Ulysses

In the poem Ulysses, Lord Tennyson writes "I am part of all that I have met" as the character Ulysses reminicses on the battle of Troy.  I found that this quote relates to my own life, because I also believe that "I am part of all that I have met", meaning that my experiences in life have shaped and defined who I am today.  Lord Tennyson uses this quote to convey to the reader that everything Ulysses experience during the Battle of Troy and later during his Odyssey have allowed Ulysses to become the hero he is known as today.  It is through the pain and trials in life that we are able to grow and become that which we were meant to be.   Through this quote I found that my experiences in life have played a part in my becoming the person I am today, and that "all experience is as arch wherethrough gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades forever and forever when I move", meaning that what I have experienced and will experience in life has no bounds nor limitations.

--Rebekah Adeyemo

Big Fish

Watching The Big Fish in class seemed more like a privilege to me than an assignment. Note-taking was required to make sure that the student's were following along with the movie and knew what general archetypes and allusions there were. However, it felt like I was watching a step by step system of how to make the most of one's  own life. The similarities any kid's life to Edward Bloom's: the struggle for self-recognition, choosing fame and money over love, how to handle stressful situations with family members and friends, and many more instances that will alter the characteristics of any person. I sometimes get lost in thoughts for hours that drive me crazy. What am I doing here? How and why is this all possible? Is there an end to life or is it eternal? Watching this movie brings up some of these questions that spin in everyones' heads, no matter what age. It is kind of funny how the movie seems to have all the answers. Bloom goes on a risky adventure where he doesn't know what the end result will be, but somehow he always manages to reach a good destination. I disagree with this result. I feel life is not about reaching that good destination. If a single person focuses on one destination, what are the results if he or she passes or fails? What about all the other people, places, and things they are missing out on while they focus on one goal? Life is about the experiences, and while watching this movie, I noticed Bloom had many experiences, but they all ended up in a certain place, where in the real world, the end result is not the most important.

Cameron Tagge

The Garden

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Caroll mentions the garden multiple times. Alice has trouble finding her way into the garden, but desires to find a way to enter the garden.  The garden is a very strong symbol throughout the story.  It can mean any one of two things.  Since Alice is so set on finding an entrance to the garden, the garden represents desire and Alice wanting to escape her childhood innocence. The garden also symbolically stands for the Garden of Eden. It represents the Garden of Eden because it represents beauty and innocence at the same time.  Both of these allusions help pave way for Lewis Caroll to make sense of his story, and tell how Alice is young and naive.  The garden is where Alice wants to escape to but she is struggling to make her way through the gate but continues to try and find a way through just like and other child would.

Tamera Askarieh