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<title>Dawn&#x27;s RSS Feed</title><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/index.html</link><description>Hot News&#x21;</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007</dc:rights><dc:date>2007-05-30T19:40:21-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:22:42 -0600</lastBuildDate><item><title>Coming Home</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-30T19:40:21-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/1663fb72d0fda94e07ad6dd0a5adf4a1-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/1663fb72d0fda94e07ad6dd0a5adf4a1-17.php#unique-entry-id-17</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For us, many of the days we traveled at least an hour in two minivans full of mini-scholars and cunning leaders in order to make it to our destination of choice.  ...  Before we could lay a finger on the silver-plated bookmark with a small scrap of the original copy of Little Women enshrined in a plastic tube dangling from the end of the hook (modestly priced at $30), we would be whisked away to our tour.


...During his tour of the great American poet&rsquo;s house, our guide quoted Longfellow&rsquo;s poetry, told anecdotes about his and the poet&rsquo;s family, and shared with us his encyclopedic knowledge of the house and its former inhabitants.  

...Even with the amazing guides, inevitably we found ourselves standing on a runner of carpet or plastic (the kind that my grandmother inevitably has in her house every time I visit), shifting our weight from one foot to the other, attempting to absorb at least one third of what the guides were teaching us.  


...Of course, we bought too many books, too many trinkets, and too many t-shirts; much of which left us sitting on our suitcases in a spectacular effort to shut the resistant beasts.  

...It is then when I forget the soreness in my feet, the cramped feeling of the van, the damp smell of our clothes after the encounter with the Nor&rsquo;easter, the slight queasiness in my stomach after the high-speed ferry ride, and the jumbling of facts after three literary home tours.  

...We are happy because of the experiences we were afforded; proud of ourselves for surviving without fighting, complaining, and accomplishing our journey; and sorrowful because there is a small part of us that misses the cramped vans, the funny moments, and the sense of community that we created within the fourteen of us.  
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An Evergreen Catch-22</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-25T17:15:21-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/da715063cfbe20e9c04230a2f1b24129-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/da715063cfbe20e9c04230a2f1b24129-16.php#unique-entry-id-16</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The last private owners did little to alter the house, including preserving the room of the deceased little boy whose clothing is still laid out on his bed.  ...  Before we embarked on this trip, he informed us that on his last excursion to the northeast, the Evergreen House was amongst his favorite places.  

...The kitchen had been preserved in its original state (with the addition of a gas stove next to the wood-burning one); however, it looked as if no restoration efforts were being made.  


...In the narrow hallway we were able to peek through to see the clothing neatly pressed and laid out on the white damask bedspread, but the other rooms were in bad need of restoration.    We ended our tour in the parlor, listening to an old radio program that broadcasted from the very room we were sitting in.  ...  She explained that certain restorations would require the removal of the original wallpaper, the reupholstering of certain furniture pieces, and the re-vamping of the structure of the house.  

...While I could never make the decision for the society in charge of the preservation, I can say if the house were to be left in the condition it is in right now and remained untouched, it would certainly crumble around the feet of its admirers.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Glimpse of Twain</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-24T13:36:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/920ded50d1b650e01c5bea5034b732f1-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/920ded50d1b650e01c5bea5034b732f1-15.php#unique-entry-id-15</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s neighbors, the modest dwelling of Harriet Beecher Stowe and a mansion once belonging to a lawyer, have been spared the wrecking ball as well, but its Twain&rsquo;s house that commands attention.  

...The guide explained that an atrium attached to the house was, in Twain&rsquo;s day, a sign of wealth and prestige.    The beautiful half circle, glassed room was no bigger than an average walk-in closet and was filled with plants in a semi-circle pattern around a gurgling fountain.  ...  I remembered from the beginning of the tour that the Clemens&rsquo;s not only had indoor plumbing, but they also had both hot and cold running water.    The atrium provided a brightness and Zen-like quality to the library that I felt would have been conducive to writing; however, Twain found the library&rsquo;s features, including large windows and the presence of his daughters, too distracting and moved his craft to the upstairs billiards room.  


...This way neither Twain or the butler had to lie, the guest would not be offended by a shun from the author, and his wife could have a clear conscious.


...When his little girls would visit him in the study in the evening, they would demand a story from their talented father; however, it was not just any story they wanted.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A View of Sorts</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-23T09:57:01-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/728099afb07b97bfbab3ffb86783cb5f-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/728099afb07b97bfbab3ffb86783cb5f-14.php#unique-entry-id-14</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The view of the white-capped mountains that the window in Melville&rsquo;s study afforded provided, without question, a wealth of inspiration for his best works, with extreme emphasis on one in particular.  ...  I know I myself am particularly pleased his view wasn&rsquo;t that of perhaps his best-known antihero (second only to the elusive Captain Ahab) Bartleby from the short story &ldquo;Bartleby the Scrivener.&rdquo;  ...  In sparing a great and lengthy discussion of one of the great American crises, I will note that the view from Arrowhead provided Melville freedom from the &ldquo;job as prison&rdquo; motif that has been omnipresent in American life since the birth of the Puritan work ethic.  

...To be clearer, allow me to introduce to you, reader, the unnamed couple that joined our tour, completely oblivious to the facts that (a) it was a private tour and (b) Arrowhead was, in fact, still closed for the season.    For as elitist as I am sounding now (you will understand my disgust in a moment), our group was kind enough to invite the tourists along for the guided tour.    As our lively (and a bit flirtatious) guide led us gracefully from room to room, she excitedly blurted out facts about Melville&rsquo;s life at Arrowhead as if they were secrets that she could only share with us.  

...From the Longfellow-quoting romantic to the heavily accented Emerson scholar, these people make it their life&rsquo;s work to share these authors with the world in the most real settings only to have people show up looking for a scandal.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>An Encounter of the Rare and Intellectually Delicious</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-22T10:45:45-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/51ce032cc41e21cd7917652bd26fc102-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/51ce032cc41e21cd7917652bd26fc102-13.php#unique-entry-id-13</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When we entered Harvard University&rsquo;s Houghton Library, we were greeted by a strict disciplinarian whose main job, so it seemed, was to protect the priceless works housed in the building.  ...  Others in the group scoffed at her seemingly rude demeanor; however, it was her job to make sure these works were not disturbed.  ...  A librarian who has worked at her craft for 27 years, our guide had an intellectual air about her that made her pause before speaking even the smallest of sentences.  

...For readers who may not know the story behind the chest of drawers, know that American literature would be extraordinarily altered if this piece of furniture did not exist.  ...  While Lavinia did, in fact, burn the letters received by close friends and family, she saved the poems, believing that one day, they might become a part of history.  

...We knew immediately that Henry David Thoreau kept a multitude of journals filled with observations and notes on the natural world that surrounded him at Walden Pond.  

...Fields, in the interest of posterity, save the manuscript (most manuscripts were recycled and used for other things, as paper was rare), but he also attached the poem (written in Longfellow&rsquo;s hand) aptly titled &ldquo;Hawthorne.&rdquo;  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Necessary Evil</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-20T12:51:28-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/1727f35eff62bd8d49e38f503caf842e-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/1727f35eff62bd8d49e38f503caf842e-12.php#unique-entry-id-12</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&nbsp; With the island's ample grasslands, lack of natural predators, and the fact that it's surrounded by water (sheep cannot swim), the settlers felt that raising sheep was the best method of survival.

...For many years the by-products of a whale were used for anything from lamp oil to perfume base; however, with the discovery of petroleum and its uses, the Civil War, and advancements in technology, the trade of whaling declined quickly.  &nbsp; With the island's main source of income demolished, its citizens turned to tourism in order to supplement their incomes and ensure the island's survival.

...&nbsp; This amusement park for the upper class is home to "reasonably priced" $10 million houses, restaurants serving $40 fish platters, and stores touting $300&nbsp;blouses (I saw it with my own eyes).  &nbsp; While the proprietor of our&nbsp;temporary house has ensured us that the culture on this island is, especially in the winter, wonderful,&nbsp;I have found nothing but surfaces&nbsp;on&nbsp;Main Street.

...I entitled this&nbsp;blog "Necessary Evil" because it seems that the citizens have turned to&nbsp;certain methods&nbsp;of earning money as a means of survival.  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;From the awful whaling industry to the high-class tourist traps,&nbsp;Nantucket&nbsp;and its locals have thrived on the lowest means of living, even if covered in a gold-flaked gloss.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Close Encounters of the First Kind</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-19T22:28:33-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/0a9152836e83e383bb53d6fc3aa9b273-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/0a9152836e83e383bb53d6fc3aa9b273-11.php#unique-entry-id-11</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&nbsp; A few of us (the heartier souls as we were dubbed) decided to rent bicycles and explore 18 miles of paths on one half of the island....  &nbsp; On an island whose citizens (both temporary and permanent) tend to worship the real, we found the natural beauty and wonder that remains on this small piece of land.  &nbsp; After a day of walking and bicycling, all we looked forward to, in my opinion, was a quiet evening of journaling and bonding; however, we were scheduled to attend an astronomy lecture.


Our instructor, Vladimir, was everything one hopes for in a teacher&nbsp; In his thick Russian accent, he talked about astronomy, Maria Mitchell, and what the students do every summer with the most fascinating exuberance.  &nbsp; While most of what he was attempting to discuss with a bunch of English majors was above our heads (both literally and figuratively speaking), he brought the sky and history to life in more than a few ways.

...&nbsp; From a teacher's perspective, the students are directing their own learning with the instructor acting as a guide of sorts.

...&nbsp; He claimed that if planet Earth was in existence for one day, then the time human beings spend inhabiting it would represent one second.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>I Wanna Soak Up The Sun</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-18T20:25:16-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/3c8a892b95c76597cf8a12ea2058cd2a-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/3c8a892b95c76597cf8a12ea2058cd2a-10.php#unique-entry-id-10</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[We have arrived at the Maria Mitchell Association on Nantucket Island after a very cold (37-degree wind chill), wet day at Plimoth Plantation (correctly spelled)....  &nbsp; The three sections of the main site included the following: &nbsp;a Native American gathering which included people discussing their heritage and lives, a settlement where role-players told us about their daily lives and dwelling places, and a crafts building where present-day artisans practiced their craft using only primitive means.

...With the gale-force winds, stinging rain, and soaked clothing, we were looking for something big to justify our insane drive to see everything Plymouth had to offer.  &nbsp; What we got was a nondescript boulder (maybe just a mid-sized rock)&nbsp;that was surrounded by an open-air,&nbsp;Greek-revival building....  &nbsp; The ship provided a mild respite from the weather; however, we were soon driven out by the ubiquitous school children whose natural curiosities tended to cramp our languid style of learning.

...&nbsp; While neon lights and modern-day commercialism probably goes against all that Thoreau and Emerson believed in, the warmth of the indoor facility, as well as the opportunity to purchase warmer clothing, was tempting.  &nbsp; We ended the day with a grand feast at Olive Garden and a sickening ride on a high-speed ferry to the island that almost took out half our students and our fearless leader.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Harry Potter and the Trip to Massachusetts</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-17T20:15:13-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/0ec9965819f6c729035dee6f070bcd3d-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/0ec9965819f6c729035dee6f070bcd3d-9.php#unique-entry-id-9</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&nbsp;&nbsp;In case you didn't notice, that was the theme to Harry Potter; and if you did notice, hello fellow Muggle or Squib.  &nbsp; I am writing to you from the deliciously wicked Salem, Massachusetts; home of no less than 19 interred fallen, accused witches, a covenant of real-life Wiccan followers, and many liberal people who love the fact that it's Halloween year-round in their home town.

...It seems fitting that the reading that I brought along with me includes two books filled with Harry Potter critical essays in preparation for a fantasy literature unit I'm planning, the last installment to the aforementioned series, and the fifth movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix....  &nbsp; I was subtly devouring my entertaining, yet intellectual essays until I caught the attention of more than a few of my fellow travelers.

...My closed mouth, however, seems to be uncharacteristic of what we learned at the fabulously tacky, yet educational, Salem Witch Museum.   It seems that naming names is the thing to do when you're looking for some action in an otherwise mundane life.

...&nbsp; To those closet Harry Potter fans who choose to remain anonymous, I'll watch for your sleepy eyes after&nbsp;a post-midnight-release-party marathon read of the final installment and laugh (quite like the Wicked Witch of the West) as you attempt to hide it]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Demigods of the Sea</title><dc:creator>dawn.winters@wku.edu</dc:creator><dc:subject>New England Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2007-05-16T16:25:38-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/76bef3b51f5dcb06ba3bb13e764db339-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.wku.edu/~stephen.russell1/LitNE/Blogs/Student%20Blogs/dawn_files/76bef3b51f5dcb06ba3bb13e764db339-8.php#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Finally the tail, or the fluke as the masters of the ocean called it, rises from the water as she dives deep for the next feast.  


...After we left the harbor, those with weak stomachs and dry faces sought shelter in the cabin, while those of us harvesting the feeling of Ishmael and Ahab stayed up front and let the wind massage our facades.  ...  It was enough to keep us in the front of the boat until we had arrived at our destination.


They took us out to a part of the sea where the depths rise from three hundred feet to one hundred feet and the whales enjoy the surplus of food the space has created.  ...  Having been studying Thoreau and his quest for finding God in nature, I can easily see where he was coming from.  

...The details of the trip (i.e. how many whales we've seen, what the Captain wore, and how exciting it was) are almost overshadowed by the sheer amazement of the voyage.    Perhaps it will take tomorrow-- the removal of one day and renewal of the new--will bring details back into my mind.  ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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