Step by step...

First step; Realizing we are condemned. Second step; make changes.

The main purpose of this essay is showing how influent and important, Literature applied in the classroom, can be in social changes. Literature is one way through which human beings can realize and critic the way society works and lives. W. H. Auden was a famous Anglo American poet born in England but later naturalized American. He wrote a poem called September 1, 1939. In this poem, Auden dealt with a lot of elements that society in those times suffered related to the way that people lived and the system worked. Even though, Auden was a poet from the Second World War times, he perfectly may be considered a poet from these times. In fact, September 1, 1939 is a very good example of this idea, because he reflected on the way people lived and tried to give some hope to the readers. From my point of view, this poem is fatalist but I think this is not a bad characteristic or connotation of the poem, because when we realize that there is a problem, we can solve it. My intention whit this essay, is to analyze some phrases of the poem in order to support the idea of a “condemned society” that still has hope to change in a good way. I strongly believe that students need to face controversial poetry, as Auden wrote with September 1, 1939, in order to promote critical reflection and encourage active participant in the changed world we need. These participants need to be the ones who believe in that change, they have to think that is it possible. So, Literature and controversial poem can help teachers to promote critical reflection and social commitment in our students.

As a starting point, I consider important developing one idea found in the poem. Auden presented,
“I and the public know what all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.”

Bearing in mind this extracted piece of the poem, I would say that is extremely related to teachers’ labor. Do we teachers really know what are schoolchildren receiving as education? Perhaps, this question may be seen as something to broad and without a correct answer. Anyway, I suggest the idea of teachers being part of this possible answer. Nowadays, we see schools “educating” students in order to be useful for the system. For this reason, I think education today is being based on Capitalism. Rarely, we can see teachers or schools that promote teaching values or elements that students will need in the future to be good citizens. According to Kenneth Minoque, “Capitalism is what people do if you leave them alone”. From my perspective, this quotation is related to the idea of individualism. Individuals are now numbers that do not have to speak up, the less they talk the better. If we teachers do not promote students speaking up what they think, and reflecting on world’s issues, they will become useful robots for the business that society is creating. On the one hand, we have teachers that just give information to their students. This information is not processed or reflected because it is imposed. On the other hand, we need teachers that consider students as people who have something to say. Pupils are not only for listening what we, teachers, have to say. If we want them active learners of critical thinkers we need to give them the space they need. Being a good citizens should be understood as the person who help others because is the right thing to do.

All the ideas present in the poem are characterized by a negative perspective. However, W. H. Auden also gave us some hope through the poem when he claimed,
“We must love one another or die”

In such a way, the author is giving us some hope with this quotation. From my view, he is saying that “love” seems to be the only way in which we can escape from this condemned reality. The kind of “love” that Auden mentioned is not determined. So, we cannot say he is only talking about love between men and women. Thus, we have to consider that this phrase was the one which did not allowed the poem being published. This is why, we can infer that the author is nor limiting “love”. He is referring to homosexual love, friends’ love, family love, etc. Based on this, we can start thinking what kind of element love involves. For sure, love needs more than one participant to take place, this is why if we love someone we try to show that love in different ways. In the same way we need to live together and collaboratively to love others.

As a way conclusion, I can say that changes come step by step. First we have to realize what is wrong with the way we live, and then start making changes. It is for sure that in today’s world everything is controlled by money. This is why materialism, individualism and capitalism take place. As teacher s, we need to use Literature as a tool that opens student’s minds and eyes. Educators are very important in the social field, and the influence we can achieve playing a good role seems to be enormous. These needed changes are not something easy to get, but if we believe in change we can start changing society’s thoughts that are wrong. Keeping in mind the image of teachers as people who can inspire students, we can start thinking about Tupac Amaru Shakur’s thoughts. Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American singer (rapper). He was always fostering his followers making changes in the world including all the minorities and respecting others. He claimed, “I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world". This is a very good idea that teachers can make part of their life in order to improve our life styles little by little. I suggest this is the way that teachers have to think, because we teachers inspire and we can start making changes in students’ minds. I propose a final question inviting teachers to reflect. Have you thought how influent can be teachers in society’s assumptions and changes?

Finally, I wanted to share some Tupac’s quotes that made me reflect a lot in the way we are living now. In my opinion, Tupac Shakur and Auden were controversial and reflective artists that invited us to reflect. You think about this paying attention to these quotations;

- "I am society’s child, this is how they made me, and now I’m saying what's on my mind and they do not want that. This is what you made me America."
- "If God wanted me to be quiet he would've never showed me what he does."
- "They got money for wars but they can't feed the poor."
- "My Mama used to tell me if u can't find something to live for, you best find something to die for"


work cited:

http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/grading.html. Dec 3, 2009.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1,_1939. Dec 3, 2009.
http://en.proverbia.net/citastema.asp?tematica=156. Dec 3, 2009.
W. H. Auden. September 1, 1939. October 18, 1939.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/01/. Dec 3, 2009.
http://www.numberonestars.com/tupacshakur/tupacquotes.htm. Dec 3, 2009.
http://www.wordreference.com Dec 3, 2009.

"Living death"

Outline:

1. Auden and his ideology.
2. How do we people live?
3. Who is in control of the world?
4. The consequences of living as we live.
5. Why is this topic of interest?
6. Conclusion


Salomon Galvez

Criticizing the way we live

In the poem September 1, 1939, the author deals with a lot of element that are still present in our times. At the beginning of the poem said, “Auden: A poet for our times”. I totally agree with this idea because the components mentioned here seem to be timeless. For instance, the poem contains hope, love, private lives, death, evil, etc.

These elements mentioned above are found in today’s world. From my point of view the author is criticizing the society. First, Auden talks about a Collective Man. This kind of Collective man seems to be attacking the concept of individuals negatively. Society is seeing human beings as numbers. We are not anymore special individuals because we are just the mass. At the same time, we are being considered mass in front of a hidden leader that Auden mention as a “psychopathic god”. In my opinion he presents this god as the one who controls everything and dictates what thing are good and bad.

Concluding, Auden gave us some hope saying, “We must love another or die”. This statement was the one that did not permit this poem being published. I really like this poem and I would recommend it.

Pamela's Blog

I really like the way in which Pamela analyzed this work (The Rocking-Horse winner). I think that it is essential when we are children, feel that we are loved by our parents. Otherwise we can have problems in the future that will make us feel that we lack something. I am saying all this because Pamela pointed out as the main issues of this work the relationship between mother and son which in my opinion apply.
From my point of view, Pamela did a very god job comparing the unhappy woman found in the Rocking-horse winner, with Lawrence's mother and her unhappy life with her husband because of poverty.

At the same time, Pamela is making distinction of this to mothers saying that Lawrence's mother was great and loved him. In contrast, the mother shown by the author in the Rocking-horse winner was cruel with her son because she did not love him and she tried to supply this lack of love by material things.

Maybe as a recommendation, I would suggest Pamela checking the punctuation of her post. Anyway, I think she did an amazing job and her works always expresses very strong ideas suppored correctly by the works we read.

Congrats

The Waste Land by T.S Eliot

T.S Eliot is one of the most influential writers during the twentieth century. The Waste Land is also one of the most powerful, intense and influential piece of work written by T.S. Elliot. This is why, from my point of view this is a very interesting poem. However, the poem was very hard to analyze and understand, I think that is important to share what I felt reading it.

The poem was about the isolation and depression that people suffer sometimes in this world. We have to consider that this poem was written after the World War I and people were afraid of leader’s power. The earth was devastated with death and people who did not measure consequences. For this reason I think the author promotes the word “death” as one of the most important one. Death is present in this poem and in the same way because this word brings another important word to the show, which is disillusioned. Why this word “disillusioned” is important in the poem? I think because you felt you were protected in the world by your family, institutions or remarked leaders such as; the president or God maybe. Once you face a War you realize how vulnerable you are and that situation makes you feel disillusioned as the author include it intrinsically.

As a way of conclusion, I would recommend this poem for those you really like poetry because they will see the huge influence of Eliot in the following writer. Recommending this poem should include the warning that is not an easy poem and it has to be analyzed in carefully.

The price of priceless things...

From my point of view, D.H Lawrence showed two images of cruel women that were just interested only in money and materialism. First, in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” we can find a mother who is just interested in money and giving her son material things because in that way she showed him love. She was not acting as a mother that loves her son. The pressure of having money made the boy get crazy and mad and at the end he died.

Similarly, in the “Odour of Chrysanthemums”, there is an image of a cold and materialistic woman who did not care about her husband in order to know him. In addition when he died she was more concerned about her husband’s money and not of his death. This was because she was worried about the things she owned, and not in her inferior husband who was just a miner.

As a way of conclusion, I would say that these works show us that money does not make people happy. There are other essential elements in life that are forever in our hearts, as values. We do not have to wait to lose what we love to realize that we really love and need it in our lives.

Equity...

Even though I think Virginia Wolf was a very feminist writer, I totally agree with some critical thoughts about how women were treated without respect and unfairness. In the work, “A room of one’s own” the author tries to show that every woman needs what men had.

First of all, there are Gender issues very well known that can be identified in this work, such as the necessity of having our own space where we can think, produce and express ourselves. This space deals with the idea of having a physical space to be what you are naturally. In addition there is also a metaphorical space that can be understood as “women in the society”. As we know women in the past were not allowed to write freely because their ideas were not respected and considered as men’s

As a way of conclusion, I strongly believe that this is not a problem of genders but is a problem of minorities and abuses. At first, men and women must be considered human beings. Starting with this idea we can respect others’ opinion and be balanced in our society avoiding discrimination in all its terms.