Group One.

I like the subjects that this group looked at. As with the rest of the class the subjects they spoke about dealt with looking at a single situation differently. I have always believed that you can put a positive (or negative) spin on any situation. As they say, life is 10% what happens to you and 90% what you do about it. I enjoyed the letter to the brother. To see the emotions of another person come out in class really makes class worth going to.

Group Three

The personal stories from this group were very touching. It is a sad state of affairs in this world when women (and men) are expected to emulate the freaks of the modeling industry. Very few people actually look like that and I for one am glad. I am only 5 foot 8 so I guess I wouldn't stand much of a chance with a 6 foot 110 pound model. Ladies I hope you understand that most of us don't want you to look like that and we certainly don't expect it. A person is much more beautiful if they except who they are and assert themselves. Being unique is much more attractive than fitting in with societies pathetic guidlines to beauty.

Jameson Amato

I thought group oneÕs presentation was very well done. It was very insightful to hear their interpretations of how they thought Victor Frankenstein and Wordsworth might react to certain pictures. It is interesting to see just how loving of nature Wordsworth is and how much Frankenstein likes to see it. I do think that Frankenstein might be a little more "human" than the group made him out to be, but that is just my opinion. It was interesting to me to hear another viewpoint of Frankenstein, one that challenged my own. It was also very insightful to hear the one presentersÕ letter to her older brother. This was a very powerful message, to not fall prey to the corporate machine, enjoy life and enjoy nature. I see many people in America fall to this trap, not understanding that life should be cherished and nature rejoiced, not cast away in the pursuit of money. Good job.

Group threeÕs presentation was also excellent. I was especially drawn to the first presenters feelings about the scar on her forehead. It is really disgusting to me how superficial we can all be. Who cares if somebody has a scar, or is too skinny, or too fat, or too short, or whatever. I thought the underlying theme was great, love yourself for yourself, be who you will be, define yourself donÕt let others do that for you.

cmcvey@thegrid.net

The second round of presentations proved to be noticably more dynamic than the first, and the range of personal interpretations has indeed mushroomed into a diverse and intriguing collection of experience. Doubtless, this was the primary objective of the neccessarily vague assignment. After the first few groups tentatively draw their conclusions, setting the standards for improvement, the quality and depth of remaining insight is forced to the next level. I look forward to the next round.

GROUP 1's presentation was, aside from a slight monotonality attributed to nervousness, remakably clever. The comparisons drawn between Wordsworth's faith in nature and Dr. Frankenstein's (Shelly's) faith in science clearly exemplified the innocence-experience relationship from a unique perspective. The way in which Wordsworth chooses to filter his perceptions through an almost holy screen of natural reverence is the epitome of innocence. When Frankenstein looks upon the horrible reality of his creation reacting to the negative aspects of human behavior, he tries in vain to run and hide first, and then persue the terrible and unattainable. This tends to be the general pattern of science... Jackie's letter to her brother, though not consistent with her group so much, was one of the most well written pieces of insight anyone has had the courage to read to me in some time. She was excellent in relating her personal transition towards individuality.

GROUP 2's comparison of Frankenstein's monster to the character of "Powder" clearly demonstrated the way in which human beings (or monsters), as they grow accustomed to their surroundings, begin to view the rather harsh realities of experience with an increasingly cynical eye. When a being is rejected, he tends to become bitter, and moves from optimistic innocence and blind faith towards self-destructiveness and the negative aspects of experience.

GROUP 3 tried to prove that we fear what we can't understand; they drew an undefined line between vague, yet undisputable concepts of social acceptability and unacceptability through mainstream reflections of public opinion, like advertizements. There are, without a doubt, standards of beauty that remain remakably consistent within a population as a whole, and which dictate our personal interpretations of ourselves. All of the girls' personal "confessions" were effective in that they all made the transition from innocence to experience with a positive, rather than the typically negative attitude. Acceptance of one's appearance as a unique declaration of personality is a fulfilling and gravitational revelation, and they spoke with conviction. Sarah Mclachlin's song fit well.

GROUP 4 gave us a cinematic approach that i found slightly difficult to draw together... their underlying theme, however, seemed to be aimed at pointing out that the lines between good and evil are often overlapped and relatively indistinguishable, as they were in Shelly's original ghost story. The inherent tendancy of the human mind is, at first, a positively innocent one, but when clouded by experience, becomes jaded. I enjoyed the diversity of selections, and the mention of the nature vs. nurture debate always provides food for thought... Undoubtedly these were some of Shelly's concerns in the formulation of her novel, as well.

GROUP 5 took off in individual directions, but centered coherently around the idea of "heard melodies are sweet, yet unheard melodies are sweeter," in the Keats tradition. The rather casual approach was particularly appropriate for this theme, where a person ought to savor the moments set immediately before them; to sieze the instant at which anticipation of the thing exceeds the thing itself, where the juxtaposition of experiences provides a basis for revelation and the renewal of our means of interpretation. the gentleman's original poem was outstanding... the rhyme and the content was faithful to Keats' assertions, and the delivery was epic. The group's sense of humor was ingenious. GROUP 6 made a video about "wundering" to supplement Wordsworth's fulfullment in the outdoors and Shubert's trickling melodies. Their efforts were tied in nicely to the idea that "life is a dry, twisted, pretzel, and nature's offering of infinite exploratory potential is like water, refreshing, powerful, purifying, and sustaining. I think that they spent a lot of time on the video, (the song that was written was a well done bonus) and the fact that they removed us all from the dark classroom and took us "wundering" with them to the realm of birds and light was a great idea. Wordsworth's thoughts could not have been more eloquently exemplified.

Andrew Paiko

My favorite presentation was that of Group 1 in which they compared the differences of William Wordsworth and Victor Frankenstein's relationship to the divine and to nature. Wordsworth was one to let nature be discovered passively by simply observing and reflecting on his surroundings while Victor Frankenstein attempted to become divine by creating something unnatural and placing it in a natural state. One of the most impressive and creative ways to interpret that difference was displayed by this group as they narrated various scenes on the overhead, first through Wordsworth, then through Victor Frankenstein. One that stands out in particular was that of a young woman suspended in mid leap on a beach setting. Her head is turned so her facial expression is difficult to interpret. The first narrator then began by describing the scene as a woman playing happily, frolicking in her innocence. The second narrator contrasts next that she isn't playing joyously, but rather running frantically form her fears, trying to escape the danger that lurks around every corner in this hideous world of experience in which we exist. These two drastically different interpretations of the same photograph made their method of comparison both extremely creative and educational. It wasn't until Group 5 presented a remarkable poem, in which we were to all close our eyes and think of a "perfect" song, that I made a relation to Group 1's comparisons. When the real meaning of a poem is within the poem itself, every person that reads it is left with an individual relationship to that poem. The meaning of a particular poem to me will never entirely mimic the meaning that it carries with another, just as Wordsworth and Frankenstein were both impacted differently from a common scene. I found this individual perception idea to be an interesting central concept.

Aaron Drury

Group 3, the five women, were very brave to get up in front of the class and speak of their fears. Especially because they were in a way confronting those fears by doing so. Being in front of the class in full view and vulnerability, yet managing to speak from the heart and hold nothing back truly takes guts. As a male, I have been aware of similar issues in some of the women I have dated, but am continually amazed and saddened that a group of such attractive, intelligent young women are pressured by society to conform to certain standards and therefore carry a tremendous burden of-and desire for-conformity. The far to harsh reality of life, shatters oneÕs innocence at way too young of an age. Judgments about physical appearance seem to be one of the core problems. These women were able to determine, it seems, individually in their lives a point at which they can remember experience taking hold. It begins by asking questions about their self worth or beauty. ItÕs hard to realize at a young age that it is particularly the adults among us who have created, maintain, and enforce the standards of appearance. The eyes of our youth truly are the only fair witnesses to life.

After watching group 6 on Thursday, I felt compelled to comment about their presentation as well. The location for their film was well chosen. The sound of the water brought the mood together completely. Except for the sound of the passing traffic, you could almost forget that you were sitting in a classroom watching a movie. I thought the poem put to music was particularly well done. So you couldnÕt understand all the words because the guitar was too loud, so what. I could understand plenty to get the idea, and besides, sometimes lyrics just confuse the meaning of a song. We are forced to express ourselves through structured vocabulary so that we can communicate our ideas, but what happens when those words arenÕt enoughÉ..hence the need for music. Good Job!

TALacasse@aol.com