final letter.

Dear Marlen,

This semester has definitely had a major impact on my life and the way I now look at things. Honestly, at the start of this class I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought to myself “should i drop this class” ? I determined that I should just stick it out, plus I had already bought the books I needed. So here I am, and I actually have a lot to show for myself. This class has opened my eyes to many new topics that I had never known or thought about before.

Archetypes were very interesting to learn about, surprisingly. At first I thought this topic would be another super boring one in which I would have no interest in. Marlen, you seemed to change my mind quickly. I actually got pretty into learning more about myself. My major at IUP is Sociology, and not only do I want to grasp an understanding of other people and other groups, but I would also like to learn more about myself. I never really take time out to get to know me and what makes me happy, or my shadow side.

I truly thought this class was going to kill my GPA, but I ended up keeping up with every task I was given to do, and had it done efficiently and on time, too. It was a more challenging class, of course, but it taught me more than most of my other classes. I am usually a person who enjoys taking the easy way out of things so I can be less stressed out, because for some reason I always feel stressed, but not this time. I do not regret it either.

There was a wide range of things to learn about in this class too, it wasn’t just based on one topic. The topics were expanded into many, many, different complex layers. The class went from learning about monomythic journeys, archetypes, fairytales, feminism, genders, queer theory, to watching a movie based on sex and nudity. The class really keeps everyone entertained.

Marlen, I certainly enjoyed your class this semester. Thank you so much for gracing myself, as well as many others, with the knowledge you have. Thank you for making this a very enjoyable semester for me, and forcing me to wake up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for class; it was worth it. You are a very wise person and I truly appreciate and respect everything you have taught me. Good luck with everything you continue doing throughout your career. You deserve every ounce of happiness and success that someone can acquire.

Sincerely,
Nicole Butch

Blogs 20,21

20- Mastering the 2 worlds
My group and I were not totally positive on what to do for this one.
Basically, it is the hero coming to peace with both his old home and his new home that he found on the journey. Before he felt like there may of been a line seperating them and making it seem like there was no connection at all between the two. However, when he reaches the master of the two worlds phase in the monomythic journey, he feels like he can live at peace and can see the differences but keep a balance between the two places. The hero has become complete mentally in where he is and feels like he belongs and can be in both worlds.
For example, living at home sometimes and going to college. You need to balance both of those worlds out. Different friends, different people, different environment all together.

No blog for 21 listed on Marlen’s website.

Final blog and poem

The movie that we watched over the past two days is very very strange. Although it was strange it was also interesting. The girls in the movie were very beautiful in a weird way. The main character was into writing, talking, and thinking about sex. She loves it. Her husband though, always ignored this. He was more into nerdy things and going to do things for work. She has a sexual interest for other people and getting to know other people. She also had a sexual desire for a woman. It def relates to middlesex when it deals with the confusion of sex and sexual interest and all that kind of “queer” stuff.

Poem
nonet

Sex is a major part of one’s life
It can be good and also bad
Confusing topic, but normal
It affects everyone
In all kinds of ways
An addiction,
Or for love,
It’s just
Sex

poem #29

Tyburn

Sad
Upset
Depressed
Pissed
Marlen seems very Sad and Upset lately
He seems to be Depressed and Pissed as though it’s fatefully

blog #25 and poem #28

Today we talked about what we have learned throughout the year and in using specific books and I would say that I def. enjoyed learning about archetypes. I do agree that we should spend more time on our OWN archetype so we can learn more about ourselves individually but also learn about others. I also think that it should be done in class or on our own time and not be forced to read it only because the work load is already heavy. We read a lot of books and I think we should focus on them rather than the myth books. Overall, it was a very interesting class. I just really didn’t enjoy the odyssey.

Poem (tanka)

I have learned a lot
I know more about myself
And I am grateful
I truly hope to succeed
Work was tough but rewarding

Quiz on bildungsroman

1. Building a Better Life.

2. Collection of letters because letters would contain things and ideas in my life that I have went through and experienced and I want to remember as much as I can when I’m older to see how much I’ve grown as a person. I want to show myself later in life that I’ve progressed as a person and have done many things that I wanted to.

3.  I would of course be my own main character. Protagonist would be me of course, antagonist would be things such as boyfriends, bitches, and people that try to hurt me throughout my journey. My best friend throughout my coming of age would be of course my supernatural aid and familiar. All of my friends together and if I have a boyfriend at the time would be my traveling companions. Guardian angel would be god, just to watch over me in general.

4. My main conflict would be just achieving everything in my way. Getting through college, making new friends, maintaining a healthy relationship, success. I would want my life to be so much better than the life my parents gave me. I want my children to have more than I have, and that is something I learned throughout and it’s very important for me to do this.

5. Achieving Happiness. Setting IUP then hopefully somewhere awesome like Hawaii.

6.Joseph Cambell because he gets into the richness of life. He goes into great detail of who people are and how to make certain people happy. He has a great approach to understanding main groups of people and I hope to understand myself and know myself inside and out before my life ends.

Blog #24 and Poem #27

Queer Theory

Blog: What is queer theory and give examples.

Queer Theory is not what most people think it is. Most people think it is all about just people being gay and that is it; but it is more. It is being different, which is what people think is weird or “queer”. Examples of this would be a man wearing pink and a girl wearing all black. A boy being a virgin at age 18 and someone wearing bed clothes to class would also be good examples of being queer. Basically it is just is being a tad bit, or a lot, different than everyone else. Not conforming makes most people seem quite odd even though it is just something they enjoy or want to do. Most people just don’t accept that.

Poem

All the people are dressed in formal
But I wore sweatpants today
Cannot be more embarrassed
Don’t people want to be comfortable too?
Forget about them, because I still am
Good thing everyone is laughing at me

poem #26

Naani Poem

Compare and Contrast
Males and Females
They are very different, yet very much the same
Sex and Gender

middlesex queer theory quiz

20pts

The parents of Callipoe thought that for sure even though the grandmother had said that their daughter is supposed to be a boy. The mother did not want a boy, she wanted a girl so she made herself believe that she was SUPPOSED to have a girl. Callipoe was REborn as a boy later in his teenage years and was interested in girls. Did this make him gay? Since he was born a girl? How would you specifiy this sexality because of the sex change Cal had. This is an example of queer theory because of the sexuality that it brings about and the fact of the mother wanting only a girl gender child, not a boy. Cal longed to be a boy and wanted to soely be with women. The question of the queer theory is whether or not he is gay, or since the sex change would he still be straight since he is now a boy?

blog #23, poem #25

I have been watching the movie color purple for a few days and so far it  has been very interesting. It is such a sad story. Well the ending doesn’t end sad of course, but watching celie face all the struggles she does just crushes me. Always being called ugly and literally only having a man just to do stuff for him and his family, not for love. Mister basically just uses Celie in every way he possibly can; sexally, physically, and mentally. The movie stopped friday with Sophie being “dropped off” to visit her family. It didn’t last long of course because she ended up having to drive millie back home. It was very sad because her kids did not even recognize her. Celie’s love, shug, ended up leaving. She wanted so badly to go along with her. She was about to ask shug to leave with her, but couldn’t do it. She lost shug that day, and made a way through it until shug returns.

Poem #25 (song lyrics for how celie feels)

I’m packed and I’m holding,
I’m smiling, she’s living, she’s golden and
she lives for me, She says she lives for me,
Ovation, She’s got her own motivation,
she comes round and she goes down on me,
And I make her smile, It’s like a drug for you,
Do ever what you want to do,
Coming over you,
Keep on smiling,
what we go through.
One stop to the rhythm that divides you,
And I speak to you like the chorus to the verse,
Chop another line like a coda with a curse,
And I come on like a freak show takes the stage.
We give them the games we play, she said,
I want something else, to get me through this,
Semi-charmed kind of life,
I want something else,
I’m not listening when you say, Good-bye.

The sky it was gold, it was rose,
I was taking sips of it through my nose,
And I wish I could get back there,
Some place back there,
Smiling in the pictures you would take,
Doing crystal myth,
Will lift you up until you break,
It won’t stop,
I won’t come down, I keep stock,
With a tick tock rhythm and a bump for the drop,
And then I bumped up. I took the hit I was given,
Then I bumped again,
And then I bumped again.
How do I get back there to,
The place where I fell asleep inside you?
How do I get myself back to,
The place where you said,
I want something else to get me through this,
semi-charmed kind of life,
I want something else,
I’m not listening when you say, good-bye,

I believe in the sand beneath my toes,
The beach gives a feeling,
An earthy feeling,
I believe in the faith that grows,
And the four right chords can make me cry,
When I’m with you I feel like I could die.
And that would be all right,
All right, When the plane came in,
She said she was crashing,
The velvet it rips,
In the city we tripped,
On the urge to feel alive,
But now I’m struggling to survive,
The days you were wearing,
That velvet dress,
You’re the priestess,
must confess,
Those little red panties,
They pass the test,
Slide up around the belly,
Face down on the mattress,
One,
Now you hold me,
And we’re broken.
Still it’s all that I want to do.
Feel myself with a head made of the ground,
I’m scared but I’m not coming down.
And I won’t run for my life,
She’s got her jaws just locked now in smile
but nothing is all right,
All right, I want something else,
To get me through this,
Semi-charmed kind of life,
I want something else,
I’m not listening when you say,
good-bye.