Across the Finish Line...

Well class is basically all done now and it is time to sit back and reflect on the semester I think. I had to take this class to fulfill my requirement for my minor, so you see I am not even an English minor, but a History one instead. I was a little apprehensive at first since I had never taken an upper division English course before. Turns out the class was nothing to be scared or unsure about. Turns out I knew a lot of people in there to begin with, so that was awesome. Also after the first class where MS read aloud the Juniper Tree, I got really excited for this class. It turned out to be a very interesting class and definitely makes me look at things a lot differently now. Learning about different origins of fairytales, how they all connect with one another, the different morals they are attempting to tell.

I will be sad to see this class go, I had a really enjoyable time in, that's for sure. Everybody you could tell had a good time, there was goofing off but everybody still was learning as we went. I liked it.

Presentations Round Two...

Today's presentations occurred today, and they were hilarious. Group 3 and 4 went today both taking different approaches to the same assignment.

Group 3
Took a brand new approach to their presentation. They used a an already popular medium of a reunion show to get their point across. It was really funny with all the characters playing off of each other really nicely. Their costumes were awesome and they kept the audience's attention splendidly. Even though one of the group members couldn't make it they still gave their performance. Awesome.

Group 4
Another graphic novel but completely different than group 2's. With a whole bunch of little stories that all were interconnected in the end. This one was also really entertaining as well! The photography was awesome. They did a good job with multiple uses of misplaced concreteness.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

The song Somewhere Over the Rainbow has been a favorite song for most since it debuted in 1939 by Judy Garland, then only 17. The song has stayed popular through the years by getting small musical face lifts from different artists over the time. Everybody that has sang it has put their own unique style on the song, revamping an old favorite.



another popular version that now frequents the speakers on tropical cruise ships and was the song playing when Dr. Mark Green died of caner on ER...



Leona Lewis when she was still competing on X Factor...



Connie Talbot proving that this song knows no age boundaries, and it is a song for all ages...

Oxford...

In Oxford there are many different things to stop by and see from Christ Church, to the Camera, punting on the Thames, and the Eagle and Child pub. Here at the Eagle and Child many people have frequented to grab a pint and food many a time. The reason this pub happens to be so famous and popular is for two people who used to be regulars. C.S. Lewis and J.R Tolkien would meet here regularly with The Inklings. This was a group of literary friends who would meet every Tuesday nights to discuss their latest works and to get feedback on what their peers thought. Both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings was tossed around at these meetings...



Oxford seems to be the place where wonderful literature thrives. Before C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien was Lewis Carroll who was a professor at Oxford Uni. He gathered a lot of inspiration from all around the school and town of Oxford. If you visit today you can see signs of Carroll still left all over the place...



Oxford, Christ Church in particular, has been not only the inspiration for many stories but also the set of popular literature. Christ Church banquet hall and courtyard has been used in many movies, but most recently has been for Harry Potter along with the Golden Compass.



Both of these spots have begun to attract a lot of attention and becoming a must do when going to Oxford!



Oxford is such an imaginative place that I am sure it will continue to be a spot where people can become inspired to write.

Wicked

In class we had our whole group presentations dealing with The Wizard of Oz. Many people have not read the book but almost everyone has seen the movie starring Judy Garland from 1939. It was one of the first movies to really bring home the idea of technicolor and people fell in love with it immediately. Another new phenomenon in our present day is the book Wicked, which has recently been adapted into a stage performance. The play is based off of Gregory Maguire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In this book Maguire tells the other side of the story of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba. Maguire crafter Elphaba's name with help from L.F. Baum's name. He took the phonetically pronunciation of his initials, L.F.B became El-pha-ba.

The story talks about Elphaba and how she becomes this hated creature in Oz. In this version she is just misunderstood and is trying to do the right thing and it is really the Wizard who is the mean corrupt one. The Wizard makes her out to be the horrible one and turns everyone against her to cover up his own wrongdoings. Glinda is Elphaba's best friend and you also learn how the Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Lion all come to need a brain, heart, and courage.

I really recommend reading the book along with seeing the play. I have read the book and seen Wicked three times in the West End in London. Needless to say its fantastic!!! I look at the Wizard of Oz a little differently now...

Spell Check...

I was just posting a blog about Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland when I noticed something, and I thought it was worth blogging about separately. I was blogging about Tweedledee and Tweedledum and I was typing sorta fast and I got caught up on the word Tweedledee. The red dotted line showed up underneath my misspelled word. I went to go fix it, when I had spelled it correctly I noticed there was no dotted red line. Spell check recognized this word along with Tweedledum. These words have become so common in our language that even modern technology recognizes them. I just thought it was a fun little discovery, Lewis Carroll has even penetrated a form of technology that he had no idea about. His words are proving to last longer and be more popular than I am sure he could have ever imagined.
Words like Jabberwock though do acquire the red dotted line proving that some of Carroll's story have been more popular around the greater populous.

My fav Alice chapter...

So this is a little late on the posting side of things but its better late than never. So my favorite Alice chapter you ask...I am going to go with I don't really have a favorite chapter really but more of a favorite story. I really enjoyed the Walrus and the Carpenter in the fourth chapter of Through the Looking Glass.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum tell Alice the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter...

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

I don't know what it is about this story about tricking oysters into their death, but if you want to admit it or not its a powerful story. It seems to have strung a chord with a today's audiences as well. Walt Disney chose to include it in his Disney version while excluding other stories. Even a pub in London, close to the Monument dedicated to the 1666 fire that destroyed half of London, shows appreciation to the timeless story.