Reading Response #3

Lord Byron is famous for more than just the words he put on the paper, but also the way he did it. Charles H. Donelan is a student at Tuff’s University who wrote the article Mortality of the Monosyllable: Freedom and Collective Memory in Byron’s “that there sort of writing”. In this article he analyzes the way Byron writes. It’s almost as if you could understand a bit of Byron’s personality just by his style of writing. Donelan believes that Byron wanted to push the borders of poetry and make a statement with his words even if they were unconventional. He believes that Byron would alter actual events in time and slightly alter them, Donelan expressed this by saying, “Byron develops a hero whose role is representative, rather than decisive, against a background of carefully observed historical reality”. His idea was that Byron would twist the current events of his society as if it was another societies issue and then express his beliefs so that it wouldn’t seem like he was turning on his society. He did this so often that when people explain it they actually call it Byronic. Byron also used puns, rhymes, and imagery in a way that had never been done before. The strength of Byron’s work is due to the strength of his profanity and overall expression of his poetry. One of Byron’s most famous poems is known for its profanity, that poem is Don Juan. The name Juan for the main character and poem is an ironic quotation that transforms into the significance of imperialism into the ‘declaration of symbolic independence’. Byron was good at playing with his words to where they were slightly intriguing to the reader, whomever it was. Donelan It was said that, “Byron’s open-ended, self-conscious, prospective fantasy becomes a strategy for living embodied in a literary experience”. Byron’s style of writing was something never seen before.

            Knowing what I know about Byron he was a man of many worlds, he was well educated and had a great desire to be the best. His love for both sexes gave him an advantage in writing his poetry and he always had the audience on edge. He appealed to ever sense both in person and on paper. His style of writing was smooth and thoughtful. The words rolled well off the tongue but also had a deeper purpose and understanding to it. The way he wrote his poetry showed courage and bravery. He boldly expressed his feelings on his topics knowing that he would be judged by his work. He didn’t want to be a poet for a living for this very fact. He would have rather been in debt than be known for his poetry. He hid from the one thing that truly made him happy. But his imagery and ironic description of the current events of the century made everyone want to know more. It’s almost as if Byron was trying to voice his opinion in a way that wouldn’t hurt his reputation. I agree with Donelan, I think that the power Byron held was something that even he didn’t know what to do with. Had his works not been burned we most likely would have read more about his opinions and ideas on ironic topics. He would always be a huge part of the romanticism era.  This era itself is said to confront the culture in which the poets viewed nature, religion and politics. This can sometimes be offensive, and the works of Byron mildly play off offensiveness with his irony giving a slight balance. 

Community Blog Assignment: Blake's Prophecies Revealed

     The blog I chose was Blake's Prophecies Revealed, written by Makenna Childers, Edde Diaz, Alex Pinzon, and Haun Tran. This bog was able to give good insite into what Blake was about, and also capture the readers attention. The first thing you notice when you go to Blake's Prophecies Revealed is the fish. Although the fish are not the focus of this blog they are a great touch to get the readers interested. 
     I found the post by Edde Diaz, "America a Prophecy" By William Blake, to be very helpful. For not knowing much about Blake this blog entry helps to depict some expectations of Blake for the Americas, and some of the disappointments he had when he saw that there was no sensual liberation in the Americas.
     Other entries that were benificial were by Alex Pinzon. These two posts, Summary of Europe: A Prophecy by william Blake part 1 and 2, certainly show the thoughts of William Blake, and in a way "bring it home" with clear explainations and questioning on Blakes' prophetic writing. The break down of what Blake meant when writing this piece makes it clear and easier to understand, although she does mention how she struggled herself while reading the piece. By explaining how difficult the writing was to follow, and the reasons why, we can see the thought process she went through to come to her conclusion. The connection between man and nature that she discusses comes up all throughout the romanticism time period. I had found this to be helpful, because it gave me some more knowledge about that specific connection that romantic writters felt was so important.
    Many of the blogs our class has put together have been remarkably helpful but this one in perticular helped to make others clear, as well as, thier own. Some topics dicussed can also help with other poets, and thier beliefs. If anyone ever needed information on Blake and his prophecies this would be one of the places I looked, and if not information, atleast for a better understanding of what Blake meant in many of his pieces of writing.

Reading Response #3

   A Question of Nature: Byron and Wordsworth written by J. Andrew Hubbell of Susquehanna University. Is an article about how nature in Wordsworth poetry differs from nature in Byron's description of the Byronic hero and where Hubbell is using the terms :dwelling" and "nature". Wordsworth believes that nature is the antithesis of culture, whereas Byron replaces nature with environment. Hubbell describes how dwelling and wandering are opposites in a way that tourists are detached to the environment. Hubbell goes on saying that the dwelling-wandering binary helps emphasize other binaries that inform how the eco-criticism has used to study nature-culture. Byron recognizes that nature is represented in art, that it becomes a part of culture; there is no nature in art, here Byron is creating an example where culture and nature are combined. While Wordsworth thinks the opposite, in which he presumes that nature is an ecological understanding and that nature is isolated from culture.
   Reading throughout and annotating "A Question of Nature: Byron and Wordsworth really impact me. Hubbell really continues to contradict Byron's and Wordsworth's beliefs and opinions about nature. In addition to this Hubbell questions the reason why Byron thinks that culture and nature coincide. Wordsworth's dwelling epistemology has been over-emphasize; much of his environmental heroes, is derived frm wandering. Hubbell states that Byron poems about Greece were his first "ecopoesis"and "binary thinking of ecocriticism". Byron is ignored by many critics throughtout this article. but he still is a good nature writer.

Lord Byron: So Much For Love

As a gentlemen, Byron did not want to accept money for his poetry even though he needed it because he did not want to be knows as a writer. Image was everything to Byron and his obsession was so fierce that he’d rather be in debt than be seen as a writer. Byron was notorious for his affairs with married women and began to have an affair with Lady Oxford, unlike most affairs, she wasn’t interested in exposing their affair but wanted to be his ‘political muse’. She wanted him to be everything that she saw in him and to venture into politics. The only problem was that politics was not what he was worried about, all Byron cared about was money, and he knew that he needed to marry soon. Byron had still been in a depression after Greece, his mothers’ death, and debts pilling up. All he thought about was the need to marry. While in this depression he connected with his half sister who was like him personality wise which probably made her attractive to him, since he saw himself as attractive. They fell in love and began engaging in sexual relations even though they knew it was socially wrong. His sister suggested that he marry to clear his debt and he did. His wife Anabell, was intriguing to Byron because she was the one woman that did not throw herself all over him and accept his invitations to bed. Soon after they married, while on their honeymoon, Byron became cruel to her. Once he got in bed with her and she did not pleasure his needs he was tired of her. They were completely opposites and did not enjoy one another’s company. Byron’s sister shortly after the honeymoon moved in with them, whether or not her and Byron were involved is not known but it is suspected that they were. Byron and Anabell had a daughter, and when Byron did not stop gambling they took a short break. When she went to her parent’s house for the break Anabell revealed the problems and blackmailed Byron’s involvements in homosexuality to terminate the marriage without hurting Anabell’s name.

"Lord Byron; c'est la vie"

"Lord Byron: c'est la vie" is a blog with a lot of potential when it comes to research on Lord Byron.The overall layout of the blog is easy to use and has a large variety of information on Byron, whether it be a biography, photographs, or connections to greek mythology. Not only they do a fantastic job at breaking down some of his works, for example, "The Dream" by Selina Chart, but they also have a great media representation of his life. I always find it easier to understand someone's writing when i have a background knowledge of their life and a visual of what they look like so this blog had a little bit of everything to truly grasp the life of the young Lord. All of the blog writers clearly understand the life of Byron and what his works did to shape the Romanticism Era of writing. The authors: Selina Chart, Sydney Janes, Valentin Protsenko, and Amanda Reed, do a great job at analyzing and interpreting the text into something that can be easily understood. They take the complex works of a famous poet and make it into a modern day interpretation that can be applied and compared to out lives and morals today. They found a way to interpret not only a video documentary, (that you can also find on our page) but a section on greek mythology that Lord Byron did a poem on. Lord Byron went to school abroad in Greece and most of his inspirations were from the ruins and mythology so it was nice to see that. I think that if you read their blog and our you would get a very good collaboration of ideas and thoughts on his works, and also the differences of opinion. One of Byron's most famous works is the poem, Don Juan. This poem is mostly known for it's profanity and isn't an easy poem to read, and because of that neither blog read it, but Sydney Janes, did a very good job at relating it to his life and explaining it without crossing boundaries or going into detail.

Too Hot To Breathe

The feeling on my skin.
The pain it causes.
Feeling weak not wanting to do anything. I stand at the window despising the thought of you.
I stuggle to even move when I walk to the door.
The knowing nothing will be there makes it worse.
But the hoping something is different keeps me going.
It keeps me going. But for how much longer?

It is still gone. Is it not?

So what now?
Are you not the one I ask if I need help?
You continue to hold back.
The one thing I crave,
The one thing you hold back. If only just for one moment you could releave the pain.
But that would to easy.
You sit,
And wait,
And watch,
While I waste away into nothing.
Once gone never to return again,
Or to think of you.
And still nothing changes.
As the thoughts race through mind I wonder if this is really the end.
The purpose I was looking for,
Gone.
The dreams that once got me through my day,
Gone.
The feeling of you that always made me smile,
Gone.
And for what?
As of now you haven't even taken the time to see what is really happening.
All hope is lost, and it wasn't from what I did. It was thanks to you.
I trusted you to help me, but now you have let me down.
I can't go on like this.
    ______________________________________________________________________
At the turn I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
A new day has come,
And this time I praise you for it.
The change you made was unmistakable. But what change was there really?
Did you finally listen to what I had to say? Or does it still not matter?
Either way I can go on, and will.
This is what I have been waiting for.

Lord Byron: The Original 'Playboy Lifestyle'

In 1805, Byron began attending Cambridge University to fulfill his final right of passage to become a true gentleman. Once he arrived Byron began living the life of a parting college student, drinking and dancing with the most well known young Lords. He was spending more money than he had and was constantly writing letters home for money for more booze. This was just another step to how wild Byron would become. While at Cambridge he fell in love with a many young men and was crushed by his wanting and desire for people of the same sex. It probably didn’t help that Cambridge had a secret language among the homosexuals towards when and where they’d be doing things, almost like a modern day “booty call”. Had Byron been caught in the midst of homosexual relations he would have been hanged because it was not tolerated. As a way to escape from the harsh judgments in Europe he decided to study and write poetry in Greece. Once Byron arrived he went into a depression because off what he saw, the ancient ruins that we’re so great and marvelous wearing down and this has been learned through his works with the contrast between the higher class and those affected by poverty. At age 23, Byron came home after the adventure in Greece and was greeted with the news of his mother’s death. It’s not sure what made him return to hid lifestyle of partying but after his mothers death and coming home that’s exactly what he did. Byron became a living meat market, with free sex always on the menu. He had realized that now that his mother was gone he needed to marry a wealthy woman and that any scandalous public activity could ultimately damage his chances yet he still did it. He even went as far as to sleeping with a married woman names Lady Caroline, whom made his life a living hell after he left her. She would cut herself in front of him and burn his love letters in public this has been said to what drove him away from her. 

The Life of Byron

     George Noel Gordon was only ten when he took the name of lord. After Byron went through som;e years of private school he attended a school with other boys called Harrow. This lead to an almost romantic attachment to the school. As the years passed the affctionate relationps with men became more pronounced.
     Unfortunatly after a term at Trinity College Byron fell deeply into debt, but shortly after his return home in 1806 his Fugitive Pieces were published. Upon his return at Trinity he had become close friends with John Cam Hobhouse, who sparked his interest in liberal whiggism. A year later he had taken his seat in the House of Lords, which lead to another publication, this time anonymous, and Byron embarked on a tour with Hobhouse. This voyage with Hobhouse found him love, as well as, more poems. Childe Harold was one of these, which reflected on his own experiences.
     Following the death of his mother Byron fell into many affairs, one of which could have possibly been with his half sister, Augusta Leigh. This may explain why his dughter, from his marriage with Anne Isabella, was named Augusta. Although this marriage may have produced a child it proved difficult for Byron to control his wandering eye. Soon Anne had taken their daughter to her parents to not return, and rumors began to fly. When rumors had gone to far Byron legally seperated from Anne, and left never to return to England. This making him the most famous exile in Eroupe.
     A boat trip taken with Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Godwin, Shelleys' wife, and Godwins stepdaughter, Claire Clairmont, had lead to more writting for Byron as well. Byron was able to accomplish Prisoner of Chillon, and a third canto of Childe Harold. By the end of the summer it was time for everyone to part their ways, as the Shelley party headed for England, they took with them Claire Clairmont who was not only a mistress to Lord Byron in Englad, but carried his illegitimate daughter.
     As time went on Byron found himself in love with a married 19 year old girl name Teresa Guicciolo. This love not only lead him around Italy, but gave him great friendship, and more masterpiece poems that are still read to this day.
  

Our Inspiration

I think that this is a pretty picture/painting (alliteration) made by the "one and only" janitor that lived "with"  Byron Yummy. I think that this would be my personal favorite because he has such a chiseled face with his old odd outfits.

Prose Poem: Tell Me Why

This prose poem is in memory of my aunt that passed away since 2 years ago.
  
   Its been a couple of years,
 since you left my heart behind.
   Crying all my tears out
 as my eyes become blind.
   Nothing feels the same,
 because I'm use to being with you
  family and friends would be concerned of me,
but never would I tell
That I was getting hurt by
 the person I really loved so much.
The one who was created
to be sent to me from
      above.
I still don't know what went
 wrong, or why you had to go.
Not only were you my aunt,
but you were my
   best friend.
And now it seems like I've
lost everything I ever had.
Everything worth living for,
flying away from my hands.
  Living everyday
questioning myself
why you left without a reason,
  leaving me all alone.
Tell me why, Tell me why
   you had to go.

Byron Reading Responce #3

J. Andrew Hubbell of Susquehanna University sheds insight on the controversial issue of “Romantic eco-criticism”: “nature” and “dwelling”, throughout his article “A Question of Nature: Byron and Wordsworth.”  Hubbell examines the different sides in question; Wordsworth believes nature is the antithesis of culture, while Byron deconstructs false binary nature-culture and replaces both with “environment.” Hubbell notes that eco-criticism has two main terms to abide by, “nature” and “dwelling.” Dwelling is perceived as being a practice and a theory and is established between a person’s character and the physical place, creating a sense of home. Hubbell further deciphers how dwelling and wandering are opposites in a sense that tourists’ mentalities are aloof to the environment and to its inhabitants. When a tourist wanders, all that is noticed is how the land can be used for resources; without studying the dynamics that unite an environment and its inhabitants, the tourist cannot know the place, the meaning, and cannot have any ethical care for it. He goes on to say that the dwelling-wandering binary helps to emphasize two other binaries that inform the abysmal ecology that eco-criticism has used to study literature; nature-culture and “ecocentric-anthropocentric.” In this theory culture represents the modern city, modernism, “anthropocentrism” (regarding the human being as the central fact of the universe), and the domination over nature. The city is where humans aren’t exposed to the nature and thus, cannot have a sense of home or the “ethics to care for one’s environment.” Nature refers to the unharmed backcountry, the wild, and where a writer can successfully tap into environmental consciousness. Hubbell states that “Byron recognizes that as soon as “nature” is represented in art, it becomes a part of culture; there is no “nature” in art.” Byron is creating an example where culture and nature correspond with each other, in a sense that nature has a reconstructed meaning to any different culture, through the human point of view.  While Wordsworth presumes that nature is an “ecological understanding” and is isolated from culture. 
            My views have fluctuated greatly throughout annotating “A Question of Nature: Byron and Wordsworth. Hubbell recognizes key points that Wordsworth has created through his works about the differences of nature and culture, to really persuade an interested reader, like myself. He continues to contradict both poets on their beliefs, in addition, to changing my views toward favoring Byron’s theories. Hubbell brings to question the reason why Byron believes that culture and nature coincide, and affirms “that the external world is always already constructed by the human gaze…” When understanding what the quotes meaning was, I remembered the discussion our class took part in about the “soundless tree.” The discussion was relevant to the quote because a person has to experience something for the first time to ever acknowledge its existence. The sound of a tree descending towards the earth floor in the forest was never created until humans experienced the noise. Hubbell greatly exemplifies Byron’s thoughts about how nature is truly never pure, because in order to write, paint, or create art about nature, a person has to conduct a certain point of view on that object in order to properly recreate the scene in their works. Many people differ from each other in their views towards certain things, thus, nature can be discarded or recreated by any person who finds that piece of nature to fulfill their well-being. Hubbell explains a theory created by Byron, in which he analyzes why Venice is such a magnificent Italian city. Byron believes Venice is not such a great city because of the natural settings or the buildings but that humans believe the city is special. This example in the article truly shows the modern life-style of many people, because in today’s society, a person can treat a little bowl of left over soap as trash, while in a third world country people would “kill” for a bowl of that size and be thankful. Americans take for granted little things like throwing away food, wasting water, wasting money that could greatly change someone else’s unfortunate life. Byron realized that Greek culture had evolved from the environment surrounding them, while on tour he realized how great the culture was and how it respected the environment, unlike some cultures today.  Byron wrote poems about the interesting data he found in Greece. Hubbell states that these poems were Byron’s first “ecopoesis” and “have challenged the binary thinking of ecocriticism” ever since.

And Thou Art Dead

The poem And Thou Art Dead, as Young and Fair is about the teller of the story experiencing the death of someone who was close to him. It also talks about his feelings for the deceased and how death cannot conquer love. Although this person has died, they are still being loved as shown in stanza II.

And thou art dead, as young and fair

As aught of mortal birth;

And form so soft, and charms so rare,

Too soon return'd to Earth!

Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed,

And o'er the spot the crowd may tread

In carelessness or mirth,

There is an eye which could not brook

A moment on that grave to look.



I will not ask where thou liest low,

Nor gaze upon the spot;

There flowers or weeds at will may grow,

So I behold them not:

It is enough for me to prove

That what I lov'd, and long must love,

Like common earth can rot;

To me there needs no stone to tell,

'T is Nothing that I lov'd so well.



Yet did I love thee to the last

As fervently as thou,

Who didst not change through all the past,

And canst not alter now.

The love where Death has set his seal,

Nor age can chill, nor rival steal,

Nor falsehood disavow:

And, what were worse, thou canst not see

Or wrong, or change, or fault in me.



The better days of life were ours;

The worst can be but mine:

The sun that cheers, the storm that lowers,

Shall never more be thine.

The silence of that dreamless sleep

I envy now too much to weep;

Nor need I to repine

That all those charms have pass'd away,

I might have watch'd through long decay.



The flower in ripen'd bloom unmatch'd

Must fall the earliest prey;

Though by no hand untimely snatch'd,

The leaves must drop away:

And yet it were a greater grief

To watch it withering, leaf by leaf,

Than see it pluck'd to-day;

Since earthly eye but ill can bear

To trace the change to foul from fair.



I know not if I could have borne

To see thy beauties fade;

The night that follow'd such a morn

Had worn a deeper shade:

Thy day without a cloud hath pass'd,

And thou wert lovely to the last,

Extinguish'd, not decay'd;

As stars that shoot along the sky

Shine brightest as they fall from high.



As once I wept, if I could weep,

My tears might well be shed,

To think I was not near to keep

One vigil o'er thy bed;

To gaze, how fondly! on thy face,

To fold thee in a faint embrace,

Uphold thy drooping head;

And show that love, however vain,

Nor thou nor I can feel again.



Yet how much less it were to gain,

Though thou hast left me free,

The loveliest things that still remain,

Than thus remember thee!

The all of thine that cannot die

Through dark and dread Eternity

Returns again to me,

And more thy buried love endears

Than aught except its living years

Reading this poem out loud made me realize that when you love someone so much and something happens to them you feel guilty for not spending more time with them. And as the years go by you still rember the person you love so much, and you can not feel the same way for someone else. As the teller of the story couldn't bare to see his love die and he felt guilty forever knowing that he wasn't there in the last moments of her life. This poem was sad and really inspired me a lot.

We'll Go No More A Roving

So, we'll go no more a-roving
So late into the night
Though the heart be still loving,
And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast,
And the heart must pause to beathe,
And love itself have a rest.

Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon.

     The first stanza talks about how these two people will no longer see each other. The love between them won't be expressed anymore no matter how strong it may be, and although the night will still come, it will come alone. While the second stanza continues to illustrate the depth of these feelings it also shows that as we age our needs change. Along with needs changing we "outwear" what we already have. Meaning somethimes that we just grow up. The final stanza in a way trys to justify why the two shoud not see each other.

     I found the "night" in this poem to not only literally mean the night but to also be refering to a secret. As if this were to be a secret love between him an another. If this were a secret love then it may have made sense for this poem to be within a letter given to Thomas Moore. This would be due to Byrons' bisexuality.

     The one part of this poem I had a hard time understanding was that Byron talks about age being a factor, but he wrote this at 29. To me that does not seem too old to have this love with another, although if he had finally found what he was looking for this too would make sense.

     Even though being "gay" was not accepted anymore then, than it is now by some, why would he not go for what he truely wants? We can clearly see that the love between these two individuals flourished immensely, and that it is a struggle for Byron to let go. By using the "day" as a way to say that it is time to go, and the line just above that, "Though the night was made for loving" we are able to enter into the emotional endeavor of letting go, and feel the whole emotion of this scene. Although this poem may be short the simple message of love that it sends is one with great impact, and one that most people have been able to experience in thier life. If the chance at love never comes then those people will be missing out on a excellent experience.

Prose Poem: Feels Like A Lie

Oh Lord, why? Why did she do it? Why would she give the one gift you gave her to someone else? It had a purpose; she had a purpose. But what now?

What's left of her?

She feels like she's less than she was meant to be. But she doesn't know how to pull herself out of the wreck she's in. 

Is she to just go on knowing she made the wrong choice? She feels nothing but regret.

Clothed in a blanket of depression.

Everything she stood for is gone. She has always known you, always walked with you, but Lord she lost herself. This wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted to be his everything. 

She longed to be his world. 

His love. 

When he said he'd always love her she thought it was worth it.

But where is he now? Gone, just like everyone else, but she gave him something that wasn't hers to give. It belonged to someone else, someone who would stay with her forever.

And now she's stuck. In the middle of a never ending maze, and can't find the way out. 

It's dark, and cold. She's fading into the darkness like a rolling fog. 

She needs to feel her way out because she's blinded by evil. All she sees is her mistake in him, the one thing she thought she'd love forever. There needs to be a shimmer of light at the never ending hallways, just to know You will be there when she's ready.

Her haven has been taken over, she's stranded on a island, forgetting what she once had. She stands in the eye of a hurricane and she's pushed to the ground. When she tries to stand up, she can't hold her ground. 

She's withering away with the island. 

In the moment all she saw was gray and she gave herself away. Her parents always talk about what she'll become, but they don't know who she is anymore. She doesn't know who she is anymore.

Sleep isn't an option the nightmares keep her up, she's haunted by her past.

Her life will forever be in chaos. She isn't whole for she lost a part of herself when he left. 

She gave everything to be his everything. There's nothing left of her.

No one said love was easy.   

When we Two parted

HEN we two parted

In silence and tears,

Half broken-hearted

To sever for years,

Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

Colder thy kiss;

Truly that hour foretold

Sorrow to this.

 

The dew of the morning

Sunk chill on my brow--

It felt like the warning

Of what I feel now.

Thy vows are all broken,

And light is thy fame:

I hear thy name spoken,

And share in its shame.

 

They name thee before me,

A knell to mine ear;

A shudder comes o'er me--

Why wert thou so dear?

They know not I knew thee,

Who knew thee too well:

Lond, long shall I rue thee,

Too deeply to tell.

 

I secret we met--

I silence I grieve,

That thy heart could forget,

Thy spirit deceive.

If I should meet thee

After long years,

How should I greet thee?

With silence and tears.

     This whole poem is about Lord Byron and his lover, probably the married woman, and how they were forced to break it off and also about the betrayal of loved ones. The betrayal in the poem is her promising to always remember him and for Byron to always be her favorite man but then she goes and has another affair with someone else. It is said that Lord Byron engaged himself in bisexual relationships. They didn't want to break up but they had to. She is shocked and upset, and then angry, hence her kissing him goodbye coldly. He is saying, basically, I told you so in the sixth and seventh lines. Then her vows of fidelity and monogamy are broken. Later, in the third verse, he is expressing how he can't believe he ever loved her, but we see in the fourth verse that he really does love her and still wants her, but knows they can never be together again.
     My interpretation of what this poem is about is his affair with Lady Caroline Lamb who was married to William Melbourne. Their affair lasted for about four months before he broke it off, because of the pressure of society. He loved her, but couldn't be with her.
     Most likely this was some secret love that could not be expressed, it tells us about the morning when they had to see each other for the last time and the sadness Byron felt was less than what he feels now.
"The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now."
Byron says that when her name is spoken he feels despair and that all the promises they had made to each other cannot be kept, due to all those circumstances. As the poem ends it says I miss you secretly and wishes that she does not forget him, or her "spirit deceives". To conclude Byron asks her, If should we ever meet again how will we meet, as if there was two normal people meeting for the first time? Or as two lovers joining together once again?
     However, as you read it over and over again, it seems to be about a death of one of his lovers. It seems that the line, "Pale grew thy cheek and cold," is the subject matter of this poem has passed away. Later on in this poem, it says, "Thy vows are all broken," which stuck out at me right away. Because I know that Byron did once have an affair with a woman who was married. And now that she is dead, it appears that both her marriage vows as well as vows to Byron, are all broken. Also this is about a women that cheated on her husband with Byron is shown in the line, "In secret we met," which is quite obvious that their affair was annything but advertised.

Byron: A Sexual Magnet, Or A Hero?

Lord Byron was well known for being both a Romantic hero, and also a sexual magnet. He was wanted by both genders, not only sexually but also for friendship, it could be said that he was loved by all. His memoirs were so explicit and crude that they were not published and it was decided that they'd never be seen by the public. Byron's closest friends gathered one month after his death in May, 1824, and burned them. Most of the poetry that have published are still seen today as provocative, even in a society filled with sex, drugs and war. His poetry was capable of touching both men and women because he was bisexual and was capable of understood both men and women. He had a feminine charm to him that shows a complete contradiction in all of his moral values. He was completely genius to the point where it was seen by some as mad. When comparing his personality and place in the world to someone in the past century he would best be described as one of The Beatles. They are similar as they both had women fainting when they walked into a room, they both had adults worrying about them corrupting the young women of the time, and they both had a complete love and passion for their various forms of writing, whether song, or poetry.  Although some may seem him as corrupt those who knew him and people who attempt to understand him through his writing seem his as a passionate hero of freedom and liberty. Lord Byron cared about the way he looked, he made sure that every portrait that was done made him look at handsome, always complementing his best features. This may have been because he was from a good family and wanted to be seen as equal or better than others, or it may have been so that people in later centuries would have something to reference when reading his poetry, a way to seduce from the grave. He was an honorable Lord and worked very hard to maintain his persona.

Review on: The Blake Blog (Community Blog)

      I found The Blake Blog that's Better than the "Best Blake Blog" , created by Austin Schwartz, MJ Roy, Veronica Sanchez, and Erika Hewgley, to be helpful and thrilling. Their blog is devoted to the romantic poet William Blake; the posts contain information about his life and his love of poetry. This wonderful blog really helped me to learn more about the life and poetry of William Blake.
     I really liked reading this blog especially all the posts that the group provided. It was well put together though the layout was simple, but very unique. The picture at the top was a nice touch and got my attention right away, especially the big title. The blogs were very interesting to read and were very informative.
     The Holy Thursday post was very appealing and I really enjoyed it. While reading this, I understood how the orphans were innocent. I connect well to this poem, because I barely have anything and I have such a big heart and I am very happy. In order for me to be happy and to have a big heart I don't need to have a lot of things. In the last sentence of this post it says, "that it's a sad lesson and the lesson many children on today should learn." In my opinion I agree with it, because if kids now days would realize that they dont need a lot of things to be happy, and that they can find happiness having a big heart and not regreating what they have now.
     While reading the Bibliography of Blake post, I understood the kind of person he was as an adult and child. Even though he lived very poorly he pursued in writing and painting. This post brought Blake to life and it was an interesting post to read.
     In overall the William Blake blog was presented very well and nicely. It had good information about Blake and it was really informative. I learned a lot about William Blake due to the great posts they had that were explained very well and nicely. This site was very easy to explore, which is very helpful for someone that does not know anything about William Blake. I believed that the group worked really hard on this blog, and I really enjoyed visiting their site.

Friendships Lost

To hear the whimpers of the suspected. For they have committed a terrible crime. The screams that come from the exhausted mouths who try to prove not guilty.   No it’s never too late to change the heart of the convicted. Who don’t respect the people who lives are serene. Who simply waste their lives away drinking at taverns far from home.
Until it’s too late!
When a perfect man, woman, boy, girls’ life is taken. Their soul roaming freely like a butterfly that wafts in the blood stained air. Never, can a murderer forget the anger, hatred, malice, evil, sadness, anguish, misery, grief, agony, pain: that speaks on the face of the lost. To see death placed on a table for everyone to see. A person left without their mother, father, sister, brother. Their souls too, damaged from the hole that has replaced the love to sadness and despair.  Is it simply too late to desire anything better after causing the unforgettable accident?
Just one stupid mistake. The carelessness of driving. The responsibility behind the wheel.
Totally forgotten. Senses overtaken.
The red light, screeching brakes, the car. Seconds feel like minutes.
 Shattered glass, tangled mess of metal, fire, smoke, pedestrian screams, burning rubber,
blood spattered seats. The smell of bear lingering in the air.     
The culprit filled with regret. The hardened shell covering reality.  Waiting desperately for his friend to awaken. Realizing its all over.
Too often does this occur in the world. Desire for more until it’s out of reach. What humans would do, to get it all. Realizing what they really want in their heart is what they’ve already got.   
But it’s too late! The families hatred is eating away at the chance of ever being free again and seeing the outside world. Before entering the concrete cell all one can say is…
I’m sorry!
But it’s not enough.

The Blake Blog that's Better than the "Best Blake Blog"

At first glance “The Blake Blog that’s Better than the “Best Blake Blog”” pulled my attention because the title was not only large in size, but very entertaining and made me want to read on. This wonderful blog created by Austin Schwartz, Erika Hewgley, Veronica Sanchez, and MJ Roy really helped to refresh my memory about William Blake and all of his accomplishments throughout his life-time.
                I really enjoyed reading the all of the posts that the group provided. The layout was simple but very unique and created an old feeling from the time of William Blake. The visual at the top of the page really helped to introduce Blake and to help complete the overall look throughout the blog.
                The tiles of both their posts were sweet and to the point which is great for this kind of project. The Holy Thursday post really reached out to me and was very appealing. While I was reading, little things were explained very thoroughly like how the orphans were innocent and sweet even though they had very little. I connected to this poem very well because it showed me how someone with barely anything can have such a big heart and be very happy. What I also loved about this interpretation of the poem was how the children influenced and inspired adults to be and act in the same manner as they did. The children enjoyed going to church and connecting with God so much that they thought of attending church as a treat. In the last sentence of this post it state, “that it’s a sad lesson and the lesson many children on today should learn.” I agree totally with that statement because if kids today would realize how they don’t need toys and can find happiness in the nature, that the world would be a happier and better place.
                While reading the second post the biography of Blake, it really showed what kind of person he was as a child and an adult. He pursued writing and painting even when he was living very poorly. What taught me about Blake was how he was determined to write and paint even in tough situations and how working hard would eventually pay off. The sad part of Blake’s life was that he became well known after his death and he never really got to enjoy the happiness he brought to his fans.
                Overall the William Blake blog was presented very beautifully. They choose very good passages to reflect upon Blake’s life and his works. I was pleasantly surprised about the simplicity of navigating through their blog and believed that their hard work is going to pay off.

She Walks In Beauty

     In June of 1814, several months before he met and married his first wife Anna Milbanke, Lord Byron attended a party at Lady Sitwell’s. While at the party, he was inspired by the sight of his cousin, the beautiful Mrs. Wilmot, who was wearing a black spangled mourning dress. Lord Byron was further inspired by his cousin’s dark hair and fair face, the mingling of various lights and shades. This became the essence of his poem about her. According to Byron’s friend, James W. Webster, after seeing his cousin for the first time Byron had a few drinks and went to bed. He heard afterwards the Byron was in a sad state all night and woke up the next day and composed the charming lines upon her-She walks in Beauty like the Night.

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent

     In the first line of this poem there is a segment of a sentence which then continues onto the second line of the first stanza. I interpreted the first line as “She” referring  to Mrs. Wilmot as she “walks” carries the “beauty “ being her face “like the night” being the darkness, this could be confusing if the reader didn’t continue to the second line. “Of cloudless climes and starry skies” cloudless climes mean that the sky has no clouds and the starry skies mention that the sky is lite with stars. The first to sentences combine to show the opposing qualities of darkness and light that are shown in the features of Mrs. Wilmot’s face. The following lines of the first stanza refer to the woman’s face and eyes as reflecting both the greatest of dark and of light. She is also able to have both features in her face and still be breathtakingly beautiful, just like the cloudless night.
     The second stanza mentions that the lady’s face is nearly perfect and flawless. The shades and rays of dark and of light are in unison to create a beautiful charm within her face. This part of the poem signifies the romantic idea of how the lady’s inner beauty is mirrored by her outer beauty. Her thoughts are sweet and calm and they are shown in her face as pure and dear.  
     The first three lines describe physical characteristics of the woman and how her beauty could enlighten any person. The last lines of the third stanza are repetitious in a way that it states the inner mind is shown also with her facial expressions and how her face can shine like the cloudless night.