Prose: Nothing Short of Amazing

"Prose is the language of everyday life, or narrative fiction, of informational books... Poetry is the language of the imagination, of feelings, of emotional self-expression, of high art." Russell, 176

"Prose explains, but poetry sings." Russell, 176.

I read this little chapter, in "the Russell text" about poetry a while ago, and felt the need to write a blog entry about this... You see, I'm an English major and well- I didn't agree with Russell... In fact I thought it was kind of harsh. Maybe even a little mean. To really understand where I'm coming from you have to understand that I really like to write. At A&M, when you're an English major you get to choose from one of several tracks... I'm on the creative writing track- and chose the prose option instead of doing the poetry track.

With that said, I think it is understandable for me to be just a bit upset, or rather disappointed in the author. And so you're asking yourself, why... Why do you disagree??

Well, simply put I believe that prose can sing just like poetry can. I believe it to be just as good and interesting and sometimes even better. Poetry can seem to be stuffy and over done. In my opinion prose appeals to more people, more often. Moreover, if a writer does a good job- it can be just as clever and imaginitive as prose. It sings too! Take J.K Rowling for instance. The face that her books are being read, and have been read by many kind proves my point. The language is good, the syntax works too. Also, I've read lots of other, novels and stories even- that keep my attention and get the job done.

On the flipside, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That is what is so great about living in the United States of America. Here, we are free to express our own opinion and not get punished for it. That is something that is truly remarkable. So, basically Russell is free to write whatever he wants as am I.

So, I think that about does it. I think that this is sufficient enough... Gotta run.

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog

Outside Reading

“It’s me again, Hank the Cowdog. I just got some terrible news. There’s been a murder on the ranch. I know I shouldn’t blame myself. I mean, a dog is only a dog. He can’t be everywhere at once. When I took this job as Head of Ranch Security, I knew that I was only flesh and blood, four legs, a tail, a couple of ears, a pretty nice kind of nose that the women really go for, two bushels of hair and another half- bushel of Mexican sandburs.” Erickson, 1

“But what the heck? You can’t be safe and cautious all the time. If you’re too timid in this life, you’ll miss out on all the fun and adventure.” Erickson, p.34

“Funny, how good it felt walking away from everything- the job, the responsibility, the constant worry. When I crossed the road there by the mailbox, I felt free for the first time in years.” Erickson, 59

It’d been a long time since I’d even given a thought to Hank the Cowdog. Now, I never read these books but I do remember that my brother read them. See, these really are books for young boys. Back when I was growing up girls were into books like The Babysitters Club, and other books of that nature….So I guess, I wouldn’t have read these books… I don’t know that for sure but I could be right for all I know.

What I do know is that I liked the book, and the main character, Hank.

He is a good dog who takes his role, as Head of Ranch Security very seriously. It’s kind of like how a CEO takes his/her job seriously. I like that. It’s not often we read books where dogs are portrayed as anything more than pets. When they do take on a human like role, they are different; they are not portrayed as mature fully developed adults. It’s kind of refreshing in a sense, but it’s also refreshing that he still acts like a dog. For instance, in chapter 4 Hank and Drover jump into the back of Loper’s, their owner, truck after he tells them not too. When they get into town they both see another dog, his name is Bruno, in the truck next to them and taunt him by urinating on the truck… This is what I imagine that a dog would do.

However, I didn’t imagine that Hank would abandon his post/position. But, I kind of like it when I’m reading and taken by surprise. I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t like a story to be predictable. If I can predict the ending of the story and know what will happen the story will lose my interest… It was neat reading about how Hank went to live as an outlaw and moreover that he ended up living with coyotes. That’s just not what I expected to happen, therefore, the story kept my interest.

Lastly, I liked the ending. As much as I liked that he was living with coyotes, I was happier that Hank made it back home. In a sense, his little journey was kind of like Irene’s journey. Her thread took her on an adventure and eventually, it led her back home and to her great-great grandmother. I’m sure that she would have liked it the thread led straight back to her great-great grandmother but the story wouldn’t have been as interesting and she wouldn’t have learned as much. I think that Hank grew because he went on a journey of his own. He grew into a more mature dog, and learned that sometimes you need adventure. He took himself too seriously in the beginning. He was better off after having stepped away for awhile.

That about wraps it up for now. I’m spent and tired… Gotta run.

Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and Such

"Shadows on the wall/ Noises down the hall/ Life doesn't frighten me at all." Maya Angelou, 6-7

"Well, son, I'll tell you,/ Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." Langston Hughes,124.

Onwards with the entry:

So, I think it was in my first entry that I mentioned that poetry, and prose as well, can serve as a reflection into the past, kind of a time capsule even. When others open the capsule in the future they will be able to get a glimpse of what life was like in the past. Such is the case with the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and other poetry by African American authors. In reading, this exceptional poetry readers are really able to get an idea about what life was like for African Americans living in the time of the Harlem Renaissance.

For instance, I can really see that in Angelou's poem Life Doesn't Frighten Me, the speaker feels powerful and as if she has control over her life. Formerly, barking dogs were scary, so were the boys who pulled on her hair. Now, these things are not frighetening. And it is in this moment, that the speaker says that she is not frightened that she is most empowered. It is the best moment and the most memorable...

Furthermore, I feel as if the reader is also empowered. It's almost as if Angelou is trying to give strength or courage to the next generation of readers. If anything, I can really guess that life was still very hard for African Americans at this time. When the speaker repeated the mantra " life doesn't frighten me," she seems to be becoming a stronger person.

Langston Hughes poem Mother to Son kind of confirms what I'm talking about. For the speaker, life has obviously not been a cakewalk. It's been hard, but I feel like this mother is better off for having suffered. I just sense that this speaker is a better person for having been through it all... Life hasn't been easy, and that's fine. It kind of helps her and her son even... In struggling she is made a better encourager. She is able to pick up her son when he falls and is able to cheer him on from the sidelines....

So in the end, after having opened the time capsule readers can really see what it was like for poets of the Harlem Renaissance. And I really think that we should count ourselves as lucky for having read these poems.

Alexander's- The Creation

"All things bright and beautiful,/All creautres great and small,/ All things wise and wonderful,/ the Lord God made them All." The Creation, Cecil Alexander

So, we were talking about this poem in class the other day and I rembered that I knew this poem... I was in various choirs growing whether it be in the church or in the community. This song, which I know as All Things Bright and Beautiful , was a song that I sang. I remember liking it, it's a unique song with a good melody.

But, there were a lot of things about this poem that I didn't know...

For instance, at the time I sang this song, I had no idea that it had first been a poem. I guess that makes sense though, songs are essentially poems set to a melody and music. Well, kind of. Another thing I didn't know, was who this song was written by. Honestly, I don't know that I cared. I just sang the song that we were supposed to sing and hoped that it sounded good.

One thing I didn't like...

One thing I don't like is that the poem is so different from the song. As I've said before, I like the song. I'm not so sure that I like the poem as much. It's just that it's not concise. I feel like if it were shorter it might be a better poem.

And that, is the rest of the story... haha. That is it for now; I have to go.

Horton Hears a Who

"A person's a person, no matter how small." Horton Hears a Who

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.” Horton Hears a Who

Last weekend I went and saw the movie version of Horton Hears a Who and so I decided to go ahead a write a post over the movie. In short, the movie is about an elephant who discovers a microscopic universe that lives on a speck of dust. To further complicate things, he is the only one who believes that this little world exists. Throughout the movie the viewers see Horton standing up for himself and what he believes in. In the end, Horton wins and the movie ends happily. The ending it seemes, as well as the book, is suitable for children as everything ends happily ever after. I just can't imagine that this story would be suitable if Horton had been captured and the sour kangaroo had won. It wouldn't have done as well that's for sure. I for one, would have been disappointed...


What strikes me is that, unlike other stories for children it isn't something that people can relate to. This, is what I find to be the attraction. This is what makes the story good. Every once in a while, I think that people need to watch a movie that is different, and something that they don't expect. Or sometimes a person may find that they need an escape and may pick up a book where they are whisked away to an imaginary world where they can talk to sharks or play with bees. While it is good to be able to relate, I think that it may be equally as good to just get away sometimes... And one way of "getting away" is to get captured in a book, or a movie...


Also interesting is that I read that "A person's a person" quote is used among anti-abortionists which seems silly to me. I just don't like that people take something out of context and use the story/quote/idea to suit their needs. A person should come up with their own ideas. Still though, this is really interesting. I'd never thought to associate this movie with the pro-life campaign.

Last thing, I on Saturday morning I think it was, I was watching television and happened upon seeing an interview between CNN, I think it was, and Steve Carell who did the voice of the Whoville mayor. He said that his kids thought that he was pretty cool for taking on this role... In short, I think it's great if people are brought together by reading this work or because of watching the move.


That about wraps it up for now... Gotta run.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Outside Reading

"As far as anyone could tell, Imogene was just jlike the rest of the Herdmans. She never learned anything either, except dirty words and secrets about everybody. Twice a year we had to go to the health room to get weighed and measured, and Imogene always managed to find out exactly what everybody weighed." Robinson, p. 8

"Everyone had been waiting all this time for the Herdmans to do something absolutley unexpected. And sure enough, that was what happened. Imogene Herdman was crying. In the candlelight her face was all shiny with tears and she didn't even bother to wipe them away." Robinson, 77

"As far as I'm concerned, Mary is always going to look a lot like Imogene Herdman- sort of nervous and bewildered, but ready to clobber anyone who laid a hand on her baby. And the Wise Men are always going to be Leroy and his brother, bearing ham." Robinson, p. 80

So, I've read this before, or rather it was read to me... I just got done rereading it and was thinking about how Princess and The Goblin is considered to be a bildungsroman. I also remembered this time when I was in high school and reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. What does this have to do with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?? Well, in reading this book again, I realize that it is a bildungsroman. And it isn't one person who grows up it's everyone.

What that's outrageous, this can't be right...

Well, it seems to me that everyone grows in this book. Rather, by the end of the book the town comes to love and accept the Herdman family. At the beginning everyone loathes them. And you can understand why... They are... nosy, rude, they scare people. They just aren't the type of people you'd want to associate with. Then, the book takes an unexpected turn and the Herdmans go to church and decide to take part in the pageant. It ends up going really well, for both the audience and the Herdmans. In the end, everyone says that it really is the best pageant ever. It's different, and memorable and something everyone of the fictional characters will remember forever. But how do they grow?? I think one thing that people are, and I hate this, is judgemental. By the end, they have learned that the Herdman family isn't as bad as they once made them out to be.

Then we get to talking about Imogene...

In the beginning she is kind of a monster of a child. She was intrusive, and nosy. She was a person everyone feared. When she decides to take on the role of Mary she changes, just a little. But, the change is quite remarkable. She learns that she can be calm, and maybe even sweet. She cares enough to listen when she hears the story of Jesus birth. She also cares about Jesus the infant, she cares about his well-being. She learns to hate Herod, and wants to know more about what happened to him. Then the day of the pageant rolls around and its amazing. Imogene cries. She is filled with the spirit of Christmas. Her brothers offer their ham, that was donated to them by the church, as an offering to the "baby Jesus." When the play is over, they all seemed to have grown as a result of being in the play.

Now for the narrator, I think that she grows up too. Just a little but as it is with Imogene, the change is significant. Like the others in the town, she loathes the Herdman family. Since Imogene is in the same grade as she is, she loathes her most. By the end, she grows to admire her and even respect her. She says that when she thinks about it she will always picture Mary as Imogene. That rather touching... Moreover, the conflict is resolved. It doesn't seem as if people fear Imogene anyomore, not even the narrator. No they are fine, and maybe even decent.

Well, I think that's it for now. Just wanted to write... Later.

I Will Go Sailing No More

"Out among the stars I sail

Way beyond the moon

In my silver ship I sail

A dream that ended too soon

Now I know exactly who I am

And what I'm here for

And I will go sailing no more

All the things I thought I'd be

All the brave things I'd done

Vanished like a snowflake

With the rising of the sun

Never more to sail my ship

Where no man has gone before

And I will go sailing no more

No it can't be true

I could fly if I wanted to

Like a bird in the sky

I believe I can fly

Why I'd fly

Clearly I will go sailing, no more." I Will Go Sailing No More, Randy Newman.

Disappointment. Disbelief. Shame. These are things this song deals with. These are the emotions that Buzz Lightyear is filled with as he realizes that Woody was right. He is a toy, he can't fly. In diselief, he tries to forget what he was told and attempts to fly out of a window. Sadly he fails and is broken. This seals the deal, it affirms the truth that he is a toy.

What does this have to do with anything? How does it relate to children, and children's literature?? Well, it is or rather was a very popular movie when I was younger. But what I think is interesting is that deals with issues that children deal with... What it does differently however, is it presents the story from a doll's/toy's point of view. All children grow up and eventually grow up, and leave toys behind. We often think nothing of it, why should we?? It wasn't until I watched Toy Story 2 that I thought about this. In the second movie Annie, a toy cowgirl sings tells the story of her life through song. She was once owned and loved. Then the girl, Annie, grew up and got rid of her. She was deeply saddened and very hurt at being forsaken by somebody she had loved...

Secondly, all children are disappointed at one point or another. Sometimes this disappointment deals with falls... What I mean is that sometimes children dreams are improbable and impractical. I think the movie The Kid sums it up well. While having coffee, the older Russ Duritz talks with an acquaintance who speaks eloquently and really sums it up well... Who of us grow up to be the ballerinas, or firefighters we thought we'd be when we got older?? Not many... This isn't to say that children shouldn't dream. They should, children should dream and believe in themselves. But, realisitcally speaking the change, stuff happens and along the way we grow up. We are disappointed in ourselves, in others, in the choices we make while growing up. When we are "Up" or grown, we look back and remember the time when we imagined what we would be like when we got older. In a sense this is disappointing as we're not the people who hoped that we would become.

That's what this song, and movie for that matter have to do with children and by way of children children's literature. Now then, I'm spent and tired from travelling. Gotta run.

Irene The Humble Princess

" To Irene the summer was as full of pleasure as ever, and for a long time, although she often thought of her grandmother during the day, and often dreamed about her at night, she did not see her. The kids and the flowers were as much her delight as ever, and she made as much friendship with the miners' children she met on the mountain as Lootie would permit; but Lootie had very foolish notions concerning the dignity of a princess, not understanding that the truest princess is just the one who loves all her brothers and sisters best, and is most able to do them good by being humble towards them." George MacDonald, The Princess and The Goblin, p.199

"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.'" Mark 10:13-15

Just as the disciples discourage the children from seeing Jesus, so too does Lootie discourage Curdie and others from associating with Irene. It seems an imporant connection to make, being that this is supposed to be a spiritual bildungsroman. But what strikes me is that it seems as if it is Lootie who is the one that needs to grow up a little. Irene, though young is on the right track. This would makes sense though. In the metaphorical sense, Irene who is a princess is related to the Jesus. She is a daughter of the king.

Therefore, she would be humble...

She knows that she is a princess but that she is no better than anyone else. So, she finds adventure in rescuing Curdie and obeying her grandmother. Lootie or the others would never find such adventure, and happiness because they do not have "spiritual eyes" or rather it seems if everyone else lacks faith. Also, she finds adventure in simply associating with others her own age even if they aren't on the same level as her.

Lastly...

Irene thinks about her grandmother a lot... If her grandmother is a symbol for Jesus or an angel then this is refreshing as well. I am glad to read a book where the character is fixated on something, or someone good as opposed to reading about a character who has an unhealthy fixation on something or someone who bring the character harm. I guess this just goes to show that 1. Mac Donald did a good job in writing this work and 2. Jesus really is the answer...

I think that's it for now. I just wanted to write... Later.

More On The Light In The Attic in The Princess and The Goblin

"The great-great grandmother in The Princess and The Goblin […] is a face of God, welcoming, loving and motherly. She baptizes Irene in a bath of stars, reveals herself at will, and guides children where they need to go. Linked with the moon, she is the poetic, mystic, hidden face of God—a motherly nurse and not a power- wielding triumphant king. She is the left hand, as the Father is the right." William Raeper, George Mc Donald

"I think what first attracted me to George MacDonald was his blend of pagan and Christian mysteries in a single figure. […] I shall call her goddess, for I believe that MacDonald found her among the goddess served by […] pagan priestesses […] As Irene, she is one of the three goddesses of Greek mythology who control the seasons…" Nancy Willard, "The Light in the Belfrey: Grandmothers and Wise Women in George MacDonald's Books for Children

First off, I just have to say that I am glad that I was right. I'm glad that I was because I would have felt kind of silly/stupid for assuming that "Queen Irene" is a symbol for an angel or even God. But now, as I read and reread these quotes I feel it bold and inappropriate to even liken the great-great grandmother to God, as in Jesus Christ. I don't know why I feel that way, I really can't explain. I guess it's because I have been raised in a Christian home and taught to love and fear God above all others and above all other things. Therefore, likening someone to God would mean that someone else, a human or a character in a novel is on the same level as God or is close to being on the same level. It just feels wrong to me.

But…

If I'm just reading it and I say hey it's just a book and you should just remember that it is a book and nothing more than perhaps I can understand why Mac Donald might use the techniques he does. I'm not saying that we shouldn't read critically but one should not be offended. I am not offended just a little taken aback. But what's interesting to point out is that others, Willard, basically calls the Great- Great Grandmother a pagan. But she also calls this character a Christian. Simply put, the two ideas seem a bit conflicting. I know that Mac Donald probably did this because he himself was a Christian mystic but the idea of blending the Christian and the mystic just seems wrong. Maybe that's because we don't know many "Christian mystics." If I'm correct, which I may not be, there were more sects/denominations, if you will, under Christianity in the time in which Mac Donald lived… I know that there were some people with some pretty interesting beliefs who had really taken the Christian faith and changed it somehow… For instance, Milton, John Milton who wrote Paradise Lost, was an Arian. If I'm remembering correctly, this means that he did not believe in the godhead or The Trinity. Instead, he believed that the Father, the Son and The Holy Ghost were three separate beings. Mac Donald had different beliefs but what I'm really trying to get across is that people had different ideas on Jesus Christ/God back in the era in which Mac Donald lived. At least I think. I could be wrong and that would be kind of embarrassing since I'm writing a post over all of this. It seems to me, that, today in the present era, there are still lots of denominations but that within the Judeo-Christian tradition people believe more or less the same thing. I am not including Mormons here. But, that's another story and not really the focus of my installment.

Wrapping it up…

I used these quotes because well- I could write about them but because I think they were rather interesting. For interesting, Raeper calls great-great grandmother Irene "loving" and "motherly." I agree with that, but I still feel like she's a bit creepy. On the other hand, I feel like she's a good character and cares for her great-great granddaughter more than anyone else does. So, I guess I'm a little confused on the great-great grandmother and her position in the story. If anything else, after reading this I do agree with what I've said in previous posts… When readers write they should remember to look at the time in which the story was written and look at it from that point of view. For instance one might ask him or herself- What does this story tell us about the Christians who lived in Mac Donald's era/time?

So, that about wraps it up for now. My brain is fried…