Charlotte Temple

I think that Mr. Lawler should teach Charlotte Temple again next year. Although the book was written over 100 years ago, I think teenagers can still relate to parts of it. For example, the main plot was about the age-old and ever popular story of "boy meets girl, girls falls for boy, boy leaves girl". This story is has been around for what seems like forever, and it is still the main idea in plenty of present day novels and movies.

I think that this book also tries to teach an important life lesson. Towards the end of the book, right after LaRue, who committed a few crimes of her own, dies and Rowson writes, "He gave her shelter that night beneath his hospitable roof, and the nex day got her admission into an hospital; where having lingered for a few weeks, she died, a striking example that vice, however prosperous in the beginning, in the end leads only to misery and shame" (114). The last part of that sentence pretty much says that an immoral act, or habit, or characteristic, no matter how beneficial it is at one time will always lead to suffering and regret. While most teenagers have been told time and time again to know the difference between right and wrong and good and bad, I think this text makes this point in an unusual way.

The way this text makes a point of showing what's right and what is wrong is through extreme melodrama. One example of Rowson's use of melodrama is when Charlotte has first left for America, and Mr. Eldridge tells her parents that she has gone, "...the mansion which was once the mansion of peace, became the habitation of pale, dejected melancholy". This sentence makes it seem like eloping was the end of the world for Charlotte's family. While it was wrong of Charlotte to run off, the situation is upsetting at most and not at all life-ending. I think that this melodramatic scene encourages the reader to consider their loved one's reactions and feelings before doing something that is wrong.

I think that the way melodrama was practically ridiculously overused in this book was one of the things that was so interesting about it. It is a unique style of writing that I don't think I have ever noticed before. I think this is good for this English 223 course because their was a lot in this course about reading new types of text that were possibly hard to understand, such as Shakespeare.

I think that the way melodrama was used in this book is comparable to the language in Shakespeare. It is just not something I was used to seeing and it took me a while to get accustomed enough to the writing to fully understand what was going on in Charlotte Temple just like it did in The Taming of the Shrew. Once I did get used to all the melodrama, I was able to laugh at the book in parts where I can only assume Rowson meant to be so melodramatic they were funny, such as when Charlotte's father arrives to see her, "Nature could support them no more, and they both sunk lifeless to the arms of the attendants" (109). I thought this was funny because it was just too ridiculous to take seriously.

All in all I think that this book should be taught next year, because it is not only interesting, but it introduces students to a new style of writing.

A Storm Approaches..

The word capricious comes from the French term capricieux. This term originates from the sixteenth century and is an adjective meaning whimsical or temperamental. It is also known to have come from the Italian term, capriccioso. In Italian this word is usually applied to music and means lively and free.

In the book, Charlotte Temple, the character Belcour is a borderline alcoholic womanizer. He woes poor Charlotte Temple after she has been left alone and pregnant by her previous suitor, Montraville. Author Susanna Rowson describes Belcour as, "He possessed a genteel fortune, had a liberal education; dissipated, thoughtless, and capricious, he paid little regard to the moral duties, and less to religious ones: eager in the pursuit of pleasure, he minded not the miseries of others, provided his own wishes, however extravagent, were gratified" (32). Now days, capricious is directly defined as "a sudden unpredictable change; fickle; whimsical". This word applies to Belcour because, in my own opinion, he is quite an unpredictable, fickle, character. One minute Belcour is eagerly pursuing Charlotte, doing everything in his power to split her and Montraville up. Montraville and Belcour are speaking about Charlotte, and Belcour says something to imply that Charlotte has cheated on Montraville with himself, Montraville says, "'...You cannot mean to insinuate that Charlotte is false,'" and Belcour responds,"'I dont insinuate it...I know it'" (76). The next minute he has completely lost interest in Charlotte saying, "...She was no longer an object of desire: it is true for several days he went constantly to see her, but her pale, emaciated appearance disgusted him...he left the unhappy girl to sink unnoticed to the grave, a prey to sickness, grief, and penury" (90). This is just one example of how Belcour's personality could be seen as "capricious".

Althought capricious is not commonly used in every day language in this century, it is used seldomly. For example, there is a magazine called Be Capricious. I think the term capricious was a good choice for this magazine because for each issue they publish, a different topic is chosen. One issue they published about feminism, another issue about animals, and another issue about secrecy.

I think that this word could be very useful in daily life. If you happen to be having a conversation about the weather one day and you have a feeling it could change soon, you could describe it as being capricious. I also think you could use this term to describe people. If you and your friend are trying to figure out what to do, but your friend keeps changing their mind, you could tell them to stop being so capricious. I think that this word can make someone more literate just because even though it is not very commonly used, if it is used, they will know what it means.

The Road Not Taken

The Road Not Taken

By: Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

And took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh! I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads onto way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I should be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads divereged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Although poetry can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the person doing the interpreting, I saw this as a poem about making tough choices. I think that the fork in the road was a symbol for a choice the traveler needs to make.

When Frost says "...and looked down one as far as I could, to where it bent in the undergrowth", I think he is talking about how when you have to make a choice, there is really no way of knowing how it will really turn out. Also, I think the line, "Yet knowing how way leads to way, I doubted if I should ever come back", means that making just one small choice can lead to so many different places in life, even if the choice didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

The traveler is looking back at this choice and remembering how he took the less likely road to take, he talks about how much of a difference that made.

I like this poem because it is something that every one goes through at some point. We are all faced with decisions every day. And often, like in this poem, the decisions we make can shape the rest of our lives.