Tuesday 29 September 2015
Sunday 27 September 2015
Sunday 6 September 2015
Alice Munro and Women's Literature
These first few lessons of our senior year, reminded me why we study literature. Literature gives an insight into anything, it allows us to obtain a bigger and richer experience with the world. To me, it was always an act of empathy. Whenever I read, I've always imagined what it's like to be someone else. You suddenly have a fuller understanding of lives other than your own. We learn more about those around us, those who come before us and we learn more about ourselves. A quote that's always resonated with me and perfectly captured this is: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”― George R.R. Martin.
While discussing this with our peers, it proved to be a little more difficult than anticipated. There is no strict definition. There were questions such as: Is WL only for woman? Can men write WL? Does WL need to convey feminist messages? Firstly, we looked at how women should be classified as a social group since they've been marginalized and oppressed. For example, it wasn't until the 19th century that female authors were able to publish and even then, it was under a pen name. A lot of their works seemed to share their own personal experiences and struggles from the perspective of being a female specifically. This in turn relates to consciousness-raising, turning the personal into political. This created a new language of theory, one that had been previously been defined by the oppressors. So no, WL is not only for woman, but rather for anyone who reads it. Through immersing the readers into their memories, they are better able to understand their oppression and empathize with woman. In this light, you could argue that women's literature was a tool for feminism. However, Alice Munro herself does not identify as a feminist writer and yet she provides insight into life as a women. With the simplicity of raw truthfulness and subtle symbols, Munro has managed to create a story that allows the reader to converse with the characters and find a new viewpoint on the female identity. So no, WL does not need to convey feminist messages.
Friday 4 September 2015
Analytical Exercise
Commentary on Let It Go
Lyrics:
Let It Go is everywhere, and it’s not disappearing without a fight. It’s the main reason why the Frozen soundtrack has been the No 1 album in the US for nine weeks and counting – Beyoncé only managed three – and a significant reason why the film became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It’s no mystery that Let It Go has become a sensation among our generation now.
Now although this song can be interpreted in many different ways, even as an LGBTQ anthem, I’ll be arguing why this song deserves to be in an anthology of the greatest songs of this century.
Let It Go mainly serves as an aperitif for adolescence. It’s a moment of transition and upheaval which conveys the giddy, reckless buzz of expressing yourself without considering the consequences.
The line "Let the storm rage on" is followed by "The cold never bothered me anyway" - a line worth remembering, as it's said twice, sung in a different style, and is the last line of the song. Now the “cold” could be applied to any problem an individual could be facing. It is a time where feelings are raw, unpredictable, terrifying and new. Elsa however was afraid of her lack of control of her powers and the resulting isolation from other people.
Note, how she turns around and slams shut the doors. This is her way of dealing with her problems. It is also similar to how a lot of adolescents shut people out and bottle their emotions in difficult situations, especially with their loved ones.
Another line in the song that's a self deception is when she says "You'll never see me cry". Both this line and "the cold never bothered me anyway" are the kind of things said by people who are trying to convince themselves. It is studded with the language of refusal: “not”, “couldn’t”, “can’t” (twice), “no” (three times), “never” (four) and “don’t” (five).
Lastly in the matter of lyrics, consider the title of the song itself, "Let It Go", which is sung repeatedly. What is she letting go of? It is obvious, that Elsa lets go all of her restraints, especially with her powers. This is the positive element in the song, and what most listeners unfortunately latch on to, to the exclusion of other elements. It is a jubilant celebration of release for those who have been living in fear or bondage.
But personal empowerment, though good, is fraught with danger, as indicated by the next line: "No right, no wrong, no rules for me” (an ode to moral relativism). She lets go of her sense of right and wrong, of the rules and restrictions that being a "good girl" imposed on her. Now obviously some of the rules may have been constraining but they were also for the safety of her and others. How much of that is she letting go? Only some specific rules? All of it? The entire concept of goodness?
Honestly, anyone could relate to this. In adolescence, it is inevitable when exploring and discovering oneself to have to question everything and take risks and to be confronted with such choices.Who hasn't felt that they could become more powerful if only they let go of other people and their restrictions and morality? Who hasn't felt that there is nothing they could do in certain helpless situations, powerless despite their abilities? And who hasn't felt their soul imperiled by these feelings?
Although I’ve interpreted as more of an aperitif to adolescence, I do believe that it applies to the entire human population, despite age. In the end, this song expresses the uncertainty we have with human nature. It expresses the confusing array of emotions that we’ve all felt when confronted, especially with power.Yes, the song is about empowerment, but there is also tragedy, anger, bitterness, and self-deception in it, in even greater measure. Even though it doesn’t convey an utopian ideal, it does something more. It expresses a phase which many of us have experienced since the beginning of our time, and it teaches us a lesson.
Lyrics:
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation,
And it looks like I'm the queen.
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried!
Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
Well, now they know!
Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!
I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!
It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all!
It's time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free!
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You'll never see me cry!
Here I stand
And here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on!
My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back,
The past is in the past!
Let it go, let it go
When I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone!
Here I stand
In the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!
Let It Go is everywhere, and it’s not disappearing without a fight. It’s the main reason why the Frozen soundtrack has been the No 1 album in the US for nine weeks and counting – Beyoncé only managed three – and a significant reason why the film became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It’s no mystery that Let It Go has become a sensation among our generation now.
Now although this song can be interpreted in many different ways, even as an LGBTQ anthem, I’ll be arguing why this song deserves to be in an anthology of the greatest songs of this century.
Let It Go mainly serves as an aperitif for adolescence. It’s a moment of transition and upheaval which conveys the giddy, reckless buzz of expressing yourself without considering the consequences.
The line "Let the storm rage on" is followed by "The cold never bothered me anyway" - a line worth remembering, as it's said twice, sung in a different style, and is the last line of the song. Now the “cold” could be applied to any problem an individual could be facing. It is a time where feelings are raw, unpredictable, terrifying and new. Elsa however was afraid of her lack of control of her powers and the resulting isolation from other people.
Note, how she turns around and slams shut the doors. This is her way of dealing with her problems. It is also similar to how a lot of adolescents shut people out and bottle their emotions in difficult situations, especially with their loved ones.
Another line in the song that's a self deception is when she says "You'll never see me cry". Both this line and "the cold never bothered me anyway" are the kind of things said by people who are trying to convince themselves. It is studded with the language of refusal: “not”, “couldn’t”, “can’t” (twice), “no” (three times), “never” (four) and “don’t” (five).
Lastly in the matter of lyrics, consider the title of the song itself, "Let It Go", which is sung repeatedly. What is she letting go of? It is obvious, that Elsa lets go all of her restraints, especially with her powers. This is the positive element in the song, and what most listeners unfortunately latch on to, to the exclusion of other elements. It is a jubilant celebration of release for those who have been living in fear or bondage.
But personal empowerment, though good, is fraught with danger, as indicated by the next line: "No right, no wrong, no rules for me” (an ode to moral relativism). She lets go of her sense of right and wrong, of the rules and restrictions that being a "good girl" imposed on her. Now obviously some of the rules may have been constraining but they were also for the safety of her and others. How much of that is she letting go? Only some specific rules? All of it? The entire concept of goodness?
Honestly, anyone could relate to this. In adolescence, it is inevitable when exploring and discovering oneself to have to question everything and take risks and to be confronted with such choices.Who hasn't felt that they could become more powerful if only they let go of other people and their restrictions and morality? Who hasn't felt that there is nothing they could do in certain helpless situations, powerless despite their abilities? And who hasn't felt their soul imperiled by these feelings?
Although I’ve interpreted as more of an aperitif to adolescence, I do believe that it applies to the entire human population, despite age. In the end, this song expresses the uncertainty we have with human nature. It expresses the confusing array of emotions that we’ve all felt when confronted, especially with power.Yes, the song is about empowerment, but there is also tragedy, anger, bitterness, and self-deception in it, in even greater measure. Even though it doesn’t convey an utopian ideal, it does something more. It expresses a phase which many of us have experienced since the beginning of our time, and it teaches us a lesson.
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