4/27/11 Please turn in all of your work. I would appreciate it if you complete revisions that I have made.
4/4/11
Please turn in all of your revisions to me and papers to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com.
1) Columbus paper
2) Roger Williams paper
3) Bradstreet and Neruda paper
4) Paper on Neruda and poetry: "El poeta" and "La poesia"
5) Paper on Neruda and history: "Heights of Macchu Picchu" and "Discoverers of Chile"
6) Paper on Emerson's "Self-Reliance"
7) Paper on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher." Write about the symbolism in the short story. What does Roderick Usher symbolize? What does his sister Madeleine symbolize? What comment does Poe's short story make on American literature and identity? Does the house of Usher represent Poe's view of the old world (Europe), which was burdened by tradition, possibly incest? While Poe does not allude to American culture, it appears that the setting of the house of Usher is in the Old World, in Europe, as opposed to America. It appears that Poe associates decline with incest, obsession with tradition and lineage, and with the wealth of the aristocracy. There are allegations that many of the wealthy aristocrats in Europe committed incest--but Poe himself did by marrying his 13 year old cousin when he was 26 years old! In his time, intermarriage between cousins was not considered taboo. Edgar Allan Poe only lived forty years, but he was one of the most influential writers in American history. The cause of his death is mysterious--some credit it to alcoholism, but others claim that he suffered from various disorders. The paper should be at least three pages in length, and please send it to me by the end of the week. ALL PAPERS MUST BE TURNED IN TO ME AS ATTACHMENTS THROUGH EMAIL AT RAPHAELJOHNCOMPRONE@GMAIL.COM.
You will write two separate essays on these two essays by Thoreau and Emerson. We will also read Edgar Allan Poe and another poem by Pablo Neruda by the end of the semester.
3/18/2011
What is Emerson's point in the first paragraph of "Self-Reliance?" What does he mean by the concept of self-reliance, and how does that concept relate to the formation of American identity? When Emerson argues that imitation is suicide, what does he mean?
Emerson's philosophy reveals a great deal about American character and identity, just as the writings of Madison and Jefferson do. Write a 3 page paper discussing some of the key concepts in Emerson's philosophy. Discuss whether Emerson's ideas still have the same relevance today.
3/16/2011
During the break and during the first week after the break, we will read Emerson's "Self-Reliance" and Thoreau's "Resistance to Civil Government."
3/14/2011
We will be reading works by Emerson and Thoreau. Please turn in your assignments to me at raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com, so I can calculate your midterm grade. I need them by the end of the week.
Please scroll down to see a complete list of assignments for the midterm.
Please complete your papers in Microsoft Word.
Below, there is a slideshow of Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan ruins depicted in Neruda's poem, Alturas de Macchu Picchu. This should give you an idea of the grandeur of the ancient ruins, which were designed in the 1400s.
Above is a slideshow of Machu Picchu, the ancient city that was created by the Incan civilization in the 1400s. It is almost 8000 feet above sea level and was preserved intact after the Spanish Conquest. This slideshow can give you some idea of the grandeur of the ruins of Macchu Picchu, which Pablo Neruda describes in his Alturas de Macchu Picchu.
2/23/11
Assignments for Dr. Comprone's class
1) Compare and contrast Columbus' first letter with his second letter. What vision does Columbus give of America?
Use quotes and cite sources.
2) Write a two page paper about Roger Williams "Key to the Language of the Americas." Describe how Williams shows an interest in Native languages and compare his approach to Colombus' approach to Native Americans.
Use MLA format.
2) Compare and contrast Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband"(see bradstreet) with Pablo Neruda's "Tonight I can write the verses."
Puedo escribir los versos…
Tonight I can write…
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Escribir, por ejemplo: “La noche está estrellada,
Write, for example, ‘The night is shattered
Y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos’.
And the blue stars shiver in the distance.”
El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.
The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.
Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
Oir la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.
What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.
Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
This is all. In the distance someone sings. In the distance.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos arboles,
The same night whitening the same trees.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.
Another’s. She will be another’s. Like my kisses before.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.
Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,
Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Aunque éste sea el ultimo dolor que ella me causa,
Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
Y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.
And these the last verses that I write for her.
Describe the metaphors in Bradstreet's poem and compare and contrast them with the metaphors in Neruda's poem.
Write 2-3 pages.
3) Compare and contrast "Discoverers of Chile" with "Heights of Macchu Picchu." What metaphors and images does Neruda use to describe Latin American history and the ruins of Macchu Picchu? Also, educate yourself on the history of the ruins of Macchu Picchu and on the conquistadors who conquered Chile, such as Almagro. What statement does Neruda make on Latin American history and experience? Write at least 3-4 pages and incorporate quotes into your paper.
Descubridores de Chile
Discoverers of Chile
Del Norte trajo Almagro su arrugada centella,
From the north Almagro brought his crinkled spark,
Y sobre el territorio, entre explosion y ocaso,
And over the territory, between explosion and sunset,
Se incline día y noche como sobre una carta,
He bent, day and night, as over a chart.
Sombra de espinas, sombra de cardo y cera,
Shadow of thorns, shadow of thistle and wax,
El espanol reunida con su seca figura,
The Spaniard meeting with his dry figure,
Mirando las sombras estrategías del suelo.
Watching the somber strategies of the terrain.
Noche, nieve y arena hacen la forma
Night, snow and sand make up the form
De mi delgada patria,
Of my thin country.
Todo el silencio está en su larga línea,
All silence lies in its long line,
Todo la espuma sale de su barba marina
All foam flows from its marine beard
Todo el carbon la llena de misteriosos besos.
All coal covers it with mysterious kisses.
Como una brasa el oro arde en sus dedos
Gold burns in its finger like an ember
Y la plata ilumina como una luna verde
And silver illuminates like a green moon
Su endurecida forma de tétrica planeta.
Its thickened shadow of a sullen planet.
El español sentado junto a la rosa un día
The Spaniard seated by the rose one day
Junto al aceite, junto al vino, junto al antiguo cielo
By the olive oil, by the wine, by the antique sky,
No imaginó este punto de coléric piedra
Did not imagine this point of choleric stone
Nacer bajo el estiércol del águila marina.
Being born from under the dung of the sea eagle.
Alturas de Macchu Picchu
Heights of Macchu Picchu
Section X
Piedra en la piedra, el hombre, dónde estuvo?
Stone within stone, and man, where was he?
Aire en el aire, el hombre, dónde estuvo?
Air within air, and man, where was he?
Fuiste también el pedacito roto
Were you also the shattered fragment
de hombre inconcluso, de águila vacía
of indecision, of the hollow eagle
que por las calles de hoy, que por las huellas,
which through the streets of today, in the old tracks,
que por las hojas del otoño muerto
through the leaves of accumulated autumns,
va machacando el alma hasta la tumba?
Goes pounding at the soul into the tomb?
La pobre mano, el pie, la pobre vida….
Poor hand, poor foot, and poor, dear life…
Los días de la luz deshilachada
The days of unraveled light
En ti, como la lluvia
In you, familiar rain
Sobre las banderillas de la fiesta,
Falling on feast day banderillas,
Dieron pétalo a pétalo de su alimento oscuro
Did they grant, petal by petal, their dark nourishment
en la boca vacía?
To such an empty mouth?
Hambre, coral del hombre,
Famine, coral of mankind,
Hambre, planta secreta, raíz de los leñadores,
Hunger, secret plant, root of the woodcutters,
Hambre, subió tu raya de arrecife
Famine, did your jagged reef dart up
Hasta estas altas torres desprendidas?
To those high, side-slipping towers?
Yo te interrogo, sal de los caminos,
I question you, salt of the highways,
Muéstrame la cuchara, déjame, arquitectura,
Show me the trowel; allow me, architecture,
Roer con un palito los estambres de piedra,
To fret stone stamens with a stick,
Subir todos los escalones del aire hasta el vacío,
Climb all the steps of air into emptiness
Rascar la entraña hasta tocar el hombre.
Scrape the intestine until I touch mankind.
Macchu Picchu, pusiste
Macchu Picchu, did you lift
Piedras en la piedra, y en la base, harapo?
Stone above stone on a groundwork of rags?
Carbón sobre carbon, y en el fondo, la lágrima?
Coal upon coal, and at the bottom, tears?
Fuego en el oro, y en él, temblando el rojo
Fire crested gold, and in the gold, the bloat
Goterón de la sangre?
Dispenser of this blood?
Devuélveme el esclavo que enterraste!
Return to me the slave that you buried!
Sacude de las tierras el pan duro
Wrench from these lands the stale bread
Del miserable, muéstrame los vestidos
Of the poor, prove me the tatters
Del siervo y su ventana.
Of the serf and his widow.
Dime cómo durmió cuado vivía
Tell me how he slept when alive
Dime si fué su sueño
Whether he snored,
Ronco, entreabierto, como un hoyo negro
His mouth agape like a dark scar
Hecho por la fatiga sobre el muro.
Worn by fatigue into the wall.
El muro, el muro! Si sobre su sueño
That wall, that wall! If each stone floor
Gravitó cada piso de piedra, y si cayó bajo ella
Weighed down his sleep, and if he fell
Como bajo una luna, con el sueño!
Beneath them, as if beneath a moon, with all that sleep!
Antigua América, novia sumergida,
Ancient America, bride in her veil of sea,
También tus dedos,
Your fingers also,
Al salir de la selva hacia el alto vacío de los dioses,
From the jungle’s edges to the rare height of gods,
Bajo los estandartes nupciales de la luz y el decoro
Under the nuptial banners of light and reverence,
Mezclándose al trueno de los tambores de las lanzas,
Blending with thunder from the drums and lances,
También, también tus dedos,
Also, also your fingers—
Los que la rosa abstracta y la línea del frío, los
That bore the rose in mind and hairline of the cold,
Que el pecho sangriento del nuevo cereal trasladaron,
The blood drenched breast of the new crops translated,
Hasta la tela de materia radiante, hast alas duras cavidades,
Into the radiant weave of matter and adamantine hollows-
También, también, América enterrada, guardaste en lo más bajo,
With them, with them, buried America, were you in that great depth,
En el amargo intestine, como un águila, el hambre?
In the bilious gut, hoarding the eagle hunger?
4) Compare and contrast El poeta (the poet) with La poesia by Pablo Neruda. What is the function of the poet in society according to Neruda? What metaphors and images does Neruda use in his poetry?
Dr. Comprone's lecture on Neruda's poem, "El poeta," the poet.
El poeta
In the old days I went through life
In the grip of a tragic love and cherishing
a little leaflet of quartz
and I nailed life down with my eyes.
I shopped for generosity, walked
In the market of greed, inhaled
The most secret fumes of envy, the inhuman
hostility of masks and men.
I lived a world of everglades
where the sudden flower, the madonna lily
devoured me in her shivering foam
and wherever I set my foot my soul side-slipped
into the jaws of death.
This is the way my poetry was born--no sooner than
redeemed from nettles, won
out of solitude like a punishment,
or how it set apart its most mysterious flower
in the brazen garden, as if to bury it.
Locked out this way like the dark waters
that live in its deep channels
I ran this way and that seeking the solitude
of every being, the daily hatefulness.
I knew that they thrived by drowning
Half human life like fish
in the most foreign seas, and in the hugeness of
the vasty deep I met with death.
Death opening doors and paths.
Death slithering over walls.
La poesía
Poetry
Y fue a esa edad… Llegó la poesía
And it was at that age… Poetry arrived…
A buscarme. No sé, no sé de dónde
In search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where
Salió, de invierno o río.
It came from, from winter or a river.
No sé cómo ni cuándo,
I don’t know how or when,
No, no eran voces, no eran
No, they were not voices, they were not
Palabras, ni silencio,
Words, nor silence,
Pero desde una calle me llamaba,
But from a street I was summoned,
Desde las ramas de la noche,
From the branches of night,
De pronto entre los otros,
Abruptly from the others,
Entre fuegos violentos
Among violent fires
O regresando solo,
Or returning alone,
Or returning alone,
Allí estaba sin rostro
There I was without a face
Y me tocaba.
And it touched me.
Yo no sabía qué decir, mi boca
I did not know what to say, my mouth
No sabía
Had no way
Nombrar,
With names,
Mis ojos eran ciegos
My eyes were blind
Y algo golpeaba en mi alma
And something started in my soul,
Fiebre o alas perdidas,
Fever or forgotten wings,
Y me fui hacienda solo
And made my own way,
Descifrando
Deciphering
Aquella quemadura,
That fire,
Y escribí la permera línea vaga
And I wrote the first faint line,
Vaga, sin cuerpo, pura
Faint, without substance, pure
Tontería,
Nonsense,
Pura sabiduría
Pure wisdom
Del que no sabe nada,
Of someone who knows nothing,
Y vi de pronto
And suddenly I saw
El cielo
The heavens
Desgranado
Unfastened
Y abierto,
And open,
Planetas,
Planets,
Plantaciones palpitantes,
Palpitating plantations,
La sombra perforada,
Shadow perforated,
Acribillada
Riddled
Por fleches, fuego y flores,
With arrows, fire and flowers,
La noche arrolladora, el universe.
The winding night, the universe.
Y yo, mínimo ser,
And I, infinitesimal being,
Ebrio del gran vacío
Drunk with the great starry
Constelado,
Void,
A semjanza, a imagen
Likeness, image of
Del misterio,
Mystery,
Me sentí parte pura
Felt myself a pure part
Del abismo,
Rode con las estrellas,
I wheeled with the stars,
Mi corazón se desató en el viento
My heart broke loose on the wind.
5)
Dr. Comprone's Video lecture on the Federalist No. 10 and The Declaration of Independence:
Read James Madison's Federalist letter No. 10. and Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence."
Read both of these documents and discuss how they reflect American identity. How is the idea of rebelling against power connected to the American tradition and how is this rebellion expressed in Jefferson's Declaration of Independence? How does Madison describe the virtues of the new American republic? What emphasis do Madison and Jefferson place on securing the common good and the happiness of the majority?
Analyze the role of both of these documents and relate it to the creation of American identity.
While Jefferson describes the birth of a nation, Madison describes the rise of factions in American politics, which takes away from the idea of a unified nation and hints at a stage in history in which the government could collapse into civil war. You can also relate the danger Madison described in the political warfare that is now going on between Democrats and Republicans as they argue what constitutes the common good. The possibility of a government shutdown arising because of disagreements about how to balance the federal budget is an example of an extreme case of factionalism, or a major disagreement between opposing parties.
Federalist No. 10 and Declaration of Independence links:
Fortunately, I have healed enough to walk, so I am returning to class.
2/14/11
Complete your next assignment on the "Heights of Macchu Picchu" and "Discoverers of Chile." Send me all of your assignments to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com.
Alturas de Macchu Picchu
Heights of Macchu Picchu
Section X
Piedra en la piedra, el hombre, dónde estuvo?
Stone within stone, and man, where was he?
Aire en el aire, el hombre, dónde estuvo?
Air within air, and man, where was he?
Fuiste también el pedacito roto
Were you also the shattered fragment
de hombre inconcluso, de águila vacía
of indecision, of the hollow eagle
que por las calles de hoy, que por las huellas,
which through the streets of todayg, in the old tracks,
que por las hojas del otoño muerto
through the leaves of accumulated autumns,
va machacando el alma hasta la tumba?
Goes pounding at the soul into the tomb?
La pobre mano, el pie, la pobre vida….
Poor hand, poor foot, and poor, dear life…
Los días de la luz deshilachada
The days of unraveled light
En ti, como la lluvia
In you, familiar rain
Sobre las banderillas de la fiesta,
Falling on feast day banderillas,
Dieron pétalo a pétalo de su alimento oscuro
Did they grant, petal by petal, their dark nourishment
en la boca vacía?
To such an empty mouth?
Hambre, coral del hombre,
Famine, coral of mankind,
Hambre, planta secreta, raíz de los leñadores,
Hunger, secret plant, root of the woodcutters,
Hambre, subió tu raya de arrecife
Famine, did your jagged reef dart up
Hasta estas altas torres desprendidas?
To those high, side-slipping towers?
Yo te interrogo, sal de los caminos,
I question you, salt of the highways,
Muéstrame la cuchara, déjame, arquitectura,
Show me the trowel; allow me, architecture,
Roer con un palito los estambres de piedra,
To fret stone stamens with a stick,
Subir todos los escalones del aire hasta el vacío,
Climb all the steps of air into emptiness
Rascar la entraña hasta tocar el hombre.
Scrape the intestine until I touch mankind.
Macchu Picchu, pusiste
Macchu Picchu, did you lift
Piedras en la piedra, y en la base, harapo?
Stone above stone on a groundwork of rags?
Carbón sobre carbon, y en el fondo, la lágrima?
Coal upon coal, and at the bottom, tears?
Fuego en el oro, y en él, temblando el rojo
Fire crested gold, and in the gold, the bloat
Goterón de la sangre?
Dispenser of this blood?
Devuélveme el esclavo que enterraste!
Return to me the slave that you buried!
Sacude de las tierras el pan duro
Wrench from these lands the stale bread
Del miserable, muéstrame los vestidos
Of the poor, prove me the tatters
Del siervo y su ventana.
Of the serf and his widow.
Dime cómo durmió cuado vivía
Tell me how he slept when alive
Dime si fué su sueño
Whether he snored,
Ronco, entreabierto, como un hoyo negro
His mouth agape like a dark scar
Hecho por la fatiga sobre el muro.
Worn by fatigue into the wall.
El muro, el muro! Si sobre su sueño
That wall, that wall! If each stone floor
Gravitó cada piso de piedra, y si cayó bajo ella
Weighed down his sleep, and if he fell
Como bajo una luna, con el sueño!
Beneath them, as if beneath a moon, with all that sleep!
Antigua América, novia sumergida,
Ancient America, bride in her veil of sea,
También tus dedos,
Your fingers also,
Al salir de la selva hacia el alto vacío de los dioses,
From the jungle’s edges to the rare height of gods,
Bajo los estandartes nupciales de la luz y el decoro
Under the nuptial banners of light and reverence,
Mezclándose al trueno de los tambores de las lanzas,
Blending with thunder from the drums and lances,
También, también tus dedos,
Also, also your fingers—
Los que la rosa abstracta y la línea del frío, los
That bore the rose in mind and hairline of the cold,
Que el pecho sangriento del nuevo cereal trasladaron,
The blood drenched breast of the new crops translated,
Hasta la tela de materia radiante, hast alas duras cavidades,
Into the radiant weave of matter and adamantine hollows-
También, también, América enterrada, guardaste en lo más bajo,
With them, with them, buried America, were you in that great depth,
En el amargo intestine, como un águila, el hambre?
In the bilious gut, hoarding the eagle hunger?
When you analyze this poem, please look at some images of Macchu Picchu. Also, you should examine Neruda’s vision of Macchu Picchu. What does he see in the ruins of Macchu Picchu? Why does he refer to hunger when he examines the ruins? What comment is he making on Latin American history? How does this poem differ from Descubridores de Chile?
Descubridores de Chile
Discoverers of Chile
Del Norte trajo Almagro su arrugada centella,
From the north Almagro brought his crinkled spark,
Y sobre el territorio, entre explosion y ocaso,
And over the territory, between explosion and sunset,
Se incline día y noche como sobre una carta,
He bent, day and night, as over a chart.
Sombra de espinas, sombra de cardo y cera,
Shadow of thorns, shadow of thistle and wax,
El espanol reunida con su seca figura,
The Spaniard meeting with his dry figure,
Mirando las sombras estrategías del suelo.
Watching the somber strategies of the terrain.
Noche, nieve y arena hacen la forma
Night, snow and sand make up the form
De mi delgada patria,
Of my thin country.
Todo el silencio está en su larga línea,
All silence lies in its long line,
Todo la espuma sale de su barba marina
All foam flows from its marine beard
Todo el carbon la llena de misteriosos besos.
All coal covers it with mysterious kisses.
Como una brasa el oro arde en sus dedos
Gold burns in its finger like an ember
Y la plata ilumina como una luna verde
And silver illuminates like a green moon
Su endurecida forma de tétrica planeta.
Its thickened shadow of a sullen planet.
El español sentado junto a la rosa un día
The Spaniard seated by the rose one day
Junto al aceite, junto al vino, junto al antiguo cielo
By the olive oil, by the wine, by the antique sky,
No imaginó este punto de coléric piedra
Did not imagine this point of choleric stone
Nacer bajo el estiércol del águila marina.
Being born from under the dung of the sea eagle.
Every poem is a catalogue of images. What images does Neruda employ in this poem to reveal the poetic character of Latin American history?
This week, please complete your other paper comparing and contrasting "Descubridores de Chile" and "Alturas de Macchu Picchu, Section X." I have included the translation of both of these works. In both of these poems, you should analyze the relationship between the poet and history in Neruda's vision. Your paper should be 2-4 pages, and you should include quotes from both poems in your analysis of these poems.
So far, you have had the following assignments:
1) Columbus paper
2) Anne Bradstreet and Neruda paper
3) The Poet and Poetry: paper on the function of the poet in Neruda's two poems, El poeta and Poesia.
4) the poet and history: paper on the function of the poet in relation to history, using Neruda's two poems "Descubridores de Chile" and "Alturas de Macchu Picchu, Section X."
Please send all of your work to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com.
For the next class, 2/16, I will also give you another assignment from The Norton Anthology of American Literature.
Here is the other poem for the poetry paper with the translation:
La poesía
Poetry
Y fue a esa edad… Llegó la poesía
And it was at that age… Poetry arrived…
A buscarme. No sé, no sé de dónde
In search of me. I don’t know, I don’t know where
Salió, de invierno o río.
It came from, from winter or a river.
No sé cómo ni cuándo,
I don’t know how or when,
No, no eran voces, no eran
No, they were not voices, they were not
Palabras, ni silencio,
Words, nor silence,
Pero desde una calle me llamaba,
But from a street I was summoned,
Desde las ramas de la noche,
From the branches of night,
De pronto entre los otros,
Abruptly from the others,
Entre fuegos violentos
Among violent fires
O regresando solo,
Or returning alone,
Or returning alone,
Allí estaba sin rostro
There I was without a face
Y me tocaba.
And it touched me.
Yo no sabía qué decir, mi boca
I did not know what to say, my mouth
No sabía
Had no way
Nombrar,
With names,
Mis ojos eran ciegos
My eyes were blind
Y algo golpeaba en mi alma
And something started in my soul,
Fiebre o alas perdidas,
Fever or forgotten wings,
Y me fui hacienda solo
And made my own way,
Descifrando
Deciphering
Aquella quemadura,
That fire,
Y escribí la permera línea vaga
And I wrote the first faint line,
Vaga, sin cuerpo, pura
Faint, without substance, pure
Tontería,
Nonsense,
Pura sabiduría
Pure wisdom
Del que no sabe nada,
Of someone who knows nothing,
Y vi de pronto
And suddenly I saw
El cielo
The heavens
Desgranado
Unfastened
Y abierto,
And open,
Planetas,
Planets,
Plantaciones palpitantes,
Palpitating plantations,
La sombra perforada,
Shadow perforated,
Acribillada
Riddled
Por fleches, fuego y flores,
With arrows, fire and flowers,
La noche arrolladora, el universe.
The winding night, the universe.
Y yo, mínimo ser,
And I, infinitesimal being,
Ebrio del gran vacío
Drunk with the great starry
Constelado,
Void,
A semjanza, a imagen
Likeness, image of
Del misterio,
Mystery,
Me sentí parte pura
Felt myself a pure part
Del abismo,
Rode con las estrellas,
I wheeled with the stars,
Mi corazón se desató en el viento
My heart broke loose on the wind.
Neruda, Pablo. “La poesía.” Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda. Ed. Nathaniel Tarn. Boston: Harper Collins, 1970. 456.
Here are three videos on the Pablo Neruda material for your papers:
2/4/11
The first two assignments (3-4 page papers on Neruda) have changed; you no longer have to choose one of Neruda's poems or write on all of Alturas de Macchu Picchu. Instead, you will have two writing assignments this Wednesday and Friday on poems that we have discussed in class. Today, we discussed the function of the poet in society. In Neruda's poems, he is constantly reflecting on the function of the poet. Sometimes, the poet reinterprets history by describing the struggles of the common individual. Sometimes, the poet personalizes language and confronts emotional struggles and the solitude and mortality of the individual.
Poems in which Neruda deals with the role of poetry in his life and in society are:
La poesía
El poeta
Poems that deal with a poetic reevaluation of history are:
Descubridores de Chile
Section X of Alturas de Macchu Picchu
In the next two classes, I would like us to work on Pablo Neruda's description of the poet. On Wednesday, you will write a short paper on the function of the poet, using
La poesía
El poeta
to describe the role of the poet. What images does Neruda use to describe the function of the poet in society? How does the poet relate to language and imagination in the poem?
On Friday, you will write a paper on the function of the poet in relation to history in Neruda's vision by analyzing these two poems.
Descubridores de Chile
Section X of Alturas de Macchu Picchu
Here is Neruda's poem "Puedo escribir los versos...". Please complete your paper comparing and contrasting this poem with Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband." Use MLA format and cite line #s.
Puedo escribir los versos…
Tonight I can write…
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Escribir, por ejemplo: “La noche está estrellada,
Write, for example, ‘The night is shattered
Y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos’.
And the blue stars shiver in the distance.”
El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.
The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
Through nights like this one I held her in my arms.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.
Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.
Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
Oir la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.
What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.
Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
This is all. In the distance someone sings. In the distance.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos arboles,
The same night whitening the same trees.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
Mi voz buscaba el viento para tocar su oído.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.
Another’s. She will be another’s. Like my kisses before.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.
Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,
Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Aunque éste sea el ultimo dolor que ella me causa,
Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
Y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.
And these the last verses that I write for her.
Neruda, Pablo. “Tonight I can write…” Neruda: Selected Poems. Ed. Nathaniel Tarn. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1970. 32-33.
1/31/11
Video lecture on Columbus:
Video lecture on Roger Williams:
Video lecture on introduction to my book on Latin America:
Video lecture on Pablo Neruda's poetry:
Compare and contrast "Puedo escribir los versos..." "I can write the verses..." and then Anne Bradstreet's "To My Dear and Loving Husband." How are these poems different? What statement do they make on emotional relationships? Is there a different cultural sensibility expressed in both of these poems? Does love transcend culture and language in its universality?
1/28/11
Today, we discussed Pablo Neruda's counter-hegemonic vision of Latin American, including his praise of the common laborer in the production of Latin American history. Neruda uses his role as a poet to create an organic connection between himself and the society he lives in. His poetry captures the democratic aspirations of the Latin American people. We also read the introduction to my book and discussed the significance of world literature.
I will add two additional video lectures soon to discuss the significance of Neruda's poetry and upcoming assignments for this class.
Please turn in your other papers to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com. I need your drafts of the Williams paper and your Columbus paper.
Dr. Comprone's video lecture on Roger Williams:
1/26/11
In this course, we will also analyze Pablo Neruda's poetry, particularly his selected poems, for the midterm exam. You should eventually purchase Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems edited by Nathaniel Tarn as well as Pablo Neruda's Las alturas de Macchu Picchu. We will compare and contrast the Latin American cultural sensibility with the worldview of North American writers as we continue to study works in The Norton Anthology of American Literature along with works by Pablo Neruda, one of the central poets of Latin America.
1/23/11
In the next class, you will write an essay on Roger Williams' "A Key Into the Language of the Americas." In particular, you should compare and contrast Williams' view of the Native American population with Columbus' views of the inhabitants of Hispaniola. How do Williams and Columbus differ? To what extent does Williams partake in the colonial project, which often involved guns, Bibles, and schools, as well as the complete disregard of the humanity of the colonized subject? To what extent does Williams perceive the humanity of the colonized?
Incorporate at least three quotes into your paper and write at least 2 full pages.
1/19/11
The early beginnings of American culture involved the ideal of religious freedom. Massachusetts Bay represented freedom for the Puritans, but not everyone who landed in America shared the same religious views. Roger Williams possessed a different vision of America, and he escaped to Rhode Island after first landing in Massachusetts with the Puritan settlers. When we examine the settlement of early America, we discover that American society developed first as a theocracy, a society in which religion and politics were intermixed.
Read "Directions for the Use of the Language" and "An Help to the Native Language of that Part of America called New England," chapter I, chapter XXI. Collect some quotes from "A Key into the Language of America" and discuss what you felt was interesting about Williams' unusual approach to Native languages and culture. Do you feel that it was surprising that Williams would have so much respect for Native cultures? Do you feel that there is enough respect given to Native Americans today? You can also read any other parts that you find interesting.
Here is a link to the full text of Roger Williams "A Key Into the Language of America" (1634):
You should have a title for your paper. In the upper left hand corner, put your name, the professor's name, the course, and the date of the assignment. Please center the title of your essay.
Today, we discussed how you should write your works cited page. Here is an example of how to cite works.
In-text citation:
Columbus describes the Natives as powerless to stop him from taking their land from them: "I found very many islands filled with people innumerable, and of them all I have taken possession for their highnesses" (25).
Works Cited.
Author's last name, first name. Title of work in quotation marks. Underline title of the anthology in which the work appears. Ed. (put the editor's name after this). Place of publication: publishing company (abbreviated), copyright date. Page numbers of the work.
1/7/11
Today, we discussed Columbus' two letters to Ferdinand and Isabella. How do both of these letters reflect different visions of America? How does Columbus change his tone in his second letter? What happens to Columbus' optimism in the second letter? How does Columbus describe the original inhabitants of the Americas in his letter? What kind of colonial attitudes does he possess?
You can choose any one of these themes when you write about these letters. First Letter
This is a general overview of Columbus' experience:
Please purchase The Norton Anthology of American Literature Shorter Seventh Edition as soon as possible.
Saint Paul's Department of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences
Survey of American Literature
Course Information: Instructor:
English 462-1 Dr. Comprone
Spring Semester 2011
Class Time: Office:
11-11:50 a.m. RH 136
Classroom: Office Hours:
RH 204 MWF 2-4 P.M. T R 1:15-3:15 P.M.
Office Phone: Credit Hours:
contact by email only 3
Email: raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com
Website: www.comprone.info
Pre-requisite: This course is an upper level course primarily designed for English majors.
Required Texts: The Norton Anthology of American Literature.
Selection of Texts: The Norton Anthology of American Literature.
Course Description:
This course is designed for upper level English students who are interested in developing a comprehensive understanding of American Literature. You will learn how to write an effective essay in this course, and you will learn about the historical, cultural, and literary significance of American literature. We will discuss different American literary works and their historical, cultural, and even political significance.
Course Rationale:
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to write effectively on the graduate level.
Course Goals, Objectives, and Corresponding Program Outcomes:
1 Students will complete two 5 page essays on selected works of their choice, as well as two Powerpoint presentations
2 Students will develop the ability to write at the graduate level
3 Students will develop critical thinking skills
4 Students will be able to use the tools of contemporary critical theory
Expectations for Student Behavior as Related to Course Objectives and Their Corresponding Program Outcomes:
Please arrange for meeting with me during office hours. Students must behave appropriately by: 1) avoiding talking when the professor is speaking, 2) being punctual (students will lose points for tardiness and excessive absences), 3) ALWAYS bringing their textbooks to class, 4) actively participating in class, 5) not plagiarizing, 6) avoiding the use of foul language and abusive behavior, 8) adhere to the dress code, 9) do not use any slang or inappropriate language in your speeches, 10) being polite to other students, and 11) send all revisions of your assignments with an email to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com (you must CLEARLY label your assignment and the attachment when you send it to my email. In the text of your email, put your name, the course you are taking, and the assignment that you are attaching. If you send an assignment to the wrong email, you are responsible for the missing assignment).
The attendance policy is as follows:
Students missing more than 6 times (EXCUSED or UNEXCUSED) must WITHDRAW or receive a
failing grade of F.
This policy will be strictly enforced.
Students with 2 or less absences will receive an additional 10% for their final grade. Excused absences will not be factored into this calculation, e.g. a student who has three excused absences and no unexcused absences will not receive an additional 10% added to his or her final grade.
Students cannot obtain excuses for absences after the semester is over.
Class Format, Process, and Methods of Instruction:
Students can only receive incompletes upon permission by the instructor (an incomplete can only be filed for during the semester) and only if they are experiencing financial difficulties or a grave personal matter (I must be notified in person by the student or by a relative before the end of the semester). Excuses will only be accepted from the Provost's office. I will only accept assignments in person (do not slip any assignments under my office door--I am not responsible if any of these assignments should end up missing). It is the student's responsibility to make up any missing work and to check on his or her grade during the semester. Absolutely no excuses for absences can be issued after the semester is completed (if you do not show me the excuse during the semester--you have to show me the excuse in person, do not put it under my door--I will not give you an excuse--this applies to athletes as well). Athletes must personally give me a copy of their game schedule and indicate to me the days they will be absent. They must also make up any work and or missed instruction the day after their absence. ABSOLUTELY no grade changes are possible after the semester. Please check with me before the end of the semester to see if you have any outstanding work to complete.
In Class Exams and coursework: 50%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%
Participation, classwork, and attendance 10%
Grading Scale:
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
59% and below F
Course Outline and Assignment Due Dates:
TBA
Tentative List of Assigned Readings and Assignments:
TBA
FINAL EXAM
Recommended Internet Sites: www.comprone.info for updates on assignments, syllabi, poetry club submissions (extra credit)
