I have been on this journey and you’re still here

You know you have helped me in so many ways

Your love and support keeps me from all my fears

I’m going to love you forever and always

Your encouragement always helps me along

Cheer me up when I am down, in your cute ways

My heart beats so hard when you sing me that song

We are so close, yet live so far apart

I will always be here to help you along

This journey was so very hard at the start

Now I keep you close; always in my heart

I am still working on reading Middlesex.  I am seeing some connections between the book and the movie Henry and June.  On the one hand, I am kind of disappointed about the book Middlesex.  I’m just not that into the book right now.  I would have preferred to have read this book earlier on in the semester and ended with The Color Purple.  By far that was my favorite book I have read this semester.  The Color Purple went really well with the themes in the class and I could see a lot of connections to the archetypes and monomyth.  I am hoping I get more into the book Middlesex to end the semester on a good note.

Just looking back at what I’ve accomplished.

On the first day of class, I was so nervous.

Under pressure to get the work done.

Remembering all my goals and keeping my grade in mind.

Never let anyone tell you that you can’t make it through.

Each day was a new learning experience.

Yes! I’ve made it through.

The days are numbered

classes are coming to an end.

As I look back, I wonder

where the semester has gone.

It went so fast but seemed,

to drag on forever.

I’m proud to have made it through this class

I’ve worked hard and learned a lot;

about myself and literature.

It’s time to move on and

begin another journey.

You

are not

the same as

me.  I am not

the same as you or

them.  We are different.

I’m differing from the norm.

I can make my own decisions.

Please don’t control, we can be equal.

Stand beside me and we will make it through.

     I thought that this tied into how feminism and queer theory are related.  With the definition of queer theory as “differing from the norm,” we can see how much things are different from how they were in the past.  The women taking the chances and taking on more masculine roles would reflect the queer theory.  We saw this in The Color Purple, when Celie gets the strength to stand up for herself against Mr.___.  Also, what I have read so far in Middlesex, I can tell that queer theory is going to be shown throughout the book.

     I found a poem that I thought showed queer theory and feminism both.  What I took from the poem, is that the “norm” was being shown and what really happens today is what is differing from the norm.  The poem is That Women Are But Men’s Shadows by Ben Jonson.  I thought that the women being men’s shadows was like talking about them being submissive to them or behind them.  What women are fighting and looking for is not to be behind men but to be beside and equal to them.

Follow a shadow, it still flies you;

Seem to fly it, it will pursue:

So court a mistress, she denies you;

Let her alone, she will court you.

Say, are not women truly then

Styled by the shadows of us men?

At morn and even shades are longest,

At noon they are short or none;

So men at weakest, they are strongest;

But grant us perfect, they’re not known.

Say, are not women truly then

Styled but the shadows of us men?

In class today, we discussed 3 questions.
1. What is feminist theory and how does it play out in the color purple?
2. How is the feminist theory responsible for the development of queer theory?
3. What is queer theory and how does it play out in your life?

We discussed these questions in our small groups and then as a class. Our group just decided to write a blog and a poem on these topics – feminism and queer theory, and how they relate. We also touched on the term hegemony – meaning the majority ruling over the minority.

Lessons Learned

Carrie Underwood

There’s some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,
That had some better endings,
Been some bad times I’ve been through,
Damage I cannot undo.
Some things,
I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don’t really matter,
When life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And every day I wondered how I’d get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

There’s mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should have taken,
Been some signs I didn’t see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don’t make no difference,
The past can’t be rewritten,
You get the life you’re given,

Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
And every day I wondered how I’d get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are the things that make you strong!
You can’t change the past,
Cause it’s gone.
And you just gotta move on,
Because it’s all
Lessons learned.

And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
From everyday I wondered how I’d get through the night,
From every change, life has thrown me.
I’m thankful, for every break in my heart,
I’m grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned,
Lessons learned.
Lessons learned.

Lessons Learned

My version

“At the bottom of the abyss

comes the voice of salvation.”

My journey is at a stand still

The darkness is overtaking me

I cannot turn back now

Some things,

I wish I could do all all over again,

But the past has gone away

This journey keeps on movin

This is the life I’m livin

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

And every mountain that

I had to climb

Every day I wanted to

give up my fight

I can, see the light

The future keeps on comin

This is the life I’m livin

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

There are choices I could’ve made

Some paths, I turned away from

Some roads,

I never should’ve taken,

People always helping me to see

That this was all within me

I wish,

That I could fix the damage done

But the past has gone away

This journey keeps on movin

This is the life I’m livin

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

And every mountain that

I had to climb

Every day I wanted to

give up my fight

Oh, I can see the light

The future keeps on comin

This is the life I’m livin

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

And all the darkness

that gets to you

It’s your fight that makes you strong

The past has gone away

And it’s now

Your time to look ahead

Because it’s all,

Lessons learned.

And every mountain that

I had to climb

Every day I wanted to

give up my fight

Now I can see the light

The future keeps on comin

This is the life I’m livin

Some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned.

Oh, some pages turned,

Some bridges burned,

But there were,

Lessons learned,

Lessons learned.

Hope abides; therefore I abide.

Countless frustrations have not cowed me.

I am still alive, vibrant with life.

The black cloud will disappear,

The morning sun will appear once again

In all its supernal glory.