Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?	Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:	You are more lovely and more constant:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,	Rough winds shake the beloved buds of May
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:	And summer is far too short:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,	At times the sun is too hot,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;	Or often goes behind the clouds;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,	And everything beautiful sometime will lose its beauty,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;	By misfortune or by nature's planned out course.
But thy eternal summer shall not fade	But your youth shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;	Nor will you lose the beauty that you possess;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,	Nor will death claim you for his own,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:	Because in my eternal verse you will live forever.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,	So long as there are people on this earth,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.	So long will this poem live on, making you immortal. In this poem, Shakespeare is introducing the themes of love, beauty, and summer. I have chosen this poem because it is by far, my favorite poem ever. When i read this poem, i think of love and how it can affect one's view of life in general; and to be able to share that view with others would be an honor.This poem is obviously an expression of feelings projected from the speaker towards a person he loves. He loves the woman so much and he wants to be with her and he is trying his hardest to convince her that they are supposed to be together. My favorite lines of this entire sonnet are when he says, "When in eternal lines to time thou growest so long as men can breathe or eyes can see; so long lives this and this gives life to thee." I love these lines because he has the utmost confidence and is not afraid to tell this female how he feels about her. In my opinion, that is the most romantic thing that can ever was to be.

PFFT!!!!

This is a very interesting piece in many interesting ways. So many different symbolisms and innuendos that can be construed from this drawing. It represents many things from humanity and our societies from the things that come from our mouths to the things we do with our hands and other members. Our attitudes are a key part to this drawing as well....posture taken into consideration. The hair represents the idea that we all are different in our own way and to someone else you may be wild. Overall, this drawing is a really good drawing and i enjoyed blogging about it.

Terra

Julian Lynch is one of the few artists that i enjoy listening to because of his originality and sense of eccentricity. This is the first time I've ever listened to him but i love his style. Very down to earth type music as if he makes his music from the atmosphere around us. This is by far the best song we have blogged about all year long. It brings a sense of serenity to the air as you listen to it. That is the type of music that i am used to listening to.

A Litany in Time of Plague

This poem happens to express the idea that nobody can escape death. It is inevitable. In a sense, this poem also explains that it is petty that we get to attached to things in this life for it is short and can easily be taken away by death in a literal or figurative sense. And finally, this poem expresses the idea that we must not fear death for we have the opportunity to be so much happier than what we are in this life we live on earth. I did think that this was the only poem so that is the one i read. The meaning to this poem is many. However, the meaning that i have come to understand is the meaning that death is a beautiful thing. No matter how painful or gruesome it may be. Death is the gateway to a better life for most of us. The plague swept through Europe, and though it was a terrible time where thousands of people died, it did help to make stronger European nations and gave them hope. They had the faith that their loved ones went on to better places and this allowed their spirits to be lifted against the tyranny of that time. The author's reason for writing this poem is to inspire his readers to take the same view on death. My favorite lines in the entire poem are lines 14 and 15 when he says "beauty is but a flower which wrinkles will devour.....". I like these lines because he is saying to his readers that they should never think that because something looks nice, it doesn't mean that we should fall for it because it could be deadly. Looks can be deceiving. That flashy item or person could be gilded and if you are not careful, surely it will be the death of you. Wait around a little bit and you shall see true colors. This is a lesson i have come to learn in this life.

What years did the time period involve?
The renaissance took place from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries.How did the time period come about?
During this time period, Europe was coming out of the economic stagnation of the Middle Ages and entering into financial stability.In what area of the world did the movement begin?
The Renaissance began in Italy and spread through out Northern and Western Europe.Who were the major people involved with the time period? 

The people of the renaissance were usually devout Christians, but their worldly views and non-Christian principles were sometimes questioned by the church. People like Nicholas Copernicus, Leonardo DaVinci, Ludwig Beethoven, and Galileo were all important leaders in this time of learning and expansion throughout Europe.What major events took place that shaped the time period?
The Black plague had a major role in forming the path for the renaissance era. That and the peoples outrage for the crown both helped to lead the way for an era of learning and expansion.What time period did the Renaissance give way to?
The Renaissance gave way to the age of Enlightenment and reason.
Did the Renaissance have anything to do with inspiring that future time period?
The Renaissance was focused on learning through the arts and literature while the Enlightenment focused on science and ideology.

Renaissance Songs

I love the renaissance because it was a time of enlightenment and learning for European Nations. It was a very artistic time filled with wonderful music and paintings as well as beautiful Literature. People such as William Shakespeare and Vincent Van Gogh lived in this time period. William Shakespeare is my favorite author ever, so    I am excited to start working on it. The music is peaceful and calms the mind. It opens it up in order for knowledge to seep in.

at the bottom of everything

This song is really a show of the writer's frustration to how mediocre our nation is. They try to MAKE us act as a nation and be patriotic but, in the end, we are no one. We are our own individuals and no one has the right to say anything to us about our individuality.

King Arthur

The story of King Arthur goes, to the best of my remembrance and understanding of the translations that have been passed through my family, is that Camelot got hit with a very bad plague and their king died. So being that there was no heir. People began fighting for the position. To solve the problem, Merlin put a magical sword in the stone and he that retrieved the sword would become king. Well Arthur was a young man that was blind and yea high. The villages strongest men struggled for the sword but it would not budge and they made fun of arthur for thinking he had a chance. Then suddenly, Arthur drew the sword from the stone with ease and was renowned as the king. This became the happy and magical camelot to which we r all familiar. Merlin was his right hand sorcerer and he turned to him for everything. Also, arthur knighted the villages strongest men to be the Knights of the Round Table. And that is the most i know about King Arthur.

The Garden of Life

this painting represents the idea that humanity is a complex society within the earth's atmosphere that is full of wonders and life. We as humans know how to make a good thing out of anything. While other species have to worry about survival, humans make a good time because they want it. We dont mind taking over things in order to have dominion. This, in turn, gives us nothing to fear but ourselves. But where will this mentality lead us? And that is what i believe this painting is portraying.

Freedom Chimes

No matter what way you look at it, this poem expresses freedom. I also think there are parts that it speaks of not having any freedom and needing to break free and there are parts where they talk about trying to evade being caught. The action of the poem is to enlighten the readers or listeners with the ruckus that continued to spread and in a sense is still spreading over our nation. That ruckus is the call for freedom. People wanna be free which raises an uproar. The reasons Bob Dillon could have written this song is so that people understand exactly what life was like back then. My favorite lines is when he sings "Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake. Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked. Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake and we gaze upon the chimes of freedom flashing". In a sense i feel as though these lines were written for me and everyone else who has been through some hard times in life. They are saying that our situations will lighten and we will be remembered by all who we interact with.

Barbara Allan

I like the song version of this ballad. You can still see the ballad of Barbara Allan within the song and it is meaningful that such artists are able to make such music with such poems. It is a good song. Unfortunately, there are not enough artists in the world that can pull off this type of music because not everyone is a clasic english person.  But when you do get artist that can do such things as this song, then it is known as real talent. And the music is more meaningful than any other music ever made.

Ayn Rand on Values

I love this quote because i enjoy the beautiful side of life. I try not to linger in what is man made as a whole because then you become materialistic. I enjoy the art work of mother nature that is shared with us by the things we discover and dig up. I love looking at the beautiful green of the little life that is left on the planet that has not already been destroyed by "the will of man". I enjoy the seasons and i frolic in the weather like it is breathing. There is no too hot or too cold. There is no boring and dull, rainy days or bright and happy, sunny days. There is life and that is what i try to live by. I love the country where its nothing but rolling hills and woodlands and forests for miles to come. These are places in which we can get away from our artificial lives that are so full of bustle and worry and live naturally based on what mother nature has to offer.

Postcard From Bea

This painting is for the eyes of an adventurer. One who seeks so much more from there life. This painting strikes me in the sense that it makes me want to travel. The girl in the painting seems to be looking for something, like shes lost something of great importance and wants me to help her find it. Unless of course it is me that she is looking for. I feel as though i should leave the riffraff of my life behind me to go on a remarkable journey in search of something that has been lost. Or perhaps this paining is striking me internally and bringing out the fact that i indeed have lost something of high value, and though i may not know what it is i am looking for, i should not end my quest. The journey is far from over it seems and i have so much ground to cover in this short life. I cannot and will not be happy until i have found myself. Yes, it is a long and sometimes dangerous journey filled with trials and tribulations but i must continue forward. This painting gives me the hope that whatever it is that i have lost, whatever it is i am seeking after will be found and give me and those around me a life time of satisfaction. This is the item that will make me secure in myself as well as secure in my fellow man. It will help me be me without any thoughts of destruction and depression and it will help me grow as a man and as a father, lover, friend, brother, son, or whatever else it may be.

Sprawl 2 Mountains Beyond Mountains

This song is just symbolism of all the riff raffs within our lives. All of us face problems that tend to irk us in one way or another. We just have to get away from it all. Sometimes it is better for us to get to the place we want in loneliness because life is just too hectic.

The Pardoner's Tale from "The Canterbury Tales"

It is stated in the prologue that the pardoner is a man that is to forgive the people for their sins in the absence of a pope, but he is a crafty business man. He drinks and has a good time and charges others nifty wages for their wrongdoings. It was only inevitable that such a business man would use such stories to scare people out of their pockets. Anything to make a good buck. However, I don't think that the pilgrims would have fallen for his story if he did not tell them of his practices. I believe that they would have been able to read right through him and beat him. They would have taken everything the man owned and left him for dead on the side of the road. That is what happened in those times to people who scammed other people for a living.

The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales

Based on the writings of the prologue of The Canterbury Tales, i believe that it is safe to assume that the author carries the values of a scholar that wishes to be a free man. Most of the characters introduced in the prologue were scholarly and wise of some religion or life skill in general. Then again, they all had a party side to them. Most of them having more than one wife and concubine while others enjoyed a good drink. The church of the narrator's time seems to be of hypocritical judgement and corrupted. The priest and nun amongst the ranks were party people with little to no discretion. The closest thing we have to a knight today would be an officer of the military such as a colonel or a general. A modern day squire would be an enlisted rank of the military such as a SMSgt or an A1C of the Air Force. These are those that are trained by the officers or "knights" of today. Today, a pardoner would be the church in general. The church has become a business compared to being a place of worship. The church sells people salvation for publicity and recognition, telling its followers that they are going to make it to heaven if they come down to their alter and get on their knees and admit their sins.  The narrator would be quite confused by our modern beliefs and ways of behavior so he might describe me as a man of lowly presence. A man who boasts of his life with little discretion to the ears around him. An attention seeker if you will. But he might also describe me as a man too grown. Developed before his time and of good judgement. Not wise in any extravagant manner but of good judgement. A selfless man that is foolish with his earnings yet will be a noble when the time arrives. A man who gives but doesnt take. A scholar of wines and a man of simplicity. Nothing too showy, but a man of elegance. That is just what i think the narrator would say.

Ghandi on Tolerance

This quote is the meaning of truth itself. It is true that minorities have a duty to respect other nationalities and races because they themselves are minority. You cannot expect any given race to respect you and you do not respect them. It is the greatest duty we carry in that, even tho another race or culture may not appreciate us, we can appreciate ourselves and survive off their ignorance alone. I love Ghandi!!!!!!!!

The Moon and the Yew Tree

This poem is one of a kind. I love this type of poetry because it uses the strangest and earthiest imagery to relate to life. In a sense, I live this. Everything i take on in life is transported through my eyes and i relate life to the earth and its influences. I am an earthy guy. I cannot help it. I have learned to come to grasp with this because it gives me peace in time of rage. It gives me happiness in times of sorrow. This poem amplifies this earthy love in many ways. The moon is described as the innocent and naive part of me that sheds light into everyone else's lives while, at the same time, i am corrupted by the presence of most and respected by the presence of few. The yew tree represents that sadistic side to me. The side that can give a rat's tail what happens to others; what happens to myself. The side that is cold and heartless and moves for not one person for fear of being corrupted. The side of me that corrupts the love that others may have for me. The side that i try my hardest to hide. Like Dr. Jackyll and Mr. Hyde. I am pleased with this poem and the writers of such poetry deserve so much more credit than what they receive. I love this poem.

Canterbury Tales

Based on the notes from yesterday, The Canterbury Tales should be set in the middle ages during the time of the black plague and the hundred years' war. I am hoping that there is a piece on the crusades in it. It is good to have moderate separation of the classes because this is how economies grow and become successful. Some work harder than others and are wise with their money, so by right they should be able to be recognized above those who dont have a work ethic and dont know how to spend their money.  Sometimes people take this idea to the extreme and place themselves in positions they dont belong in. This can often have affect political practices of a nation and can be a terrible outcome. The benefits to the spread of christianity in europe was that other nations were getting the experience as well as another option for religion. The negative side to that is that the English were very extreme in that they killed thousands of people and forced the survivors under the hands of God. This is not christlike in any way. Jesus never forced people to submission and God doesnt approve of it so who are they to do such things? When man lets power go to his head then things get out of hand because he feels he has to control. If man wasnt so greedy, then things like this wouldnt happen.

the meaning of poetry

 williams carlos williams has an excellent view of poetry. in a sense, that is exactly what poetry is used for. i could put it into no other words. poetry is in fact used to better our view of our situation and make it more dramatic so that those after us will respect what was before them.

Heart it Races

this song is unique in its own way. i appreciate this band in their individuality and originality and this song happens to be a good song and i enjoyed listening to it. It made my day.

Black smoke

In my opinion, this painting is a figure representing the "black smoke" which looms over today's societies like a terrible storm that never wishes to go away. This painting is a symbol of war, pollution, expansion, and destruction of nature that was not ours to destroy. In turn, the nature we are destroying and modernizing is the same nature that is killing us. I dont know. I think i may have read too deep into the painting. That is my point of view tho.

What We Forget

When u live in a fantasy world then u r bound to make the same mistakes u made in the past because u r trying to avoid making those mistakes again. This is the message i believe the quote is sending. Don't throw urself too far into fantasy and glory less u forget where u came from and the same exact circumstances creep up on u.

Matisse

this painting was obviously painted during the feminst movement. to me, the picture has portrayed a woman who has prepared a dinner for her husband who is not home because he is out drinking late again.  the woman is tired and hurt and she knows all to well that she is going to give her husband a scolding. then, he will get her drunk and the inevitable will happen.

Heroic matters

A hero is neither defined by his identitiy not by the super strength he may possess. Nor is he defined by how fast he can run. So, what is a hero? well, a hero could be anybody. Me, you, uncle sam, keeper of the zoo. a hero is defined by his ability to be selfless and self-aware of those around them. one who will go out of their way to make everyone else comfortable even at the expense of their own discomfort. However, my favorite definition of a hero would be "a person who, in the opinion of someone else, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regardes as a model or ideal" as portrayed by http://www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/hero. It is my opinion that everyone needs a hero. there is not one person on the face of the planet that has not been in a situation where they needed a hero. Spouses are heroes. Friends are heroes. Families are heroes. Religious beliefs are heroes. the list goes on and on and that is why i believe everone has a hero. Imaginary heroes such as superman or batman and the broad worlds of the comic book universe are needed to give an appeal much larger than life to those that we aspire to be. For a kid to compare his dad to superman is something that strikes the heart of even the thickest skin. My hero is myself. as conceited as it sounds, why idolize other people when you are your own hero everyday just by waking up and going throughout the day. You could be a hero just by choosing not to give that person that took your rightaway the bird. this goes back to the idea of love. You cannot love others until you first love yourself so why idolize the outer world when you can be proud of yourself.

The Island

This was a very interesting song filled with many emotions, however, it is a difficult piece to disect due to its length. I would like to say there was a sense of sorrow and love written in this song but i can't be too sure. It would take forever for me to disect therefore i am not going to even try. It is an excellent song though. I espaecially enjoyed the part about the landlord's daughter in that it depicts a man stealing a woman's love and that is how things ought to be done. LOL. It was an excellent song though and i enjoyed it alot.

Just Like Starting Over

When you see some one with potential and good intentions, U think helping them wouldnt hurt. I never judge any one from their past. or what for what their wearing or how their grammer is when they speak. I only see them as the person their persenality shows me. I dont mind giving a helping hand to a person who actually WANTS it. because they're many people who need the help and will probably let you waste your time on them just to freeload. You do not just go around offering your help to everyone, anyone., But listen to your gut and make a move. its possible you might change someones life.

Beowulf

1.  In your opinion, what view of youth and old age does Beowulf convey? In answering, consider not only the details in the last part of the poem but also the earlier portrayals of Beowulf and Hrothgar. According to the poem, life was short. Beowulf was young at the beginning of the story and had godlike strength. As he got "old", he became mortal and ended up dying because he had lost all his strength. Most of the people of this time died in their late twenties.
2. On the basis of your reading Beowulf, what quantities or values do you think the Anglo-Saxons admired? How would you compare those admired quantities or values with those that we admire in present day San Antonio? Anglo-Saxons enjoyed adventure and thrill. They loved stories of courageous men who did amazing things because it drove them to be brave in times of danger and added meaning to their lives. San Antonio is very similar to this belief. We are Texans, therefore we are already followers of the idea of adventure and thrill. It runs in our blood. Many San Antonians follow stories of great people in history that did great things. For instance, the men who fought in the battle of the Alamo. These stories give us a higher sense of purpose in our lives and allow for us to perservere all the more.
3. In today's society, we have our own kinds of "monsters" who threaten our safety or way of life. Who or what are today's monsters, and what threat do they pose? Todays monsters are those who are mentally unstable. These are people who will kill, steal, pillage, torment, and other related things. These are people who don't care that the decisions affect those around them. People like politicians are monsters in that they only want to pass laws and bills to their benefit. The media is a monster because it is manipulated by the government and is constantly trying to brainwash the minds of americans across the nation. Monsters of today includes terrorism both domestic and international. There are many kinds of monsters that pose great danger to our nation and its citizens. Yet the very monsters that are endangering us are the same monsters who are there to "protect" us from other monsters.
4. Invent two original kennings and explain what they mean.

• Mother-heart: the heart of a mother is a heart of love and nurishment for her children. Therefore, a mother-heart is one who loves and cherishes the feelings of those around them.
• Life-giver: giving a life has more than one meaning in its figurative state than literal. One could be a life-giver if he feeds wisdom to the hearts and minds of those around him. One could be a life-giver by encouraging those around him to perservere. One could be a life giver by giving testimonies and deterring others from the path of evil. In this case, a life- giver is simply one who dedicates their own life to saving the lives of others physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Relativism

I, myself, am not a relativist. However, the idea of relativism is not one to be passed up hastily. Relativism is okay on certain levels. Like communism, there is the idea that everything is the same and that no one idea or belief is better than the other. There are extremes to relativism that i would not go to just as there are extremes in communism i would not go to; that no man should go to. Overall, I believe relativism is a good idea that i could follow to a certain extent, just like communism.

Sympathy for the Devil

Many times, we feel sympathy for our enemies because of the way they are treated even as our enemies. There is such a guilt in the way we treat eachother that we sometimes forget how it feels to be treated bad. When we are oppressed, we try to opress our oprressors on a higher level without realizing that we oppress them and how they have already been oppressed by others on levels we cannot even imagine. Every oppressor has been oppressed on great levels. No one wakes up and says, "I think I'll go oppress someone today because i feel like it" unless they are mentally unstable which can come from being oppressed for a given length of time. Oppressors oppress as a feeling of relief from whatever may be oppressing them. Most of the time, they don't even realize they are oppressing others because they are so far gone that it feels right to oppress because it surpresses the pain they are carrying inside themselves.

Landlocked Blues

The song represents the world from the artists point of view. It is confusing if you are not used to listening to this kind of music, but the overall idea of the song is pretty simple. In life, we find things that look odd and make you raise your eyebrows because it makes no sense. For this very reason, life is very complicated because there IS so much that does not make sense at all. There is so much that we do as people that doesnt make sense to other people.
This song has many good relations to life. For instance, in the part when they were singing about the little boys were playing guns in the street and he gave into their game. In life we try so hard to appease people to their comfort point but we still end up confused and often times hurt in the end. Life is a tiring journey that goes on and on and on into an eternity it seems. There are a lot of people on the earth and in our individual lives. We were not made to please all of them.
In the, it is clear that everyone gets to a point where they leave the reality of their lives with no place to go and just wander, whether it be into insanity, fame, or a career. everyone wanders at some point in time.

Escape into life

I have chosen art piece number one for a number of reasons. This piece intrigues me in a way tht no other art piece has. In its abstract form, it means that life is a beautiful death. In other words, beauty is also death. Like a rose lures one to its beauty and devineness, it is also a trap to many. One cannot look back on their lives and say that it was a beautiful thing until they have faced death. Death brings the best of memories and the worst. It helps to remind us where we have came from while enlightening us with the idea that we have nothing to fear. Most of us are okay with the idea that we are moving on to a better place. That is the only logical explenation that i can think of to explain why the artist would incorporate beautiful flowers in a field of skulls.
There is, however, another explenation to this painting. Death itself is beautiful. Often times, death is what brings most people together in love. It gives them a since of hope for those that they have lost. They treat the lost with a higher regard than they ever have in that person's life. I love the idea that death opens up our minds and gives us the since of security and satisfaction that other aspects of our lives may not have been able to offer. It is a reminder that there is nothing to fear. Nothing.

The Kiss

Gustav is an artist to be admired. He came out of his circumstances and made himself a something out of nothing. This painting is a reminder of the intimacy and the intricacy within the lifestyle of which Gustav lived and came to lead in the English world. It is one of the "fathers" of romantic paintings in Europe; comparable to the work of the French.
This is a beautiful painting and is very inspired. That is true art in itself and that is how all art should be.

Hymn of Caedmon

Caedmon has got to be the father of hymns. This is a very inspiring peace. Not too religious and not too controversial. It is hard to believe that such majestic pieces are cast out amongst societies. Such faith should be treasured to emaculate people and times. It is truly an intricate thing for a man to compose music through God's voice.
Man fails to realize that it is impossible to do the impossible through God's name if you are living in the flesh. That is why it is few and far between that man has been able to write such music or do great works.

Love

Love is no game. If you play with love, you will find only discomfort and pain. You can never love someone if you cannot first love yourself. To love yourself is to shun the words of the wicked and acknowledge the words of the kind, but nurish neither. Let not your neighbor label you for your neighbor judges you by your outermost appearance. If you cannot look in the mirror and say "I love me", then you shall be shamed when you say to your neighbor "I love you" for you know not what love is. Be selfless in love and you shall flourish but if you dwell in your selfish ways then surely you will fall.
Young ones. Do not say to your neighbor "I love you" when you are bound by insecurities for pain will strike the heart like a wild fire scorches a forest. You know not what love is. You have not yet experienced life. Nor have you met multitudes. One man can cause more pain than an army. A woman can devour like a lion does its prey. Compare and choose wisely for love lasts an eternity and the one you "love" is the one you will spend the rest of the days of your life with. You are feeling lust at this age. You want what feels good; what looks good. If you look at a man or woman and your insides start feeling funny or your mind tells you that person looks good, this is not love. Love is from the heart and the heart cannot see.
There is so much more about love that i need to learn and i am willing to learn. Are you?

Rabbit in Your Headlights

This song definitely has an intricate twist to it. Any man that has chased fame to the day fame bit them in the ass is miserable. Hope seems lost as they get sucked deeper and deeper into the seemingly never ending abyss of spotlight and mediocracy. This can be related to anything in life. Some things just aren't worth getting sucked into.
The video is an excellent portrait of the song in that it offers the audience a perspective of what many of us are going through other peoples eyes. We often let life drive us so far into insanity that we are constantly looking for ways out and are not fully cognizant of the things that life is hitting us with.