Letters and Journal Entries on the Position of Women

I find it really strange how women should act, and then there is something that me to believe that there was a lot of different views of women. In Queen Victoria's "Letters and Journal Entries on the Position of Women," she states, Since it has pleased Providence to place me in this station, I shall do m utmost to fulfil my duty towards m country; I am very young and perhaps in many, though not in all things, inexperienced, but I am sure, that very few have more real good will and more real desire to do what is fi and right than I have" (576). I find that it is kind of strange that if the Victorians had such a bad view of women, why would they allow women to become the leader of their country. Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth were some of the country of Englands greatest leaders so how could it be that the whole country had such a distorted view of women. This is not to say that all men viewed women as servants, but it seemed to be the general concensus for the most part. In this quote from Victoria, she has determination and desire to achieve and do what is best for the country that has put faith in her ability to lead. The view of women in this society is one of the strangest ways that women have been treated that I have ever read about.

We are Seven

There is something that is interesting in the way that children see the world. Many times they see things with a different perspective because of their simple nature. In William Wordsworth's poem "We are Seven," he states, ""But they are dead; those two are dead! Their spirits are in heaven!" 'Twas throwing words away; for still The little Maid would have her will, And said, "Nay, we are seven!"" (201). In this poem, the little girl keeps telling the narrorator that there seven of them, her brothers and sisters, even through two of them are dead. The child acknowledges that they are dead, however unlike most people, she does not seem to consider them not in the group of children. She thinks of them as a brother or a sisteror a sister even though they are no longer in this world. I think that this is very interesting because it is funny how people say we will never forget the ones we lost, but the narrorator does not consider them to be one of her sibilings. However, she does not forget that they are her sibilings just like the ones that are alive. Although we do say that we will never forget the people that we know that will die, it seems that life becomes so busy that many of us do not consider them as still being apart of our world. However, this child seems to actually treat them like any person would like to be treated and keep their memory going on for a long time.

Pied Beauty

I know that I am just as guilty as the next person when it comes to seeing the beauty that is all around us in nature. In Gerald Manley Hopkins poem "Pied Beauty," he states, "Glory be to God for dappled things-- For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim; Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches wings; Landscape plotted and pieced--fold, fallow, and plough; And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim" (775). This poem in general is talking about the beauty of God's creation. What I find interesting about this quotation that I have presented is that Hopkins is able to describe the colors of nature in such detail and in a way that is extremely creative. I have several writings where the writer is trying to describe nature or even an typical day, and I believe that Hopkins way of doing it is probably one of the best that I read. As I read this passage, I seemed to be taken to the many different places and seeing the different things that Hopkins is describing. This is probably driven from the love of nature that seemed to be disappearing before everyone's eyes as it is today. Most of his poems seem to be religious in context which is a lot different then many of them that have been read so far in this class. It is one thing to try to describe nature. It is another to help the reader see it.

Mariana

In Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem "Mariana," the despair that is conveyed to the reader is overwhelming. He states, "The Sparrow's chirrup on the roof, The slow clock ticking, and the sound Which to the wooing wind aloof The poplar made, did all confound Her sense; but most she loathed the hour When the thick-moted sunbeam lay Athwart the chambers, and the day Was sloping toward his western bower. Then, said she, "I am ver dreary, He will not come," she said; She wept, "I am aweary, aweary, Oh God, that I were dead!"" (588). Mariana is extremely upset because she realizes that her love is not going to come to her no matter what happens. With all the things that Tennyson describes that are going on around her, she is realizing more and more that he is never coming. The depression that is felt leads her to believe that because of her broken heart, she wishes that she was no longer alive. The end kind of leaves the reader with questions in their mind about what the outcome is for Mariana. Does she go on in her misery? Does she never get over it? It seems that the end brings one to believe that she will die in misery. She kept to her house all the time shutting off the world. This seems to happen when people lose people that they love, but Mariana is in an extreme case. Maybe Tennnyson is trying to make people realize that being depressed is not the answer to the problems of life.

Vitai Lampada

In Sir Henry Newbolt poem "Vitai Lampada," he discusses something that interested me because I guess that I did not think that it affected schools to much during the Victorian era. He states, "And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat, Or the selfish hope of a season's fame, But his Captain's hand on his shoulder smote-- "Play up! play up! and play the game!"" (582). Sportsmanship is something that every learns when they are young playing competitive sports or just watching them. This poem seems to speak on this subject. It shows how playing for the team affects his attitude about the challenges that are faced later in life. Newbolt states, "The river of death has brimmed his banks, And England's far, and Honour a name, But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks: "Play up! play up! and play the game!"" (583). This shows that the lessons that were learned about sportsmanship have made them not concerned with themselves, but to the team that they are involved with. I think that many of the professional athletes of our day need to learn a lesson from this poem. It is not just the professional athletes that have this problem. I have heard people say that college sports are so much better than professional sports because they play for the team and not the money. It is hard for me to believe this when many of them leave college early to go to the professional leagues. Realizing that it takes more than yourself is a very important lesson that comes from this poem, and that is what I believe Newbolt is trying to say.

The Eolian Harp

There are many things that people take for granted in life. Many times we are so caught up in our daily routine that we fail to appreciate all of the things that are around us. In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Eolian Harp," I believe that he is trying to emphasize that he is a victim of this just as much as the next person. He states, "The Incomprehensible! save when with awe I praise him, and with Faith that inly feels; Who with his saving mercies healed me, A sinful and most miserable man, Wildered and dark, and gave me to possess Peace, and this cot, and the, heart honoured Maid! (326). This quote shows that is thankful for the things that he has in his life. Throughout the poem, he seems to be brought to a realization how he does not appreciate nature and everything that comes along with it. The thanking of God and his mercy at the end of this poem I think brings about a comparison that Coleridge is trying to get at in this work. He describes God's mercy for him, but I think that this could be viewed as possibly sybolizing the fogiveness nature has for the people who fail to fully appreciate the beauty that she has to offer. Although this view probably seems like a far reach, the comparison of nature then the discussion of God have brought me to this conclusion.

The Chimney Sweeper

William Blake is probably one of my favorite writers that we have read so far for this course. The poem, of his, that seemed to catch my attention the most would have to be the "Chimney Sweeper" on page 89 of our text. In this poem, he states, "And because I am happy & dance & sing, They think they have done me no injury; And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King, Who make up a heaven of our misery" (89). This passage for the "Chimney Sweeper" is a really ironic one. The little boys seem to be happy that their child is able to work to make some money for them because they are probably poor. However, as they are giving praise for the fact that there child is able to provide a little income, they do not realize the affect of their child being around all of the hazardous material that is involved with sweeping chimneys. This reminds me of another time in histor when people where working in hazardous condition in order to have a little extra money to help their families have what they needed. This reminds me of the coal miners that worked in hazardous conditions for a long time up until around the middle of the 20th century. Like the little child in Blake's poem, these people had work and were happy for it, yet they did not realize the effects that working in the conditions that they worked in would cause such damages to their health. I think that these two examples show the extreme lengths that people will go through in order to try to provide for the ones that they love. I believe that Blake was trying to point out the hazards and damages that were being caused from the Industrial Revolution. The poor were taken in advantage of in so many ways that they seemed to be treated worse than people who commit crimes in the present day.

William Butler Yeats

While reading the section on William Butler Yates, I found something interesting the writing entitled "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." He states, "I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core" (1117). This passage is interesting to me because I believe that this passage is talking about how strongly Yates felt for the country as opposed to the town. He moved a lot as a child but felt most comfortable in the rural part of his country of Ireland. I can relate to this because when I was younger, I moved more times then I can probably count. My dad was in the military so staying in one spot was not an option in most situations. However, like William Yates, there was always on place that always stuck out in my mind as a place that I wanted to always go back too. Being bounced around is pretty hard on somebody to have a somewhat normal life. I believe that the thought of a place that Yates would like to be at helped him adjust to the living conditions that he considered less farvorable at the time. However, if he would not have had this type of upbringing, he would not have wrote some of the works that he did. It seems that even though there are many things that we dislike in life, the experiences that we gain can prove to be extremely valuable to us later on in life.

Captains of Industry

In Thomas Carlyle's "Captains of Industry," it is easy to see that he does not like the way that industrialization has changed the way that business is done and would like to see it changed (483). He states, "To be a noble Master, among noble Workers, will again be the first ambition withe some few; to be a rich Master only the second. How the Inventive Genius of England, with the whirr of its bobbins and billy-rollers shoved somewhat into the backgrounds of of the brain, will contrive and devise, not cheaper produce exclusively, but fairer distribution of the produce at its present cheapness!" (483). It seems like Carlyle is disappointed in the way that Industrialization has changed how business acts and treats its workers. The mistreatment of workers was wide spread during this time. He, like many other writers of this period, did not like all the changes that were taken place in England. I believe that his hope was to open the eyes of the people who were more concerned with making a dollar to the realization that nothing could be achieved without workers. Although there was probably not much change that was felt write away from this writing, I believe that it was one of the first steps toward the steps that it took to get workers the rights they deserved.

On the Western Circuit

In Thomas Hardy's "On the Western Circuit," he states, "She did not know that before his eyes he beheld as it were a galley, in which he, the fastidious urban, was chained to work for the remainder of his life, with her, the unlettered peasant, chained to his side" (9). In this writing, Raye is finding out that the person, Anna, whom he has just married, is not the person who he has communicated with over the last several months. It turned out that this was not the case. The quote that struck me as kind of interesting was the one that describes how he felt when he realized that the women he was with was not educated like he thought. This is quite different from the way that Sarah Stickney Ellis described the duties of women in her writing "The Women of England: Their Social Duties and Domestic Habits." She states, "There is but a very small proportion of the daughters of farmers, manufacturers, and tradespeople, in England, who are ever called upon for their Latin, their Italian, or even for their French; but all women in this sphere of life are liable to be called upon to visit and care for the sick;" (559). It seems that maybe the view toward the education of women had changed in society from the Victorian to the Modern period. A Victorian man would probably not have been upset if his wife could not write intelligently, but was more concerned with someone who is like a maid. This seems to show the slow change in societies view of women.

The Wife of Asdrubal

In Felicia Hemans "Tales, and Historic Scenes, in Verse" the peom "The Wife of Asdrubal," she states, "Bright in her hand the lifted dagger gleams, Swift from her children's hearts the life-blood streams; With frantic laugh she clasps them to the breast. Whose woes and passions soon shall be at rest; Lifts one appealing, frenzied glance on high, Then deep midst rolling flames is lost to mortal eye (408)." This passage is describing a mother killing her children on a burning roof because her husband surrendered to the enemy to save his life and doom everybody else. This peom is very interesting because of some of the events that happened in Hemans' life. Her husband left her to go to Italy, and her dad left her mother to go to Canada (405). I find this interesting because maybe this is a poem that describes her feelings toward her husband and fater. The fact that the mother took the life of her children could be a example of what a single mother will do to make sure that her children never suffer. Being a single mother cannot be simple especially back in a time when women did not have nearly as many rights as women do now. Although her mother and her were able to care for their children as single mothers, she at some point or another appears to have become frustrated with the way that they most important men in her and her children's lives seem to abandon them. Because of this, this poem seems to be a symbol of her never ending desire to do what ever is necessary for her children without having to depend on their father kind of the way her mother did.

The Darkling Thrush

In Thomas Hardy's poem "The Darkling Thrush," there is something that is interesting about the song of the bird in the background that is presented by Hardy. He states, "So little cause for carolings Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around, That I could think there trembled through His happy good-night air Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew And I was unaware (1075)." I believe the point that Hardy is making this poem is that though there may be certain events going on in life that make it hard or depressing. There is always something that everyone should be thankful for. I believe that this writting is trying to point out that life is something that we should be thankful for. Many of the things that people becom concerned about are temporary like the weather in the poem. When things are not going our way in life, I believe that many people become so caught up in the problems that they are having that they forget to be thankful for the things they have instead of the little things that should only be a slight bump in the road. Although it seems to be human nature to act in this way, if people did not worry so much about these things they would always have something to look forward to even though things are not going their way.

On Liberty

In John Stuart Mill's writing "On Liberty," he discusses the need for everybody to have an opinion even if the opinion goes against the widely help opinion of everybody else. He states, "But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it (515)." In this quote, Mill is showing the importance that everyone's opinion should be heard. I agree with this because imagine the things that we as people could be without if we had not listened to the opinions of the people who brought these ideas forward. The fact that people do not speak up is because some are afraid that they will be ridiculed for what they believe so this could lead to the problem Mill makes mention of in the writing. People learn from others and benefit from hearing all different points of view on a subject. They are able to fully understand everything they will need to know about something. Mill also mentions this. That is why it is important for society to not restrict the speech that everyone is entitled too because if they do it could be more harmful to everybody then having the person speaking their mind.

The Idea of a University

While reading Victorian Ladies and Gentlemen, I noticed something that was pretty interesting. In the opening lines of John Henry Cardinal Newman's work "The Idea of a University," he states, " Hence it is that it is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain. This description is both refined and, as far as it goes, accurate (563)." The real interesting thing that comes to mind whenever I read this is how this definition of a gentleman seems to conflict with some of the views on how women were treated by men during the Victorian period. Although Newman seems to be descibing the way men acted in this period, I believe that that society's perception of how women should act and be treated gave men the ability to treat women the way that they did and still be able to be viewed as gentlemen. However, it seems to contradict the definition that Newman presents in the opening sentences. Although I do believe that men were part of the problem towards women, I believe that society created the bigger problem which led to this treatment of women.

The Decay of Lying

In Oscar Wilde's "The Decay of Lying," he states, "The ancient historians gave us delightful fiction in the form of fact; the modern novelist presents us with dull facts under the guise of fiction (833-834)." This to me was an interesting statement by Wilde. He seems to be criticizing many of the ficticious poems that were being created in his day. I believe what Wilde is really trying to come to is that many of the ficticious writers of his day were not using their imaginations in order to tell a ficticious story. I also gathered from reading further in the story that is seems like the present writers were learning about the issue that they were trying to present. However, I believe he thinks they are boring because they just present the facts, and they fail to use their imagination in presenting the facts like the "ancient historians" used to do. The lack of imagination could be Wilde trying to critise the way that everything in England had changed since the Industrialization. He may have felt the change has taken something away from the writers of the day. Maybe he felt like the writers were trying to please the public instead of making the ficticious novels what he felt they should be.

A Letter to the Queen

In Caroline Norton's writing "A Letter to the Queen," she is pointing out, like Elizabeth Barrett Brown, the injustice from the lack of rights women had during this period. However, she seems different than many of the women who were trying to voice their opinion against the injustice that faced women. She had a first hand account about how awful women were treated back during this time because according to the text, she was married to a "Brutal man." In the writing, she states, "An English wife may not leave her husband's house. Not only can he sue her for 'restitution of conjugal rights', but he has a right to enter the house of any friend or relation with whom she may take refuge, and who may "harbour her,"--as it is termed,--and carry her away by force, with or without the aid of the police (565)." This passage from Caroline Norton's writing goes to show that women just did not feel like they were trapped by their duties as a women, but many of them were either in situations or could become in situations to which there was no place for them to go that was safe. Marriage had to be more like being a prisoner for women during this time, but prisoners probably received better treatment.

Aurora Leigh

On page 540 of our text, Elizabeth Barrett Browning states, "She lived A sort of cage-bird life, born in a cage, Accounting that to leap from perch to perch Was act and joy enough for any bird. Dear heaven, how silly are the things that live In thickets, and eat berries! (540)." This is Browning's way of pointing out how woman had a life that was confined and was limited to the duties that a woman was expected to carry out. In these days, there was not much opportunity for women to expand there horizons or do things that they would want to pursue. Browning is a big oponent of society's view of women, and many of her writings focus on the evils that are prevalent in society. It is an injustice that women faced without any means of stopping it. The cage is society's hold on the life of all women, and no matter how bad the woman may want to be free, she has to constantly do what is expected of her in order to a part of anything at all. She can never escape her entrapped nature no matter what happens. This is the evil that Browning wants society to do away with.

Address to a Child

In Dorthy Wordsworth poem "Address to a Child," there something that is interesting in the way that she describes the wind. There is great detail in the discription of it. It almost feels like you are traveling over the landscape on the wind as you read it. I think that there maybe something more that can be taken from this work. I believe that she maybe talking about how things in her society were changing during this time. Many people where moving to the cities from the country. Industrialization was causing the landscape of the country to change. Railroads where moving through the land, and cities were expanding at an unpresidented pace. I want to talke about the last two lines of the poem which state "Let him seek his own home wherever it be Here's a coz warm house for Edward and me (292)." I think that this may have been her way of saying that even though everything is changing, the change will not affect her or the way that she thinks. I believe that in describing the way that the wind changes the landscape is representative of industrialization. Her refusal to open the door for wind is her refusal to accept the changes that were going on around her so she will never be accepting of what she will view as something unacceptable.

The Great Towns

I would like to comment on a passage from Friedrich Engels’ “The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844" on page 502 by stating “The more Londoners are packed into a tiny space, the more repulsive and disgraceful becomes the brutal indifference with which ignore neighbours and selfishly concentrate upon their private affairs (502).” It does seem that this statement and the rest of the paragraph that follow it have several good points. During the time that this was written, many people where moving from the country to the city to find work. There is more money that can be made by people when they are in the city because of the opportunities that are available. Because of such the widespread move of people from the rural areas to the city, I believe that Engels is pointing out how this has affected the ways of old. Since people came to the city for financial reasons, they would not be allowed to focus on other people’s need because if they did, they would be the ones struggling. I do not think that Engels meant that people did not care about other people with this passage, but I believe he was trying to show what happens when everybody is trying to do better for themselves so only focuses on that. This subject is relevant today because the same is happening. When I moved from a rural area to a bigger city, I noticed how nobody really spoke or seemed to acknowledge that other people existed. People change based on the environment that they are in, and this is one way in which they are doing this. I believe that people viewed this point of view as evil because people seemed detached from everybody else. However, I do not believe that this is necessarily a bad thing. I believe that it is just another way that shows that people are very adaptive to every situation and act differently in different environments.

Newgate

The most interesting reading that I have read so far in this class has to be "A Visit to Newgate." In this writing, the reader seems to me to be transfered to the prison. The way that the narrator tells the story makes the images seem real to the reader. This writing seems to be kind of depressing to the reader. However, the way that it is written helped me feel like I was interested in something that I will probably never experience. It brings the reader to the harsh relization about what prison life was like. The way Dickens describes in such detail the daily activities of the prison is quite amazing. Although the subject is depressing, I think it helps us realize that even though we think we are having a bad time, we do not go to sleep knowing that this time will be our last time resting on earth. We at least have a false sense of security about tomorrow. I do not think that Dickens wrote this to make the reader feel depressed, but instead, to make the reader realize that every freedom that we have should not be taken for granted but should fully be taken advantage of. I think that it was written in a time that people were getting comfortable with their way of life, and this writting was meant to help people realize that even though they were properous, there were other people who were ending up in a place because of the gap between the people who were wealthy and poor. This seems to me to be pointing out the large gap between the rich and the poor that was developing during England at this time. I really enjoyed this reading and believe that there is much to be learned from it.