Herbert

The only thoughts in my mind while reading Herbert were "you'll be done reading it soon." Though Redemption is pretty entertaining and bearable, the rest of his poems are boring and in my opinion, redundant. He repeats many of his ideas and messages in many of his poems, making them unoriginal to a certain extent. He throws his religion at the reader, limiting the definition of a good religious follower, since he deems that there are so many ways to be a poor follower. Also, his writing is boring, in my finding. His tone is usually pompous and arrogant, as if trying to guide people into HIS way.

George Herbert

I have to say I also liked Herbert. His writing and rhyming style are simple but at the same time his poems are full of metaphors. So in a way makes up for the simplistic nature of the poem by giving the reader something to think about. Personally I would rather read a poem that sounds simple to the ear but has a lot of intrinsic meaning than a poem with complicated wording that has the meaning right on the surface. Even though a modern reader might have trouble deciphering the meanings unless they really knew their history of the 1600s, for example when in "Jordan" its says "false hair" the reader would have to know it meant a wig which in turn leads to wealthy people wear wigs which means vanity and embellishement and that wigs were used to cover up things on a person that wasnt so nice. So as you can see two words in a poem can really have a snowball effect and if the reader dosent understand the first "level" of the meaning they miss out on all the subsequent ones. I know a lot of people probably think its really cheesy but I even like how Herbert made a few of his peoms into the objects that were the title of the poem itself such as "The Alter" and "Easter Wings".

George Herbert

I enjoyed "Redemption", I thought the comparison between Christ's self sacrifice and the renegotiation of a lease to work well, especially by putting it into middle class terms. "In cities, theaters, gardens, parks, and courts: t length I heard a ragged noise and mirth" (Herbert, 1607) I took this line to be encompassing religion in our everyday life.
The more I read Jordan (1), the more I enjoy it. When first reading it, I must admit, I was painfully confused however, then the light switch went on. Then again that is how I feel about most poetry. This poem bringing back the idea of praising God and being true to God is what is most important. George Herbert discusses what a true, real poet is. That poet is speaking simply, and justifying their own methods.

George Herbert - An Okay Dude

Well, it appears as if I've taken a liking to your arch-nemesis, Sarah. Being a writer myself, I certainly appreciate Herbert's low tolerance for bullsh*t. His writing reflects his expectations of writers: writing with a purpose, writing concisely. His rhyme scheme is like his vocabulary: simple. His writing is, however, guilty of being ladened down with metaphors. (See: "The Bunch of Grapes"...one giant tangle of metaphors.) Yet, this would only be construed as unclear to contemporary readers as Herbert's audience was privy to the sorts of Bible references sprinkled about Herbert's work. I was also quite amused by the physical shape "The Alter" and "Easter Wings" took. Adorable. My respect for him as a writer comes specifically from reading "Jordan (1)" and "Jordan (2)." In both of the poems, Herbert tells us exactly what he thinks of the fluff writers of his time. While I'm not a huge fan of the content of his work (See: Anglican Church, See Also: Christianity), I can appreciate how frustrating it must have been to have been surrounded by fluff writers and copy cats producing empty work without sustenance or purpose to entertain the masses. While his writing is simple, he communicates this idea in a most eloquent and clever manners. (See: false hair, See Also: winding stair and painted chair; pg. 1611).

Also, I couldn't really find the connection between the beginning of Jourdan (2) and the beginning of Act III, Scene I of Jonson's Volpone...must've missed something.

Of Superstition by Sir Francis Bacon n' Eggs (I had to)

Ya' got me! I was so convinced Bacon was giving the godless crew props, but that crafty Devil was merely using us in a "lesser-of-the-two-evils" example! Perhaps I would have realized that ahead of time if I had read the very first line more carefully: "It were better to have no opinion of God at all than that such an opinion as is unworthy of him." I suppose you read things the way you want them to be. I respect his opinion though. Bacon's sticking to his guns. If you're going to believe in my god, do it right, or don't do it at all. I respect that. My favorite part has got to be the listing. "The causes of Superstition are: etc etc etc" I'll spare you the list but it's funny.

Of Marriage and Single Life...well, Bacon lost me there. I'm not a fan of marriage...at all, so when I read "Chaste women are often proud and froward as presuming upon the merit of their chastity," Let us take note that "froward" here means 'ill-tempered', I was far from amused. Then again, I'm a contemporary woman...maybe unmarried 17th century women were proud and ill-tempered.

Sir Francis Bacon

I thought Bacon had a very interesting view on marraige. Overall his view of it comes across as negative. Saying that single men are much more productive in society because they are not bogged down by family responsibilities. But of course readers would have to look at the flip side of this view because if men were to do as Bacon said to than how would society function without anyone getting married and having children? Bacon says that getting married makes a man "soft" which it seems he dosent neccesarily see as a bad thing. Maybe Bacon means that men should wait until they are a bit older to get married that way they can achieve things while they are yougn and energetic, such things as political achievments and such things as being a soldier as well. Being a soldier who is single has some obvious benefits, you are able to be more "fierce" in battle because you do not have to worry about leaving behind a wife and children to take care of themselves if you die. Possibly Bacon thinks that getting married slightly older would be better for society that way more things would get done but society itself would still be able to function because the population would be steady. Needles to say that Bacon does not take into account what the young women would feel being made to marry older men as is evident in a quote about them "women are young mens mistresses, companions of middle age, and old men nurses."

Sir Francis Bacon

My favorite piece that we read from Sir Francis Bacon was "Of Studies."  I liked the piece because it just explained that your shouldn't overwhelm yourself with studying too much because it isn't worth it. You should enjoy what your are learning because it will make you a better person, someone that is more knowledgeable than you were before. I loved the line, "Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider." I liked it so much because he is basically saying that books should be pondered on and that people should discuss what they liked about it and what they disliked. There is no point in reading something if you don't like it or if you don't think about it. I like how he said that some books should be chewed and digested and others you should just taste. Sometimes somethings aren't worth it to be read in full but if you give yourself an opportunity to read a little bit of it, your that much better for it.