Be Literate: Kant, Socrates, and Exhortations to...Not be Stupid

Here's the literacy post! You'd benefit from reading the pieces, note on Socrates' Apology and Emmanuel Kant's What is Enlightenment. Oh, what fun it is to ride and think of the thoughts of the thinkers.

Kant and Socrates: Daring to Know

          Two philosophers, namely Kant and Socrates, had unified but variant ideas.  Kant was disgusted when people would not think for themselves and make their own decisions.  He stated that men (and the fairer sex) must discontinue being docile creatures harnessed to a cart and rather work themselves out of immaturity that had become their nature.  Kant believed that immaturity meant one not thinking for his or herself but expecting another to do the work for them, as in making decisions and solving problems.  In What is Enlightenment, Kant exhorts others to stop being immature and instead become mature.  He shows a sure method to go about becoming mature, inserting the words sapere aude, meaning “Dare to Know” or, “Think for Yourself.”  Instead of being led by the thoughts and opinions of others, Kant dares others to stop being immature and to know things for themselves.

          Socrates’ main ideas were apologetic, that is, defending against accusations, but he concernedly spoke more of the condition of others than of himself.  Though he was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens (in The Apology), he made it clear that he had only asked others to stop seeking fame, fortune, and wealth.  In that day and age, wealth and fame were important to citizens, especially after the Peloponnesian War, and when Socrates pleaded (or seemingly annoyed) people to stop searching for those temporal things and to seek the best state of the soul, he was thought a blithering idiot. However, Socrates did display ways people can go about searching for the best state of the soul, namely by conceptual analysis.  By analyzing concepts, Socrates was encouraging the people to think and judge for themselves.
       
          These two philosophers emphasized a central theme; since man possesses a mind, he should use it.  The ideas of Kant and Socrates, though slightly variant, were unified in that they knew there was something more to be had out of life than simply living.  While Kant exhorted people to discontinue their lazy immaturity and Socrates encouraged others to seek for the best state of the soul instead of wealth and fame, both men wanted their readers and listeners to think for themselves, analyze concepts, and most importantly, dare to know.

 Oh for the day I can talk about such subjects with people. Literally.

Under the Lion's Paw Analysis

Here's the reflective analysis that involved writing with an emotional draw. (But hah for Garland, he did not get me; I saw through it, and here you are.)

Evaluate the Menacing Before Rushing

            Lions are menacing, and it would be terrible indeed to be under one’s paw.  Oppression would turn to depression, and any ambitious hopes of life that had previously stirred would abruptly halt.  Desperation would also be prevalent in this scene, but from whose point?  We do not always perceive what we think we perceive, and whether others should sympathize with the lion or the one under the paw remains to be seen.  Can we always be sure as to who should be justified?  Hamlin Garland’s short story, “Under the Lion’s Paw” (written in 1889 and published in 1891), follows the plight of a young family through three years of exceedingly difficult toil. A short story portraying his skill pertaining to using emotion, Garland (1860-1940), who grew up in rural poverty and later moved to Boston to escape the deserted farm life, wrote powerful realism, which flows directly from his experiences (Baym 736).

              Opening with a man plowing on the “last day of autumn and the first day of winter,” readers are introduced to the feature family, the Haskins, who arrive at a door in Iowa, hoping for shelter for the night (Baym 737).  The Councils, a friendly, near elderly couple, accept the family with open arms, and help Haskins find farm work under a certain Mr. Jim Butler.  After working to improve the land for a seemingly endless three years, Haskins endeavors to discuss buying the farm. However, the betterment of his once property has not gone unnoticed by Butler, and he sets the value of the farm at a considerably higher price than before.  Haskins, angry because he feels cheated, threatens Butler, who “backs off in wild haste” (Baym 746).
               While reading Garland’s story, I smiled at his vivid descriptions of work.  Garland’s Realism is evident in that for something to be realistic, it should provoke thoughts and images of the essence that is being described.  When my family bought a farm, it was not as in such a state as Butler’s land, but we did have to improve it, and various parts from this story brought many instances of extensive projects to mind. Haskins not only worked fiendishly, but he “rose early and toiled without intermission till the darkness fell on the plain, then tumbled into bed, every bone and muscle aching with fatigue, to rise with the sun the next morning to the same round of the same ferocity of labor” (Baym 742).   I understand the cycle of rising early and working followed by fatigue and tumbling into bed.  Garland wrote realism depicting realistic images that provoke powerful pictures and irreversible memories.

               As a reader on the outside looking in to the characters and their lives, I failed to notice one detail, but I read to the end and was quite upset at Butler for not being rational. I perceived that Haskins, who toiled fiendishly, should be rewarded with a reasonable consequence, that is, a fair price for the land he worked for.  The story ends with Butler announcing the price to be three times what he had originally stated, which made me slightly upset, and I thought him a scheming nemesis of healthy labor until I noticed Garland’s subtle message.  In that particular age, writers portrayed farmers as a lower class, which involves provoking emotional sympathy for the situation of the lower-class farmer, Haskins (Smith 248).  However, as I thought about Haskins and Butler while driving home one day, Garland was suddenly the sneaky one. He had used writing techniques of familiarity, sympathy, and relation in order to place my favor upon Haskins, when in actuality, Butler is justified in his actions.  Though Haskins had toiled three years, Butler reserved the right to place any price on his land, regardless of whether or not he was “wearin' out his pants on some salt barrel somewears” (Baym 741).

                I read the piece, enjoyed the piece, and will probably recall the piece when doing some sort of work that falls under the category of toil. Garland's descriptions were exceedingly colorful, and the pictures he presented were expressly clear that I could not help wonder if something was hidden under each piece of clarity.  However, I do not think this piece will rest in a forgetful area of my mind, most certainly because it possesses realism of genuine origins.

                A story that captivates because of its mark of struggle, “Under the Lion's Paw” is a tale of one striving to rise above.  Oftentimes, readers cheer for the so-called little man, and Garland took advantage of this in that he wrote clearly and realistically, but he also allowed readers to take an armed stance with one character (Haskins) while not advancing the case of the other. Historical contexts are important, and Garland realized that, in writing realism, it was easier to capture a person's emotions rather than his or her sense of perception.  The lion may seem menacing, but we must be willing to evaluate before we rush to the side of the one under his paw.


Sources: 

Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 1998. Print.

Smith, Henry Nash. Virgin Land; the American West as Symbol and Myth. Cambridge: Harvard UP,     1950. Print.

Thanks for reading!

Under the Lion's Paw: Link

 An American short story by Hamlin Garland. I wrote a reflective analysis on it, but before I post it I hope you'll take the time to peruse.  Everything makes more sense when there is an explanation  Otherwise, you might not understand my rants.  He was a good writer, but I will let you discover that for yourself.  If you can figure out his literary strategies he used, you should feel very smart.

You can read the piece here: Under the Lion's Paw

A Ballad

Since it was advertised, here 'tis! Please be not dismayed at the disturbing subject...I pray the scansion does not leave you dizzy. To say the least, enjoy.

  Evisceration for Provision

He walked his unsuspecting gait, 

Bobbing like a pier. 

Head erect, in a prideful state, 

His eyes both bright and clear, 

           Without a single fear.

The air, sliced with such precision, 

Retreated to the pride.

Soon, his white body was rising,

Then held in arms flanking each side;

Nothing at all to fear.

He fluffed his feathers and then found 

Claustrophobia.

Pulse throbbing, by arms he was bound,

Unaware of anthrophobia.

        But he does not fear.

Suddenly he was upside down;

He did not know why

His birdish self was above ground

Or why he felt pressure apply.

    He thought not of fear.

Then air, sliced with new precision; 

Bowed to the lancet,

Which sliced and removed his vision.

dulce et decorum non est,

           But now he is a provision.

Thanks for reading!  The "dulce et decorum non est" line is a play on words from the title of a jingoistic war poem Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen.  It's an amazing poem - worth the read.

Be Literate: Liszt

Franz Liszt: He's the reason we aren't supposed to use our music at recitals. It is to him we dedicate appreciation to memorizing page upon page upon page of notes that fly around.

On another note, Liszt never ceases to amaze me, and I have grown quite fond of him.  He is simply amazing. Discover him for yourself.

God gives such good gifts, doesn't he? And even if we can't play like Gould or Liszt, or compose like Liszt, Beethoven, or Bach, we can still listen.

Here's Gould, the Bach player, playing Listz's Piano Transcription of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

Maybe I'll make more posts for you to be literate in the future. For now, enjoy the music, and listen with all you've got.

Musing about Socrates: The Trial

It has been a while, and I think Jack Palance has haunted the blog long enough...I wrote this bit a while ago when thinking about Socrates. Not profound, but interesting; written just for fun.

          Socrates, a man versed and devoted to Philosophy, studied moral science by openly discussing and searching for the truth in concepts with his friends. In one of the Socratic dialogues (The Apology), he was accused by a young man, Meletus, for not believing and following the Greek gods and therefore corrupting the youth of Athens. When brought to trial, he told them he was not defending himself, but rather the people, so they would not miss his blessing, knowledge.  He cared for the peoples’ souls, spoke the truth, and even repeatedly apologized to the jury, telling them that if he did pervert any of the youth, it was strictly unintentional, and though he was sentenced to death, he kept to his convictions. Do you have a clear claim here yet, or is that coming later?

          After Socrates gave his defense, the jury gave their verdict. Agreeing that he was guilty, Meletus, the prosecutor, asked for the penalty of death. Socrates then told Meletus, the jury, and others standing by that if they were thinking about setting him free on condition of not practicing philosophy, he would say no because he would be disobeying the “will of the god” who sent him to Athens for the good of the people. The jury voted again and sentenced Socrates to death.

          These votes were unjust, as Socrates was searching for the truth. The jury sentenced a man to death simply because he was inquiring, discussing, and speaking to others with the purpose of finding truth. Socrates spoke the truth to the jury when on trial, telling them he was “… the same man in private as in public life.” They probably were annoyed with him (which he states as a possibility of the people accusing him), but is that a just reason to punish, or even put a man to death? He was searching for truth by analyzing concepts critically, and when has examining concepts ever been considered as annoying?  His whole case should have been examined more thoroughly, but because the people were lazy, they did not wish to take his case into greater consideration.  His point was to encourage others to examine elements critically, and because they missed that point, Socrates was sentenced to death because of a lazy jury.

         Socrates cared for the people, and more importantly,their souls. He told the people to care for, nourish and sustain them. In his search for the best state of the soul, Socrates arrived at a conclusion that there was one, and only one ultimate deity, whom he claimed to have sent him to Athens for the benefit and blessing of the people. Instead of just being concerned with his trial and wanting to defend himself, Socrates passionately expressed his concern for the people, stating his want for their souls to be cared for.

         In order to soothe any harsh expressions that had happened during the trial, Socrates apologized to the court, jury, and bystanders. He wanted them to deeply understand that he never would corrupt the youth. Even if he had, he told the people that it would have been unintentional. He would never have purposely perverted the morals of any one.  The fact that Socrates did not believe in the gods made him susceptible to the criticism of the tight cultural rules, and thus suspected of teaching contrary to what the majority believed, therefore “debasing” the minds of the youth.

          Despite his efforts in the search for truth, Socrates was sentenced to death by poison.  Concerning the youth, however, why would he corrupt the same people that he wanted the best for? Were they not already corrupt from sin? And how can truth corrupt youth? Socrates was concerned about them, but they were lazy and annoyed. He hurt their pride but also convicted them with the same conviction he had; that he was sent there, to bless them.  Though sentenced to death, Socrates never strayed from his convictions.  He was on a mission to enlighten others, others who were growing up to be lazy politicians and leaders interested in pleasure.  He never corrupted the youth; if he did, it was unintentional.  The jury thought Socrates a lonely, annoying man wasting and passing time by talking, which the jury thought was deserved death when all he aimed for was the exposition of truth.

Thanks for reading!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Book vs. Film

For your...(pure enjoyment, perhaps?) I advise you to have read Stevenson's novel and watched the 1968 film version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I will not suffer anyone to prerequisites to reading my thoughts. This is an unconventional post, but it is an unconventional story...

I had a wonderful time writing it, so I hope it's worth the time to read.  Enjoy!

                                             A Tale and the Foibles of its Film

          Pink potions, murderous monsters, obsessive occupations, and a literal split personality: If any of these elements possess something in common, it would be found in a Gothic novella, namely Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The novella's popularity has never diminished since it was published in 1886, mainly because of its gripping suspense, dark mystery, and horrifying discoveries the characters make.  Because of its popularity, the novella was used to produce different film versions.  However, because the film produced by Dan Curtis emphasizes various other themes while altering main plots and characters, Stevenson's novella remains the better. Why? Not only does the film and novel evoke different conflicting feelings, but the evils of the character of Hyde contrast, and Hyde's appearance is left no imagination while a love interest leaves viewers giving Jekyll more sympathy than is healthy.

          Stevenson's Gothic novella evokes feelings that differ from Dan Curtis' production of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  While the original story is intriguing, the film is painful to watch not only because of the clanging, dissonant, pounding, musical themes but also because of what is portrayed in the film.  I felt uncomfortable while watching certain scenes because they had not been in the book, scenes such as those of Hyde carousing with the dancers in the pubs (MPI Home Video 2002).  These conflicting feelings drawn from the book and film are obnoxiously mixed and accounted for because I prefer to have some elements left to my imagination.  When a film fills in all the blanks and leaves no room for imagination, it loses a certain attraction which cannot be replaced. In the novel, when two characters, Enfield and Utterson, talk about Mr. Hyde, the descriptions are vivid, but because Hyde is not seen when reading, the mind creates more of a horrific idea of Hyde by using imagination (Greenblatt, 1679).   

            While watching, reading and imagining, I analyzed. Which was more evil, the film's Hyde or Stevenson's original Hyde? Both are quite evil, but they are different evils.  While the film portrays Hyde's evil in the form of debauchery and extreme anger, Stevenson's Hyde carries events or affairs off like Satan with an air of “black, sneering coolness,” which translates as a sneakier, secretive, albeit hiding character (Greenblatt, 1679).  The movie attempts to make viewers sympathize with Hyde even if it was for a few minutes of the show. His character remained unafraid of others as he embraced the ideas of wild living, especially with an added love interest.  It is human nature to love, and the film strategically placed a love interest in Hyde's life to make viewers sympathize, but he did not really love, he lusted. The Mr. Hyde Stevenson initially crafted was a hunched, hissing, slinking character that trampled a young girl and killed a member of parliament (1678, 1688). The film, however, painted Hyde as one tall, guffawing, sinister, macabre fiend who slept carelessly and killed more than those initially fated so by Stevenson.

            If Stevenson had doomed a woman to be in the story as the film did a character named Gwnyth, I would have accepted it, but the fact that the film took the liberty to add a love interest to expound on a part never mentioned in the novel was quite unconventional.  Although I did not agree with the addition of such a woman, I realized that Mr. Hyde's character was being explored in a new way, for even in the original story, Dr. Jekyll had never had relations with a woman. In the film, Hyde drinks in the pubs and doles out money and even himself to a woman. In a way, the film made a statement that perhaps since Jekyll had always been such a good man his entire life he wanted to experience the bad and the ugly, not just the good.  The effect the added love interest had on the film is extremely interesting, as when the two were together, the producer wants viewers to be happy for them, but I knew it was wrong and would not last.

            Cries of anguish and screams of pain were often heard by Jekyll, but, like the temporary happiness of Hyde and the film's added woman,  these cries did not last, for he either turned into his alternate, or his alternate reverted to Jekyll.  The novella never led the reader through the process of Jekyll's transformation into Hyde, and consequently, Jekyll forever held my sympathies.  In the film, though, I did not even once sympathize with Jekyll because I saw him running to his obsessive occupation and his pink potions only to turn to a murderous monster.  Just as when one sees an alcoholic returning to drink after he or she has promised to cease the addiction, so was Jekyll, and because I witnessed his disgusting impulse to experience evil, I could not sympathize. I would not sympathize, except for one detail; the love interest.  When Dr. Jekyll left his home to make a Doctor's visit on the woman Hyde had beaten, she overtly aimed to seduce him.  She had paid him visits to his home and they had met on other occasions, but he had always remained the dignified and upright Doctor Jekyll, never stooping to accept her overtures. It was when he gave in to her pleas and sad faces that I felt all was lost, and soon it was, for it was almost immediately that he turned into Mr. Hyde once again.

            Apart from the blaring orchestra and old musical themes, Dan Curtis' production of Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde was not just a surprising film edition of the novella.  While the film leaves no room for imagination and strips one from sympathizing with Jekyll, it endeavored to insert scenes that would evoke more emotion by adding a love interest.  Films should not strip books, they should enhance them. This film made this mistake and hoped to camouflage that mistake by adding other elements.  Stevenson's classic is reliable. It is his creation, and it is a novella which tells the story of a literal split personality, pink potions, obsessiveness, and murderous monsters in a way that surpasses that of any film.

Sources:

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9^th ed. Vol. E. New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dir. Charles Jarrot. Prod. Dan Curtis. Perf. Jack Palance, Denholm Elliott, Leo Genn. MPI Home Video, 2001. DVD.

On a lighter note...

The same year this strange film was released, somebody messed around and fused a Camaro and Chevrolet for a project.

The name of their project? Jekyll and Hyde. How fitting.

The things people do.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Analysis

The (hopefully) much awaited analysis. It is supposed to be a reflection, so in the end it morphed to that rather than an analysis, which is perfectly acceptable (as long as my readers are not bored to death.) Enjoy! As long as you've read the story you will (hopefully) understand it.

Spoiled, But Not Less Powerful

       Yes, she spoiled it for me: She came home from her literature class and spilled the tragedies that had been read off the pages of her anthology.  I listened and intermittently spoke with proper feedback as her wide eyes betrayed deeper emotions, and I vowed not to read those pages, if only to spare myself some emotions which would never amount to anything productive.  My vows were in vain, however, for while aiming and pressing to get ahead of school before it even started, I happened upon the exact work that had been spoiled for me.  Yes, the ending was known, but as I felt that wrenching feeling in my stomach, I read on, intrigued, even though the story's ending had been spoiled.

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” was written by Ambrose Bierce in 1890 and published a year later (Baym 405).  The author was a writer who sought to give readers stories they would remember by merging the “hallucinatory and the paranormal with everyday events” (398). Before writing mainly about the American Civil War, however, he spent time in England, practicing his writing skills, which developed into a vivid style that burns unforgettable images on the mind. “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” follows a man falsely accused of an injustice and sentenced to death.

Interestingly enough, because I knew the final outcome, I was convinced that I would not become engrossed with the story. I was assured I was going to remain standoffish; I did not need, nor care for, any unnecessary drama.  The conclusion was known, and I was determined to simply check it off my list.  I was not going to “feel” anything about the piece, but to my chagrin, I was completely engrossed in the various pages, and it made me feel awful.  I loved it, and at the same time, I mourned.  Bierce's piece was as poignant as can be, but very convincing.  I admit I did have second thoughts as to the outcome of the main character, but all hopes were dashed to pieces in the end: Bierce had done it. He rejected the conventional ending and left me feeling devastated.

Bierce's short story did not, in and of itself, surprise me, as I knew what was at the end.  Rather, it was Bierce and his writing. It was not surprising that he accomplished his literary goal, but his goal was accomplished even though I knew the outcome.  Despite the fact that the last sentence was betrayed before I read it, the story held my attention.  My response to the finality?  Shock. Then came the shock that flooded when I realized my shock at something I had previously been alerted to.  I decided that Ambrose Bierce completed his end, for though I knew the outcome, I was affixed to his few pages.

Literary devices used within the short story emphasize the goals Bierce aimed for.  The title, “Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” does no such thing as suggest or reveal pieces of the story. If anything, the title blatantly suggests a mere occurrence, nothing more.  Within as little as three pages, I felt hope, ambition, dread, suspicion, angst, and exasperation.  The man versus man conflict gave it essence; Payton Farquhar (the main character) never spied, destroyed any bridges, or stole secrets, but he was accused of these by the army and sentenced to doom.  Bierce used pathos distinctly, and those reading should sense it, as they want justice to prevail. Nevertheless, one obstacle remains: Bierce was unconventional.

Though I am an avid reader and writer, there have been few short stories or poems that shock me, but this is one I have fallen for.  Writing that captures is worth attention, and “Occurrence” not only seems powerful, but it is powerful.  I tried to remain detached, but Bierce prevailed.  I knew everything about the piece, but I knew nothing of his writing. Reading this work was more than an occurrence; it was an acclivity to an awareness of fresh unconventionality.  Some stories, much less spoiled ones, do not require happy endings in order to be powerful.

Sources:
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 1998. Print. 

Thanks for reading!

Incident at Owl Creek Bridge: Link

Soon to be posted is an analysis on Ambrose Bierce's "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.".  The writing is astounding, but one must read the story before my analysis.

Neutral Tones Analysis

A Doleful Outlook Though Nothing to Fear

     What is alive enough to have the strength to die? Thomas Hardy's poem “Neutral Tones” was written in 1867 but not published until 1898, and the four four-line stanzas picture a very dull one indeed, as every shade of color is no longer vibrant and every tone has become neutral (NAEL 1932). In “Neutral Tones,” the speaker mourns a lost love, and the unfortunate part is that all life ends up looking very bleak and worthless. In fact, many of Hardy's pieces focused solely on the outlook that all humans are ruled by a fate of a perverse nature and that events of disaster and irony are usually coincidental (1915). “Neutral Tones” exemplifies this in that Hardy (1840 – 1928) writes of how life is chance and love is a gamble. Even for the speaker, love was so alive it had the choice to die, and fate chose the latter (1914).

     When poems mention nature and compare it to something dead, in this case ashes, I cringe, because God created his world to glorify himself and bless his people. When I read that leaves had come from ash and were lying upon the starving sod, I was slightly upset. The seasons were fashioned for a reason, and Winter is simply part of his grand plans. Hardy may have been alluding to the fact that his love was not destined to be forever and therefore had started from ash and then fell (in a neutral tone of gray) upon the sod, which is not a lovely element to rest on. In essence, the piece irritated me because the theme overflows with selfishness. The fact that he lost a love should not be an excuse to think that the world is bleak and God has cursed the sun.

     Some say I over analyze situations, which could be true, but I love thinking, and after thinking about “Neutral Tones,” I thought about ones I have lost. When I remembered beloved grandparents and other family members I have lost, I gave the speaker more sympathy. Moreover, I thought about some friendships I lost, friendships over which I did not have any control whatsoever, and I understood what Hardy meant by “words played between us to and fro.” Confidences and stories exchanged between the two were right and good at the time, but now everything was meaningless because the relationship was disintegrated. He did not convince me that fate was perverse and that everything is a coincidence, but I could understand the feeling of not having control over a situation where a relationship between friends completely dissolves. I do admit to others that I have never lost a “lover,” which means I cannot imagine the hurt because I haven't experienced it. However, the piece reminded me of people being parted from one another in a drastic and painful way, and I could relate to the image of feeling like a gray leaf upon a dead piece of sod starved by the sun.

     Techniques used by Hardy were mainly vivid word pictures of neutral tones. The speaker, near a pond in the middle of the Winter, is mourning his fate and lost love. Hardy employs very visual language, and when he mentioned leaves, I was confused. Usually trees shed their leaves well before the middle of Winter, and the snow falls, covering the earth with a beautiful blanket to hide the arid ground underneath. Not here: At this specific pond, Winter is at its dullest state, and the neutral tones provide the perfect place to have a party of self-pity. The sod starves, and God has cursed the sun (NAEL 1932). What could be added to make a more bleak picture? For the speaker, it seems he is trapped in this tone and phase in life, and he certainly is not making any great effort to escape the pattern of thoughts he finds himself pondering.

     Losing a friend or love is aching, but that does not mean that the speaker is justified in thinking all the world is bleak because of it. It is true people need time to grieve when they lose one they love, but to go to such an extent as to compare the smiles spent on one another before the loss to dead, swept bitterness with a bad prophecy, it is as if to say that any friendship or relationship is dangerous because it might cause hurt or even be taken away by hurt. Though depressing, I have thought of this poem often. I do not have to worry or fret about fate or relationships, because I have a higher authority who is in control, and my Heavenly Father only wants the best for me. Even though I once lost many family members and friendships in a short period of time, I learned that when and if this happens in the future, I will most certainly recall this piece, if only to remind myself that I need not worry about losing someone and having to live life in a colorless way, because I am actually never alone.

     Hardy did have a point: It hurts to lose. From his poem, however, I had the feeling the speaker had been standing at the pond under the white sun for an extended period of time, longer than necessary, and though he had probably grieved enough, the narrator was simply prolonging his session of selfish sorrow. Hardy expressed that fate was perverse, and the speaker simply could not move away from the designated pond, a place of self-pity. To both Hardy and the speaker, love and fate were both alive enough to decide to disappear at any whim despite the pain he would feel, and when they did, the speaker was left numb and aching, and all the words and smiles exchanged before the casualty were considered worthless. I was annoyed at the doleful outlook on life the speaker assumed, but I could relate to it, and Hardy's colorful language to describe a colorless life and situation is vivid, and I can now look back and recall a poem about neutral tones that shows me how much I have to be grateful for, because no matter how bleak the Winter may seem or how starved the sod may be, my higher authority holds me in his hand. If God promises I will not be burned walking through the fire, I have nothing to fear from a Wintry crisis.

Works Cited  
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. F. New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

Neutral Tones: Thomas Hardy

We stood by a pond that winter day,
And the sun was white, as though chidden of God,
And a few leaves lay on the starving sod;
         – They had fallen from an ash, and were gray.

Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove
Over tedious riddles of years ago;
And some words played between us to and fro
         On which lost the more by our love.

The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing
Alive enough to have strength to die;
And a grin of bitterness swept thereby
         Like an ominous bird a-wing….

Since then, keen lessons that love deceives,
And wrings with wrong, have shaped to me
Your face, and the God curst sun, and a tree,
         And a pond edged with grayish leaves.

I wrote an analysis on this, more or less, hopefully up in a week or so. Or less.  The poem frustrated me (as did many from this era) because people were so woebegone. Do not get me wrong: I like woebegone, but not when God is blamed for a world and life without color. 

Works Cited
Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.  

Literary Analysis: Watership Down

This piece is one I truly enjoyed working on because of the exquisite flavors in Richard Adam's novel.  Rabbits and regimes, warrens and wires, and yes, bucks and battles, join creating a wonderful story. I won't give an abstract...

An Insightful Message: Rabbits and a 20th Century Preoccupation with History and Politics

          “All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, Prince with swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed” (Adams 29).  The story of a group of rabbits (led by one named Hazel) that leaves their Sandleford warren to embark on a journey to found their own, new, warren is none other than Richard Adams' Watership Down.  This is no tale of The Velveteen Rabbit: These rabbits had their share of enemies, and though the author claimed it to be only a child's story written about the British countryside that he loves, his novel displays certain weighty subjects of importance (Adams “My Brit”). The people of the Prince with a Thousand Enemies were rabbits in the center of southern England within a real world to illustrate the importance of running, fighting, and overcoming evil.  Placed in the world and not a fictional other-world, the rabbits possess their own vernacular as well as stories and tales passed down as proverbs.  Richard Adams' tale of lapine comrades was written and published in 1972, after the world recovered from World War Two, a recovery during which the world experienced another explosion: One of popular culture amidst the modernist movements in art, music, and literature, forms people use to express their individuality (Spielvogel 628).  During this time, authors explored new themes and ways to emphasize their messages, and one trend was to write free-form poetry (such as T.S. Eliot's “Prufrock”) or novels from either a futuristic mindset or nature's point of view while being “mediators of insight” in order to display themes of political conflicts (Tarka).  An example of modern literature with a futuristic mindset is George Orwell's 1984, while one with animals basking in the spotlight is Animal Farm, also written by Orwell, who skillfully combined political messages in a future context or in the context of a group of animals.  With Watership Down, however, although Adams’ 20^th century novel may appear to be simply an imaginative tale about rabbits in order to elevate environmentalism, it clearly demonstrates the preoccupation 20^th century literature possessed in relation to history and politics by using epigraphs, parallels to Greek literature, and themes of political and socialistic regimes.

          The novel may lend the impression that it supports every aspect of ecological care and consideration because the main character is taken by visions of trouble, prophesying that the warren will be destroyed because man has visited and doom of the warrens' destruction by man impends (Adams Watership 9).  To be certain, the description of the extermination of those who remained at the Sandleford Warren, which Captain Holly relates to Hazel's troupe, is not for the faint of heart, as big men with white sticks (cigarettes) in their mouths gas the rabbit runs, resulting in screaming, hallucinating rabbits (154). These devastating effects, written in such detail and expressed by the story teller so horrifically, seem to elicit the inspiration to protect the environment. However, it is not the cry to protect all rabbits; rather, it is a part of the story Adams employed to endear his characters to his readers.

Watership Down, England

          The chapter in which Captain Holly explains the events of the annihilation of the Sandleford rabbits begins with an epigraph from Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.  The function of an epigraph is a form of literary strategy in which the author selects passages, quotations, or colloquialisms to set a stage or mood for the section following the epigraph.  The epigraph Adams used for this particular passage appeals to a reader’s sense of emotional sensitivity, for when a Russian states that man should love the animals and not cause them unnecessary harm for the sole reason that they are gifts from God, it is an impressive imperative that causes the reader to discover how and in what way the epigraph will tie into the following events in the story.
          Epigraphs were common during the Romantic era (of poetry especially), and employed most often. In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge used a Latin passage to preface “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and even years later, T. S. Eliot used an epigraph from Dante's Inferno to further his point in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (Greenblatt 443, 2524).  When Adams inserted epigraphs for his novel, he did so not only to set a stage for the readers' imagination, but also to tie the context of his modern tale in with those of the literature preceding his novel, illustrating how 20^th century literature was occupied with somehow combining a political or historical theme into a work.  Adams did both, and, in a sense, this act (incorporating epigraphs) is also a symbol of appreciation for pieces written before his novel, as he is giving them honor and recognition.
          The multiple ways the world has developed owes much to the Greek leaders, historians, and philosophers, and again, Adams gives honor to the preceding (or ancient) literature in that he employs parallels between his characters and those in Virgil's Aeneid, in which a young man, Aeneas, returns from the Trojan War and is determined to found the city of Rome.  Like Aeneas (the main character in the Aeneid) the rabbits break away from what they have been used to for years in order to create a new warren and are constantly met with numerous obstacles, some of which (such as Cowslip's warren and the lotus eaters) mirror the obstacles encountered in the Aeneid.  In doing this, Richard Adams creates a story that is looked upon as a great epic because it possesses the themes of this famous Greek poem (Anderson).
          Themes of the Aeneid include those of fighting for freedom and founding a new city, avoiding obstructions or obstacles that deter from the goal, and lastly, enduring anything that came across the traveler's path whether it was a challenge or the loss of a friend.  Aeneas, like the rabbits in Watership Down, had to fight to found and maintain Rome.  A similar obstruction the rabbits and Aeneas encounter are seemingly seductive areas, that is, places that have allure but are actually full of danger and death, such as the lotus eaters and Cowslip's warren (Anderson).
          Enduring hardships and bearing grief is also a theme in both tales: In the Aeneid, when Aeneas relates the horrors of the Trojan war, he is heartbroken as he tells of the woeful events of the war while Bluebell and Captain Holly (two rabbits who had remained at Sandleford) speak of the dreadful events of the extermination and utter destruction of the Sandleford warren.  While Aeneas moaned that none could retell the woes to give them justice, Captain Holly “looked sad and dark” after he related that his tale would “strike frost into the heart of every rabbit that hears it” (Adams 148).  The “death agony” Aeneas recalls the women mourning over in courthouses synchronizes with the instance in which the men gassed the Sandleford warren runs and the does screamed in agony over their death and the death of their kittens (Adams 154, Anderson).   Another parallel to the Aeneid that Adams adopted is that of the prophetic rabbit, Fiver, and the Aeneid’s Princess Cassandra, a young priestess who foretold the unfortunate fortune of Troy if the Trojans were to accept the horse left by the Greeks.  Like Cassandra, Fiver has physical fits and is captured in an other-worldly trance when he foresees the destruction of Sandleford after observing the signpost (Adams 7).
          Though the signpost set in Sandleford's warren signified the coming of men and the destruction of the warren, each warren in the novel signifies three political regimes.  When the rabbits followed Hazel and stopped at an eery warren (seemingly managed by a distant, detached, character named Cowslip) on their journey, the Sandleford escapees sensed a danger that persisted even when all seemed safe. True, Cowslip's community possessed the same vernacular, as well as poetry, proverbs and tales, but it was eery.  Fiver felt the entire aura of the place unnatural, as if death was hanging over the warren like a mist. When a native rabbit finished reciting a poem, Fiver absorbed it with absolute horror, and, stricken with fear, he came to his senses and realized what the mist was (Adams 103).  The oppressive mist Fiver sensed was the fact that Cowslip's warren was not free, it was run by fear of death.  The apparent leader, Cowslip, treated everyone as equal, and because he did not view himself as a spokesperson or even true leader, the warren suffered because of its socialistic regime. Adams' lapine characters knew that socialism was not what they had left Sandleford for, but by inserting the element of a regime that the rabbits fled from in order to establish their own, Adams suggests countries should flee socialism and found governments that encourage independence.
          When the independent rabbits continued their journey, they found a beautiful down to claim as their own, but there was one problem: There were no does, and no does meant no continuation of the new warren.  When this problem was addressed, the second political regime entered the stage.  Several rabbits from Hazel's warren made a trek to Efrafa, a militaristic, suppressed, not to mention depressed community of rabbits.  Efrafa is the supreme dictatorship. The leader, General Woundwort, is bent on system, control, schedules, obedience from his Council, and that every rabbit coming in to Efrafa “will find [them] perfectly friendly and helpful to rabbits who understand what's expected of them” (Adams 238).  Citizens are given no free choice of when to silflay (eat) or even when to pass hraka, because man may come and inflict harm or cause disease: “You can't call your life your own, and in return you have safety” (233).  In this dictatorship, the Efrafan council police “demonstrated the power to ferret out and punish every individual...engaged in or...suspected of political opposition” (Hallagan).  Adams’ colorful picture of a disgusting way of life in which citizens were limited in so many areas of life is a powerful one that makes readers appreciate freedom, because freedom to be able to live, eat, sleep breath, mate, and love is the most important of all.  In the end, the dictatorship crumbled for many reasons, but Adams' intention was not to allow this warren to prosper because it was a dictatorship that did not allow citizens to truly live.
          Adams' novel ends with a solid, peaceful, and well established order of rabbits who not only have room to breath, but room to live.  With Hazel, Fiver, and the singular character of Bigwig, the rabbits were able to be represented.  Watership Down and the rabbits therein were content; they had escaped certain death more than once and were now upon a down with leaders they could not be more grateful for, leaders who had led them through the dark mist, away from predators, and out of reach of the Efrafan clutches.  By ending on the note of a warren in the hands of a healthy democracy, Adams gives a subliminal message that democracy leads to peace and a secure, satisfactory homeland.
          Creating a phenomenal conglomeration of themes, morals, and characters, Adams chose rabbits with a peculiar vernacular, history, and mythology of their own to write a story that warns against the evils of supreme control.  The 20^th century novel certainly displays the era's slight engrossment with history and politics, but Richard Adams wrote a story with insight.  More than an environmental promoter, the novel's epigraphs set and influence moods.  Profound comparisons and parallels to the Aeneid, Virgil's epic, give the book a flavor that is not reproducible, and the examination of political and socialistic regimes proves this book to be more than a tale of fluffy rabbits. These rabbits had to fight for their freedom, even when seductive warrens, predators, and other obstacles stubbornly stood in their way.    All the world was promised to be their enemy, and whenever they were caught, they were promised to be killed. “But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, Prince with swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed” (Adams 29).  While the novel, like others during the 20^th century, is most definitely preoccupied with history, politics, and other interesting themes, Adams' insightful message to remain free from political and relational evils rings true:  Because of their bravery and endurance, the people of the Prince of a Thousand Enemies consistently came out as the victors no matter how dark the tunnel or how suffocating the run.

 Works Cited:

Adams, Richard. "My Bit of Britain." In Britain 4.1 (1994): 53. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 19    Nov. 2012.

---.Watership Down. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.

Anderson, Celia Catlett. "Troy, Carthage, and Watership Down." Children's Literature Association Quarterly 8.1 (1983): 12-13. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. New York: Norton, 2006. Print.                                                                                                           

Hallagan, William. "Corruption in Dictatorships." Economics of Governance 11.1 (2010): 27-49. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: A Brief History. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2011.        Print.

"Tarka the Otter, Ring of Bright Water, Watership Down." World Literature Today 82.6 (2008): 4. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

A Graced Presence

     On September 17, 2012, the Minnesota Orchestra graced the Lake Harriet band shell for the first time since 2007. Their purpose? To thank the people of Minneapolis for supporting the arts (before going on strike, that is). In the end, hundreds of bikers, young families, couples young and old, as well as those strolling around Lake Harriet stopped their adventures to listen to music on a beautiful evening. The pieces played had great variety, and aside from the classic opening of Beethoven's 5^th Symphony, the program included Fanfare, Solitude, Finlandia, Dance of the Tumblers, Russian Sailors, Carnival Overture, and even the Star Wars theme. What's not to enjoy?

     When we arrived, Beethoven's famous Fifth Symphony was filling the summer air. This piece opened the hour long concert majestically, and the audience responded very positively to the familiarity. Born in 1770, Beethoven is one of the most celebrated composers of the Baroque era, and he is also considered a composer who “foreshadowed” the coming of the Romantic era (Wright, 210). Each and every violinist was completely drawn into what he or she was playing, and, as a core of dancers communicate with the lead, they followed the conductor to make the most they could out of the notated dynamics. Beethoven's 5^th is unique because of the minor and major themes work together and later become resolved. It makes for a wonderful, exciting listening adventure that provokes interesting responses and thoughts.

     Fanfare for Prairie Skies, composed by Stephen Heitzeg, a local from St. Paul, reminded me of Aaron Copland's Rodeo and Appalachian Spring. The trumpets, french horns, and punctuating percussion added to the feel of being out under the skies and the sun, out in the open, on a beautiful day. It was an interesting piece; as a fanfare, it is not extensive, but short. If it were longer, many listeners would have grown tired of the blaring and the pounding. However, because it varied, had a rondo theme, and was short and sweet, it was sincerely accepted.

     Solitude on the Mountain which followed, was composed by Ole Bull, a Norwegian violinist, during the late Classical to early Romantic eras. The piece employs the use of the double bass, cello, viola, and violins exclusively. The piece is soothing, relaxing, and it was interesting to watch how it affected the audience; wild children stopped rampaging, the elderly couple next to me reached out and held hands, the blue, four month old pit-bull puppy stopped carousing with her playmate. It is a very peaceful composition, and when it ended, the humming of the violins faded out. The audience seemed to hold their breath as the end came slowly, and it made one feel content.

     Next was Sibelius' Finlandia, one of my favorite Sibelius pieces. The Finlandia Hymn is literally a musical outline of Finland's history. The beginning with the ominous brass and bass symbolizes the overbearing of Russia, but then the melody turns to a passionate theme that stands for freedom (Siren). Three quarters into the piece, flutes dominate the melody change to what is recognized as the hymn “Be Still My Soul” the violins are added subtly while the swells, cymbals, trumpets, and violins added character to a piece with a taste of folk themes. This piece impressed everyone, as it had a triumphant, majestic conclusion.

     Rapid violins followed by the brass announced something exciting, perhaps Spring? Or maybe a dance in the Spring? Dance of the Tumblers composed by Rimsy Korsakov. My favorite musicians to watch in this piece were the violins, but also the cellos. They are so full of strength as well as a certain passionate sense. The oboe had a solo with an air of mystery before the violins and brass began the ending. It is certainly an exciting piece, and being a dancer myself, I felt the urge to do a Mazurka. I noticed many young children actually ran and danced around, choreographing their own patterns and making circles around the picnic blankets. Korsakov made this piece full of energy and excitement, and no less.

     A minor piece full of tumultuous themes, its duple timing also drives one to dance. It brought memoties of Tchaikovsky's “Chardaz” dance from Swan Lake. I was able to appreciate the way Brimer added such character to the music in Russian Sailor's Dance; I imagined quite a few different sailors, each with varied build and attributes to their name. However; in this piece, they were all drunk, and they were also all dancing around in a carousing manner. I found it interesting how each musician was able to display different emotions during the variant pieces, as music has such an effect on our moods. This was a fast paced, intense expression with a flair of Russia. Do not run into one of their sailors: Cymbals will crash, and violins will wail in tune with the wind on the high seas. In essence, this wonderful piece is quite exciting.

     The second to last piece, composed by Antonin Dvorak, was the Carnival Overture. This overture started suddenly and moved quickly. The beginning does not waste time in employing almost every instrument in the orchestra, and throughout Carnival Overture, a few instruments are able to have brief chorus solos (that is, of their instrument as a group) of the theme including the flutes, an oboe, the two cellos. The texture thickened as each instrument piled on the top of another, but before it became overwhelming, everything was swept together again. People were so glad to be outside listening, so close to the orchestra; the swift changes from quiet major themes to the boisterous minor themes did not startle anyone, but rather made the audience listen for more. It was distracting, although disturbingly appropriate to the piece's name (Carnival Overture) when a man protested animal cruelty by walking around in a bright yellow chicken suit.  Nevertheless, when the trumpets sounded their arpeggio signaling that the end was about to begin, everyone listened with rapt attention while the entire orchestra blared “The End!” triumphantly.

     The last piece, I assume, was tacked on simply to close the evening in a fun way. The Star Wars theme written for the films (by the same name) by John Williams. It starts with a thrilling fanfare that lasts for the first twenty-five seconds, and then fades into the violins, who carry the theme. When the fanfare returns, more percussion is added until it slows and grows quieter with a short minor flute solo. Of course, it gives the theme for each character, the good, the bad, and the ugly, but watching it performed live was rather interesting. Though not a fan of Star Wars, I noticed I actually liked the piece and could respect it, if only for the fact that it is a forever famous composition that symbolizes each character and science fiction.

Lake Harriet and the Minnesota Orchestra should spend more time with one another, as it is not simply the bikers who enjoyed the music. People of all ages were present; because music is a great invention. The variety of the concert and the selection of the pieces played was excellent. The Minnesota Orchestra began with triumph and finished with the same. However, something had happened that had not in five years: People were able to be outside, listen to classical music, and truly appreciate it.

Sources:

Siren, Vesa. "Finlandia." Sibelius. Sibelius Family, 2000. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. 

Wright, Craig M. Listening to Music. Australia: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2011. Print.
Photo Credits
                           

 A little reflection paper I wrote after a really great evening outdoors!  The weather was beautiful, and even though we stood for the entire concert, I scratched notes hurriedly whilst simply enjoying how fun it was to be outdoors listening to a live orchestra!

cogitens in motus pictura I

    Over-Dramatized?  Use Imagination Instead!

     Peter and the Wolf: A story of a boy with an interesting sense of adventure and courage. When Prokofiev composed this piece in Russia in 1936, the country was still known as the USSR. Despite the label of the country, Prokofiev was able to compose music for the express purpose of telling a story.

     In 1995, Affirm Films decided to produce a short motion picture with animation to go along with Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, with the music performed by the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (conducted by James Daugherty). The film differs minutely from the actual story, although the main point of the film was to put animation of a story with Prokofiev's music.

     The story takes place in Russia, where a young boy named Peter plays out in the meadow on a beautiful spring morning. He is joined by a duck, a bird, and his cat, but the fun is stopped all too soon, as his grandfather comes out and scolds him; for if a wolf should come out of the forest, Peter would be in great danger. Peter follows him back to the house, but sneaks out later when the Grandfather falls asleep again. Then what should appear out of the forest except the big, gray, wolf? After seeing the wolf terrorize the cat, snap at the bird, and swallow the duck whole, Peter asks the bird to distract the wolf, who, after being teased, becomes quite tired and falls asleep. Peter then takes a rope and slips it around the wolf's tail, in order to capture him. The wolf wakes up, and after a struggle, hunters come out of the forest. Grandfather comes out, scolds Peter, but realizes his grandson is a brave boy. Every character begins a procession, and the wolf is taken to the Zoo.                                             
     The beginning of the film is best, because it was simply the scenes of nature; the mountains, springs, meadows, hills, and flowers in the breeze. Peter's theme, which employs the strings of the orchestra, was used in a variation that introduced the beauty and beckoning of Spring and the meadow.  The acting, however, as it was slightly over-dramatic. It was indeed a small production, as the three actors also supplied all the voicing for the film, which also added an interesting collective flow. However, it differed in some details. In the original story by Prokofiev, the bird is a male, and the duck is a female who does not survive being swallowed by the monstrous wolf. In the film, the bird is a female with a nest of young ones, and the duck is an odd male who escapes from the wolf's stomach, dancing ridiculously while making ballet look hideous.  Apart from these differences, the animation was rough for 1995, (after comparing it to Pixar's Toy Story 1 or even Aladdin, which was released in 1992) perhaps because Affirm Films did not have commendable staff such as Steve Jobs or Disney behind the animation. 
     Although the film should not be placed in a person's category of favorites, attentions should be paid to this piece. The music impacted the film in many ways: First and foremost, each character had a theme from the orchestra. Peter is represented by all the strings in a carefree, joyful, major theme; the flute is for the bird, who flits and flies across the meadow, around the pond, and up into the tree; the duck is easily recognized by the oboe; the cat by the clarinet; and the seemingly grumpy grandfather by the bassoon. The terrible wolf's character is enhanced by three french horns, while the hunters are represented by the kettle and bass drums. In essence, because the story was written and the music performed to fit the plot, each theme flows with the main story, creating an interesting tale to introduce one to the orchestra, and no character was the worse off for having a theme for their personality. Even though the film watered down the death of the duck, changed the bird from a male to a female, and over-dramatized some of the actors and actresses lines, the music rings true, it can defend itself. Peter and the Wolf really does not need visuals to perform the story. All that is necessary is an appropriate voice for a narrator, and the themes and music of Peter and the Wolf can play on the greatest stage of all: Your own imagination.

A film review written a bit ago. I do, however, digress from this to simply say there is one version that seems it could enhance the musical story.  I dare to dream.

The 2006 British/Polish/Norwegian co-produced film

What Matters in the End

"Scots Wha Hae" Reflection

     Oh, those wild and patriotic people who are called Scots: Theirs is a history of inspiration and endurance.  Fighting for individual freedom and for the freedom of their sons and daughters since the beginning, the Scots are a symbol of independence, stubbornness, and bravery; attributes that should be respected.
     One of the most famous Scotsmen is Robert the Bruce (not to be confused with the equally celebrated William Wallace remembered in the Mel Gibson film Braveheart). While Wallace was a lesser lord, Robert the Bruce was the rightful king of Scotland.  From the late 1200’s and into the early 1300’s, Wallace fought against Edward I until he was betrayed and executed.  After the horrible event, Robert the Bruce (as legend has it) spurned his troops on to battle the English with a morale boosting speech.  Years later, the story so affected a certain poet that he wrote what could verily well have been the lyrics of the marching tune.  The poet?  His first name was identical to that of Bruce, but his surname was Burns.
     Born in 1759 to a farmer in Ayrshire, the southern area of Scotland, Robert Burns was encouraged by his father to attend school.  However, Burns himself was responsible for nearly all of his education including literature, politics, philosophy, and theology (NAEL,165).  Most famous for his poem “Auld Lang Syne”, Burns wrote extensively of love as well as patriotism for Scotland.  This patriotism is most evident in the poem entitled “Scots Wha Hae” (Scots Who Have), or “Robert Bruce’s March to Bannockburn”.
     Written by Robert Burns in 1793, the purpose of “Scots Wha Hae” was to look at the way Robert the Bruce, the rightful King of Scotland, encouraged and elevated the morale of the Scotsmen persisting in the resistance against Edward I of England.  They had fought numerous battles, had witnessed the brutal death of their leader William Wallace, and were more than ever in danger of losing not only their lives but the hope that they and their children would be free.  As a Scotsman, Burns felt this, and writing in the Scottish dialect, penned a passionate poem.
     The poem begins by presenting that the Scots who fought with Wallace were later led by Bruce, and it summarizes the clear reasons why they were fighting: To escape “Chains and Slaverie” as well as “Oppressions, woes and pains”, and their goal, if necessary, was to “drain their dearest veins” so their children would be free from the stated oppression. (NAEL, 180). This hope was not for the said first generation, but the second and third as well. The highlanders were going to have their way; they were going to do or die.
     The piece may surprise readers, as Burns wasted no time in exposing that this was definitely not the story of a little skirmish. The struggle spanned quite a lengthy period of years. However, the Scots who had with Wallace bled and afterwords by Bruce been led knew full well that a gory bed would most likely come before “victorie” (NAEL, 180). The first stanza is almost a wake-up call: As I read it for the first, second and third time, I could imagine the masses of men with hard set, emotionless faces worn with circumstances unavoidable. These were no ordinary men, and Burns saturated his poem with this fact. Determined to “lay the proud Usurpers low”, the Scotsmen were not fighting for naught, but for Liberty, which was in their every blow (NAEL, 181).
     Aside from the words and rhyme schemes used in “Scots Wha Hae”, Burns employed his own technique: He used the old Scottish dialect to show another picture of the Scots, that is, by offering a taste of the culture in order to move the reader closer to the thought and message of the poem. Words such as wham for whom, or sae for so. In this way, Burns assists readers in personally discovering that though the Scots were a wild and frightening people with a strange way of speech, deep down they had the same feelings and inner yearnings for liberty as anyone else has or will ever have.
     After reading the poem, a reader aught to honor the love, respect, faithfulness, and raw courage the Scotsmen had. They were defiant of death, a feeling one can sense instantly while reading over the poem. This attribute, which the Scots shared, was probably what irritated the Englishmen to such an extent. It is an important theme to Burns' poem, as each stanza rings with a obstreperous call of what they believed. They could not be swayed, because they were not fighting for power, but for individuality, freedom, and love. 
     “Scots Wha Hae” is so much more than simple lyrics of a battle hymn used to encourage Scotsmen. This poem is a display of the passion every single Scotsman possessed despite the fact that death was leering its ugly head in their faces at every turn. “Scots Wha Hae” can surprise a reader who simply expects the normal flowery pieces of the Romantic era, while the written dialect in context of the poem endears the fighters of freedom to other readers. However, in the end, Robert Burns' poem is a passionate declaration of what these brave men were fighting for, and respect should be given not only to the message of the poem, but the men as well. The highlanders were not wild compatriots fighting solely for their country or revolutionists who were greedy for power. No, theirs is a story of fighting for not only their own freedom, but that of their sons and daughters. The men endured because they were not fighting for their own means, but for Scotland, for respect, their fellow countrymen, and the love of their families, which is what truly matters in the end.