Trying to Recreate

I used to write a lot of poems back in high school. Only recently did I start this up again. I took a break from writing my paper and decided to write this. I tried to recreate Rives' style and fuse it with my own. I haven't thought up of a title for it yet, and I don' think it's quite finished. Questions and comments are welcome.

You’re walking down the steps after finishing the day’s afternoon class,
And you see Her there.
Her soft dark hair flowing with that crisp breeze as it shimmers to set off a smiling red.
The red you see at a quarter to five on that fall afternoon as the sun begins to set.
Yeah, a sunset. The one thing no author ever fully explains or conveys the meaning of but let me try. I want to try to understand that sunset. Maybe it’s a mere feeling that just consumes oneself with total awe and wonder. The same feeling when her spontaneous smile strikes your eyes when she passes by.
No words exchanged, no words to exchange. You don’t want to say hello cause you’re afraid of goodbye. But you’re telling yourself that it’s better than a turn away and a sigh. A sigh a relief is not going to come unless you return that smile. For the time has come to return that smile, that awe inspiring action. The thing that makes your day, and you don’t know it. The thing that makes you crazy, and you’re afraid to show it. Show it. Scream it. Yell it. Dream it. No matter how you tell it, know that you mean it. You smile. You just made her day, but what about tomorrow?

What is Rives?

As i was brainstorming about my paper I found myself rewatching the videos of Rives on our classes blackboard. As is typical, I found myself laughing hysterically at some points and deeply moved at others. After watching "Mockingbird" for the seventh time, I asked myself, "What is Rives?". Is he a poet, a comedien, an entertainer, a social comentator, what? What can the medium on which he creates his art be classified as? I had no clue. More and questions jumped into my mind: questions such as if I were to introduce Rives to an audience or attempt to describe who Rives is and what he does to someone, what would I say? I guess you just have to witness Rives to have an understanding of who he is and what he does.

Nietzsche VS God

Midway through my first reading of Nietzsche, I read the passage in which he depicts humanity's downfall into nihilism, belief in nothing. He calls this the "great danger to mankind" (pg 19). At this time i decided to take a short break in reading the somewhat dense text and do a little research on Nietzsche. During my research I came across one of his more famous quotes "God is Dead". This is not to be taken literally, but rather to comment on that God to him is longer serving as the means of a moral foundation. To me I interpreted that he believed that God was not necessary anymore to humanity. At this realization my mind went into a little bit of a whirlwind of connections. I thought about how Socrates believed that morals would bring us to that Ultimate Truth. One connection in particular from Voltaire came to mind. In one of his poems Voltaire says "If God did not exist it would be necessary to invent him". He argues that it is not by faith, but rather reason that he believes in God, because it is necessary. The thought of a Divine force being necessary really took me back. It our day in age we see how religion has become more a choice. Maybe Nietzsche is right; maybe we are heading slowly toward nihilism.
Another interesting connection I made from Nietzsche was to the Tao. In the reading Nietzsche discusses how he came to the conclusion at a young age that "God is the Father of evil". This makes perfect sense. According to Tao, if one recognizes good, evil is created. This happens in the story of creation. On the first day God creates the light and darkness, and after he does this, he sees that it is good. Evidently this is recognition of good and thus creates what is evil.

Socrates and Emerson

After reading “The Trial and Death of Socrates” and “Phaedo” by Plato, I kept juxtaposing these writings to the American writer and transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both Emerson’s writing and the philosophical ideas touched upon by Socrates have a variety of corollaries. More specifically, Emerson’s essay entitled “The Poet” touches upon the heart of who is a poet and also the essence of a soul.
In “Phaedo”, Socrates says, “…the poets forever telling us that we do not see or hear anything accurately, and surely if those two physical senses are not clear or precise, our other senses can hardly be accurate, as they are all inferior to these.” I do not agree with Socrates’ assertion. A poet does not say we do not see anything accurately, rather they provide the means to be a lens or “transparent eyeball” as Emerson likes to put it. In addition, it is the role of the poet to show the world in new light, to grasp a new perspective, and strive to new truths. As Emerson says, “The sign and credentials of the poet are, that he announces that which no man foretold. He is the true and only doctor; he knows and tells; he is the only teller of news, for he was present and privy to the appearance of which he describes.”
Throughout beginning segment of “Phaedo”, Socrates’ debates with his friends the relationship between the body and the soul, and whether the soul lives on through death. This universal theme of trying to comprehend the “after-death” aspect of consciousness has been THE QUESTION of human history. After making the connection between Plato and Emerson by means of the poet, I searched for what Emerson had to say on the human soul. In eloquence I found a great similarity in the poem by Edmund Spencer that Emerson uses to explain the spirit.

So every spirit, as it is most pure,
And hath in it the more of heavenly light,
So it the fairer body doth procure
To habit in, and it more fairly dight,
With cheerful grace and amiable sight.
For, of the soul, the body form doth take,
For soul is form, ad doth the body make…

In essence, Emerson concludes that soul creates and sustains the body. Socrates states that the soul is limited by the physical body and cannot fully seek the truth with these limitations. I believe that both theorists would believe that through death, a greater Truth is reached.

Who Socrates Is

Throughought the "Apology" we see a variety of labels put on Socrates. Most of these are accustions brought againt him. He is charged with corrupting the youth by his teachings of sky and earth; creating new dieties; and disacknowledge of the gods. These seem to tarnish the image that I believe Socrates tries to make for himself. Socrates is simply a seeker of truth. Through truth, it is my understanding that one can leave a moral and virtuous life. When discussing how he is going to defend himself Socrates says, "...concentrate your attention on whether what I say is just or not, for the excellence of a judge lies in this, as that of a speaker lies in telling the truth".

The White Castle

After reading The White Castle, I couldn't help but notice a culture comparison between East and West. More specifically it seemed that this comparision was wrapped around the concept of religion. After having class this past Wednesday, I wondered why I was the only one who brought up the reoccuring theme of religion and how it seemed to culminate and climax towards the end of the story, especilly given the symbol of the White Castle. After thinking about why this happened it seems pretty clear to me. I have gone to Catholic school my entire life before coming to Richmond. Every Sunday of my life I have gone to Mass. It seems that Religion is a big part of my own identity. This is probably why I can pcik out religious symbols, ideals, and themes within novels. Now, I believe that I have no choice but to write my paper on this topic within the book. It just seems fitting.

First Post

This is the first post of the blog.