The assignment I chose to focus on was the picturesque. I chose this project because I found the assignment to be very interesting and each individual would contribute their own art into this. Also the writing prompt was very individualized so every person could write about whatever they wanted. In my assignment I chose a photo I had taken while hunting and described certain aspects of the picture. I have modified the assignment to just analyze the photo and discuss what is happening in the picture.
In this photo there are a few signs of human interaction with the natural world. The first major sign is the road running through the middle of the photo. This is a great success for humans because they can access different areas of the state easier. However for animals this is a deadly path they must cross over to survive. There are countless deer that have to cross the road and an unknown number of them are killed by humans who are driving cars. The next most noticeable human interaction with nature in the picture are the houses on the side of the road. These houses are killing animal’s habitats and forcing them to move elsewhere. The last human interaction we notice is the cut down trees in the front of the picture. This is a very small part of a huge piece of logging land. Logging destroys many animals’ habitats and way of life.
To summarize my homework assignment I found the process pretty enjoyable. I was in the great outdoors when I took the picture having a great time. Protecting wildlife is a rising concern in the US and describing the things that are wrong in just one picture helps me realize just how big a problem it really is. The long term value of this project is to hopefully keep me aware of the wildlife problems in the world. The short term and maybe long term is to help reinforce my strengths of analyzing pictures and also my writing skills.
-Alex Holtman
The homework assignment I designed was centered on the “Goblin Market.” In this assignment I created a more modern interpretation of the poem using words and themes that better fit our world today. The original poem has many underlying meanings that were hard to interpret when first reading. My goal was to bring these connotations to the surface and expose the truth behind the “Goblin Market.” The assignment consisted of three steps: 1) analyze and distinguish the meaning behind the poem find a modern or more current way of bringing forth these meanings 3) re-write the poem in my own words.
The first part of this assignment was to find the true meaning behind it. Since we discussed most of the poem in class I was already equipped with a pretty good understanding of the sexuality of this poem and the raunchy connotation. But I wanted to take it a step further. I went through each stanza and looked for words and phrases that I could manipulate and write in their true form.
After analyzing each part of the poem I wrote down each phrase and turned it into something everyone would understand today. Instead of a hidden meaning I wanted my poem to express everything they couldn’t back in the Victorian Era. Listing all the new meanings actually lent its self well to becoming a poem. I only needed to edit a minimal amount.
The last part of my assignment consisted of the actual construction of my poem. These steps including making a list of the phrases and then more delicately going in and tweeking them to flow and be structured in the way a poem should be. Finally I went through each line of the original poem and compared it to the new modern version. I wanted to make sure that every point that was made in the original had its very own place in mine.
Katie Ramstad
In Oscar Wilde’s poem “The Harlot House” he uses the word lust to describe the Harlot house when he sates “Love passed into the house of lust.” Whenever we hear the word lust it is typically depicted as a negative term in comparison with the word love which is seen to consist of more depth and is known to be a more pure emotion while lust is seen as a representation of a pursuit of pleasure, not in the context of love but in the pursuit of fulfilling desires without any sort of matrimonial commitment. In the Victorian era this could be depicted as scandalous in the sense that it was morally and religiously wrong to have carnal relations with a man who you were not committed to. These type of women were known to be ruined. A lot of times the word lust can be compared to words such as appetite, as stated in the Oxford dictionary, which can be seen in the sense that you have a craving but you are not seeking to fulfill your appetite due to hunger or due to a nature of importance and necessity. Such as the desire for chocolate and sweets; they are not needed but desired. Sexual expression that was performed to fulfill desire was looked down upon in the 19th century. You will commonly see people seeking to fulfill their desires cravings for that feeling of fulfillment that has you feeling satisfied once that desire has been pursued and achieved. The Oxford dictionary describes lust as an “inclination for something,” thus confirming that lust is not an obligation or a necessity for life and survival, nor is it socially acceptable to pursue such inclinations if seen in from a religious standpoint, it is simply a pursuit of happiness and curiosity to satisfy the desires of human nature itself. However during the Victorian era it was not seen so much as human nature but as a sin or an act of the devil. Wilde was one of the many who portrayed lust in a negative light as he uses it to describe the negative acts that take part in the “Harlot’s House” that has placed his grabbed the interest of his lover and has pulled her into the house of shadows, which can be interpreted as a form of darkness and ruin, leaving him to ponder the acts of sin occurring in the house of lust.
-Victorianruin303
The word that I picked was conflict. I found this from the readings from week 8, Mrs. Warren’s profession. In the reading, the word conflict was used to describe the emotions Mrs. Warren had. Conflict is under cooperate, as a hidden message according to that oed website. This relates to Mrs. Warren because she has a monopoly of brothels. She can be seen as a cooperate figure that has a conflict within herself. She felt guilty for keeping her profession from her daughter, which was a conflict for her to overcome. When I used the oed website and searched the word conflict, generally meaning a problem between two parties or a situation. I saw a lot generally over war. One example is the rebellion that took place in America in 1860. Conflict can be over two different principles such as religion and science. Conflict is a powerful word and is used to get a point across in many aspects of literature. Mrs. Warren continues to work as her job and run the brothels even after her daughter finds out about her disgraceful profession. Conflict is used to convey disagreement. It shows uncertainty. Mrs. Warren is unsure if she should tell the truth because she had the means to provide for her daughter and ends up not telling her daughter. In the author’s apology, the author continues use the word conflict to relate as a social problem. The word has been popular in the 18th century and is still a very commonly used word today. The word conflict also fits in with the prostitutes that work for Mrs Warren. These prostitutes create tension and conflict between families because many men back in that time were unfaithful to their wives and went to the brothels, which in turn created conflict between families and relationships.
-Scott Wolf
The word harlot is defined as a prostitute or promiscuous woman. I chose to focus on the subject of harlots because in my previous blog group the theme was scandal and the topic of immoral women was brought up a lot; this area of study interested me very much. For this reason I decided to evaluate the idea of a harlot based on ruin, the focus of my current blog group. This word was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries since prostitution was legal until the contagious diseases acts. After these acts police could arrest harlots making their profession even more scandalous. The word harlot is derived from the word prostitute which comes from the Latin word prostituta. Pro means “up front” and situere means “to sell or to offer up to sale.” The first signs of prostitution as being a health risk started back in 1494 when a syphilis break out was starting to occur in Naples. This word would continue to become more and more scandalous in both a social and health related sense. Prostitution would continue to be a problem with the passing on of disease. This profession was also frowned upon by society because many of the women would be seen as corrupt or impure and failed to hold the status of a wife or mother. These women were considered ruined because of their sexual tendencies and failure to comply with Victorian Era standards set for females. Overall, the word harlot very much means ruined. The destruction of a women’s reputation.
-Victorianruin303
The poem starts by describing the cries of the goblins and their tactics for luring fair maidens to buy their fruit. Every evening two sisters, Laura and Lizzie listen to the goblins cry, one more curious than the other. The sexual nature of the goblins makes Lizzie shy and embarrassed while Laura cannot resist her temptation to peek at the creatures. Once she sees the goblins, she desires their “fruit” even more; and soon sweet toothed Laura tastes the honey. Giving in to this temptation and her sexual desires makes Laura a ruined woman. She is willing to give up so much, even her reputation, just to get a piece of their fruit. She sucks and sucks until her lips are sore and her payment complete.
After leaving the goblins, Laura longs for another taste of their sweet fruit, and is now obsessed with finding the creatures again. Lizzie warns Laura about the consequences, but it is not enough. Laura becomes heartbroken when she can no longer hear their cries. She yearns for their fruit and desires their honey. One taste of fruit increased Laura’s sexual desires, which she could no longer keep hidden. In the 19th century a publicly sexual woman was looked down upon for fear she would not make an adequate wife or mother. In true Victorian womanhood, a woman must remain a model of patient endurance, for which she is ultimately rewarded with marriage and property. Lizzie on the other hand, still pure, can hear the goblin cries and wishes to purchase their fruit to crave her sisters urges. Seeing Laura depressed sends Lizzie on the hunt for fruit. Once she finds the goblins, however, they attack her sexually, but Lizzie does not give into the temptation. When she leaves the goblins, she feels as if she defeated them. Their fruit did not manage to ruin Lizzie, and in fact made her stronger.
When she returns home she greets Laura and allows her to suck the honey that lay upon her face. Laura rejoices in the fact that Lizzie has not tasted the forbidden fruit and upon her own taste she realizes that the juices are not the same as they once were. They were tainted and bitter. The initial temptation has worn off and Laura realizes the consequences of heading down a ruined path. By understanding the repercussions faced by ruined women early enough, Laura is able to change her ways. Both women grow up to have families and lives, not defined by their forbidden encounters with the goblins. Not all women are as lucky as Laura, and either never realize or realize too late that their path of destruction will never give them the life they truly want. A ruined woman is just that, ruined.
-Victorianruin303
(1) Allingham, Philip V. “Wilkie Collins and The Women Question.” Victorian Web. Faculty of Education, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay Ontario.
(2) Rossetti, Christina. “Goblin Market.” Victorian Web. Oct. 17, 2005. Dec. 12, 2012.
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