Today in class I actually had a decent observation. But, did I raise my hand ever so slightly to let the teacher know I got what he was saying? No, I let him ramble on. Sure, I waited to see if he would leave a break for anyone else to insert their ideas, but I did not interject mine. As T.S. Eliot's Prufrock would have done, I did "not force the moment to its crisis."
So, today we were discussing T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" and it occurred to me that the sight of spring in April is referred to as the cruelest month, not just because April symbolizes life--- but because at the sight of Spring, there is hope, hope that life will be new and not the way it was before, and this is cruel because this hope is barren and life, according to Eliot, was not new, nothing could be trusted in and life is depressing and there is no order, no hope, no Spring in life, not ever.
Unfortunately, I don't think this little thought is enough for me to write another paper over... nor am I sure I want to make the time to develop it. I will confess that I'm sad we didn't cover "Hollow Men," and I may find myself submitting an optional paper because of it.
Why is it that the professors that are the most challenging are those you want most to please? I suppose it has a lot to do with the fact that we live up to the expectations set before us or some psychological idea like that. I'm certain this will be very important to me when I am on the other side of the grade book.
I cannot wait for the semester to end so I can at least skim some of the books my professors have cited as I've stared back blankly at them! Heh, of course I've read The Catcher in the Rye, but I don't think I got it... I liked his sarcasm, that's all I remember.
It's late. My brain is scattered... I was supposed to go to sleep early since I didn't join my daughter in her nap. Once again, the joke's on me!
1 comment:
First of all, thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment there. I thought I would reciprocate, and I'm pleased to be able to say to a former student that I think you've begun well. You'll find your voice--those wobbly legs you mention earlier will soon become steadier.
Now: about this--
at the sight of Spring, there is hope, hope that life will be new and not the way it was before, and this is cruel because this hope is barren and life, according to Eliot, was not new nothing could be trusted in and life is depressing and there is no order, no hope, no Spring in life.
--this strikes me as being very smart. You don't mention Chaucer, but this seems also to have an awareness (via negation) of the optimism of the opening lines of the General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales, which Eliot almost certainly is parodying here in The Waste Land. So, for what it might be worth: well done. I hope you'll be less reluctant to volunteer something next time.
Thanks again for coming by.
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