When I think of nature, I often think of the transcendentalists and how they sometimes used nature to describe emotion. I find it odd that Hemingway both loved nature and had much difficulty expressing emotion. Did nature and his travels not provide him with some sort of outlet or way to express his emotion?
In addition, I find it very interesting that the views of Hemmingway were so influential that they are still being used today. It is still a common occurrence for little boys to play with army men and toy guns as opposed to coloring or playing with dolls. It is also very uncommon to see a man cry at a sad movie, expressing his emotion. These actions stem from many of the themes that Hemmingway established in his writing and in his life. Men should always be macho, participate in war and never express emotion. That is why many of his novels, such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” focus on the theme of war. What sort of experiences did Hemmingway have as a child that would contribute to such a lack of emotion and sensitivity? Was it strictly his participation in war or was it experiences he had as a child?
Referencing Maddie's question, it surprises me as well that, while nature is often an outlet for expressing emotions, Hemingway rarely showed emotion or utilized nature as an outlet for his emotion. Robert Frost's poem seems to be a great example of how nature is utilized as an outlet for the expression of emotion. When you connected these works thematically, did you focus on this aspect of it?
In addition to that question, in the powerpoint, you said that in Frost's poem, the speaker "draws upon the outside world to continue on and cope with the unknown emotional distress problems". Frost obviously understood that nature for him was a relfection of his emotional state. Do you think then that there are any, even if few, instances where Hemingway was able to utilize this same kind of reflection method in his writings?
Why did Hemingway love nature but have a difficult time coping with his emotions and stress brought upon by his stress? It just seems that in the time period of Hemingway that nature was more of something that made people feel tranquil and at ease. I like how you contrasted Hemingways struggle of his emotional state and nature, to Robert Frost who realizes that nature reflected his emotional state like Mary said.
Why did Hemingway get married so many times if he had so much trouble coping with emotions? If he supposedly hated dealing with them so much, wouldn't he have tried to avoid them as much as possible, and avoided getting married in the first place? I wonder if the answer could have been found in his novels, in the characters that most closely resembled and reflected Hemingway's own personality and thoughts? I know that in one of the books you talked about you hinted that it seemed as if the main character believed his wife and him would be together forever, so maybe your analysis saying that Hemingway knew before he entered a marriage/relationship that it wouldn't last, was false, and maybe he didn't realize his own difficulty to handle his emotions.
I find it so odd and hard to believe that someone like Ernest Hemingway can love nature, a key component of Romanticism, but not be able to nor want to express his emotions. Romanticism was a period where people saw beauty in nature and were able to express the emotions that they had from the effects of nature. Do you maybe think that Hemingway probably saw the simplicity in in nature and that was why he loved it? Maybe the inner conflicts that he death with about love and politics might have been too much of a complicating aspect in his life. Maybe the thing that made him attracted to nature was because he never had to think to hard or about anything in nature. Sometimes when our life gets to complicated, we find other things that take our minds off of our situation and this doesn't really have to deal with expressing any emotions. This really seems the only logical way to understand his feelings towards nature and emotions that I can come up with. I guess in the end even the simplicity of looking into nature wasn't enough in his life and the difficulty of overcoming his emotions was too great.
I find it really ironic how Hemmingway enjoyed and loved nature, but yet struggled to show and express emotion in his life and throughout his writing. When you think of nature you think of some very peaceful serine place you go to think and figure out your emotions, since he couldn’t express his emotions you would think the thought of him liking nature would be odd and kind hard to believe. I also agree with Gelila that maybe the reason he enjoyed the nature so much was it was a way to escape the bad things that have overwhelmed his life such as death and just give a chance to clear his mind in a peaceful and quiet setting.
I agree with Gelila. The fact that many consider Hemingway to be a romantic writer even though he doesn’t outwardly express emotion is puzzling. More specifically, Hemingway himself is puzzling. I read a Hemingway excerpt for English last year and I was flabbergasted to learn that the seemingly grass-growing or paint-drying worthy writing had both emotion and meaning. I think the best manifestation of his mindset, at least in my mind, would have to be his portrayal in Midnight in Paris. He had such a dry personality, but was so intense that he was one of—if not the—best character in the film. When you look at his writing in this way, it’s almost as if it immediately becomes both beautiful and gripping. He seemed to purvey what he considered to be emotion more than what others consider to be emotion. It seems so unorthodox that his style and content have created the most realistic form of emotion that I’ve ever read.
When I think of nature, I often think of the transcendentalists and how they sometimes used nature to describe emotion. I find it odd that Hemingway both loved nature and had much difficulty expressing emotion. Did nature and his travels not provide him with some sort of outlet or way to express his emotion?
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I find it very interesting that the views of Hemmingway were so influential that they are still being used today. It is still a common occurrence for little boys to play with army men and toy guns as opposed to coloring or playing with dolls. It is also very uncommon to see a man cry at a sad movie, expressing his emotion. These actions stem from many of the themes that Hemmingway established in his writing and in his life. Men should always be macho, participate in war and never express emotion. That is why many of his novels, such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” focus on the theme of war. What sort of experiences did Hemmingway have as a child that would contribute to such a lack of emotion and sensitivity? Was it strictly his participation in war or was it experiences he had as a child?
DeleteReferencing Maddie's question, it surprises me as well that, while nature is often an outlet for expressing emotions, Hemingway rarely showed emotion or utilized nature as an outlet for his emotion. Robert Frost's poem seems to be a great example of how nature is utilized as an outlet for the expression of emotion. When you connected these works thematically, did you focus on this aspect of it?
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that question, in the powerpoint, you said that in Frost's poem, the speaker "draws upon the outside world to continue on and cope with the unknown emotional distress problems". Frost obviously understood that nature for him was a relfection of his emotional state. Do you think then that there are any, even if few, instances where Hemingway was able to utilize this same kind of reflection method in his writings?
DeleteWhy did Hemingway love nature but have a difficult time coping with his emotions and stress brought upon by his stress? It just seems that in the time period of Hemingway that nature was more of something that made people feel tranquil and at ease. I like how you contrasted Hemingways struggle of his emotional state and nature, to Robert Frost who realizes that nature reflected his emotional state like Mary said.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Hemingway get married so many times if he had so much trouble coping with emotions? If he supposedly hated dealing with them so much, wouldn't he have tried to avoid them as much as possible, and avoided getting married in the first place? I wonder if the answer could have been found in his novels, in the characters that most closely resembled and reflected Hemingway's own personality and thoughts? I know that in one of the books you talked about you hinted that it seemed as if the main character believed his wife and him would be together forever, so maybe your analysis saying that Hemingway knew before he entered a marriage/relationship that it wouldn't last, was false, and maybe he didn't realize his own difficulty to handle his emotions.
ReplyDeleteI find it so odd and hard to believe that someone like Ernest Hemingway can love nature, a key component of Romanticism, but not be able to nor want to express his emotions. Romanticism was a period where people saw beauty in nature and were able to express the emotions that they had from the effects of nature. Do you maybe think that Hemingway probably saw the simplicity in in nature and that was why he loved it? Maybe the inner conflicts that he death with about love and politics might have been too much of a complicating aspect in his life. Maybe the thing that made him attracted to nature was because he never had to think to hard or about anything in nature. Sometimes when our life gets to complicated, we find other things that take our minds off of our situation and this doesn't really have to deal with expressing any emotions. This really seems the only logical way to understand his feelings towards nature and emotions that I can come up with. I guess in the end even the simplicity of looking into nature wasn't enough in his life and the difficulty of overcoming his emotions was too great.
ReplyDeleteI find it really ironic how Hemmingway enjoyed and loved nature, but yet struggled to show and express emotion in his life and throughout his writing. When you think of nature you think of some very peaceful serine place you go to think and figure out your emotions, since he couldn’t express his emotions you would think the thought of him liking nature would be odd and kind hard to believe. I also agree with Gelila that maybe the reason he enjoyed the nature so much was it was a way to escape the bad things that have overwhelmed his life such as death and just give a chance to clear his mind in a peaceful and quiet setting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gelila. The fact that many consider Hemingway to be a romantic writer even though he doesn’t outwardly express emotion is puzzling. More specifically, Hemingway himself is puzzling. I read a Hemingway excerpt for English last year and I was flabbergasted to learn that the seemingly grass-growing or paint-drying worthy writing had both emotion and meaning. I think the best manifestation of his mindset, at least in my mind, would have to be his portrayal in Midnight in Paris. He had such a dry personality, but was so intense that he was one of—if not the—best character in the film. When you look at his writing in this way, it’s almost as if it immediately becomes both beautiful and gripping. He seemed to purvey what he considered to be emotion more than what others consider to be emotion. It seems so unorthodox that his style and content have created the most realistic form of emotion that I’ve ever read.
ReplyDelete