Mrs. Dalloway

We read Mrs. Dalloway this week in English Literature. I have previously read the book and I have to say it did not improve upon a second reading. I thought that the book was strange and a little bit hard to follow.

I am not sure exactly why the book was so acclaimed, I didn't think it was all that good. I think too much stock is put into these weird books.

When You are Old

When You are Old is the following poem by W.B. Yeats:

When You are Old
by W. B. Yeats
When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face; And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

This poem is beautiful and sad at the same time. A woman who has grown old is reflecting back on her younger life. She was beautiful and had many admirers. There was one man who loved her for who she truly was. However, she did not appreciate him as she should have and eventually he left. Now she is left to her lonely old age to contemplate what could have been.

The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti

We read an interesting poem in English literature this week, called The Goblin Market. Here is a link to it, if you are interested in reading it.

http://plexipages.com/reflections/goblin.html

I was surprised by the underlying theme of this poem, which was the empowerment of women. It would highly doubt that the poem was very well received by Rossetti's contemporaries at the time that it was published. The Goblin men in the poem represent the lying and cheating men who seek to get what they want from a woman and then discard her when they are finished. The heroine of the poem manages to outsmart the men. While, obviously, this poem appeals to me I cannot see it being very popular at that time.

Say Over Again- Elizabeth Browning

Say over again, and yet once over again,
That thou dost love me,
Though the word repeated
Should seem a "cuckoo-song," as dost treat it,
Remember, never to the hill or plain,
Valley and wood, without her cuckoo-strain
Comes the fresh Spring in all her green completed.
Beloved, I, amid the darkness greeted
By a doubtful spirit-voice, in that doubt's pain
Cry, "Speak once more--thou lovest!" Who can fear
Too many stars, though each in heaven shall roll,
Too many flowers, though each shall crown the year?
Say thou dost love me, love me, love me--toll
The silver iterance!--only minding, Dear,
To love me also in silence with thy soul.

We read this sonnet this week in my English Literature class. I loved it. I thought that it was a simple and beautiful sonnet about expressing affection to your lover. I think it is deceptively simple. It seems like such a basic concept, tell the one that you love that you love them. Not only that, but SHOW them that you love them. However, it seems to be a concept that people struggle with in their relationships daily. I think one of the biggest killers of relationships is neglect. People may love their partners, but in the hustle and bustle of every day life I think they tend to forget the need to express that love. It doesn't need to be something big or over the top, even just little affirmations of love can refresh the relationship and reassure your lover.