Have you ever experienced a predicted dream?

Has anyone ever suggested something abut your future that has actually come true? Did their comments influence you actions and the results that followed?

I’m the kind of person who dreams a lot, but forgets them once I wake up. So I don’t remember any “predicted” dreams that I’ve had. However, I do remember some days when I would realize later (after the predicted event happen) that my dream had predicted some parts of what had happened that day. Because my dreams randomly popped up later on, it didn’t influence my actions to make the dream come true.

Last year, I had to write a “dream journal” for psychology class. In that journal, I had to write down all my dreams for a week. Because I tend to forget my dreams right away, I made myself scribble down everything I remember in my dream as soon as I woke up. In class, we had to analyze theses dreams and predict what there are saying about my life or what’s to happen in my life. So I interpreted all my dreams. Surprisingly, some of the dream interpretations were true and were actually happening in my life during that time. So as a result, somewhat expected the remaining dream interpretations that “didn’t come true” to occur soon. And I think the expectation or interpretations did influence my actions. One of my dreams, according to the journal, was about me having a cooking contest with a world dictator (I know, very werid). This dream interpreted that I was going to be very competitive in some event in my life. Also, it told me that I was very stressed and somewhat too controlling that people are started to hate me. Well during that time, I was very stress and I did (and still do) have a controlling character. Then I realized that my sport games were starting next week (it was during the beginning of a sport season, I don’t remember which one…). Because of this, I thought I would do really well during the games; I got excited. During practice that day, I think I worked really hard. I don’t remember how I did during the games, but I do remember that I believed the dream interpretations and tried to make it come true, just like Macbeth and Lady Macbeth did.

Is there a personal incident in your life you wish could erase?

Envision Lady Macbeth wringing her hands, unable to get the imaginary blood off of them. She is haunted by her participations in the grisly deed. Do you think her response is plausible? Do you think you would be consumed with guilt yourself if you found yourself wrapped up in such a heinous crime?

Yes, definitely. I remember when I was young, I stole something from the store. And I still feel guilty for it. Although it was a very small, I continue to be guilty for my past actions. Of course, there are more deep, personal incidents in my life I want to erase as well. This was just a simple, small incident I am willing to share. There are so many incidents in my life that I regret doing. But they are small compared to what Lady Macbeth experienced and participated in.

Her reponse is definitely plausible, because being involved in a murder crime will haunt a person forever. “Murder” itself has some kind of power over a person; it never washes off. I still feel guilty for all the regretful things I’ve done and they continue to haunt me. I can’t imagine being part of a murder and living life with such a burden. Having participated in a murder is so huge compared to other dark deeds; it is a dark, cruel scene for a person to handle.

If small things like stealing still keeps me guilty, then I think I would have turned out just like Lady Macbeth if I had found myself wrapped up in a heinous crime; it would endlessly come to haunt me. Even if I try to be strong, I would still be full of guilt. Like I have say before, murder has some kind of hidden “power” that can get a person mentally and eventually lead the person into destruction.

What do you think about the character of Macbeth?

Was he a good guy before he met witches or his actions imply that he was always capable of dark deeds? Is he to blame for his actions, or are the witches really to blame?

I believe nobody is really a “good guy”. Everyone is capable of dark deeds; it just depends on what the person decides to do with he or her life. If Macbeth wasn’t capable of dark deeds before meeting the witches, then, first of all, he wouldn’t have been a soldier fighting in the battle fields killings his so-called-enemies because being capable of murdering a person, even if there is an argueable reason to it, shows that there is some darkness in the person. Secondly, if Macbeth really was a “good guy”, then he wouldn’t have been tempted by the witches’ prophesy, not even a little bit; Macbeth wouldn’t have had any greed for the thrown. This greed is just a small factor that exposes Macbeth’s “hidden” capability of dark deeds.

So is Macbeth to be blamed for his actions? Yes and no. I will once again connect this to Christianity. The witches are like Satan. They only give and provide the temptation; they don’t tell or force Macbeth to murder the King; it was his choice to commit the crime, which is what I said yes and no. Both Macbeth and the witches are to be blamed. It was the witches’ prophecy that initiated everything and cause Macbeth to become a murderer. But it was Macbeth who actually made all the events happen; his choices and actions led them to occur- the witches didn’t do anything except tell Macbeth a couple of words.

Do you feel sorry for Lady Macbeth? Why or why not?

Yes. I do feel sorry for Lady Macbeth. The main reason is because she reminds me of Eve (from the Bible). Eve was tempted by Satan to eat from the fruit of good and evil because of her greed of wanting to become “like God”. Not only did she betray God, she nudged Adam along with her by tempting Adam to eat the fruit, even though he didn’t think it was right. This story is very similar to Macbeth in that Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan because of her greed for the thrown, even though Macbeth refused to continue the murder.
Many people blame Eve and Lady Macbeth for “bringing evil to this world” or “all the murders” in the story of Macbeth, but we can’t blame them; they’re humans. Of course, they deserve the blame because it was their choice to cause it; but sometimes greed can take over a person and get things out of control.

Lady Macbeth’s greed for the thrown led her into destruction. If one looks at this in a Christian perspective, one must feel sorry for her, because one knows it was Satan who got in control of her life and caused her to commit such horrible crimes. Although what she did was unforgiveable to the people of Scotland, in return, she did not receive a happy life as a queen, and was instead hated by the people and filled with guilt and fear. So Lady Macbeth did deserve a punishment for being involved in murdering an innocent king, however, she is only human, a human who makes regrettable mistakes. We need to understand that she is just like us and feel sad for her.

Poetry Blog # 2

In The Secular Night by Margaret Atwood

“If one is not connected with God and other people, then one will risk falling into loneliness and despair.”

There are three stanzas in this poem. The first stanza reflects upon the speaker’s past when she was sixteen. The next stanza then transitions forty years later, the present. The last stanza ends with the speaker’s ideas about God. This transition from past to present to the speaker’s thoughts is very significant to the message of this poem.

We can see that Atwood used a 2nd person point of view to bring a more lonely and isolated mood to the poem. Also, in the first two stanzas, past and present, Atwood highlights many times of the speaker’s isolation and unstableness. These two stanzas result because of the speaker’s views mentioned in the third stanza. She wanted to show that being isolated from society and feeling distant from God can result a person in loneliness and despair. There are many literary devices that affect the mood, tone, and rhythm of this poem as well.

Through this poem, perhaps Atwood is trying to tell many of us need to be careful. She is warning us that many of us are not connected with God and other people, and could fall into loneliness and despair. Look at the last sentence of the poem, “The century grinds on.” The word “grinds” gives a negative connotation. This tells that even the world is not connected with God. Atwood had her up and down moments with her relationship with God. Maybe she is portraying her experiences and views about God in this poem, and wants to give us a chance to avoid that risk of becoming left out and isolated from God and others.

Poetry Blog # 3

Ava Gardner Reincarnated as a Magnolia is a poem that displays a tragic flaw in human nature. The tragic flaw can be seen in two different ways. One is the speaker’s tragic flaw of being too beautiful; the other is the society’s quick judgment of beauty.

After reading this poem, I felt a bit bad for the speaker, Ava Gardner, for being beautiful, which is kind of ironic because I envy beautiful women and are sometimes jealous of them. I felt as if Atwood is trying to send a message that beauty is judged too quickly on the outside and that it can be destructive to both the society and beautiful women, which is why Atwood criticizes both the men and the women who get jealous in the poem. Beauty is a tragic flaw in so many ways. It causes temptations and low self esteems for the “other” people. It causes loneliness and bitterness to the beautiful ones. This “flaw” (which people don’t view beauty as) leads people to their fall, like how the speaker ended up in her “fall” by the end of the poem. I think Atwood is trying to tell us to see “the beauty beyond the beauty”, and that we should all be criticized for only seeing what’s on the surface. As I read this powerfully written poem, this message stuck out. It was interesting because it was from a beautiful woman’s perspective. We usually hear quotes like “don’t judge a person by how they look” and we used it for people who aren’t “beautiful and thin” so that everybody will be treated equally. But in this poem’s case, the message is in a beautiful woman’s point of view. I love that Atwood wrote the poem in this way because it makes the readers ponder about this issue in a different perspective.

Poetry Blog # 1

Atwood, Plath, Dickinson. Who am I most like? To be honest, after researching these talented women, I couldn’t find anyone similar to me. So I decided to choose the poet that inspired me most with her poems. That would be Margaret Atwood.

After researching her bibliography, there were only two things that I could find in common with her. The first one is growing up in the wilderness. I didn’t live my childhood in Northern Quebec, but I did grow up in the suburbs of Seattle climbing trees and running around outdoors. I didn’t quite experience the same kind of wilderness as Atwood, but I was always outdoors close to nature. The second one would have to be her feminist views. As a female myself, I have strong views about women and their inequality in society. I think Atwood’s poems are very beautiful (but also sad). I felt like I connected with her the most through her poems. In most of her poems, the protagonist experiences a “fall”. We can connect these “falls” with Atwood’s views and experiences in life. I personally can connect with her messages, because I’ve experienced many “falls” in my life. For example, the poem In the Secular Night, as a class we came up with a theme statement of how if one is not connected with other people and God, one will risk falling into loneliness and despair. I agree with Atwood’s message from this poem. There were times in my life when I was left all alone and in despair because I didn’t connect with God and the people around me. Marsh Languages is another poem that inspired me. This poem really made me ponder about Atwood’s message of language is losing its true meaning. The poem doesn’t relate to me, but it connected with me. Atwood’s feminine view of things connects in some way with how I view the world; a lot are very similar.

Is tragic flaw an issue in this novel?

Yes, definitely yes.
In this novel, Clara has a tragic flaw of being materialistic. Her flaw affects other characters negatively, which becomes an issue throughout the book, and eventually, leads herself into her own destruction. When Clara leaves Patrick for Ambrose, we can see that she fancies money more than love. Her relationship with Patrick didn’t mean anything to her; it was only physical. This tragic flaw keeps her away from experiencing what is true; it makes her blunt and shallow. She follows a sad, never-satisfying life, which will soon lead her into ruins.

After Clara chooses Ambrose for his money, she slowly realizes that her life didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to be. Ambrose didn’t satisfy her with his money; she “pulls back”. Her materialistic character caused her to choose Ambrose, a rich man, over Patrick, who loved and cared for her so dearly. And later, she loses Ambrose and ends up with nothing.
One question I ask is, did Clara kill Ambrose or did he die of natural cause? Ondaatje lets us ponder that answer. Did her materialistic flaw cause Clara to not want Ambrose and her decision to murder him? Or is it because of this flaw that Ondaatje chooses to make Clara end up alone with nothing? We find out about Ambrose’s death after Clara calls Patrick, out of the bloom, to pick her up. Her life ends up being desperate for company.

Clara’s decision to leave Patrick dramatically affected Patrick’s life, leaving him in a miserable state, which then affects the whole story of the novel. Alice saves Patrick. Patrick saves Alice. They date and fall in love. Alice dies. Patrick goes to jail. Meets thief. Waterworks. Patrick lives with Hana. Clara’s one tragic flaw causes all those events to happen, making it an issue in the novel, In The Skin of a Lion. It is ironic and interesting to see that Patrick, who had nothing, ends up with hope and a purpose in life while Clara, who thought she would have everything, result with nothing.

What character do you most identify with in this novel and why?

I would have to say, Patrick.
Throughout this novel, Patrick struggles with searching for his identity and how his biggest enemy becomes himself. His insecurity of always wanting someone by his side and his struggle to overcome his many ruined states reveal a sense of being lost and without power. For example, when Clara leaves Patrick, he becomes this hopeless, emotionally destruct, and lost, off track.

I do feel pity and pathos for Patrick, because I experienced and went through a simular path.
When I came back to Korea after living my whole childhood in the US, with no intent, I began my search for my identity. I never thought of myself as an American because of my different looks. But after meeting and interacting with Koreans, I realized I wasn't "Korean" as well. I had different beliefs and principles; I was used to a completely different culture. So who was I? I was "blind" like Patrick was. A mixture of hopeless feelings and pain, many nights with tears led me to take the wrong turn. Patrick took a wrong turn when Clara left him by destroying himself emotionally. But later, he was saved by Alice. There were many people in my life who "saved" and guided me towards the right way in my search for identity. When Alice died, Patrick wanted to release his grief by going to the waterworks. When my mom got in a car accident, I experienced pain that I was unable to handle. I tried to release it by making stupid mistakes and torturing myself. But I got out of it and found my way back on the road, just like Patrick did by living with Hana, a hope in his life. Because some events in my life are related with Patrick' life, I know how it feels to be lost, which is why I respond with pathos for Patrick.

What passage did you find the most beautiful in this novel and why?

The passage of Alice and Clara at the farmhouse, having physical intimicy, seemed to be one of the most powerfully written scenes in this novel. I found this passage so beautifully written that I was moved by the message it revealed. Although to a first time reader this scene may not be as attractive, if one can put on the feminisim lens and ponder about the true meaning of the two womans' intimicy, one would agree on the power and beauty of this passage.

The setting of this passage helps explore and adds more beauty to message Ondaatje tries to reveal to us readers. The farmhouse, an isolated place surrounded by nature. The night sky, two woman surrounded by stars, talking endlessly under the everlasting sky. The "moon flowers" and grass, the splenders of nature. The thunder, the power of women; it significantly emphasizes the strength of the power Alice and Clara creates.The rain, cleansing. These are some of the key factors that I thought added emphasis to the mood.

The two womans' imtimicy is not represented sexually, but beyond that. It is an act of two woman who share common morals and beliefs joining together as one. This union significantly reveals the power the women hold and grasp on to. Ondaatje is trying to show us that even though the inequality between men and women still exist, women hold power that men cannot reach. His message makes this powerful passage so beautiful, espacially in a female perspective.