Josh's study log

kennydapro

Hi, I'm an Irish student from Dublin in my 6th and final year. Currently, I'm relatively unprepared for my exams although I'm taking it upon myself to create a study log. This is so I can motivate myself to work hard, as I've done little to none this year!

Here were my results:

History (Hons): A2
English (Hons): C1
Geography (Hons): B3
Physics (Hons): N/A (Failed)
Biology (Hons): N/A (failed)
Religion (Hons): N/A (failed)
Mathematics (Ordinary): D3

Result: 230 points

Coming up to the start of sixth year, I've had a bit of a crash course...my aspirations have diminished, haven't studied since late November as a result, I've taken up a new subject I have studied seldom for (now I have given it up), have neglected far too many homework assignments, dropped to Ordinary level in Physics and Biology...yeah, it's been bad.

However, some of the study logs on here have inspired me to create my own (that means you, reader). I hope it fuels my ambition to work so I will perform relatively well in June.

Here are my predictions:

History (Hons): A1
English (Hons): A2
Geography (Hons): B2
Biology (Ordinary): B3
Physics (Ordinary): B3
Mathematics (Ordinary): C3

Total: 365

Expect some posts soon, and don't expect them to be boring either.

MikeSD

Good luck man. I know what it's like to go downhill. Just work really hard to get back to your best.

kennydapro

That's very kind, Mike, thank you.

kennydapro

Did an Emily Dickinson essay and I studied some sequences. Here's the essay for students who need it, and here's the following question:

'Emily Dickinson's poetry is brought to life by its intense observations, thought-provoking imagery and unique use of language.'

Perhaps one of my favourite aspects of Dickinson’s poetry is her ability to use unique syntax, and conjure images that accentuate the intense observations (themes) incorporated in her poetry. Out of all the poets I have studied on my course, Dickinson remains the most distinguished. This is because Dickinson was a master of many tones and themes, including death, decay and the state of the soul. I believe this compelling quality is accentuated by Dickinson’s unconventional language, which is characterized by her unusual punctuation by the use of dashes and capitalization. In my essay, the poems I will outline will be ‘I taste a liquor never brewed’, ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’, ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’, ‘The Soul has Bandaged moments’ and ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’.

The one poem I have studied by Dickinson which embodies the glory of nature is ‘I taste liquor never brewed’. In my view, the poem is important in light of its themes and emotionally engaging imagery. I like the clear image of a ‘Molten Blue’ sky as it highlights the vitality in nature, as well as the colourful, rich taste of ‘a liquor never brewed’ and the ‘tanks scooped in Pearl’. Nature is observed by Dickinson evidently, as she amusingly conjures an image of a ‘drunk’ bee being carried away from a ‘Foxglove’ flower. The undying beauty of nature is implied by Dickinson as she brings nature to an angelic, heavenly state where the ‘Seraphs’ lay intoxicated, and they are ‘Leaning against the – Sun’. In my view, the use of language here (the dash) represents the eternal power of nature, similarly to ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’ where the dash following ‘Meadow –‘highlights Dickinson’s undying love for nature.

I believe ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’ is a very imagery-laden poem. Dickinson observes the value of nature and how it should be preserved. The speaker dismisses her wealthy lover’s wealth, telling him that he has ‘enough – of those’. The use of a dash indicates that her lover is very rich indeed. Granted, my favourite aspect of the poem is the imagery. Dickinson prefers a little flower, and movingly describes a ‘Meadow’, ‘flickering in the Breeze’. Her description of the ordinary is so majestic that I myself was convinced that nature was superior to materialism: ‘Better – could I bring?’ In my view, like ‘I taste a liquor brewed’, ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’ intensely observes the theme of nature and incorporates unconventional punctuation to accentuate the emotional appeal. The love for nature and life is retained in ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’, a very optimistic poem which uses a dash to symbolize ongoing hope, as Dickinson expresses her belief that hope ‘never asked a Crumb – of Me’.

However, Dickinson’s observations are not entirely upbeat. Dickinson is renowned by critics as an observer of the human condition of death and mentality, with such observations made in ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’, ‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died’ and ‘The Soul has Bandaged moments’. ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ is a poem in which Dickinson images a funeral. Initially, I did not like the poem because I found it too dark and depressing, although I later gained a newly-found appreciation for the poem because I began to see the tones as mere devices for Dickinson’s observations. Dickinson uses the past tense in the poem and recalls the entire funeral, remembering how the ‘treading – treading’ of the mourners was driving her insane. The onomatopoeic use of a ‘beat’ correlated well with the image of the coffin in the funeral, although it is disturbing and uncomfortable. I think Dickinson intentionally communicates to the reader that we are left unresolved with the understanding of the human mind, as we ‘finish(ed) knowing – then -’. Relating to language, I think the dash indicates our lack of understanding and how we may never learn of such a thing.

‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died’, to me, is Dickinson’s darkest and most sinister poem. To me, this poem is very similar to ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ both tonally and thematically, although the language is less aural and more syntax-oriented. In fact, the language in the poem is complex and every stanza is allusive, with lots of observations. For instance, Dickinson expresses her anticipation for ‘the Coming’ of the ‘King’, where it is possible Dickinson waits for the coming of Christ. Regarding observation, the fact that she does not finally address this leads to the possibility she was an atheist. The themes of decay and afterlife assert this. For instance, Dickinson finds that the growing decay is too much to handle, as the fly ‘interposed’. I believe that she asserts the ending of the afterlife as visionless as she claims ‘I could not see to see –‘, with the dash indicating this.

For me, Dickinson’s language remains effective and I am only reminded of this by the lack of titles in her work. For instance, ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ has a memorable quality due to the capitalization of funeral and brain - ‘I taste a liquor never brewed’ has an iambic pentameter – ‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died’ is sinister as the dash highlights the ongoing theme of decay – ‘Hope is the thing with fathers’ reminds me of the positivity of a Dickinson and her appreciation of hope – and ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’ is quotable as it asserts nature’s majesty.

‘The Soul has Bandaged moments’ is a departure from Dickinson’s tonally positive and negative poetry; I see the poem as Dickinson’s ‘in-between’ phase. I believe the poem is crafted very well, as I view the work as a retelling of the ups and downs of the human condition. In terms of language, I like how ‘Bandaged’ is used as an adjective instead of a verb, used to describe the state of the soul – wounded and in need of recovery. I find that the provocative image of a ‘Goblin’, which ‘sip(s)’ from the ‘very lips The Lover – hovered – o’er’ is a metaphor for the underlying demons of the human condition. However, Dickinson acknowledges that the ‘Soul has moments of Escape’, possibly expressing her belief that humans do have their ups in life. Granted, I think that Dickinson warns the reader that, ultimately, our evil is not to be even discussed among ourselves as she states that, in the last stanza, these moments are ‘not’ to be thought or disputed.

By way of conclusion, Dickinson is my favourite poet I have studied on my course. Her timeless, unique observations and stunning imagery (only brought to life with her syntax) has given her the reputation and prestige she richly deserves. ‘I taste a liquor never brewed’, ‘I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to’, ‘The Soul has Bandaged moments’, ‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ and ‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died’ embody the deeply introspective vision the eccentric yet brilliant Dickinson had throughout her life, whether the vision is seen in her dark or light-hearted works. Hence, I feel that this vision will be brought back to me in years to come, as I will study her poetry with greater enthusiasm in a later period of my life.