Ah, The Tell-Tale Heart. I remember reading this story in 8th grade and marveling at the darkness of Poe's stories. Granted, we had also read some of his other works, including The Raven, The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Along with reading Poe's life story, you can see why one would marvel at such a thing.
The Tell-Tale Heart is a story about a man bothered by an old man's "Evil Eye". The man is so bothered by the Eye that he decides to kill the man. After killing the man and hiding the body, the police show up. Investigating a scream that was reported by the neighbors, the police search the house and find nothing. The man, who claims to hear the beating old the old man's heart cannot bear it any longer and confesses to the police officers.
Beginning with the main character. . . He is the narrator and presumed to be mad, backed up by the fact that he denies he is so. He is scared by the Evil Eye, but has nothing against the man; he can only kill the man when he can see his eye. I think he is telling the truth, he really does not think he is mad and he truly believes the Eye is evil. When the police come search the house, he believes he hears the beating of the heart. I think he is still scared by the Evil Eye. He clearly has no guilt about killing the man and yet hears the heart. I think that he was truly shaken by the eye and with whatever mental illness he has, he cannot escape that fear. He is driven mad by it and tries to find excuses as he tells his audience in his story (which I believe he wrote possibly in jail sell, after going through this ordeal, to show he is not mad). He is truly an example of the dark side of Poe to marvel at.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Once Again
A neighborhood; another one.
Bystanders can see you are just radiating joy. . .
Another neighborhood - the forth, but the seventh move. So far, this one is different. . .
Driving down Archer Ave. you pass Damen. You continue to drive and find yourself peering out of the window. You may notice the Cermak Produce on the left and the Huck Finn family restaurant on the right. There is a new building that wasn't there a few years previously. You continue down Archer and notice the potholes and the garbage in the street. The traffic is light; its noon on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Just as you pass the New Archview resturant (obviously Americanized Greek), you make a slight right onto 35th street. You check the address and then realize its right there. You have to stop and pull to the right to park while ticking off the drivers behind you. You get out of the car and notice the old building standing proud across the street. It used to be a police station; it looks like condos now. . . You walk to the right, remember to lock the car and hop onto the sidewalk. You notice the shabby houses stacked right next to each other with no space to breath. While continuing to walk, you hear the, "doors closing" drone which can only belong to the CTA. Its the orange line, in fact. You wonder what the sound pollution might be like living next to the train; you also think of the convenience of public transportation. You walk to the first glass door to a stout, rectangular, brick building. Dialing the correct number, you put the phone to your ear and wait for an answer. "Hello?" a voice says. "I'm here," you say. With a hand on the door, you wait for the buzz of an unlocking lock. The line goes dead and you push the door open to let yourself in the small, but cozy lobby. You walk in and put the phone back in your pocket. In the next few seconds, you take in the world around you. A faux stone floor is beneath you and as you look up the modest chandelier is supplied with CFL bulbs. To your left and right are three identical mail boxes, the silver, unoriginal kind. You walk up the first, small leg of stairs and notice the color of them; a dark burgundy. They look old and redone. As you continue your climb, your steps set off the loud piercing bark of dog in the apartment on your left. It sounds like one of those small, annoying dogs. On the first landing, you see your reflection in a full length mirror and proceed up the second flight of stairs. On the second floor, you hear another dog barking. This bark is deeper, and could belong to a larger dog. The door on your right opens and a familiar face opens the door. A small dog, a dachshund, runs out and jumps on you in greeting. Of course, you knew the dog wasn't large, and of course you knew the face. In a short time, you will know all the details of your drive over. You will know every detail of this refurbished building and the streets around it. This was home, a different one, but home once again.
Bystanders can see you are just radiating joy. . .
Another neighborhood - the forth, but the seventh move. So far, this one is different. . .
Driving down Archer Ave. you pass Damen. You continue to drive and find yourself peering out of the window. You may notice the Cermak Produce on the left and the Huck Finn family restaurant on the right. There is a new building that wasn't there a few years previously. You continue down Archer and notice the potholes and the garbage in the street. The traffic is light; its noon on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Just as you pass the New Archview resturant (obviously Americanized Greek), you make a slight right onto 35th street. You check the address and then realize its right there. You have to stop and pull to the right to park while ticking off the drivers behind you. You get out of the car and notice the old building standing proud across the street. It used to be a police station; it looks like condos now. . . You walk to the right, remember to lock the car and hop onto the sidewalk. You notice the shabby houses stacked right next to each other with no space to breath. While continuing to walk, you hear the, "doors closing" drone which can only belong to the CTA. Its the orange line, in fact. You wonder what the sound pollution might be like living next to the train; you also think of the convenience of public transportation. You walk to the first glass door to a stout, rectangular, brick building. Dialing the correct number, you put the phone to your ear and wait for an answer. "Hello?" a voice says. "I'm here," you say. With a hand on the door, you wait for the buzz of an unlocking lock. The line goes dead and you push the door open to let yourself in the small, but cozy lobby. You walk in and put the phone back in your pocket. In the next few seconds, you take in the world around you. A faux stone floor is beneath you and as you look up the modest chandelier is supplied with CFL bulbs. To your left and right are three identical mail boxes, the silver, unoriginal kind. You walk up the first, small leg of stairs and notice the color of them; a dark burgundy. They look old and redone. As you continue your climb, your steps set off the loud piercing bark of dog in the apartment on your left. It sounds like one of those small, annoying dogs. On the first landing, you see your reflection in a full length mirror and proceed up the second flight of stairs. On the second floor, you hear another dog barking. This bark is deeper, and could belong to a larger dog. The door on your right opens and a familiar face opens the door. A small dog, a dachshund, runs out and jumps on you in greeting. Of course, you knew the dog wasn't large, and of course you knew the face. In a short time, you will know all the details of your drive over. You will know every detail of this refurbished building and the streets around it. This was home, a different one, but home once again.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Float On
-Modest Mouse
I backed my car into a cop car the other day.
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's OK.
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say?
Well you just laughed it off, it was all OK.
Life has hardships, but sometimes it can turn out okay. Its better to laugh about it and stay in a positive mindset.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on anyway.
It will be okay. Float on - meaning we'll keep going and it will be okay.
Well, a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam.
It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand.
Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we'll float on, good news is on the way.
Getting fired - hardships, the ups and downs of life. Stay positive and optimistic, and things will turn out okay.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
No don't you worry. We'll all float on.
Alright, already. We'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry. We'll all float on.
Same - Float on, moving on. its gonna be fine.
And we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy.
We'll all float on.
Once again. . . floating on. movin' on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on OK.
Don't worry, we'll all float on.
Even if things get heavy, we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on alright.
Don't you worry, we'll all float on.
We'll all float on.
One last time - things will get better in time, even if it seems that it won't.
__________
The speaker knows that sometimes life is hard. But, he stays optimistic and even laughs about his situation - he knows that things will eventually get better and that everyone will move on (float on) okay. This could be about the way he sees life or the way someone close to him may see life.
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy . They are based in Portland, Oregon.
-Wikipedia
I backed my car into a cop car the other day.
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's OK.
I ran my mouth off a bit too much, oh what did I say?
Well you just laughed it off, it was all OK.
Life has hardships, but sometimes it can turn out okay. Its better to laugh about it and stay in a positive mindset.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on anyway.
It will be okay. Float on - meaning we'll keep going and it will be okay.
Well, a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam.
It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand.
Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands.
Good news will work its way to all them plans.
We both got fired on exactly the same day.
Well we'll float on, good news is on the way.
Getting fired - hardships, the ups and downs of life. Stay positive and optimistic, and things will turn out okay.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on OK.
And we'll all float on OK. And we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
No don't you worry. We'll all float on.
Alright, already. We'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry. We'll all float on.
Same - Float on, moving on. its gonna be fine.
And we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
Alright, don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy.
We'll all float on.
Once again. . . floating on. movin' on.
Alright already, we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on OK.
Don't worry, we'll all float on.
Even if things get heavy, we'll all float on.
Alright already, we'll all float on alright.
Don't you worry, we'll all float on.
We'll all float on.
One last time - things will get better in time, even if it seems that it won't.
__________
The speaker knows that sometimes life is hard. But, he stays optimistic and even laughs about his situation - he knows that things will eventually get better and that everyone will move on (float on) okay. This could be about the way he sees life or the way someone close to him may see life.
Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy . They are based in Portland, Oregon.
-Wikipedia
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Beat Street!
Haha! So, I kind of love this movie. When we first saw the movie, half of the class room was wondering if it was for real. It seems like we are watching this for no apparent reason. . or are we?? This movie is about a group of kids who are just trying to find a place in the world and make a name for themselves. Kenny, the main character is trying to become a well known DJ and goes to a few clubs before his name gets around. The other characters also do things that may or may not be illegal but symbolize the good that they want to do. Such as that one guy (I can't remember his name) who always wants to tag the trains. Yes, okay, it may be vandalism, but hey, those murals were pretty good. But, bottom line, they all love to dance and they dance whenever they can! Especially in train station (which is apparently a disturbance - the police had to break it up).
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Hungry. . . for some delicious attention
Everyone is hungry for attention; its only natural. We all want others to see us, praise us, scold us - just to assure ourselves we are there.
We may not always be conscious to the fact that we are doing things to get attention, but, nevertheless, we commit acts that get us praised and sometimes in a lot of trouble. In Black Boy, Richard set the curtains on fire. He is writing this account as an older man and explains this incident as wanting attention. I don't think he stood there looking at the fire maliciously rubbing his hands together saying, "Mwahaha, this will get their attention!" I think that he was just sincerely curious about wanting to see how the curtains would look on fire. Maybe subconsciously, he was looking for mischief that would lead to attention; he fears his mother and yet he pulls the stunt off anyway.
There was this girl in my class from 2nd grade to 5th grade and she would always make snide, inappropriate comments in the middle of class; she would read magazines in the middle of class too, just to spite our teacher. And, yes, our teacher got very mad - even sent her too the office a few times. Despite all the scolding she received, she still continued to do all the things that got her in trouble. Was she hungry for attention - yeah! One of the signs to prove my point was when she got in trouble, she would always smile and look around to receive laughs and smirks from the rest of the class. So when I think of someone hungry for attention, I think of her, not someone like Richard. He may want attention, but I don't think he always goes out of his way to get it. The cat thing, I think, was to just get some revenge on his dad, not attention.
We may not always be conscious to the fact that we are doing things to get attention, but, nevertheless, we commit acts that get us praised and sometimes in a lot of trouble. In Black Boy, Richard set the curtains on fire. He is writing this account as an older man and explains this incident as wanting attention. I don't think he stood there looking at the fire maliciously rubbing his hands together saying, "Mwahaha, this will get their attention!" I think that he was just sincerely curious about wanting to see how the curtains would look on fire. Maybe subconsciously, he was looking for mischief that would lead to attention; he fears his mother and yet he pulls the stunt off anyway.
There was this girl in my class from 2nd grade to 5th grade and she would always make snide, inappropriate comments in the middle of class; she would read magazines in the middle of class too, just to spite our teacher. And, yes, our teacher got very mad - even sent her too the office a few times. Despite all the scolding she received, she still continued to do all the things that got her in trouble. Was she hungry for attention - yeah! One of the signs to prove my point was when she got in trouble, she would always smile and look around to receive laughs and smirks from the rest of the class. So when I think of someone hungry for attention, I think of her, not someone like Richard. He may want attention, but I don't think he always goes out of his way to get it. The cat thing, I think, was to just get some revenge on his dad, not attention.
Monday, January 24, 2011
This Sacred Soil
This was one of my favorite reads that can claim the title, "What is an American?" This Sacred Soil, written by Chief Seattle is the Seattle's response to Issac Stevens, the Governor of Washington Territory in 1854.
Native Americans were on American soil much longer than the Europeans. They pretty much had a claim to that land that the Europeans took for themselves. The Native Americans respected the soil, and used the land (all of it too; they didn't hunt an animal just for its fur). They lived off the land and it was sacred to them. When the Europeans come to the Americas, they have little to no respect for the land and only care about what they can gain from it; the Native Americans try to preserve the sacred soil as much as possible. This land means something to them; it is a part of their heritage and holds the memories of their ancestors.
Chief Seattle comes right out and says that the white man's God hates his people; he also says that the Great Spirit has also forsaken them. This is very sad. Not only that the Europeans were able to instill this in the Native American's heads, but that it caused great pain and loss of faith for them. Imagine if you had placed your trust in someone that never answered your pleas for help. . . They felt abandoned.
This speech also made me laugh. I could almost picture Chief Seattle sitting there and saying, "Ha! This is good-it'll make those white men feel guilty!" or, "Yeah, yeah; this is good-it'll make those white men think twice about what they are doing." I'm saying that was his intention; I, personally, just got that feeling when I was reading it.
I think the last 2 lines of the speech really hit this point on the head though. Those last two lines also seem to have a feeling of hope - hope that they Chief Seattle and his people are not giving up and even if they may not survive, the people will live on, even if a different world.
Native Americans were on American soil much longer than the Europeans. They pretty much had a claim to that land that the Europeans took for themselves. The Native Americans respected the soil, and used the land (all of it too; they didn't hunt an animal just for its fur). They lived off the land and it was sacred to them. When the Europeans come to the Americas, they have little to no respect for the land and only care about what they can gain from it; the Native Americans try to preserve the sacred soil as much as possible. This land means something to them; it is a part of their heritage and holds the memories of their ancestors.
Chief Seattle comes right out and says that the white man's God hates his people; he also says that the Great Spirit has also forsaken them. This is very sad. Not only that the Europeans were able to instill this in the Native American's heads, but that it caused great pain and loss of faith for them. Imagine if you had placed your trust in someone that never answered your pleas for help. . . They felt abandoned.
This speech also made me laugh. I could almost picture Chief Seattle sitting there and saying, "Ha! This is good-it'll make those white men feel guilty!" or, "Yeah, yeah; this is good-it'll make those white men think twice about what they are doing." I'm saying that was his intention; I, personally, just got that feeling when I was reading it.
I think the last 2 lines of the speech really hit this point on the head though. Those last two lines also seem to have a feeling of hope - hope that they Chief Seattle and his people are not giving up and even if they may not survive, the people will live on, even if a different world.
"Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds."
Sunday, January 16, 2011
King, still King
Every year around this time, we get a day off of school for a man that changed the way many people thought and started a movement that would bring the United States in to a new millennium.
Do we really think about this on that extra day we get to sleep in, though?
We don't, not really (or at least, I don't). And if you do, I commend you! Its not that we don't care, we just forget. I think that Martin Luther King has been moved more to the back of our minds. Teachers always make sure that he is not forgotten. They teach us of his life of how he moved people from anger and hatred to understanding and some peace. But we have forgotten the long marches, the speeches, the act of civilty during violence. He will never loose his title though; he deserved it because he allowed the thoughts of people to grow to the fact that everyone is the same. For some it took time to accept this. But, nevertheless, he changed the a small part of the world for the better.
Over time, as we move slowly towards complete equality, people will begin to forget him. Some else may start the next big movement and become that new 'king'. But, the memory of the man who began the movement that led us where we are today will live on in the people who believe what he stood for and carried out his dream.
King. . .is still king.
Do we really think about this on that extra day we get to sleep in, though?
We don't, not really (or at least, I don't). And if you do, I commend you! Its not that we don't care, we just forget. I think that Martin Luther King has been moved more to the back of our minds. Teachers always make sure that he is not forgotten. They teach us of his life of how he moved people from anger and hatred to understanding and some peace. But we have forgotten the long marches, the speeches, the act of civilty during violence. He will never loose his title though; he deserved it because he allowed the thoughts of people to grow to the fact that everyone is the same. For some it took time to accept this. But, nevertheless, he changed the a small part of the world for the better.
Over time, as we move slowly towards complete equality, people will begin to forget him. Some else may start the next big movement and become that new 'king'. But, the memory of the man who began the movement that led us where we are today will live on in the people who believe what he stood for and carried out his dream.
King. . .is still king.
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