Author: Anna Castagnella

America is a Nation of Paradoxes

On By Anna CastagnellaIn American Literature, Summative EntryLeave a comment

Through engaging with diverse variations of American literature, I have gained a deeper knowledge on the historical and cultural context of the United States. This unit has given me profound insight on a number of issues in America, and society in general. The texts studied greatly differ in the sense that the writers’ perspectives and commentary on civilisation are distinctly positive or negative, highlighting that America is a nation of paradoxes. America claims liberation and prides themselves on such ideals, yet through an exploration of literature in this unit, it is unequivocal that many Americans remain oppressed.

In blog 1, I analysed Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Thoreau comments on the passivity of human existence, confronting a society that is concerned with materialistic desires and is indifferent to the true purpose of life. Thoreau goes into the woods to “live deliberately”, separating himself from oppressive civilisation in order to find freedom and a sense of self. This is ironic to me as America speaks of attaining “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (qtd. in unit outline) yet Thoreau felt it was crucial to distance himself from American civilisation in order to fulfil these aspects of his life, highlighting the paradoxical nature of America. Thoreau’s tone is dichotomised by Whitman who I explore in blog 2, using his poem ‘Crossing Brooklyn Ferry’ to inspire my own poem. I had to focus on small details in Whitman’s poetry such as the repetitive exclamations and romanticised language which portray his excitement as he observes the beauty of people and the experience of being in a vibrant city. A similar city to which Thoreau felt the need to separate himself from, elucidating that America is a nation of paradoxes through these two writers whose perceptions on the same society contradict each other.

In blog 3, I examined Du Bois’ statement; “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour-line”. This depicts the oppression felt by many Americans as it refers to the continuous discrimination that African American people encounter, despite being in a country that advocates the belief that “all men are created equal” (qtd. in unit outline). In blog 4 I got creative again, extending on the anger felt by Du Bois, by using William Faulkner’s character Jewel as inspiration for a short story. This blog allowed me to try something that was new to me, which is significant to understanding this unit as many American writers, such as Walt Whitman, broke away from traditional writing styles.

I came to conclude my analysis of American writing in blog 5 with T.S Eliot’s ‘The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock’. Here the city is described as “dull”, and its protagonist is a disconsolate man who is afraid of judgement and feels oppressed by mundane society. He talks about being in a state of emotional paralysis and being disconnected from people. By this point I realised a similar message being made by all these writers on American civilisation being oppressive in some shape or form.

Conclusively, this unit made me realise that America is a nation of paradoxes as it is a country that claims freedom and equality, yet leaves so many people oppressed according to its literature.

Reviewing Claudia’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer Reviews2 Comments

Link to Claudia’s Blog: https://claudiabussier.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/blog-3-2/

Hey Claudia, I chose to read your blog as I immediately recognised the quote in the image you attached and was curious to see another person’s thoughts on T.S Eliot’s work. You have a very clear understanding of what modernism is and have incorporated some very good points about writers in this period and the motivations behind their writing.

You have established an easy-to-read and structured blog by separating your points into different paragraphs which is great. Also, you have answered the question by providing Modernist context so well done!

It would have been great if you analysed a specific modernist piece of writing to amplify your point. You started this in your final paragraph by quoting ‘The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrok’, but a further analysis of this poem or another one of your choice would have been good to read too. Overall I think you did a really good job at this weeks blog 🙂

Australia is NOT a Finished Product

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Australian Literature, Summative Entry1 Comment

This unit has allowed me to deepen my originally very limited knowledge of Australian literature. These blogs encouraged me to analyse a variety of literary forms written throughout Australia’s complex historical and cultural context, thus resulting in a better understanding of my country’s history. In specific, studying the topic ‘Indigenous Australia’ evoked a deep sense of appreciation for Aboriginal literature and sympathy towards their experiences. However, despite my newfound appreciation for Australian literature, reading these works has also awakened me to realise that our country is flawed and essentially, an ‘unfinished product’. We must use past experiences to shape what our national identity will be.

The epiphany that Australia is not a finished product began with my first blog where I explored opaque and transparent poetry through an examination of Lisa Bellear’s ‘Woman of the Dreaming’ and Judith Wright’s ‘Niggers Leap, New England’. Wright draws attention to the exploitation that the Aboriginal people endured, whilst Bellear focuses on the crucial need for Aboriginal people to reclaim their ‘soul’ rather than focusing on their horrendous history. I found both these concepts interesting and applicable to a contemporary society as Wright forces us to acknowledge the problems in Australia’s history, and Bellear allows us to see how we can move forward from this in order to improve and redeem our incomplete country.

In my second blog, I decided to try something different and get creative by experimenting with writing a poetic stanza in the form of Banjo Paterson. I tried to mirror the style Paterson uses in ‘The Man From Snowy River’ through dialogue within the poem and the structure of my stanza. I also noticed how he talks about typically Australian concepts seen through his poem ‘Waltzing Matilda’, subsequently I talked about a personal experience I had hiking through the Australian bush with my cousins. I continued with this experiment in my third blog where I used ekphrastic writing to describe a John Glover painting. Both of these blogs inspired me to be creative and I realised that through writing my own poetry and prose, I was able to interpret these styles easier when doing the unit readings.

My fourth blog was a letter to Patrick White about my thoughts on his short story ‘Down at the Dumps’ which challenged me to be both creative and critical. I thought that his creation of Sarsaparilla incorporated a truthful insight into the state of our country. Characters embodied human tendencies to be shallow and caught up in matters that aren’t of import, such as reputation or materialism. Being caught up in these false ideals is unfortunately common in our society, proving that Australia is not a finished product. Therefore, other characters, like the Whalleys, represent qualities that our society should strive towards such as humility and optimism.

Finally, my fifth blog which I personally consider my best blog, unequivocally highlights the notion that Australia is not a finished product. I drew similarities between Both Eliza Dunlop’s ‘The Aboriginal Mother’ and Judith Wright’s ‘Rockface’ to show the racial differences and segregation that once occurred in our country, and how this is still prevalent despite being to a much lesser extent. I think that we as humans can always find ways to improve, and until we reach this full potential as a unity, Australia will remain an unfinished product.

Overall, Australian culture and identity is still being established. I think that our historical context needs to be recognised and learnt from before we can declare what it means to be Australian. There is no room for cultural segregation in a complete Australia, hence why it is such a prominent issue of concern in Australian literature.

Find similarities between two poems from the topic ‘Indigenous Australia’ and discuss why you think their teachings are still relevant today.

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Australian Literature, Best Blog, Critical Blogs1 Comment

For my last blog I decided to go back to our first topic ‘Indigenous Australia’ and create a question that allowed me to analyse the writing from this time with great depth. Both Eliza Dunlop and Judith Wright wrote poetry that sympathises with the Aboriginal people and advocated their rights, despite being of European descent. I think this is a pivotal detail to note as it amplifies the need to overcome racial differences and support all people which is still a concept that needs further development in our modern society.

Eliza Dunlop’s poem ‘The Aboriginal Mother’ (1838) was written as a protest against the Myall Creek Massacre, thus making Dunlop one of the first Europeans to defend Aboriginal rights and appreciate their culture. This poem is a dramatic monologue of an Aboriginal mother trying to protect her child from the violence that Aboriginal people suffered due to the massacre, evoking an emotive response from readers as maternal instincts transcend cultural differences. This is made evident through, “now, hush thee – or the pale-faced men will hear thy piercing wail, and what would then thy mother’s tears or feeble strength avail!”. The exclamation highlights the persona’s desperation to hide from ‘pale-faced’ English men. Her maternal impulse to protect her child emphasises her humanity in order to condemn the mistreatment of Aboriginal people who are as equally human as white men. Another example of this that really resonated with me is the line “to bring thy people’s murder cry before the Christian’s God”. The religious allusion questions the morality of white people’s actions which do not align with their apparent religious beliefs. This critique of one’s morality is still crucial today as we continue to strive for justice and equality in a damaged society.

Dunlop’s empathy with the experiences of Aboriginal people is mirrored in Wright’s poem ‘Rockace’ through her acclaimed quote; “the mountain has its own meaning”. To me this line means that the mountain, symbolic of Aboriginal culture, obtains a quality that is valuable and should be preserved. This teaching is relevant today as discrimination, although to a lesser extent, still exists. Therefore, we need to allow for all cultures to co-exist, and to respect our differences rather than destroy another’s culture, metaphorically conveyed by Wright saying she does not want to “chisel things into new shapes”.

Overall, these two poets motivated me to seek change in our society that remains flawed. They both use the same context to establish a similar teaching about empathising with others and supporting cultural differences which is a concept that I believe needs to be reinvigorated.

Reviewing Izabela’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Izabela’s Blog: https://bellablogs98.wordpress.com/2018/10/12/week-10-weeping-skies/

First off, great job! I really enjoyed reading your blog this week. You are very creative and it really shows through your poem. I like the way you continuously use highly figurative language throughout your poem, specifically “the sky, weeping in Spring” as it helps to visualise what you are describing, painting a picture for the reader. I thought that your word choices were also really good and added to the poem in a positive way, such as “the bats elbowing their way out of the trickling downpour”, making it unique and enjoyable to read. I don’t think any fixes need to be made, although I would have loved to read even more of this so perhaps working to lengthen your poem? Overall, great blog! 🙂

Reviewing Teneille’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Teneille’s Blog: https://thebestofliterature.art.blog/2019/09/05/the-return-of-the-sun/

First of all, WOW! I really enjoyed reading this poem and I think you did such an amazing job. I love the way you personify nature and refer to the sun as ‘you’, it really amplifies this connection that you have with nature and your love for Summer. Also, great job at embodying typically Dickinson poetic devices and similar structural choices, evident through the length of the poem, constant dashes and highly figurative language. Dickinson’s poems can be quite opaque so I think adding a bit more depth to your poem and making the reader work a little harder to figure out the meaning would make this even better. Overall, I think this is one of your best blogs, and my only advice would be to try and use the same level of creativity throughout your other blogs, and continue to experiment with different literary forms as it makes for a great read!

The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock

On By Anna CastagnellaIn American Literature, Critical Blogs2 Comments

T.S Eliot’s modernist poem ‘The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock’ is set in a dull city, and its protagonist is a disconsolate man who is afraid of living and therefore feels bored within a monotonous society. In ‘The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock’, Eliot insightfully explores how the mundane, ritualistic nature of modern society can leave one in a state of emotional paralysis. This is conveyed through the dramatic monologue of the protagonist Prufrock which directly spoke to me as it epitomised the universal feelings associated with monotonous routine. The romantic imperative gesture “let us go then” is immediately juxtaposed by the immobilising simile “like a patient etherized upon a table,” which to me highlighted the inherent struggle between action and inaction. This stuck with me as I constantly feel like I am going through the motions of life, but not truly being present in the moment. Also, the metaphor “measured out with coffee spoons,” allowed me to understand that the daily rituals of modern society reduces life to a meaningless, mechanical repetition. Therefore, Eliot’s poem resonated with me as it allowed me to comprehend how our mundane society leaves us emotionally stilted.

Eliot also employs his masterful poetic style in Prufrock to express that one’s insecurities and fear of judgement can lead them to a state of isolation and disconnection from others. This is apparent as insecure Prufrock fails to make meaningful connections with those around him. For example, the anaphoric line “the women come and go; talking of Michelangelo,” alludes to a great Italian artist who is known for idealising the male form; its repetition elucidates to me Prufrock’s feelings of ineptitude by subsequent of these ideals. This notion has stuck with me as I questioned how many people, including myself, can fall into the trap of allowing other people to determine our insecurities, leading us to isolate ourselves as a defence mechanism. Eliot further establishes this through the metaphor “chambers of the sea” which amplifies his state of deep depression and isolation that he is drowning in.

Overall, this modernist poem enabled me to comprehend how insecurities can cause one to turn away from the external world as a protective response to the fear of judgement. This poem also stuck with me as it confronted me, a member of society, into realising the ritualistic nature of my life which disallows me from truly living.

One Hundred Years Of No Solitude, The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Reviewing Isabella’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Isabella’s Blog: https://isabelladigi.home.blog/2019/09/13/week-8-blog-4-write-a-letter-to-patrick-white-telling-him-what-you-think-of-any-one-of-the-texts-you-have-read-this-week/

Hey Isabella, great job on this week’s blog! I think you do a really good job at adhering to the structure and components of a letter. I particularly like how you start off by thanking Patrick White, as well as adding in your own thoughts on the text. By doing this, you are showing that you clearly understand the difference between writing a letter as opposed to a formal essay so good job! You evidently have a thorough understanding of the short story and have written a great analysis. My only recommendation would be to add a quote or two from the text itself to accentuate what you are saying. Overall a really good piece of writing and I look forward to reading more from you 🙂

A letter to Patrick White about my thoughts on ‘Down at the Dumps’

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Australian Literature, Creative Blogs1 Comment

Dear Mr White,

I am writing this letter in regards to your short story, ‘Down at the Dumps’, as I have just read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. For this reason I would like to share some of my thoughts on your story.

First of all, I would like to commend you on your ability to create such an insightful piece of writing that is highly truthful and revolutionary. I think that the fictional Sydney suburb of Sarsaparilla is reflective of the mundane and superficial society in this present day and age containing people who are primarily focused on materialistic desires. This is exemplified through the juxtaposition of the characters Meg and Myrtle. For example, when Aunt Daise dies, Meg is in deep despair as opposed to Myrtle who is only concerned with what other people think of her. Myrtle embodies the shallow nature of humanity through her lack of empathy to the situation, but rather a care for reputation and appearance.

In my interpretation of your story, I gathered that there is a strong theme of prejudice and hierarchy between social classes. This is evident through the contrasting families, the Hogbens and the Whalleys. The Hogbens care about looking good to the rest of society, whereas the Whalleys focus on living a life that is exciting and happy. I think that people in a contemporary society can learn from the Whalleys humble outlook on life as this is what truly makes life an “extraordinary” experience.

I’d like to finish by thanking you for writing a short story that allowed me to recognise themes of materialism and prejudice that are not only evident in fiction, but especially in our society. I have realised the essentiality of looking beyond materialistic desires and focusing on appreciating the finer details in life.

Kind Regards,
Anna.

A photo of Patrick White

Reviewing Courtney’s Blog

On By Anna CastagnellaIn Peer ReviewsLeave a comment

Link to Courtney’s Blog: https://courtneyemattick.art.blog/2019/09/02/week-6-art-and-literature/

Hi Courtney, really good job on this week’s blog. I particularly like the way you capture your own personal insights on the painting and reflect on your own opinion. I also like that you attached images of the paintings as it gave a visual representation of what you were talking about, making your blog easy to comprehend. A little bit of feedback; I picked up on a typing error where you said “live without art and literature would be boring” and I think you meant to say “life without art and literature would be boring”? Also, I think adding a little more about the actual paintings themselves and their purpose and context would help to show your understanding of them. Overall, a really good job. I look forward to reading more of your blogs 🙂