Situational Irony

     Jane Austen uses situational irony at this point.  You would expect that Mr. Darcy would be cold and aloof and surprises us all when he visits Elizabeth while she is alone in the house and suddenly asks her, "You cannot have a right to such very strong local attachment. You cannot have been always at Longbourn." And all the more surprisingly is that after that he withdrew a little and was back to his usual silence.
     Shortly afterwords, Elizabeth met Colonel Fitzwilliam while walking and learns that Mr. Darcy "...congratulated himself on having lately saved a friend   from the inconveniences of a most imprudent marriage...". She becomes angry and immediately goes to her room and thinks of what she knows. She begins too search her sisters' letters and finds a want of happiness in them. As she was doing so, Mr.  Darcy walks in. He begins to sit and then starts pacing the room. Elizabeth is surprised, but remains silent. Below is the movie clip of what happened next:

      This is an example of situational irony because you never would have suspected that he would feel love for her. Still, you can see that he has a lot of pride, which just lost him a bride.

Introduction of Miss De Bourgh

     A Miss De Bourgh is introduced as a sickly girl with "neither figure nor face" who was "pale and sickly" and she rarely spoke, unlike her mother who spoke nearly constantly.
     Also, Mr. Darcy was expected for a course of weeks. He brought with him  Colonel Fitzwilliam, a cousin of his, who, although plain looking, was obviously a gentleman. Austen, at this point says that he had "the readiness and ease of a well-bred man, and talked very pleasantly".  Lady Catherine's character is again demonstrated when she breaks into a conversation of Colonel Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth by saying,
      "What is it you are saying, Fitzwilliam? What is it you are talking of? What are you telling Miss Bennett? Let me hear what it is." 
     This again shows how 'ill-bred' Lady Catherine is. Later on, Miss Elizabeth plays the piano in a separate room and Colonel sits beside her and Mr. Darcy stands listening. When Elizabeth and the gentlemen begin conversing, there is a more comfortable tone then when Elizabeth had before spoken with Mr. Darcy. This is an example of overshadowing.

new method

       The theme of this story seems to be of a 'middle-upper class' family and their life and romances. At this point, Elizabeth visits Jane where she is in London and then goes on to Hunsford. I have already described the characters of many of the Bennetts, and some others, but I have not describes Mr. Collins thoroughly. Mr. Collins was by no means sensible. He had great humility, but that was "counteracted by him having the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement, and the consequential feelings of early and unexpected propriety." He was "a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility."The conflict is that Charlotte is married to Mr. Collins, who had formerly asked Elizabeth who utterly refused because of the character of Mr. Collins, so she did not understand why Charlotte had accepted him.

   obsequiousness-

        characterized by or showing servile compliance or deference; fawning 

        servilely compliant or deferential 

        obedient; dutiful

       Jane Austen is very good at describing emotions. For example, when Elizabeth was nearing Hunsford, Her company, and herself, Austen said  "every eye was in search of the Parsonage, and every turn expected to bring it to view..." . She also uses a great deal of irony. For example, it is very ironic that after Elizabeth absolutely refuses Mr. Collins, her best friend accepts him without knowing anything about him. Austen used a simile  to describe Maria Lucases apprehension by referring to the knighthood of her father. "such formidable accounts of her Ladyship, and her manner of living, quite frightened Maria Lucas, who had been little used to company, and she looked forward to her introduction at Rosings, with as much apprehension as her father had done to his presentation at St. James's." Lady Catherine is an interesting character who never let people forget their rank. She spoke with authority and was quite impertinent. She said and asked whatever she wished. All in all, she was very prideful. Jane Austen's art in describing her characters enriches the book and makes it easy to see the image she wants you to see.

FYI

    From now on, I am going to point out the literary elements instead of summarizing it.
Thanks for your support! :)

10/2

Miss Bingley sent a letter to Jane and made it final that her party would not return. Lizzie did not believe that their hinting towards never returning to Hertfordshire quite without base and meant to reduce all hope that Jane might have carried on about her relationship with Mr. Bingley, but Jane believed that Miss Bingley was only trying to be kind and considerate.Hope was as much gone for their potential marriage as was Mr. Bingley gone from Hertfordshire. Though Elizabeth tried to comfort Jane, it was in vain, for Jane had resigned herself to life without Mr. Bingley. During this time, Mr. Bingley asks Elizabeth whether she had her sights set on Mr. Whickham, to which she said "a less agreeable man would satisfy me. We must not all expect Jane's good fortune." Mr. Collins had to leave on Saturday, but was not so sad as you would think, for he had Charlotte and their being wedded together to look forward to. Mr. Gardiner, the brother of  Mrs. Bennett, visited Longbourn with his family for Christmas. Mr. Gardiner was known to be very refined, and was well educated and very gentleman-like. Mrs. Gardiner was amiable, intelligent, and elegant. As soon as the Gardiners' arrived, Mrs. Gardiner distributed presents and then spoke with the two eldest Bennetts about their current life. When Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth were alone, Mrs. Gardiner asked if it would be well to take Jane back with them to London, and Elizabeth instantly agreed it would be for the best. During a party when Mrs. Gardiner met Mr. Wickham. She enjoyed speaking with Mr. Whickham because they had both been raised very much in the same place. They pleased each other with their limited recollection of the place and were quite entertained by each other. The day afterwards, however, Mrs. Gardiner cautioned Elizabeth on using her better judgement if she was to continue her relationship. Elizabeth responded that she was not in love with him and it would be better for him if he wasn't in love with her, but if they did fall in love she would not discourage it. Later in the week, Mr. Collins returned and he and the Lucases prepared for the wedding of him and Charlotte. One evening, the soon-to-be-newlyweds visited Longbourn and Elizabeth and Charlotte spoke together. During their conversation, Elizabeth promised to visit Charlotte at Hunsford. They arranged for her to leave with Charlotte's father and her sister. Mr.Collins and Charlotte were married and were sent off to Kent. Elizabeth kept up correspondence with Charlotte, but it was more because of what used to be than what was. Jane writes and tells Elizabeth that she had visited Caroline and Mrs. Hurst, although they seemed 'out of temper'. After three weeks, They returned the visit and showed obvious distaste. They made it clear that the relationship was over, on which Jane said she did not suffer from. Later that week, Mrs. Gardiner inquired over Mr. Whickham and Elizabeth reported that he was engaged to a young woman in possession of 10,000 pounds.

9/4 part 2

     The next day, Mr. Collins makes an offer of marriage to Elizabeth. As he was proposing, Elizabeth forestalled him, telling him that she did not accept and that he should go no further. Mr. Collins refused to believe this, and said that it was the custom of 'elegant women' to refuse the first or even the second time to keep the suitor in sorrow and suspense. At this Elizabeth took leave of the room. Mrs. Bennett entered immediately afterwards to compliment them on their success. When she realized that Elizabeth had refused, she immediately ran to Mr. Bennett as Elizabeth had done to get his help. As this was occurring, Mr. Collins began to think he would rather not marry  her, as she had refused him. This made Mrs. Bennett very worried.  Mr. Bennett stated, meanwhile, that he simply would not tolerate her marrying him. This made Mrs. Bennett very upset, and she implored them all to change their minds. She was destined to fail at this however. After this occurrence, Mr. Collins became acquainted with with Charlotte and began to 'love' her. In the course of three days, he had proposed to her and she had accepted him.He left the day after the arrangement. Meanwhile, Jane receives a letter from Miss Bingley saying that their party, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, M. Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Mr. Darcy, had left to London and were not expecting to come back until after the winter. Elizabeth did not believe it. It also said that Mr. Bingley was expected to soon join in matrimony with miss Darcy, which Elizabeth thought was equally preposterous.

This is where the first volume of the book has left us.

9/4 part 1

     When Elizabeth entered the ballroom at Netherfield, she quickly gathered that Mr. Wickham was not present. She soon discovered that he had used his business to cover for his absence and suspected that he did not want to be in the house Darcy occupied.  During the ball, as she was talking to Charlotte, her dear friend, when Mr. Darcy asked for her hand. To flustered to refuse, she was forced to accept. As they were dancing, Elizabeth commented about the dance. Mr. Darcy did not oblige her in conversation. Elizabeth stated that one should speak  a little while dancing.  Elizabeth began trying to ascertain Mr. Darcy's character, at which he quickly began to admonish, saying he was not in the position for such an examination.  When Elizabeth nears the subject of Mr. Wickham, Mr Darcy becomes, in a small way, short-tempered. As Elizabeth inquired of Wickham, she could find nothing of great importance to find fault with. Mr. Collins introduces himself to Mr. Darcy, who is welcomed with surprise and wonder, which Mr. Collins seemed to have missed altogether. At dinner, Mrs.Bennett spoke obnoxiously loud about marrying off Jane to Mr. Bingley. In vain Elizabeth attempted to quiet her. Soon after this embarrassing speech(for Mr. Darcy was surely listening in), Mary sang and played, and was no delight for the listeners. After this embarrassing display, while Mary was preparing to play more, Mr. Bennett  breached etiquette and told her to " Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit". As this all occurred at Netherfield, it was with a quite ashamed attitude that Elizabeth left for home.

summary 8/28

     The Bennett girls and Mr. Collins travel to town and have dinner with their aunt.  Elizabeth is delighted by Mr. Wickham, and soon learns that Mr. Darcy had denied him the occupation that the late Mr. Darcy had promised him. Elizabeth learns that Mr. Darcy loves his sister, and that it is arranged that he would wed with Miss de Bourgh, a sickly girl who never got out. When Elizabeth told Jane of her story from Mr. Wickham, and Jane declared that they were both mistaken (meaning the two gentlemen), and that that was the only explanation for it(Jane always looked for the good in people, and did not allow for them to appear in any way bad).

sumary-8/20

Mr. Darcy writes a letter to Miss Darcy; Miss Bingley pays much attention to him.   Then, everyone present (Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley, Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Hurst, and Miss Bennett) began to argue over whether Mr. Bingley would comply with a friend rather than follow his original plans, and whether this was favorable or not.   Then, they discussed having a ball at Netherfield, after which Elizabeth 'teased' him, and found no fault she could laugh at.  Soon enough, Elizabeth and Jane left for home, at which their father was very glad about.   Mr. Collins, (a clergyman as well as the man the house would be entailed to when Mr. Bennett died), visited, and was determined to be "a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance, and humility." The Miss Bennetts were introduced to a Mr. Wickham who was to join the corps, and were very impressed by him.   As they were conversing, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy came up on horseback, and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham exchange very strangely, which Elizabeth catches, and doesn't understand. They go to Mrs. Philips, (their aunt) house and listen to gossip.   Then they go home and Mr. Collins talks highly of her.

summary of yesterday's reading

     Yesterday, I read fifteen pages of Pride and Prejudice.  I will briefly summarize it and try to highlight all the happenings. It began with the Bennett's visiting those at Netherfield. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley expressed a want to get to know the two eldest sisters, but wanted nothing to do with the others.  Charlotte Lucas provided her idea of showing more affection than the person feels so as to be 'secure of him' ('him' being the man you want to secure).  Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are moved upon to dance together by Sir Lucas, and although Mr. Darcy is not altogether resistant, Elizabeth backs down.  Jane is invited to Netherfield for tea, and is sent on horseback. Mrs. Bennett is delighted because it is raining and Jane will have to stay at Netherfield until it stops.  Jane becomes sick and has to stay at Netherfield, and Elizabeth walks there (a distance of three miles) and asks to see Jane. Elizabeth stays with Jane, and when the rest of the Bennett's visited (all except for Mr. Bennett), Mrs. Bennett said that Jane could not be moved.  After that was established, Mr. Bingley promises Kitty and Lydia that they could pick the day of the ball after Jane got better.

response to kgb's last post

     I can see what you mean. Instead of copying it exactly, I added comas. Instead, it should have been ,"...a single man (I put an extra comma here) in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of (I put in search of)a wife." In this instance, 'in want of ' means 'in need'. As for your example of 'Larry grew up in want', meant something he needed was missing. In other words, 'Larry grew up without (a mother, father, home, ect.) Other meanings of this word are- longing for a certain something that you don't necessarily need. One other example is to require.
     As for an example of 'showing', she uses that technique in the very beginning, showing that Mr. Bennett enjoys teasing Mrs. Bennett. Another instance is when Mrs. Bennett gets angry and is sick of Mr. Bingley because Mr. Bennett did not seem to have called on him,but when he finally said he had, she gushed that she knew he would call on Mr. Bingley, and that it was a very good joke. This shows that she is very silly and pretends when she feels so for fretting about nothing.
    Austen shows a sense of hypocrisy in the scene of the ball when the ladies, who had been very impressed with Mr. Darcy (undoubtedly because of his very large fortune), learned  that he had a tremendous amount of pride that reversed their good opinion of him to that of disgust. This showed that the foremost important thing to look for is fortune and then character.

Very good analysis of Austen's character introductions. A couple of follow-up items:

• You mis-quoted the initial sentence. Is there a difference in meaning between Austen's phrase and yours? What does "in want of" mean here? What does "want" mean in the sentence, "Larry grew up in want"? What other meanings does "want" have?
• See if you can find instances where Austen illustrates character by showing rather than telling.
• Example of what I'm talking about (not from Austen, from my head): "For ten minutes, Ralph attempted to thread the hook so he could cast his line" rather than "Even though Ralph could not see well, he was very patient."
• See if you can find instances where Austen shows a character's hypocrisy.
• Another example from my head: "Mrs. Jones declared the importance of humility, and modestly offered herself as model."
• Mom says you're spending 2-3 hours each day on these assignments, thinking you have to finish one each day. That's probably OK on days you're not doing Geometry, especially since you're waiting for the Biology text. Guidelines:
• You should not feel obligated to complete an assignment each day.
• I would aim for an average of 1 1/2 hours per day for both the reading and the report. You can split the two: reading one day and report the next (but you should at least make notes so you don't have to re-read everything to write the report).
• For a college student, I would expect you to summarize 10-30 pages of nonfiction (history, philosophy, etc.) twice a week (two summaries covering 20-60 pages each week). Fiction usually goes faster. If you move at this speed today, that's fine, but don't worry about it.
• If I do not give a specific assignment, follow this guide for fiction like Pride and Prejudice:
• Give a very short summary of what happened in your reading (this is not a book report; I just want to know what part of the story you're in and, if I've not read it, a brief summary of the major action). Two or three sentences should cover it.
• Before your read, review the list of literary elements here, and look for examples in your reading. It's a long list, and all will not be present, but looking for new ones can make your reading more interesting.
• Identify one or two literary elements you recognize in the reading you are summarizing. Give your opinion on whether these are effectively used.
• Repeat the vocabulary exercises. Keep trying to use vocabulary words from prior assignments in your current summaries.

First post for Pride and Predjudice

In relevance to Jane Austen's characters, she is very thorough. She reveals on the first few pages the characters of Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. To describe her, I will quote the book. "She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news."

For Mr. Bennett, she said, that he was "so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humor, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character." Later on, we learn from reading that he enjoys teasing his wife, but could not stand any description of finery.

Also, a universally known 'truth' to the surrounding neighborhood was that "a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in search of a wife." This shows a characterization of the people of the neighborhood.

To describe Lizzie, or Elizabeth, I would say, with Austen's help, that she "has more of a quickness than her sisters." Indeed, because her sisters were all "silly and ignorant like other girls".

For Mrs. Long we can guess her as being kind, seeing as how she promised the Bennett girls that she would introduce them to Mr. Bingley.

Sir Lucas is a proud man who is still agreeable, and his wife, Lady Lucas, is said to be,"a very good kind of woman". Their eldest daughter, Charlotte, is called, "a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, and Elizabeth's intimate friend."

As Austen explaines, " Between him[Mr. Bingley] and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of a great opposition of character.—Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy's regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his judgment the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was continually giving offence."

This explains all the characters introduced up to this point.

Confucious essay

As you may know, I have begun reading The Sayings of Confucius.  Yesterday I posted a short summary of what I read, some key points, and what the authors' key point was.  Today I will review what I read and give examples of additional points the author was making, discuss if the author used any literary elements,and then add my own thoughts on the book I have chosen.

     The selection I have been reading has been very mumbo-jumbo.  It appears to have no real order to it and the individual quotes that you read don't seem to make any sense.  As I continued reading the selection, it appeared that it was a collection of impressions, sayings, and quotes, which was not organized at all.  For example, certain quotes were grouped together under Roman Numerals, but they seemed to have been chosen randomly because they had no order whatsoever. As the book did not seem have a process, the best I can tell you is that the work is very laborious and practically impossible to fathom.  Trying to pick out what the author is saying is very hard . Still, I believe that Confucius pieced together a theology for himself and others to follow.  In this book, the authors' points seem vague, if not non-existent.   Every phrase is a disembodied thought that needs a great amount of time and energy to distinguish the meaning.  I suppose his 'point' is to create a theology that he believes in.  I also believe that he wanted others to know the teachings of himself and the traditions of ancient China.


     The theme of my chosen work that I have selected is a high moral standard, along with traditional teachings.  The author, it seems, agrees with the standard, and teaches just as the traditions of China do.   To make this clearer I will say that there are not characters so much as ideas of the same core combined to make a theology.  The finished product seems to have become the theology for many Chinese.  In relation to statements, there is more of a mutual agreement.  Knowing this, you could work through the selection of Literature.  Before I knew this, my attitude towards it was that of a lost reader, not being able to discern anything at all. . In this instance, I would say  that it would only be readable and enjoyable if you were disposed to spend hours contemplating the work.  As for the conflict, the only one I have seen so far would be that of the people speaking the dialogues in the book.  Theologies  took the place of characters.  They  taught you to live your life the best you can.  They (the theologies) did not fear anything because they were ideas and not persons. Because of this, I feel like they are to be respected, even if you don't believe in what they teach.  Symbolism has been used, at a certain extent, with gentlemen, love, and ladies. Again, there is no setting because there are no characters. The style of the text is an arrangement of quotes or conversations that are placed in numerical order. The tone seems to be a religious tone in respects that it is taking a moral and methodical approach.  There are some similes and metaphors  in the selection, but not many.  One example is a theology provided by a great philosopher. It reads: “One thread runs through all my teaching.”
This means that all his teachings had a single base, or foundation.

      My own thought on this book are mixed. I believe that this book is a great work to meditate on, but it would not be the right material to use for my Literary Explorations class. The book I need is a book that has all the Literary Elements in it and that I will be able to understand. Also, if I didn't have to meditate the meaning of every word it would help. As it was, I could not understand what it was saying, and I couldn't piece it together.  I believe that to do well on this course, I will need to begin another book and use it instead.  This book is not suited for my needs. 

     After reading a part of this book, I have come to the conclusion that I need to redirect and do this course with another book.  My attitude is that of a reader who would not be interested in this type of study. I can't see what the author is trying to tell me, and his points seem vague.  Though it is a book, it does not have everything it needs to have to meet with the criteria of the course.  In this instance, I would say  that it would only be usable if I was disposed to spend hours contemplating the work.All in all, this book will not be the right material for this class.
 CRB

 Links I used:
http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm

Assignment for New Book

I understand you've chosen Pride and Prejudice to read next. Pay careful attention to characterization and irony. Jane Austen is known for painting with words a picture of the characters she writes about, often about the character of the characters. Every time the author reveals something about one of her characters, make note of the passage. After ten pages, write a blog post quoting and discussing examples you have identified.

As you may know, I have begun reading The Sayings of Confucius.  Yesterday I posted a short summary of what I read, some key points, and what the authors key point was.  Today I will review what I read and give examples of additional points the author was making, discuss if the author used any literary elements,and then add my own thoughts on the book I have chosen.

     The selection I have been reading has been very mambo-jumbo.  It appears to have no real order to it and the individual quotes that you read don't seem to make any sense.  As I continued reading the selection, it appeared that it was a collection of impressions, sayings, and quotes, which was not organized at all.  For example, certain quotes were grouped together under Roman Numerals, they seemed to have been chosen randomly, having no order whatsoever.  LAST SENTENCE MISSING WORDS AND/OR NEEDS BETTER PUNCTUATION FOR CLARITY. As the book did not have any process, the best I can tell you is that the work is very laborious and practically impossible to understand at all.  Knowing what the author is trying to point out is hard to pick out . Still, I believe that Confucius pieced together a theology for himself and others to follow.  In this book, the authors points seem vague, if not non-existent.   Every phrase is a disembodied thought that needs a great amount of time and energy to be able to distinguish the meaning.  I suppose his 'point' is to create a theology that he believes in.  I also believe that he wanted others to know the teachings of himself and the traditions of ancient china.


     The theme of my chosen work that I have selected is that of a high moral standard, along with traditional teachings.  The author, it seems, is agreed with the standard, and teaches just as the traditions of China do.   To make this clearer I will say that there are not characters so much as ideas of the same core combined to make a theology.  The finishing product seems to have become the theology for many Chinese.  In relation to statements, there is more of a mutual agreement.  Knowing this, you could work through the selection of Literature.  Before I knew this, my attitude towards it was that of a lost reader, not being able to understand anything at all. DON'T UNDERSTAND LAST THREE SENTENCES. In this instance, I would say  that it would only be readable and enjoyable if you were disposed to spend hours contemplating the work.  As for the conflict, the only one I have seen so far would be that of the people speaking the dialogues in the book.  The characters were theologies that taught you to   living your life the best you can be.  They did not fear anything because they were ideas and not persons. Because of this, I feel like they are to be respected, even if you don't believe in what they teach.  Symbolism has been used, at a certain extent, with gentlemen, love, and ladies. Again, there is no setting because there are no characters. The style of the text is an arrangement of quotes or conversations that are placed in numerical order. The tone seems to be that of a religious tone in respects that it is taking a moral and methodical approach to the words. There are some similes and metaphors  in the selection, but not many. EXAMPLE, PLEASE.

      My own thought on this book are mixed. I believe that this book is a great work to meditate on, but it would not be the right material to use for my Literary Exp;orations class. The book I need is a book that has all the Literary Elements in it and that I will be able to understand. Also, it might help if it had less of a methodical  base to it. As it was, I could not understand what it was saying, and I couldn't piece it together.  I believe that to do well on this course, I will need to begin another book and use it instead.  This book is not suited for my needs. 

     After reading a part of this book, I have come to the conclusion that I need to redirect and do this course with another book.  My attitude is that of a reader who would not be interested in this type of study. I can't see what the author is trying to tell me, and his points seem vague.  Though it is a book, it does not have everything it needs to have to meet with the criteria of the course.  In this instance, I would say  that it would only be usable if I was disposed to spend hours contemplating the work.All in all, this book will not be the right material for this class.
 CRB

 Links I used:
http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall97/11kshinn.htm

completion of my second assingment. (needs to be reveiwed by myself )

     As you may know, I have begun reading The Sayings of Confucius. Yesterday I posted a short summary of what I read, some key points, and what the authors key point was.  Today I will review what I read, including today's assigned portion,  give examples of other points the author was making, discuss if and what elements the author used concerning the literary elements, and my own thoughts on the book.

     The selection I have been reading has been very mambo-jumbo.It appears to have no real order to it and the individual quotes that you read don't seem to make any sense. As I continued reading the selection, it appeared that they were a collection of thoughts, quotes, impressions, and sayings that were not organized at all. For example, though certain quotes were grouped together under Roman Numerals,they seemed to have been chosen randomly, having no organization whatsoever. As the book did not have any process, the best thing I can do for an overview  is tell you all the information I just went over as well as say that it is very laborious and almost impossible to understand at all. It's hard to know what point the author was trying to say.

   In this book, the authors points seem vague, if not non-existent. There are disembodied phrases over and over that need a great amount of thought process to be able to distinguish the meaning. I suppose his 'point' was that pondering will bring answers that you would not usually get. I believe, additionally, that he wanted others to know the great teachings of the great meditators and prophets.

     The theme of the work that I have selected is that of a high moral standard. The author, it seems, is agreed with the standard, and teaches just as the others do. To make this clearer I will say that there are not characters so much as authors of the same mind combining their work under one name.The finishing product seems to have become a kind of 'gospel' for the Confucians. There is not so much of a 'statement' as there is a seemingly mutual agreement. This makes the work seem totally and utterly un-decernable(?). Hence, my attitude towards it is that of a lost reader, not able to understand practically at all. In this instance, I would say  that it would only be readable and enjoyable if you were disposed to spend hours contemplating the work. Thus, my attitude is that of a reader who would not be interested in this type of study. As for the conflict, the only one I have seen so far would be that of the great philosophers quoted in the book disagreeing with each other. The characters, were all great philosophers who believed in living your life the best he could be. They feared the effect of not doing what they believed. They conduct themselves as gentlemen who only speak of what they had strong beliefs about. Because of this, I feel like they are to be respected, even if you don't believe in what they believe in. Symbolism has been used, at a certain extent, with gentlemen, love, and ladies. The setting seems to be a conversation on the street of in a private place. It is hard to tell as the author does not give a setting. My conclusion would be that the setting is in a great many places, and the author recorded the words and placed them in a single book. The style of the text is an arrangement of quotes or conversations that are placed in numerical order. The tone seems to be that of a religious tone in respects that it is taking a moral and methodical approach to the words. There are some similes and metaphors  in the selection, but not many.

      My own thought on this book are mixed. I believe that this book is a great work to meditate on, but it would not be the right material to use for my Literary Exp;orations class. The book I need is a book that has all the Literary Elements in it and that I will be able to understand and not such a methodical base to it.  I could not understand what it was saying, and I couldn't piece it together.I believe that to do well on this course, I will need to begin another book and use it. This book is not suited for my needs. 

     After reading a part of this book, I have come to the conclusion that I need to redirect and do this course with another book. I can't see what the author is trying to tell me, and his points seem vague. Though it is a book., it does not have everything it needs to have to meet with the criteria of the course. All in all, this book is not suited for my needs.

Second Literature Assignment for CRB

Briefly review the initial reading you did yesterday, then continue reading another ten pages. Write a one or two page summary of what you read. You should not summarize every thought covered in the material, but the summary should include at least:

• an overview
• two to three examples of the author's points;
• a discussion of literary elements used in your reading (see below);
• a sentence or two summarizing your own reflections on what you read; and
• your thoughts on whether you would enjoy completing this book.

Literary Elements

Look at the list of literary elements here. (Not all of these are common in every type of literature.) Identify one or two literary elements you recognize in the reading you are summarizing. Give your opinion on whether these are effectively used.

How to Write

Although this is a summary and not a full-fledged term paper, use introductions, paragraphs, and transitions. Write it for someone who has no idea what your assignment was or what you read. Assume you are telling a friend what you learned in school today, and that you just naturally discuss everything in the assignment.

At the end of the summary, repeat the vocabulary exercise you did with yesterday's reading (new words, examples of use, and definitions with links). See if you can work any of yesterday's new words into today's writing assignment (bold them so I can tell).

completion of my assignment

The title of the work I chose was: The Sayings of Confucious. Here is the hyperlink.  http://www.bartleby.com/44/1/4.html 

  I was drawn to this work because I wanted to know what a confucianist believes. In addition, I thought I should start with something intellectual. The article I read gave background and explained the work.It was shorter than what I was working for, but most of the choices were not what I was looking for. Here is the link.http://mmdelrosario.hubpages.com/hub/sayings-of-confucius

Words I was not familiar with:
potentates-In spite of almost miraculous efficiency, he lost the support of his ruler in 496 B. C.; and until his death in 478 B. C., he wandered from state to state, sometimes well-treated, sometimes enduring severe hardships, always saddened by the refusal of the turbulent potentates to be guided by his beneficent counsels.
definition:
a person who possesses great power, as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist

cult- Sacrifices were offered to him, temples built in his honor, and a cult established which has lasted almost two thousand years.
definition:
a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist
metaphysics-He dealt with neither theology nor metaphysics, but with moral and political conduct.
 definition:

the underlying theoretical principles of a subject or field of inquiry.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist

dullard-“If I talk all day to Hui, like a dullard, he never stops me.
  definition:

a stupid, insensitive person.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist

rue-See much, beware of pitfalls, and always give heed to thy walk; thou wilt have little to rue.
  definition:
 to feel sorrow over; repent of; regret bitterlyhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist
 dight’-

‘Her

cunning smiles,

Her dimples light,

Her lovely eyes,

So clear and bright,

The ground, not yet

With colours dight'

 definition:
 to adorn or equip, as for battlehttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Confucianist

I learned that the son is only dutiful if he devotes three of his hours to his parents. I also learned that  to rule is to teach the truth.
 That's all!

First Literature Assignment for CRB

CRB, your first literature assignment is (1) to choose one work from the Harvard Classics (not from the Shelf of Fiction which appears on the same page) which will both inform and interest you; (2) scan or search the Lectures to see if there is a lecture about your chosen work, or find an encyclopedia or other article about the work, to provide context for it; (3) read the equivalent of the first five printed pages from your work; and (4) report in a blog post of your own:

• The title and author of your chosen work;
• Provide a hyperlink link to the work;
• Write a short (2-3 sentences) explanation of why you were drawn to this work;
• Identify and link to the lecture or article about your work;
• Write a short (2-3 sentences) explanation of what you learned about the context for this work;
• Identify each word that was not familiar to you; include a copy of the sentence in which it appears; and provide a definition for the word with a link to its source;
• Based on your initial reading (yes, it's early), does it look like this work will be what you expected?

Dad