Dialogue

Instead of thinking only logic
should be promoter of opinions,
perhaps we should be dialogic,
not treating others as dominions
to be convinced by us so we may conquer,
but act as an impartial witness
to thoughts for which our friends may hanker
with logic seeming to lack fitness.
Let us therefore embrace uncertainties
without attempting to impose solutions,
for we should not feel forced on days we seize
to move from their beginnings to conclusions.


gershon hepner:

The idea of Keats

After my blog entry from last night, I was reading further into the novel and found a fascinating passage, considering what I discussed in my previous entry. I mentioned my suspicion concerning the role of “willing suspension of disbelief” in the solidification of the daemon's form. I have a feeling that I will keep finding evidence for this connection, especially since I'm looking for it, but this passage particularly struck me. “...Capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.” This dialogue occurs when Dr. Malone quotes Keats while explaining the process one must undergo in order to visualize dust. Of course, Lyra is already familiar with this process from her use of the alethiometer. But it clearly demonstrates a connection between dust and the “willing suspension of disbelief” This, in turn, is connected to the accumulation of dust as one ages, and this may be further connected to the solidification of the daemon's form. As I read on I may come to some differing conclusions, but it is an interesting topic to ponder. Here is the letter in which Keats discusses his theory of negative capability:

I had not a dispute but a disquisition with Dilke, on various subjects; several things dovetailed in my mind, & at once it struck me, what quality went to form a Man of Achievement especially in literature & which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact & reason.
-John Keats

The Daemon, as it is

Reading Phillip Pulman's His Dark Materials has spurred in me a lot of contemplation concerning the nature of the daemon. My first reaction, when first introduced to the idea, was that the daemon served as an embodiment of the unconscious. This first reaction has since been solidified upon further reading of the novel.

On page 143 there is a passage where Lyra conveys the misery of having your daemon separated from you: “It was such a strange tormenting feeling when your daemon was pulling at the link between you; part physical pain deep in the chest, part intense sadness and love.” This inherent interconnectedness between human and daemon demonstrated in this passage seems consistent as a symbol for the unconscious. Humans are connected to their unconscious in an intimate way. The unconscious influences your every move. But, you are also disconnected from your unconscious. It is part of you, but the vast majority of the time you are unaware of its influence on you. It is this separation, between a being and his or her unconscious, that I think Pullman was trying to convey by embodying the unconscious within another being. Creating a powerful connection – a connection that partly decides the identity of the human, while simultaneously emphasizing the separation by embodying the unconscious within a being unique to the human.

Shortly after the passage cited above, there is a description of Pantalaimon – Lyra's daemon – guiding Lyra toward Iorek Byrnison as he runs away: “She did run, though, and Pantalaimon flew up as a seagull to watch where the bear went and called down to tell her where to follow.” This bear, essential to Lyra in her mission north, is found only with the help of Lyra's daemon. However unaware of our unconscious we remain, it is constantly guiding us in our decisions and life. I think this serves as another parallel between the daemon and unconscious.

In Monday's class, we discussed the reason for the solidification of the daemon's form as the human makes the transition from childhood to adulthood. Some ideas were thrown around, and it was said that this was maybe due to a sexual maturation, an accumulation of experiences, or falling in love with the opposite sex. Granted, I have not finished the novel, but I was unsatisfied with these suggestions. I envisioned the change occurring as a consequence of losing the “willing suspension of disbelief.” As humans grow, there is a transition where we become more skeptical of the world. It is much harder to suspend our disbelief, much less willingly. I think that it is this transition responsible for the daemon's figure, and considering how prevalent this theme is within children's literature, it seems like a plausible suggestion...more on this later.

Cinderella's appended moral

The beauty of a woman is a rare treasure.
To admire it is always a pleasure.
What they call real grace
Is priceless, but beauty will still win every race.

That’s what the fairy in this tale
Taught Cinderella without fail,
She could use her beauty to become the queen
Flashing glass slippers, looking sexy and lean

Beauty: that gift is worth more than a dress
It’ll win a man’s heart; and empty his wallet in the process.
Although grace is a gift that the fairies confer,
Beauty is still the trait we all prefer.

Sure…it’s a benefit
To show real courage and have some wit.
But none of this will help you out,
If you don’t let yourself shine and gad about.
So before you’re born, make sure and pray
That beauty in you will find its way.

Children, Books, and Nature

What is a child? If you asked someone this question, the most common response would have something to do with age. They may say “a young human being,” or something to that extent. But, when someone accuses an adult of being a child it has nothing to do with age. So, being a child must mean more than merely age. To tell someone they are acting like a child is to tell them that they are irresponsible, careless, maybe naïve. Being a child has as much to do with behavior as it does age. Children are incredibly malleable and imaginative; they are not small versions of adults, they are biologically and behaviorally distinct from adults. Neurons are still dividing, the brain is developing, the restrictions of adulthood are not yet in-place. I think these characteristics of childhood are at the root of the “willing suspension of disbelief” that is impossible to achieve as an adult, especially when reading fairytales!

What is a book? Something you read, need I say more? But, you also read magazines and pamphlets so this definition does not work.

What if a book could be defined as collection of ideas? Nope, can’t be that. It could be argued that a symphony, in its most expansive form, is a collection of ideas, and a symphony is definitely not a book.

So a book must just be words on paper that are bound in a fashion not resembling a magazine. Is that all a book is?

You would be doing a book a disfavor to define it, because the definitions you give it would either be too expansive and fail to explain exactly what a book is (as demonstrated above) or they would be too constraining and fail to encompass the true identity of a book (also demonstrated above).

What is nature? Are we talking about human nature? mother nature? the whole-of-
nature? natural foods? Wikipedia’s disambiguation of nature is as follows:

Nature (as distinct from natural and naturalism) refers to the natural world, especially in its essential form, untainted by human influence.
Nature may refer to:
Nature (philosophy) as a philosophical concept
Mother Nature, the personification of nature as a maternal figure
Nature (innate), the innate behaviour, character or essence of a human or another living organism
As a title, Nature can refer to:
Nature (journal), a general-purpose scientific journal published since 1869
La Nature, a French journal founded in 1873 by Gaston Tissandier
Nature (radio programme), a BBC Radio 4 programme
Nature (book), an essay and collection of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Nature (TV series), a television program that has been broadcast on PBS since 1982
The disambiguation of “nature” by wikipedia breaks up the different types of Nature so as not to confuse you This article is about the physical universe. For other uses, see Nature (disambiguation).
"Natural" redirects here. For other uses, see Natural (disambiguation).


Lightning strikes during the eruption of the Galunggung volcano in 1982


Much attention has been given to preserving the natural characteristics of Hopetoun Falls, Australia, while allowing ample access for visitors.


Bachalpsee in the Swiss Alps; generally mountainous areas are less affected by human activity.
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. Manufactured objects and human interaction are not considered part of nature unless qualified in ways such as "human nature" or "the whole of nature". Nature is generally distinguished from the supernatural. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the galactic.
The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "the course of things, natural character."[1] Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord.[2] This is shown in the first written use of the word φύσις, in connection with a plant.[3] The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe, is one of several expansions of the original notion; it began with certain core applications of the word φύσις by pre-Socratic philosophers, and has steadily gained currency ever since. This usage was confirmed during the advent of modern scientific method in the last several centuries.[4][5]
Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects – the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness – wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the latter being understood as that which has been brought into being by a human or human-like consciousness or mind.

Fight DIsplaced

It was a Saturday in September, 2008. The weather was beautiful, quite typical of an early fall day in Montana.

But all was not well! Somewhere in Bozeman was a young man who was quite nervous. Not only did he have a mixed martial arts bout that evening, but he also knew that the love of his life would be there.

This love of his had so far denied him any reciprocal affection, but he thought that maybe if he fought well enough he may just be able to gain her love.

The fight started fast, with a flurry of kicks and punches. The young man was getting the best of his opponent. Body kicks, followed by uppercuts and a left hook, followed by two knees to the body.

But his opponent was smart and had had circled him and had the young man trapped in the corner of the ring. He shot in for a takedown but got stuffed and ended up on the bottom, at the mercy of his opponent’s blows.

The fight proceeded to the second round, and the young man found himself in the same position: underneath his opponent with his opponent connecting with one out of every 3 punches.

The ref almost stopped the fight when the young man’s opponent connected with a flurry of 4 punches.

The young man, covered in blood, knew that he had to regain his composure and win the fight. He waited until his opponent reached back to deliver another blow. He shot his left leg over his opponents arm, twisted his legs around his neck and squeezed tight the classic triangle choke to win the fight.

Afterwards, in the locker room, the young man looked at himself in the large mirror set up for the fighters. When he saw his bloodied, swollen face and crooked nose in the mirror he knew that he was far too ugly for any girl, especially his love, to fall in love with him.

But, to his delightful surprise, when he greeted the girl, his inner virtues shined through and she professed her love for him on the spot. They then made romantic love by candlelight all night long.

Some Nursery Rhymes from Class on 9-10-08

Hey diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such a sight
And the dish ran away with the spoon.


This is the house that Jack built.
This is the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the dog, That worried the cat, That killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.
This is the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That
killed the rat, That ate the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

P.S. (I thought that the dog ate the cat?)



Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes

http://www.indianchild.com/history_origins_nursery_ryhmes.htm