Damn Thirsty - Hafiz

Most of Hafiz's poetry that impress me the most are short and simple, like the poetry titled Damn Thirsty.

In my opinion, Hafiz tries to describe the impossible become possible; hence the fish on the camel and feeling thirsty. Also, describes a path that the "fish" undergoes in the attempt to find home, a place to feel relaxed, cool, and not thirsty. In life, people take different directions that lead towards different paths and one must choose the destination of their life. People are often thirsty for change and thirsty to try the things that once were thought to be unreachable and non realistic. Even in most cases we may feel lost, like the fish that senses that something is not right, we should not stop from arriving to the point that aids to see the vision of life crystal clear. Hence, first people should dream, only then to try and accomplish it

The sun never says, by Hafiz

Hafiz was born around the year 1320 and died in 1389, and he was Persia’s most beloved poet and lived most of his life in Shiraz, the town of his birth. At his death, he was thought to have written some 5,000 poems.

The Sun Never Says

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth,
"You owe Me."

Look what happens with
A love like that,
It lights the Whole Sky.

Even though Hafiz's poem is a short one, it is very beautiful since it explaines the relationship of the earth and the sun in a very artistic way. Hafiz uses simple words that have powerful meaning. It descirbes how the sun expects nothing in return for the fact that gives life to earth, lightenes the days, illuminates the whole earth. In life it is important to do things and not wait for something in return, because in one way or another, what comes around goes around; and, what you give is what you take.

I believe that what Haviz tends to communicate through most of his poems is to appreciate things in life, live, love, give, and feel the good in the heart.

Love Story - The movie

I really enjoyed watching Love Story, since I could finally put an image to the characters and things portrayed in the story, rather than the way I imagined in my mind. There were many scenes that differed from the story, such as the end that was not so emotional, or when Oliver did not hug his father in the end like it is described in the story, and several other scenes. To me, Jenny and Oliver from the movie did not seem such of a couple because I think Jenny overacted in many scenes and she was not really natural; therefore, I could not see a couple in them. I really liked the way Jenny dressed, the dresses, the coats were beautiful.
Another difference between the movie and the story was that in the story, the father was described as an old athlete, whereas in the movie I really could not see the father being an athlete in his early years because he was short and did not have the body shape of an athlete. Also, in the story he looks his watch whenever he entered his car to "top" his record in speeding; while, on the movie, this is not the father's characteristic.
I liked the way that the snow was used as a symbol of death, and coldness, because there was a whole scene shot on the snow and the two main characters were sort of disappearing in the snow while they were walking, especially Jenny, since she was going away from Oliver.. She was going to die..

In conclusion, even though there were slight differences between the movie and the story, I enjoyed both of them and for the record, I did cry just a little while I watched the movie. hihi :)))

And do not forget: "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

The ending of the Love Story

Even though the reader knows from the beginning that Jenny is going to die at the end of the story, I somehow got involved with the idea that she was going to live and won't leave Oliver all alone. The ending of the book is so simple and tragic; however, it was not described very drastically. Jenny and Oliver are described as two people that are deeply in love with one another, talk about everything, and share everything. The part where I really understood that the love of Oliver for Jennifer was real was the part were Oliver says:
. . . Jenny and I were nonetheless kind to each other. I simply say “kind,” because I lack the vocabulary to describe what loving and being loved by Jeniffer Cavilleri is like. Sorry, I mean Jennifer Barrett.

Oliver is described as the one who is willing to do anything for his beloved, while; Jennifer, pushes Oliver to reconcile with his father who, still loves him despite of their misunderstandings. The character of Jenny is very strong, since she accepts the illness calmly, while Oliver cries and blames himself for everything that Jenny missed in life because of their love.

Even though the ending was heartbreaking, seeing the two separating from something inevitable as Jenny's disease, we can understand that true love is strong and even death cannot erase the memories of the one who you truly love. 

Love story by Erich Segal

Love Story, by Erich Segal, is story of a love that in the end will turn out to be a tragic one. The main protagonists are Oliver Barret and Jennifer Cavilleri, the ones that fall in love with each other, trying to get through ever obstacle that appears in front of them. Oliver is portrayed as a child of a rich and important family for many generations. On the other hand, Jennifer is described as the only child of a widowed baker. Since the beginning we can see the differences in the social class, but the two, fall in love with one another and this seemed of a less importance to them. Even though at first, their relationship starts as a not-a-serious-relationship, from time to time both realize that their love is even much stronger that they believed to be. Oliver, being a ladies’ man, begs Jennifer not to leave him once they talk about their futures; because, Jennifer plans to continue her studies of music in Paris, what would mean that their roads would be separated. He rushes and asks her to marry him, and I think that this was a test of their love, of their seriousness.

Although, the author says that Jennifer will die at the age of 26, I still have a hope that something will change throughout the story and she lives to be happily ever after with Oliver. In the end, that is the way all of the other love stories turn out to be, why wishing for this story to be any different? 

But after all, their relationship will survive every obstacle that they may confront, except one, mortality.

Under One Small Star by Wislawa Szymborska

It is said that the hardest three words to say are "I love you," and "I am sorry." In the poem of Wislawa, Under one small star, the author asks for forgiveness repetitively, and what is interesting is that she apologizes to the things that may seem absurd to most people. She apologizes to the desert that she cannot water them, to the trees that are cut so people would built tables, to everyone that she cannot be everywhere at once.. She apologizes so beautifully to every part of our life, and hopes for forgiveness. In my opinion, the author's aim is to make us aware of what surrounds us and how careful we should be with our behavior. Wislawa puts all of the world's surroundings under one small star, and makes them seem smaller even though they are larger than life most of the time... 

I enjoyed reading every single line of her poem, and what I liked the most about the poem are these lines:

"My apologies to great questions for small answers.
Truth, please don't pay me much attention."

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"My apologies to everything that I can't be everywhere at once.
My apologies to everyone that I can't be each woman and each man.
I know I won't be justified as long as I live,
since I myself stand in my own way."

 In conclusion, all of us live our own life in our own way and our lives matter; however, we should appreciate everything even the smallest details that in appearance may seem unimportant.

Love Song by Dorothy Parker

I enjoyed reading “Love song,” because it has its irony that describes the "real" love between a couple. In my opinion, Parker wrote her poem the way she did, just to leave space for the reader to contrast the other love poems of her time with hers, because each love story has its ups and downs. She has a unique way of describing her love towards her man, and even though she wishes that she had never met him and for him to get shot, yet, she still loves him and he is all her world.

My favorite parts of the poem are:

"My own dear love, he is all my world, --
And I wish I'd never met him."

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"My own dear love, he is all my heart, --
And I wish somebody'd shoot him."

 

Susie Asado By Gertrude Stein

Even though I couldn't understand and relate any of the lines that Stein has written in her poetry "Susie Asado," I still find it quite interesting. "Susie Asado," even though I did not understand if the poetry says something about Susie Asado, or if she is sweet as tea, or that she drinks pups, makes me as the reader read it over and over again, and only then to try and picture what she is describing. Hence, Stein has left space for the reader to understand her poetry in the way they "understand" it, in the way they picture it, and shape an idea of what she is talking about. Personally, I DID NOT understand anything that she was trying to portray or describe in this poetry. The only thing I got is that the tea is sweet :)))).  But, Stein, not only was a writer, she was also well known for her art collection and her Paris salon. Thus, I guess that she was a woman with interesting ideas about life, art, and also an interesting way of portraying her thoughts in words.

Gertrude Stein

The Stranger - The grand finale

The ending of The Stranger leaves us, say, dissapotinted sice Mersault doesn't even try to defend himself during his trial. Even when the the trial ended with the decision of "chopping" his head as a punishment, he had nothing to say to noone. He took the decision like it is something irelevant for him, that is without any matter for his own life. I think that the character of Mersault portrays a person that has the courage to do and say everything that a person with senses and morals would. Hence, in my opinion, Camu created the protagonist with such a personality that is not afraid to hide it, but rather show it and not care about the comments of others. But, what can a reader add more, Mersault did this all to himself. He could've had a different life that would've had taken him towards different courses if he would've acted differently towards others, towards his own life.