Edgar Allen Poe Collage

-

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Edgar Allan Poe's struggle with substance abuse

-
Alcohol played a significant and rather unfortunate part in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Riddled with misfortune, Poe was often in a state of emotional turmoil. From the deaths of his young wife to being shunned by his father, Poe’s life is almost as dark and ill-fated as his stories (which is likely because he portrayed himself in his writing). To deal with the endless tragedies, Poe was said to have fallen into both alcohol and drug abuse. His first experience with alcohol is estimated to be around the age of 17; during this period of his life, he began accumulating large debts from gambling. One of his peers said: "He would always seize the tempting glass, generally unmixed with sugar or water - in fact, perfectly straight - and without the least apparent pleasure, swallow the contents, never pausing until the last drop had passed his lips.”. After his father heard of his behavior, he was sent to the military. But the downward spiral into alcoholism had already begun....
Read more

Superstition in Colombia

-
Image
For today’s blog post I will be exploring superstition and ritual in Colombian culture. Presently, our class is analyzing the novella “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by the legendary Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The novella is set in a small Colombian town called Sucre. In this town, superstition and ritual hold a meaningful role in the life of its inhabitants. The cultural diversity of African slaves, Spanish con querors, Arabic immigrants, and indigenous tribe makes Colombia home to a vibrant culture of myths, legends, and superstition. Let’s look at some examples of these superstitions.  Among the most common superstitions in Colombia is “the curse of the black butterfly”. This superstition states that if a large butterfly that is either black or brown enters one’s home, then a family member will soon pass away. In Colombia this butterfly is called the “Mariposa Negra”; however, the scientific name for the butterfly is “Ascalapha Odorata”. Althou...
Read more

Kafka's Sexuality

-
Image
Franz Kafka and Sexuality Franz Kafka’s sexuality has been a controversial topic for decades. Despite having a powerful sex drive, Kafka rarely engaged in sexual conduct with women. As a result, some have speculated that Kafka was repressing his homosexuality or asexual. Others have claimed that Kafka was terrified of STD’s and pregnancies. Kafka’s constant fear prevented him from engaging in the sexual activity that he desired. Although these claims may not be entirely true, the notion that Kafka repressed his sexuality is justified. Max Brod, Kafka’s close friend, once said that Kafka was “tortured” by his sexual desire. This “torture” as a result of his repressed sexuality can be observed in parts of Kafka’s literature like in “The Metamorphosis”. In the Metamorphosis, Gregor’s sexuality is symbolized in the painting of the woman in fur. Gregor’s physical and psychological attachment to this painting is indicative of Kafka’s own obsession struggle with his sexual desires. Gregor ...
Read more