Women and Writing

Have you any notion of how many books are written about women in the course of one year? Have you any notion how many are written by me? I think what Virginia Woolf was trying to do by raising these questions has to do with the relationship between women and fiction. So the author of this essay “A room of one´s own” clearly states that conditions for writing are not the same for women and men equally.

Virginia gives examples that point out the few female writers that can have an important role in social status. This arbitrary situation is explained because of the lack of space that women are to face. This limitation is seen as physically as metaphorically. Physically, this is to say, to have space where you can spend some quality time thinking, reflecting and writing uninterruptedly. Metaphorically, a room in society; where your opinion can be taken into account and valued.

I think that Virginia is seeking to highlight that knowledge has to be available for everyone, not just for men or women. That is why she provides examples that help us to visualize situations where is evidently seen this injustice. As the fact that women are not a priority in terms of education and how complicated is for women to walk in a library. All this deals with gender issues; issues that still have a shadow in our society. This type of discrimination lays on archaic wrong conceptions that we need to avoid.

Oliver Twist

Childhood is very important for everyone; even though during the nineteenth century this value wasn´t very relevant. Watching Oliver Twist makes me think about the role of children in our society. I know that we are supposed to live in a developed society but some issues are sort of timeless. I mean timeless because they are still affecting us directly. Oliver Twist goes through a lot and nobody seems to really care about it. That reflects that kids are not kids at all. They are seen as well as an adult. Consequently, Oliver has the same obligations that an already grown person has. Making money was a duty for a child an irrevocable duty. I wonder if this means progress; progress for whom?
Not only children suffer because of progress, but also the quality of life of almost everyone, of course with some exemptions. Images from the movie are eloquent enough to tell that opportunities are not the same for everyone.

The Signalman.

The signal man is a short story, it´s not so easy to understand it though. This masterpiece written by Charles Dickens takes place in the nineteenth century where the dawn of a new world was highly expected. Dickens’ life is absolutely present in the entire story so it´s not difficult to realize that it represents the fears, wishes and points of view of the author.
Reading the story makes me reflect on the quality of life that this progress brings to the society. I really can´t seem to understand what is the purpose of spending a whole life just working. When population is growing amazingly fast, as in the story, it is easy to think that the social side of person can be improved with no trouble. However, we can see that more people doesn´t necessarily mean more company. Sometimes it´s the other way around and quantity doesn´t correspond to quality.
This is to say that mechanization is in some way automating our relationships, feelings and reactions. Loneliness is definitely the possible path of this situation. What I like the most of this reading is the teaching of caring about the real important things in life and give them the right priority.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein junior is the creation of a man who is interested in discovering the secrets of heaven and earth, this wasn´t a very encouraging start for this creature. He is brought to life eight feet tall and enormously strong but with the mind of a just born creature. He is sadly left alone and remained to loneliness because his creator is extremely afraid of having creating him.
Frankie has to face real life by surviving as he can, feeling what any human being would feel in such situation. Comparisons are always present in any context and this is not the exception. “ I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers—their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions: but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity”. Knowing the differences you might have with the rest of the “normal” people can help you to improve or inhibit yourself. Not only Frankie wants to integrate himself to society, but also seeks revenge on his creator. This leads him to take justice in his own hands and kill innocent people.
As far as I´m concerned, normality is as subjective as beauty. This means to me that nobody has the right to judge someone by the way she/he looks. On the other hand it´s also important to me to take a look at the internal mirror once and a while and check the way people might be looking at you.

Daffodils and nature

The poem deals with the moments that you have for your own. I got the feeling that those moments of leisure are becoming less and less frequent. William Wordsworth is presenting to us his love to nature, which is highly present in romanticism. You can tell his passion to nature by his repetitive use of words that have to do with nature, such as Milky Way, trees, lake and daffodils themselves.
I had a really great time listening to the poem because I love nature with all my heart and I think it´s essential to take care of it. Nature is so full of colors, colors that make our life livelier than what it is usually. Nonetheless, not only to take care of it, but also to appreciate it daily in every step we take.
When it comes to the stanza “A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company” it is important to bear in mind that natural science has been the inspiration for most f the artists of the last centuries, so in such a joined context loneliness is not present. Inspiration is possible to occur when sensibility and happiness are active in a poet´s mind.

"When I have fears that I may Cease to be".

Fears, fears; what do we understand by fears? My interpretation of fears might not be exact because worries are such personal feelings that it isn’t easy at all to get in to them. Examining the poem I realized that even thought this poem was written so long ago, it can be linked to our reality. Not only fear is present throughout the poem, but also death; which comes together with life. Life and death need each other; I guess Keats isn´t old enough to look back and be please with the life already lived by him. Everyone wants to be remembered and be transcendental, especially for what we do to make a living. Writing can be very appreciated by the world and at the same time it can be forgotten easily. Keats worst fears are the uncertainties that an inexpert young sick man that is seeing his life going away in front of his own eyes. “And when I feel, fair creature of an hour” these words are absolutely representative of feeling as just a minimum irrelevant molecule of this huge speedy world. Romanticism is clearly seen in this poem. God is not an option for the writer, he feels alone and useless.
What I can get from this piece of writing is to live as I were against the clock. It’s essential to leave our past footsteps in the present; to give our best for our wishes.

Kubla Khan

Kubla Khan by Coledridge is a visionary poem which represents perfectly the romantic period. Nothing is too white, nothing is too black. Man´s imagination is as powerful as God´s power. Nature is absolutely predominant in this poem as well as truth, faith, pleasure and imagination. I think Coledridge is a pioneer because he doesn´t write about ordinary topics or irrelevant issues. I guess he goes beyond everybody else during his writing period. His social thought stands for what everyone has ever dream of at least once during our life time. Kubka Khan might be the long expected paradise that is needed to contrast the civilized world where we live in. The green and peaceful piece of land where can be who we truly are, without any prejudices. I feel that this piece of writing has some biblical references; as the image of women, the presence of the snake, and of course the paradise.