with a gun, he uses words like "delicious" and "beautiful," which adds to the very unsettling tone of the piece (1424). 



Works Cited

Neruda, Pablo. “Walking Around.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3^rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 1423-1424. Print.

Gender

In many of the texts read lately, there has been a focus on submissive women. Perhaps they were still strong, but the women were usually left with very little choice or respect. In Joaquim Maria Machado De Assiss' "The Rod of Justice," readers see a very strong, self-sufficient woman, Sinha Rita, insert her dominance over three characters. Sinha Rita is described as "a fine figure of a woman, lively, merry, and fond of a joke, but, if need be, fierce as the devil" (913).

First, Sinha Rita displays her dominance over her lover, Joao, the godfather of our main character, Damiao. When Sinha Rita decides to help Damiao leave the seminary, she uses her hold over Joao. She writes to him, "either you rescue the boy, or we never see each other again" (916). Rather than being at the full disposal of her lover, she actually makes demands and threats to him.

Sinha Rita is also in command of slaves, and the Damiao specifically notices one slave girl, Lucretia, who laughs at his joke. Sinha Rita responds by threatening the girl with a birch rod if she does not get her work done. "If her task was not finished at nightfall, Lucretia would receive the usual punishment" (913). Damiao resolves to stand up for Lucretia if she would be punished with the rod.

Lastly, Sinha Rita, although she has set out to help Damiao, eventually shows her dominance even over him. By the end of the story, the time arises for Lucretia to receive a punishment. Even though Damiao has vowed to protect her from the rod, when Sinha Rita asks him to hand the rod to her he obeys. He "was pricked by an uneasy sense of guilt, but he wanted so much to get out of the seminary" (916). He knows the power Sinha Rita is using to help him, so she is ultimately able to control him. 

De Assis, Joaquim Maria Machado. "The Rod of Justice." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 911-916. Print.

Martí and Whitman

Walt Whitman and Jose Marti both explore themselves, nature, and the world around them through their free verse poetry. Although these poems are simply written, the topics explored are expansive.

In Whitman's "Song of Myself," he discusses the world and its connection to himself. He writes, "I celebrate myself, and sing myself,/ And what I assume you shall assume,/ For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" (648). There is a connection between celebrating who he is, as well as the brotherhood between all beings because we are of the same. He later continues this brotherhood, spanning throughout the nation, "At home on the hills of Vermont or in the woods of Maine, or the Texan ranch" (649).

Similarly, Marti writes in "I Am an Honest Man," "I come from everywhere/ And I am going toward everywhere: Amonf the arts, I am art/ In the mountains, I am a mountain" (681). Not only does Marti also have the sense of unity between himself and the world, he also specifically mentions being a part of nature like Whitman. 

Both poets feel their importance and connection to others, as well as nature around them. With this, each poet has a poem with a tone of acceptance and unity. 

                                     Work Cited

Marti, Jose. "I Am an Honest Man." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 681-682. Print.

Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2. 
New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013. 648-653. Print.

An Essay on Man

For those of us who believe in a Higher Power, no matter what the religion, Alexander Pope provides a somewhat harsh "reality check." Obviously, it is normal to look at tragedies within our lives and ask, "Why?" Whether a family member is diagnosed with cancer, suddenly dies in a tragic automobile accident, or even having your home destroyed by a natural disaster, Pope demands a sense of humbleness instead of anger.

At the end of Pope's "An Essay on Man," he writes, "And Nature tremble to the throne of God./ All this dread ORDER breaks---for whom? for thee?/ Vile worm!--oh Madness! Pride! Impiety!" (96). Pope is suggesting that there is an order to everything (nature) which is all "unknown to thee" (97). This order is set by the Higher Power; so in Pope's eyes, this is quite pretentious for humans to insinuate a greater knowledge than the Higher Power. Part of this natural order includes everyone, not just humans, Pope points out: "Each beast, each insect, happy in its own:/ Is Heaven unkind to Man, and Man alone?/ Shall he alone, whom rational we call,/ Be pleased with nothing, if not blessed with all?" (94). Everything on earth plays a part in the natural order. Questioning is neither useful or fitting.

Pope soothes writing, "Who finds not Providence all good and wise,/ Alike in what it gives, and what is denies?" (95). Great care has been taken to create the course of life on earth, so do not fret. It is how it should be.



Pope, Alexander. "An Essay on Man." The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin  Puchner. Vol. 2.  New York: Norton, 2013. 90-97. Print.

Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne describes barbarous as "whatever is not his own practice" (1653). Meaning that when you are accustomed to your own culture's practices of course they seem not only normal, but completely natural ways of life. However to the outside, some of your customs could be considered barbarous simply because they are not someone else's. Michel explains, "we should be so blind to our own. I think there is more barbarity in eating a man alive than in eating him dead; and in tearing by tortures and the rack a body still full of feeling, in roasting a man bit by bit, in having him bitten and mangled by dogs and swine than in roasting him and eating him after he is dead" (1656). What Michel is attempting to prove is that while many Europeans would consider any form of Cannibalism barbarous, he is trying to put perspective on what it own how European culture is barbarous. While this "barbarous" culture does eat the flesh of other humans, at least they quickly kill and then eat the person. On the other hand, Europeans commit many heinous acts to their fellow humans, such as burning them alive! Therefore, according to Michel, barbarous is a state of mind, a concept only fueled by what is different from your own accepted acts of barbarianism. 

Even with the current global world, many people fail to recognize their own acts of barbarianism for what they are, only seeing barbarous acts in other cultures, even myself. The idea of an arranged marriage in America is almost unheard of. Yet, in many countries, such as India, this is a very normal practice. The idea of not being able to choose who you make such a commitment to for the rest of your life seems like a very barbarian concept. However, as I have learned more about the deep respect children have for their parents, as well as the good intentions parents have for their children, the whole process begins to seem a little bit more sentimental. In a way, my own parents opinion and values does influence who I choose to marry.

Works Cited

de Montaigne, Michel. “From Essays.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin

            Puchner. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 1650-1665. Print.

Sunjata

I have actually seen a recent article that I thought about the whole time I read about the origin of the wedding traditions of this West African tribe within "Sunjata."

One marriage ritual found in "Sunjata"is the carrying of the bride. In the story, the bride, Sogolon, had crippled feet from her childhood. The text reads, "When they lifted her up she had a twisted foot.Her feet were twisted and she could not walk without raising dust...They saw that he feet walk could not improve, That is was beyond her power. The sisters said, 'Let us carry her.' That is how carrying the bride originated" (1536, lines 751-3, 764-7). Not only is the bride carried from the outskirts of town to her bridegroom, there is also a song (1536, lines 758-761, 768-9).

Within cultures around the world, there are many other marriage traditions that have been passed down through generations. By now, I am sure many people have no clue from where the traditions have originated. In the How Stuff Works article, "10 Strange Wedding Traditions," the first tradition I recognized was number five: Stuffing an Apron with Cash. Although, my family has always referred to it as the Dollar Dance. The same idea exist that the wedding guests pay to dance with the bride. According to the article, this tradition originated form Poland. The article can be reached here.

Another article from How Stuff Works, "10 Mundane Traditions with Strange Origins," gives more details about reasoning behind some famous and quite usual traditions. The tenth tradition listed is why there is usually a best man at a wedding. According to the article, a best man was the best "swords" man of the groom. This is due to the fact that:

Back [in] the day when a wedding was a financial transaction -- and as we all know, sometimes financial transactions can go bad. Should the bride's father have second thoughts or a lovelorn rival spring from the rafters, it was the best man's job to ensure the deal went down as planned. If kidnapping became necessary, the best man was the muscle. Later, he stood guard outside the nuptial bedroom. (The article can be reached here.)

I have been to many weddings within my Catholic family. In every wedding, there was always a best man (or even two)! I have yet to see any of them back heat or stay the night standing guard outside the bedroom on the wedding night!

“Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mandes People”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. 3rd ed. Vol 1. New York: Norton 2013. 1514-1578.

Matsuo Bashō

(View this video to understand this week's post.)

In the introduction, readers are informed that Matsuo Bashō’s goal “was [to] always [be] on the move in search for new poetic themes, new language, and new objects. In his travel diaries he accomplished nothing less than influencing how people saw some of the most defining sites of Japanese identity” (325).  Through this video, the creator includes Bashō’s ability to intertwine simplicity with deepness and mood with the season.

The creator of this video depicts various scenes of Japan, from a woman brushing her hair to the cherry blossoms in spring. There seems to be no lack of images for Bashō’s poetry. More significant, many of the images depict the mood, if not the same season Bashō mentions in his poetry. For instance, there is a poem from this week’s reading very similar to one found in the video. From the anthology:

                                                Loneliness---

                                                an autumn beach judged

                                                superior to Suma’s* (336)

*The footnote describes this as “a coastal town well-known for people who spent their time in exile” (336).

Bashō uses autumn to deepen the level of loneliness being felt, something he describes prior to the poem: “We drank tea, warmed up sake, and were overwhelmed by the loneliness of the evening” (336). This poem arranges autumn next to a city well-known for people being exiled away from everything they knew to. Another poem within the video also uses autumn as a depiction of loneliness:

                                                this autumn-

                                                old age I feel,

                                                in the birds, the clouds

While the first poem was referring to something larger, a town, this poem is focusing on birds and clouds. However, both poems have sad tones and contain a reference to autumn. Previous to this poem in the video, viewers are shown a very depressing photo of a stream of water. Although there is no solid indication of autumn, the mood of both poems in captured. The only bright color is that of the stream. Otherwise, the trees and background are earth tones of brown, tan, and black. There is no action or figures of people. Viewers are left with only a feeling of loneliness.

In the course of this video, it is obvious that the creator was not simply influenced by the poetry, but sought to prove how proficient of a poet Bashō was by aligning his poetry with images of Japan. The ability of art and literature to depict a view and/or experience is shown in this video.

Works Cited

“Matsuo Bashō.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Vol. II. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 324-5. Print.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Vol. II. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 325-336. Print.

Classic of Poetry

As discussed in the introduction of “Classic Poetry,” many of the poems in Chinese literary history (1000-6000 B.C.E.) were not simply used for aesthetics. Many of the poems from this era have a “moral or political purpose” (756). One specific focus is the moral expectation of a woman’s virtue through the metaphor of fruit.

“Peach Tree Soft and Tender” is a poem that juxtapositions the pureness of the blossoming peach tree and a bride. One stanza reads:

Peach tree soft and tender,

its leaves spread thick and full.

The bride is going to her home,

she well befits these folk. (760)

In this stanza, the reader is first introduced to the idea of an untainted fruit, in its prime (thick and full) by the unknown narrator. Then, a bride going to her husband’s home, a home for which she is indicated to be appropriate (befits). The stanza beginning with the introduction of pure fruit is no coincidence.

            “Plums Are Falling” is another poem placing a bride and fruit together. The last stanza reads:

Plums are falling,

catch them in a basket;

many men want me,

let me be bride of one. (760)

Unlike the previous poem, this is a poem from a known female’s perspective. Again, the stanza begins with the idea of unsullied fruit and marriage of the bride.

            Lastly, “Quince” is poem that is not as obvious about the purity of a woman and her chance of becoming a bride. However, this love poem describes the exchange of three types of fruit: quince, peach, and plum. While the narrator receives these fruit, he sends back a ruby for the female. Yet, the male claims he is the winner of this deal because “by this love will last” (762). The female’s exchange of her fruit for love is extremely suggestive.

            Although none of these three poems are extremely forthcoming about the moral expectation of a woman’s virtue in order for love, or more importantly, marriage, the suggestive undertones and continuously juxtaposition of fruit and a woman does indicate this. Fruit, in its simple, lushness, has often been paired with the theme of woman, as well as sexuality. The most commonly known is western culture is the forbidden fruit Eve ate from the tree in the Garden of Eden. Also, there is an implication of fruitful fertility.

                             Work Cited 

“Classic of Poetry.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 756-766. Print.

Somadeva

In Somadeva’s ‘The Red Lotus of Chastity,” readers are shown two sides of the same coin: good and evil of disguise. While our heroine, Devasmita, uses disguise to keep honor and foil her enemies, another female, Yogakarandika, a wandering nun, gleefully partakes in evil disguises.

Yogakarandika claims to have the ability of sight in order to gain Devasmita’s trust; a trust she wants to gain only in order to betray Devasmita by steering her to be untrue to her husband. Yogakarandika devised a plan to demonstrate her sight abilities by claiming she knew Devasmita’s dog from a previous life; a life where she voluntarily, frequently cheated on her wealthy, Brahmin husband. The woman who did not cheat on her husband is being punished in this life. Yogakarandika says to Devasmita, “Our highest duty, you know, it to yield to the demands of sense and element. That is why I in this present life have the privilege of remembering past existences. But she in her ignorance guarded her chastity, and so she has been reborn a bitch, though she does remember her other life” (Somadeva 1277). To seal this disguise, Yogakarandika had already secretly fed the Devasmita’s dog “a piece of meat covered with sneezing powder” in order to make sure she could claim this dog (or woman she knew from the past life) was crying (1277). Yogakarandika, believing this has gained Devasmita’s trust, sends all four brother merchants on four separate nights to Devasmita’s home disguised as her pupil (1277).

In order to not only keep her honor, but also to foil her enemies’ plots, Devasmita must use disguise as well. She keeps her honor by instructing one of her maids to dress up as her, Devasmita, in order to drug each merchant, give them proper punishment, and leave them with a dog’s paw mark on their forehead (1277-8). However, Devasmita’s most important disguise is as a man. She must travel to find her husband before the four merchant brothers can find him. However, in order to travel, she must disguise herself along with her maids as merchants (men) (1279).

Much like Shakepeare’s Twelfth Night, where the heroine, Viola, must disguise herself as a man for her own safety and ease of travel, the women in this story are left to their own tools of disguise to live their lives unreservedly. However, Devasmita is congratulated for her disguises; she even wins praise from her mother-in-law, a highly sought after approval in Indian culture (1278). The last line reads, “Honored by all upright people, Devasmita, with the ransom she had received and the husband she had rejoinded, returned to their city Tamralipti and never again was she separated from the husband she loved” (1279). However, Yogakarandika and her equally as evil pupil both receive a traditional punishment, “the chaste wife cut off their noses and ears and tossed them outside in a sewage pit” (1278).

Somadeva. "The Red Lotus of Chastity.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 1274-1279. Print.