Lessons from London

Yesterday in class, we were given a poem called "As I Walked Out One Evening" by W. H. Auden. We ran out of time in class to discuss it as a group, but I read it on my own because it seemed interesting to me and relevant to our trip. He simply describes his walk through London one evening and it was really cool to me to be able to picture the things he describes because I have seen them myself. He states he "heard a lover sing under an arch of the railway" and I could picture the little old man I saw playing his accordion and singing by the Thames River, or the guy I saw playing his guitar and singing in the underground train station. That is one thing I have noticed about London, more than many other cities I have been to. A lot of people here want to express themselves. I can't even count how many times I have seen someone just sitting on the sidewalk singing and playing music, and they seem as happy as they can be, like they don't have a care in the world. He also explains how after he heard the man singing, "all the clocks in the city began to whirr and chime." As I read this I could picture Big Ben, something I thought I would never get to see in person. For some reason, I also thought of the beautiful bells that were ringing outside of St. Paul's Cathedral the Sunday we went to church there. I have loved being able to see and experience such a magical city that I thought I would only ever read about. And I love that now when I read about it, I am flooded with images of different places I have visited in London. 

We also discussed a poem called "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owens. It discusses people fighting and dying for their country in the military. At the end of the poem it says "My friend, you would not tell with such high zest to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori. This phrase basically means that war is glorious and honorable. When you really think about it, war is honorable but it is not glorious. It's gruesome and tough and not at all glorious. I think one of the main meanings of this poem is to point to perspective. Although people try to make it seem like it is glorious and wonderful, in reality in many ways it's not. In class we discussed how that should be one of the biggest things we have gained from this trip, perspective. I think I have absolutely gained that. I have seen that although London is a beautiful city with so many treasures, I have learned to be thankful for where I live because I have many things that they don't have here. Although I have loved spending so much time in this wonderful place, I have gained perspective on so many things and am thankful to go back to the small town of Ruston.

More Than Just a Memory

In class yesterday, we talked about many different Romantic poets. One of the poets we talked about was John Keats. We read a poem written by him called "Ode to a Grecian Urn," that was about a stone Grecian vase. The urn that he was believed to be describing in the poem used to be on display in the British Museum, but it is no longer there. After class today, Abbie and I went back to the British Museum to try to find another vase that we could look at to get an idea of what he was writing about. When we got to the museum, it was absolutely packed with people. There were children running around everywhere, which made the experience more overwhelming than just the museum is in itself. It was a bit unpleasant at first trying to figure out where we needed to go to find what we were looking for, but along the way I saw some really interesting things that I had not seen the first time we went to the museum last week. As I saw these things, such as the Rosetta Stone and parts of the actual Parthenon, I realized how awesome of an opportunity it was to be able to see such a famous museum, especially for free! In the poem, Keats describes the vase as having two lovers about to kiss, a tree that will never have to shed its leaves, people chasing each other, people playing, and several other different scenes. He describes these particular scenes because he is trying to show how they are frozen in time. The two lovers are about to kiss and they will always be frozen in this perfect moment, always having the same feelings about each other as they do in that moment. They will never die and they will never experience highs or lows in their relationship. The vase that I found in the British Museum has a wedding scene on it. These people will always be frozen on such a happy moment in their life and will never have to experience the struggles and obstacles of their marriage. This vase, like the one Keats describes in his poem, tell stories. They are like a memory and they always stand outside of time and you can take them with you. They show many truths, like many pieces of art do. I think this concept of the vases serving as a memory you can hold onto forever relates to my time here in London. I will have lived in London for 3 weeks by the end of this trip. Since I have been learning things in class, as well as experiencing and learning things in person, I feel like this trip will be more than just a memory. Because I have been able to see many of the things we have been reading about and talking about, I feel like it will be a trip and an experience that I can always hold onto and learn from for the rest of my life. 

London and Home

In class today we discussed several different poets from the Romantic Period. In several of them, I found myself finding relationships between them and this city and between the subject of the poems and myself. In William Wordsworth's, "The Solitary Reaper," he describes the girl who is the subject of his poem as being lonely. He describes how she is lonely and all she can think about is going back to where she came from. I was able to somewhat relate to this because I have had moments on this trip while on the tube, exhausted and swearing, or eating another meal that seemed like it had absolutely no flavor, where I have just longed to be at home. There have been moments where I have wanted to just be back in Ruston with my car to allow me to go wherever I want to go and all the food that I like to eat. Although I have only had a few of those moments during my time in London, I was still able to relate to his poem in that way. I was also able to relate to the excerpt we read from "Beppo" by Lord Byron. In this excerpt we read, Byron discusses the things he loves and hates about London, in a very cynical manner. Although, he writes in such a satirical style, he is still expressing his feelings about the country he lives in and explaining how he dislikes many things about it, but he still loves it. This made me think about my feelings towards London and what I have learned about it so far. There are many things that I have absolutely loved about London. I have loved every place we have visited to sight see and all the gorgeous churches and museums and the awesome shopping. And although I love all of these things, there are a lot of things I dislike about the city and especially would if I were to ever live here on a permanent basis. I have enjoyed finding our way around the city and taking the tube and the buses, but could never see myself doing it on a daily basis. I also am not the biggest fan of any of the food here. The portions they serve are a lot smaller than I am uses to and their food does not have the rich flavors that the food in America does, especially the food in the South. These are just a few things I dislike about London, compared to many more things that I find absolutely amazing about this city. But because I have been able to find things I dislike, I think it has made me appreciate home a lot more. It has made me really appreciate where I live, in the small town of Ruston and appreciate all of the luxuries we enjoy daily, that aren't always found I'm big cities like London. I think that is one of the most important things about traveling, you find a lot of new and exciting things you love about the city you are in, but you can also learn to appreciate the place that you came from more.

Henry IV, Part II

While in Stratford, we went to see Shakespeare's Henry IV Part 2 at the Royal Shakespeare Company Theater. Although I have to admit, I had a really difficult time understanding the play and deciphering the Shakespearian language, I am glad that I had the opportunity to see a play written by Shakespeare in a place that was so special to his life. I enjoyed seeing the costumes and what they would have worn during his time. I thought that the actors and actresses did an outstanding job with the performance. I don't think I have ever seen so much emotion poured into a live performance. Whether it was anger, joy, or sadness that the actors were expressing, they accurately portrayed their emotions on stage in a way that must have taken a lot of time and commitment to perfect. I thought the theater was absolutely beautiful, with the wooden stage and set. It was very unique and unlike any theater I had ever seen and I think it relates accurately to the time period the plays were written in. I am glad I got the opportunity to see this play and hope to see another Shakespeare play one day. 

Shakespeare's Beginnings

Today we got back from visiting Stratford, where William Shakespeare was born and lived. The town of Stratford was a lot different than I expected it to be. I expected it to be a really quaint small town, and it was, but it still had a lot to do and a lot of things going on. It was a nice break from the busy city of London! First, we visited Mary Arden's farm. Mary Arden was Shakespeare's mother. It was a beautiful farm and had lots of unique animals. I thought it was really interesting the way they kept it still a working farm and they had people taking care of the animals and chopping wood, like they would have done at the time his mother lived there. It was a beautiful place and probably my favorite thing we saw while in Stratford. Then we went to take a walking tour of Stratford, saw where Shakespeare was buried, and finished in the home where Shakespeare was born. While spending some time in this town, I found myself seeing where Shakespeare got a lot of his inspiration for his sonnets and other pieces of writing. Especially today, while it was sunny and beautiful in Stratford, I kept thinking about Shakespeare's sonnet 18, where he compares his love to a summer's day. I thought it was really cool to be in Stratford, a place Shakespeare knew very well, on a beautiful summer's day. I really enjoyed this unique experience to see where such a well known poet was born and raised and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about his life. 

A Day in Oxford

Last Friday, we took a day trip to Oxford University. It was an absolutely amazing university. Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It has no clear date of foundation, but there is evidence of teaching in some form at Oxford as early as 1096. The university developed rapidly after Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Oxford in 1167. I can't believe I got to visit a university with such a rich history. The University of Oxford is considered a city university, so it doesn't really have a main campus. Instead, all the buildings and facilities are scattered throughout the city of Oxford, creating such a unique atmosphere. I loved that although it was spread out, most everything was still within walking distance and easily accessible. We got to visit Christ Church College which serves as a college chapel and a cathedral. We went into the dining hall, which is where they got the inspiration for the dining hall that is used in the Harry Potter movies. It was so cool! The architecture and the structure of this building were just breath taking to me. And the courtyard in the middle of the building was gorgeous. There were living quarters around the quarters and I could only think about how lucky those students are to live on such a beautiful campus. After we visited Christ Church College, we took a walking tour of some of the other buildings throughout the campus. While we were walking, we passed by some girls who were covered in flour and confetti and various other things and were also carrying and drinking bottles of champagne. I didn't know what was going on, but our tour guide explained to us that they had just finished their exams and were celebrating. I thought it was so cool to see students today still attending this university after so many years. After visiting the University of Oxford, it is easy to see how so many famous writers and poets got inspiration and confidence from their years in college there. I will never forget my visit to this university where people such as Tolkien and C.S. Lewis began their years as writers and went on to become so well known. 

A Bloody Affair

Well today was the day we went to see Titus Andronicus. I was nervous as soon as I woke up! Going into the play, I was interested to see how they were going to act out such a gory and violent play. I think they did an impressive job with letting the story play out, it just wasn't really my thing. After I saw a girl pass out within 20 minutes of the play starting, I was terrified. Although I didn't love the play because of all of the "senseless violence" I did enjoy getting to experience what it would have been like to see a play in Shakespeare's time, so many years ago. I also learned a lot of things I didn't know on the tour we took before the play. I learned that the Globe has an open roof because in Shakespeare's time plays only took place during the day, because the people who lived in the city of London had to get back across the river and into the gates of London before they were locked. I was shocked when our tour guide also told us that there were several accidents with the play many years ago. Someone was stabbed, and 2 people were accidentally shot at the Rose Theater. I found that absolutely terrifying and I can't imagine how traumatic it would have been watching a play and have to watch that take place. Overall, I enjoyed reading the story of Titus Andronicus, I am glad that I saw the play at the Globe for the experience, but I was not fond of the bloodiness and gore. However, I did enjoy the humor that was added in to somewhat lighten the mood of such a dark play.

Abundant Royalty

Today while we discussed the first part of Titus Andronicus, we talked about how successors are a common theme in Shakespeare's plays. At the opening of the play, they are trying to decide who will be the next emperor of Rome. This idea of who will serve as the next emperor or who will inherit the position is something that is still relevant today in England's society. Being from the United States, the idea of having kings and queens is such a foreign policy to me, because all of the information I have is from what I see on television and what I have read and learned in history classes. Already, while spending a short time in England, I can see how important it is in their culture. I saw this while visiting the Tower of London on Sunday, while looking at the Crown Jewels and admiring how expensive and gorgeous they were. Also, by learning about all the gifts they had given to them while they served as king or queen. It was very evident how admired and appreciated they are by their people and their country. It is also very visible in the time and money spent on many of their graves and memorials that are located in Westminster Abbey. You can tell that they were important by simply just glancing at their elaborate graves that were made and customized specially in their honor. It is interesting to learn about these important people in another country in classrooms and textbooks, but getting to see it for yourself in a magnificent city is just amazing.  

A Beautiful City

I have only been in London for a little short of a week and I am already in awe of this beautiful city. From seeing the Crown Jewels, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, and many other amazing pieces of London, I am amazed at how one city can contain so much rich history and continue to keep its unique treasures preserved as well as being such a fast-moving and modernized city. Today, we visited Westminster Abbey. Of course my first thought before going was how awesome it was going to be to see where Prince William and Kate got married, and it was, but it was also fascinating to see how many inspirational and important figures in literature, science, religion and history were buried in such a special place. As we discussed Spenser's "A Theater for Worldlings," we talked about how in his writing he is trying to create a hazard from falling in love with something that is from this world. He discusses beautiful things that end up dying or crumbling. At the time Spenser wrote "A Theater for Worldlings," people in London had very rough lives and many of them believed, as well as Spenser, that they shouldn't put their faith in earthly things. I believe they were right to believe that they shouldn't put their faith in things produced from society, but it is also interesting to think about all of the beautiful things that were around them and that still remain today. Although they had rough lives, there are many pieces of this beautiful city that could have brought many of them joy. Spenser talked about how easily the ideas and objects that he discussed could crumble and disappear, which makes me think he would be amazed today at how London still remains full of preserved history, while also becoming more and more modernized every day. I found it very inspiring to see the memorial of a writer "whose divine spirit needs noe othir witnesse then the works which he left behind him" and to make a connection with his writing and with the many things I have seen and experienced on this trip so far.