Arabic Poetry

1. My favorite thing about The Dove's Necklace was how the author defines love by showing the symptoms, and basically says that you can't really tell if you're in love because you don't notice the symptoms. I thought the poetry was very beautiful, especially the first selection.  I also enjoyed the author's observation that lovers will act wildly out of character. I don't know how many people i have seen enter a relationship and their personality completely changes. Usually if i say something about it they deny it not because it isn't true, but because they can't see it.

2. The theme of watching or looking is most prominent in the first poem in the selection. It introduces the idea of your eyes always being drawn to your beloved, almost as if your gaze is their property. later, on page 34, the eyes play a different role. This time, they mistake someone for your beloved. This also plays into the idea that your eyes, sight, and thought are completely consumed by another person.

Metamorphoses Day 2

The stories of Hermaphroditus and Arachne both begin with a woman at the loom. This is a theme that is repeated throughout the parts of Metamorphoses that i have read. This is keeping with the idea of textiles as feminine art. In the Hermaphroditus myth, it is the narrator who is weaving, while in the Arachne myth, it is the titular character who is famous for her ability. It is interesting to see how the theme resonates differently in each story. Another theme that the two stories have in common is pride. When Hermaphroditus refuses Salmacis, she is too proud to accept his refusal and she basically rapes him; and Pallas' pride causes her to turn Arachne into a spider.

Metamorphoses Day 1

4. The conversation between Narcissus and Echo is interesting to me because of the way Echo can still get her point across even though she can only repeat what Narcissus is saying. I think that it is definitely something a real echo can't do. It is just interesting to see such a cool explanation for where echoes come from.

5. Narcissus really falls in love with his reflection. This is problematic because Narcissus thinks that it is another person he sees in the reflection, but when he reaches out, he disturbs the water and the reflection goes away. The foundation for love in this story is wanting something you think you can't have. First with Echo and Narcissus and then Narcissus with himself, the person experiencing unrequited love grows more enamored with the other person the more they refuse them.