Old Karamazov Readings

So I have had lapse or two in regards to keeping up with my Karamazov blogs. In fact, this is the first one, so I will start on book two.

When Muisov, Fyodor, Ivan, Alyosha, and Zosima gather in the church to discuss matters, we see a great contrast of characters. Fyodor is making a fool of himself with what he is saying, which makes Ivan very embarrassed. Muisov, already irritated that Fyodor dragged him to a church when he knows full well that he (Muisov) is an atheist, is further angered by Fyodor. Zosima, however, is not bothered at all by his behavior. In fact, when Zosima comments on Fyodor and how he is essentially lying to himself, and how one cannot love mankind before he is himself trustworthy and trusts others, we see exactly how much of a contrast there is between this holy man and the others. Muisov is plagued by anger, Fyodor is basically the antithesis of the holy man, and even Alyosha's faults come through when he shows embarrassment at not only his family but also at the fact that the little girl Lise pointed out that he no longer visits her, even though they were once schoolmates.

The scene with the women only amplifies this contrast, as Zosima tells even a murderer that her crimes will be forgiven if she only repents. This chapter, I believe, is probably the greatest one in this book when it comes to defining who the characters are and where their allegiances lie.

Later, when Dmitri arrives, we encounter the love triangle between the Karamazovs. As they are arguing about the courts and separation of church and state, Fyodor starts prodding Dmitri about how he has left his fiancee for a woman named Grushenka. Dmitri then angrily points out that he is only talking about this because Fyodor has tried to steal Grushenka multiple times from Dmitri, and then we realize that Ivan is trying to take Dmitri's fiancee. Fyodor then leaves the room, and only comes back to unleash a tirade about the stupidity of monastic life and to tell Alyosha to come home. Zosima, in a strange turn of events, kneels down before Dmitri, as a sign that he can see that this argument between the family members can and will end with bloodshed, and he wants to acknowledge that fact now. The chapter ends with Zosima telling Alyosha that he should leave the monastery, and Alyosha's conversation with Rakitin.

Antigone

Antigone is a great tale about the daughter of Oedipus and her desire to bury her dead brother. The story is a great tragedy in the classical sense. Most people think that a tragedy is when a story involves the untimely death of the main character. In times of classical Greece, the definition of a tragedy is as such:

A great person (supposedly greater than the audience would have been), through a great fault - whether it be the excessive pride of hubris or otherwise - causes his or her own downfall, and this downfall is an unavoidable one.

Now knowing the definition, we now can examine whether this story fits the classical definition.

The daughter of a king, currently the actual queen of Thebes, is indeed of a greater social stature than most Greeks at the time. She does indeed cause her own downfall, and her great character flaw is the unbreakable stubbornness seen in not only her, but also Oedipus (remember how steadfast he was in denying the facts that showed he killed his father and married his mother), and even Laius (in the attempt of denying Delphic prophecy, which is actually the word of Apollo himself). This is probably one of the best examples of tragedy in Greek literature, and it is a fitting sequel to Oedipus Tyrannus and Oedipus at Colonus.

One thing that stuck with me in this play was how vividly Antigone remembered Polynices' act of kindness, which eventually became the reason that she was so headstrong in her resolve to bury him. Apparently, he was the only sibling that was ever nice to her, which is tragic in itself. The most striking thing about this play was the resemblance to Romeo and Juliet. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would think that the play about the two lovers was in fact based on either the ending of this play... or the other Greek myth about the two lovers that have to speak through a hole in the wall and then they mistime some things and.. both die yeah I can't remember the name of that one. So yeah.

The Tragic Sense Of Life

It is fairly difficult for me to think in the tragic sense of life, as I have been very fortunate in my life. I have had close breaks that have turned out in my favor so many times that I am almost sure that a saint is looking after me. However, I believe anyone can do this, since as a race we tend to focus on the negative rather than the positive, because we believe the positive is the intended status quo and how things should be at all times, so we are interrupted by the negative that breaks this balance and causes us to focus on it.

Tragically, the human race is a race of idiots, corrupt politicians, ignorant fools, and otherwise evil persons. There are people that murder dozens, hundreds, and even millions on a whim or sometimes for no reason at all. We are the only race of mammals that, instead of creating a natural balance with our surroundings and environment, destroy everything we see and every place we inhabit. In this sense, humans are a virus, a stain on this planet that will most likely be its destruction. The vast majority of the population of this planet is so ridiculously stupid that it has been shown a majority of middle school children cannot find their own state on a map of the United States. This, I believe, is the greatest crime a human being can commit - not rape or murder, but being so ignorant and stupid that they do not even realize how ignorant they are. And many of these people think that they know everything! The tragic truth is, their greatest and most heroic moment in life will be the one they spend just before they die and realize how pathetic and worthless their vile existence has been, and how much better everyone around them will be once they pass. That helpless moment, and their inevitable death, eventually puts out one more ignorant fool, which is a good start. The even more tragic truth is that the few real, interesting, and worthy people that have lived on this planet die much too early, and all we are left after their death is this crowd of stupid, brainless, immoral mass of sheep and cattle we otherwise call people. You know if you are one of them, or one of the truly special people that others around you will be happy they knew in their lives.

There, I tried my best at being dark and tragic. Pretty good, right?

Is it better to travel to places or read about them?

Before I start this post, we need to remember those 1968 lyrics by Marvin Gaye - "Ain't nothing like the real thing".

This holds true in my opinion. Reading about a culture or place is good because you are enlightened about the world. But do you really experience the culture? Does the ink on the pages really let you see, hear, smell, breathe in the sights and sounds of the place it is describing? I do not think that it does, and to find this out all one needs to do is read about my corner of the world, southeastern Alaska. In fact, read all the books, newspaper articles, online travel blogs, or any other media about the area and think of how it made you feel. And then go here. It truly is nothing like the books, and on the chance that you get here when the sun comes out, you will see the rays of the sun penetrate the air and it will be unlike anything you will ever see. The snow-capped mountains will contrast with the overlying dense forests, and you will see the ocean connect the many islands. The thick, salty coastal air will fill your lungs and you will feel a sense of calmness about you. Even as I write this description down I know that those of you reading will never truly understand what I mean until you come and see it for real.

And while you should read about a particular area to know about the factual information of the place, there really ain't nothing like the real thing.

My Sonnet

What cruel and vile lady I know of
Her games I've never seen before I knew
What could be called a passion or just love
I know it all too well although I'm new

On every night that I get home I feel
The aches and pains of her affection, though
I think about her touch at every meal
And cannot wait to get back to her, no!

I must resist, I think - as I lie down
to sleep, the next day thoughts of this are gone
And I can't wait to be back at her gown
Enduring pain with pleasure, am I wrong?

With night, again, I ponder - who is this -
This mistress I call boxing really is?

My Infinite Found Poetry

In the South Hedges, there is an emergency evacuations sheet on every door with directions on where to go in case you-know-what hits the fan. It is these directions which provided me with inspiration for my found poetry. The directions were followed - I have picked words that were not of a literary nature and I have not added any words - only rearranged them. This is how it turned out:

Do not use doors!
Evacuate immediately to storage
As indicated, when alarm sounds
By way of the main lobby doors

Notice something strange at the end of the poem? The directions contradict the instructions at the beginning. This is my infinite poem, because once you reach the end, you go back to the beginning. Infinite Poetry is now a trademark - I want 10% every time you use it.

Sonnets and Rap Music

Reader Warning: This post is long, but it is in-depth and proves something that people have denied for many years. Read on to find out what I am talking about.

When I was reading definitions and examples of sonnets (incidentally the word sonnet is derived from an Italian word meaning "little song") I was mildly surprised at the length - 14 lines. I had previously thought that sonnets were of haiku size. Then it got me thinking, and I went off on one of my crazy tangents of thought that has no logical connection to anything. This time, however, it has a logical connection.

Is rap considered poetic? What, by definition, is poetry? I had to scour the internet for a proper definition, and the one I found most fitting is this:

Definition: Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response.

By this definition (and many others) rap would indeed be poetry. Let me clarify what rap I am talking about. I'm not talking about crappy top 40 dance music like little wayne and soulja boy (notice how I didn't capitalize those). I am talking about true rappers, guys that made real music that has a meaning and expresses thought. I am talking about rappers like Blue Scholars, Jurassic 5, Immortal Technique, Dr. Dre, among others. Now that we have this minor detail ironed out, lets take a look at an example of a sonnet by John Milton, one of the most renowned poets in literary history:

On His Blindness.

"When I consider how my light is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,

And that one talent which is death to hide

Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide,

"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"

I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need

Either man's work or his own gifts: who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed

And post o'er land and ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and wait."

This is a poem that describes many abstract emotions, concepts, and beliefs. It can mean many different things to different people, it all matters how you read and how you relate. As stated before, rap doesn't have to suck. It doesn't have to be about big-assed black women, gold chains, spinning rims, and other shows of stupidity and wasteful uses of money. Personally, I have listened to rap since I was about 10, and my favorite rap group is Jurassic 5. They are a chill group that doesn't focus on the money or the fame. Their lyrics and flow is unmatched and their message is that of going back to the roots, being real, and unity. This is a clip from one of their songs called "What's Golden":

Check it out now...
I work the pen to make the ink transform
On any particular surface the pen lands on
Zaakir is hands on, what's the beef?
The Cooley High cold chief high post techniques
I drape off poetic landscapes and shapes
Illustrate the paper space off the pens that paint
Then design what have a National Geographic a magic
With tailor-made status and plus flavor that's automatic

The title "What's Golden" is a play on words because it focuses on the artistic side of rap music (which is what they consider golden) rather than the gold jewelry those kids that call themselves rappers wear. This part of the song is where Zaakir explains that his craft is that of taking emotions, landscapes, and the visual arts and attempting to express them through his songwriting. If that's not poetry then I don't know what poetry is. Need more proof? Here's a clip from their song "High Fidelity":

My words have been connected to the poets of old
The way I utilize the pen and turn ink to gold
Keep it overly creative
Innovator of soul
Now check the flavor from the fader
Which my DJ holds

Argument over. Rap is definitely poetry, and anyone who denies this listens to the wrong kind of rap.