Beyond Ismsa tumblelog

Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Wait For Death”

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, be passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then ‘tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.

posted 1 week ago

How would you feel about life if Death was your older sister?

This question is on the last page of one of the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman. This series of comic books is by far one of the best if not the best. It compares to The Swamp Thing’s moral ambiguity and it also is targeted at older readers. Though I guess the best graphic novels and comic books are always targeted at adults.

Anyway, how would I feel?

I assume that having Death be my older sister would also mean that she wouldn’t have any more power over me than an older sister would. That being said I don’t actually have an older sister. I am the oldest though and I’m pretty sure I don’t have any real power over my siblings. I probably have the power of suggestion though. If, as an older sibling, I suggest something my siblings might take it into thought a little more seriously that otherwise. Though at the same time I realize that they are just as likely to ignore me because I have said it.

That however has not answered the question. I guess I would probably look at life as though it was a foeign thing. I would love Death and ask Death for her opinion, but life would always be one of those things that wouldn’t be family.

I guess in reality Death is just as normal as life and far more people have died than are alive at this point in time, but as one of those alive I cherish my life much more than I am looking forward to my death. I assume that if Death was my sister she would some day tell me that I would need to die.

Maybe I’d ignore her as any sibling has the power to do, but probably when she’d hint at my time like Gaiman alludes to she’d comfort me and welcome me into her world.

Death is not the scary god in Gaiman’s Sandman; Dream is.

posted 1 week ago

On facebook you get tons of annoying garbage and everyone knows your information. I don’t think that you can be tracked on facebook, but the reason for facebook is so that people (and agencies) can see what you’re doing.

Now, however, if you’ve been tweeting Twitter know what you’re up to as well. According to Daring Fireball if you click on a link in a tweet Twitter tracks your info.

Marketing, research, development, the FBi, the CIA, and Interpol have now combined themselves into social networks.

posted 1 week ago

I just began my day with a great movie. Batman Begins. I think that in the realm of superhero movies it is probably one of the best, if not the best, depiction of a superhero. The sequel to Begins is just as good if not better, which is very strange because normally second movies, sequels, or prequels tend to not be great.

I guess that is a guideline more than a rule because the Batman series certainly breaks it. I remember how exciting it was to think that this movie and its series will be able to explore Gotham and the villains that hate and fight Batman.

I think that the most impressive part of Begins is that Batman not only is the incredibly physical character that fights crime, but his moral ambiguity. That is one of the reasons that Batman is better that Superman or any of the other classical superheroes. Though I think the Swampthing might give Batman a run for his money. Allan Moore’s characters tend to have very ambiguous morals and that is what I think makes them wonderful comics.

posted 2 weeks ago