Be Thankful More Than Once a Year

Each year the family round the table sits
To share the food and give thanks
For those blessings received even if not seen.
This year was saddened by a divorce among
The ones we love, but still we said grace
And gave our thanks for everything,
For much was good though some was sad.
And in the light of the following day,
Our thanks was seen in cheer and joy.
Today we love all we loved before,
And tomorrow we should say thanks again.
It shouldn't be only once a year.

Browning's Sonnet 32

Have you read Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 32 - The first time that the sun rose on thine oath”? It's a poem about guilt and regret over love. Browning's poem talks about how passion can set the course for two people's lives, and commit them to something that, although it should be beautiful, is more likely doomed. While most of the poem seems to show Browning as feeling guilty over having wronged the man she loved because she agreed to marry him even though she knew she wasn't worthy of him, there's a sadness you can see she feels over the ultimate outcome she expects from that love--an outcome that will result from having chosen such an honorable man to love.

Here is Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, "Sonnet 32 - The first time that the sun rose on thine oath," (poem from Poemhunter.com, photo from www.loc.gov):

Sonnet 32 - The first time that the sun rose on thine oath

The first time that the sun rose on thine oath

To love me, I looked forward to the moon

To slacken all those bonds which seemed too soon

And quickly tied to make a lasting troth.

Quick-loving hearts, I thought, may quickly loathe;

And, looking on myself, I seemed not one

For such man's love!—more like an out-of-tune

Worn viol, a good singer would be wroth

To spoil his song with, and which, snatched in haste,

Is laid down at the first ill-sounding note.

I did not wrong myself so, but I placed

A wrong on thee. For perfect strains may float

'Neath master-hands, from instruments defaced,—

And great souls, at one stroke, may do and doat.

Link to "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

When Charles Dickens was 12 years old, his father, John Dickens, was so in debt that he was sent to prison. Charles was removed from school and sent to work at a boot-blacking factory (see red arrow in map) in order to help support his family. (See http://charlesdickenspage.com/. This map is from that website.) That experience
helped define Dickens' life, and greatly influenced his societal beliefs and his writings.

"Great Expectations," was Dickens thirteenth novel.

Here is the URL to the Website I've been working on that contains "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens. Both print and audio are available, although the Website is not yet complete.

http://www.geocities.com/dcady/ge/greatexpectations.html

And in case you are looking for a little fun, here's an online game related to Dickens. It's titled, "Survive Dickens' London," and is designed to let you see whether you can, "Dodge through Victorian London, avoiding the gangs and villains and trials and tribulations of Dickensian London in order to seek out Charles Dickens in his chalet hideaway in Rochester." Hope you enjoy it!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/multimedia/dickens/

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Everyone knows Charles Dickens for the wonderful author that he was. "Great Expectations" is just one of the great books he wrote. Though a little hard to read because of the era in which it originated, Charles Dickens is always wonderful to read.
I've been putting together a Website from which you can read the book or listen to it. It's in progress and not quite ready yet, but I'm getting there. In the next blog, I'll provide the link you'll need.

Frankenstein (in Audio, Video, and Text)

As you know, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel by Mary Shelley. First published in London, England in 1818 (but more often read in the revised third edition of 1831), it is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution. (The novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus, alludes to the over-reaching and punishment of the character from Greek mythology.) The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. Many distinguished authors, such as Brian Aldiss, claim that it is the very first science fiction novel. *

I have finished putting all of Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein, onto my Website for you to read online if you choose to do so. The content of the book itself is in public domain, but the Website is copyrighted. You are welcome to link to it if you wish. Enjoy!

You also can enjoy an old black-and-white silent movie of Frankenstein by clicking the following link. (NOTE: The music is pretty cool.)



If you can't see the video, open a separate Web browser window and cut and paste this URL:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3076844987926952949&q=frankenstein&hl=en



* From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein)
Graphic from: http://www.authorama.com/files/frankenstein.gif