Monday, December 14, 2009

"The Computation" By John Donne

  • One of the possible interpretations of the poem is that the speaker is wishing that he could see a woman that he loved long ago. he is still in love with the illusion of her, and ignores the truth that she has left him.
  • Another possible interpretation is that Donne is talking about the difference between the Gregorian and Julian calendars. He wonders which is the truth.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (whew)/Rivers and Tides

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man By James Joyce

  • Stephen spends the entire book trying to find the truth of who he is.
  • Stephen is mystified by the eerie of the church rituals.
  • Stephen idolizes Mercedes, his idea of a perfect woman, but in reality there is no woman that can live up to the standards he imagined.
  • As an artist, Stephen is often struck by the odd beauty.
  • It unclear whether the girl at the end of chapter 4 is real or not, if in truth she existed. (SHE IS FAKE!)
Rivers and Tides
  • The man creates temporal art out of nature, art that will only last for a little while.
  • He knows the truth of the temporary quality of his work, but yet it he still continues to create because of its beauty.