Lineaments
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The Question Answered, William Blake
What is it men in women do require?
The lineaments of gratified Desire.
What is it women do in men require?
The lineaments of gratified Desire.
I have often puzzled over this poem. 'Lineaments' is not a word I use everyday; to me its meaning falls closer to appearance than reality - and yet, as Northrop Frye says over and over, Blake is very serious. If Blake thought that this was 'The Question Answered', then in his mind at least it probably was.
The other evening I was mulling ... and it came to me that if you expanded the scope of this poem from the (apparently) sexual, to a more general social context, and substituted 'satisfied' for 'gratified' ... and generally re-jigged the entire poem :-) ... then it would say something like, "Everyone wants the world to be satisfied with them."
A-and to me, that's something.
If this post seems a strange montage, consider that I was going to include it as a footnote on the previous one :-)
12/04/07, Kate Connolly, Militant feminist on trial after 20 years on run, Source.
12/02/07, BBC, Meinhof gang killer to be freed, Source.
03/04/07, BBC, Thai prisoner boxes for freedom, Source.
19/04/07, Steve Connor, The prospect of all-female conception, Source.
19/04/07, Andrew Gumbel, Killer sent photographs and video to broadcaster between shootings, Source.
19/04/07, FOX, Virginia Police Say Killer's Manifesto Has Little Value to Investigation, Source.
What comes to me from this story is how totally incomprehensible he was to everyone. And yet, their responses, if anyone had reflected on them, seem to me not to wash. The 'noted poet' who says, "I was willing to resign before I was going to continue with him." A poet of the bourgeoisie then eh? Dunno, here, judge for yourselves: Nikki Giovanni website, Wikipedia: Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni:
No Reservations (for Art Jones)
there are no reservations
for the revolution
no polite little clerk
to send notice
to your room
saying you are WANTED
on the battlefield
there are no banners
to wave you forward
no blaring trumpets
not even a blues note
moaning wailing lone blue note
to the yoruba drums saying
strike now shoot
strike now fire
strike no
While I am at it ... Lisa Norris, and Lucinda Roy.
Several bits of the FOX article jumped out at me as I read it: "The women who complained to the police never filed charges, and one them described his actions as 'annoying' rather than threatening."
Adds up to a possible tragedy to me - when I look at the images of his face he seems to be on the verge of tears. So far they have only published snippets of his suicide note and other writings - maybe later they will reveal it all.
Well ... no. Looks like these ramblings and writings will not be presented integral. Enough to say 'dememented raving' and let it go at that.
Two clips from the NYT, one seeming to say, 'we tried, but he would not come across', and the other, 'we need more planning and CONTROL!":
20/04/07, Christopher Whitcomb, Building a Better Lockdown, Source.
20/04/07, Mark Santora & Christine Hauser, Anger of Killer Was on Exhibit in His Writings , Source.
A-and then this from the k-k-k-Canadian left; the only thing I have read that even begins to get at the 'real' issues:
20/04/07, Rick Salutin, After VT, a sense of unease, Source.
He's at Rabble.ca, and ... he even made it into Wikipedia.
Post Back, Thread Back.
The Question Answered, William BlakeWhat is it men in women do require?
The lineaments of gratified Desire.
What is it women do in men require?
The lineaments of gratified Desire.
I have often puzzled over this poem. 'Lineaments' is not a word I use everyday; to me its meaning falls closer to appearance than reality - and yet, as Northrop Frye says over and over, Blake is very serious. If Blake thought that this was 'The Question Answered', then in his mind at least it probably was.
The other evening I was mulling ... and it came to me that if you expanded the scope of this poem from the (apparently) sexual, to a more general social context, and substituted 'satisfied' for 'gratified' ... and generally re-jigged the entire poem :-) ... then it would say something like, "Everyone wants the world to be satisfied with them."
A-and to me, that's something.
If this post seems a strange montage, consider that I was going to include it as a footnote on the previous one :-)
12/04/07, Kate Connolly, Militant feminist on trial after 20 years on run, Source.
12/02/07, BBC, Meinhof gang killer to be freed, Source.
03/04/07, BBC, Thai prisoner boxes for freedom, Source.
19/04/07, Steve Connor, The prospect of all-female conception, Source.
19/04/07, Andrew Gumbel, Killer sent photographs and video to broadcaster between shootings, Source.
19/04/07, FOX, Virginia Police Say Killer's Manifesto Has Little Value to Investigation, Source.
What comes to me from this story is how totally incomprehensible he was to everyone. And yet, their responses, if anyone had reflected on them, seem to me not to wash. The 'noted poet' who says, "I was willing to resign before I was going to continue with him." A poet of the bourgeoisie then eh? Dunno, here, judge for yourselves: Nikki Giovanni website, Wikipedia: Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni:
No Reservations (for Art Jones)there are no reservations
for the revolution
no polite little clerk
to send notice
to your room
saying you are WANTED
on the battlefield
there are no bannersto wave you forward
no blaring trumpets
not even a blues note
moaning wailing lone blue note
to the yoruba drums saying
strike now shoot
strike now fire
strike no
While I am at it ... Lisa Norris, and Lucinda Roy.
Several bits of the FOX article jumped out at me as I read it: "The women who complained to the police never filed charges, and one them described his actions as 'annoying' rather than threatening."
Adds up to a possible tragedy to me - when I look at the images of his face he seems to be on the verge of tears. So far they have only published snippets of his suicide note and other writings - maybe later they will reveal it all.
Well ... no. Looks like these ramblings and writings will not be presented integral. Enough to say 'dememented raving' and let it go at that.
Two clips from the NYT, one seeming to say, 'we tried, but he would not come across', and the other, 'we need more planning and CONTROL!":
20/04/07, Christopher Whitcomb, Building a Better Lockdown, Source.
20/04/07, Mark Santora & Christine Hauser, Anger of Killer Was on Exhibit in His Writings , Source.
A-and then this from the k-k-k-Canadian left; the only thing I have read that even begins to get at the 'real' issues:
20/04/07, Rick Salutin, After VT, a sense of unease, Source.
He's at Rabble.ca, and ... he even made it into Wikipedia.
Post Back, Thread Back.
