Dorothy Neumann

            On Wednesday morning I had memorized the first verse and chorus of “Mozart avec nous” (Mozart is With Us) by Boris Vian. 

            I adjusted my translation of “Exercise en forme de Z” by Serge Gainsbourg. I ran through it once each in French and English, and uploaded it to Christian's Translations to begin editing it for publication on my blog. 

            At around 9:30 I went online and took my first Brit Lit quiz. There were five multiple choice questions. Some of them I wasn’t sure about even though I've read the material more than once. 

            Just before noon I logged on for my first Brit Lit 2 tutorial. Carson our TA had some problems getting his camera working and so we started a couple of minutes late. Unlike my two courses in the fall a lot more people besides me used their webcams. Everyone else in my tutorial who I saw on camera are women and two of them are black. There was not a single black person in any of my courses in the fall. 

            Carson had us briefly introduce ourselves. It seems I’m the only English Specialist and the only student in fourth year. 

            We started out discussing Henry Derozio's "To the Pupils of the Hindu College." Of the lines “I watch the gentle opening of your minds / And the sweet loosening of the spell that binds" I said that the spell that is being loosened is the idea of learning by rote or being loaded up with education. To loosen the spell is to start to enjoy learning for its own sake. Other students suggested that the spell was of religious restriction or of colonialism.

            Someone was curious whether he was European since he didn't have an Indian name. Carson said his father had been a Christian convert. 

            Of the penultimate line “Weaving the chaplets you have yet to gain" he said that a chaplet is a kind of rosary. He suggested that this might be a Christian reference but I pointed out that Hinduism also has similar beads to rosaries called “Japa beads". He hadn’t known that. But I see that he didn’t look this up very closely because a "chaplet" is also a garland, wreath or crown to be worn on the head. This makes more sense in reference to the line being about what the students will earn in the future as rewards for their achievements. 

            The Romantic period was revolutionary both politically and spiritually. 

            There is tension in the poem between images of tradition and modernity. The Romantics loved the classical era. 

            We looked at "La Belle Dame sans Merci" by John Keats. I pointed out that it has the same structure as Leonard Cohen’s “Teachers” and that one can sing the Keats poem to that tune. Carson said he is always glad to hear a Leonard Cohen reference. 

            A ballad is a song that tells a story that is usually tragic. It’s another Medieval form used by the Romantics. They usually had cumulative authors. 

            The speakers in this poem change. At first someone addresses the knight and then in the fourth stanza he begins speaking for himself.

            Someone said that he dreamed the fairy woman but I pointed out that he met her before he went to sleep and dreamed. 

            There is tension between contradictory elements. 

            I pointed out that “I love you" is spoken in a "language strange" and so love is foreign to the knight. 

            We looked at “Ode on a Grecian Urn”. An ode is a lyric that is usually a personal outpouring of emotion in celebration of a person, a place, a thing or an idea. This poem is like Derozio’s harp in that sense. Carson reads it. Frozen before a kiss. Permanent but dead. How does Keats negotiate the tension and what is ecstatic? 

            I had peanut butter and bread for lunch. 

            In the afternoon I took a bike ride to Spadina and Bloor, then south to Queen and home. It was cold and gloomy outside. 

            When I got back I chatted with Benji and Shankar in the hall for almost two hours. Benji had told me Shankar had gotten laid off but apparently Shankar had been joking. I learned that Shankar is not Tamil but our landlord is. I could have gotten some reading done. 

            I went to the liquor store to buy a six pack of Creemore. I was standing in a line that didn’t exist and a guy at the head of another line said I could go ahead of him. I hadn't realized it was a fairly long line. The cashier pointed it out but the guy insisted and so I went ahead but felt confused and guilty. 

            I made bread pizza with salsa, french fries and the last of my cheese. I had it with a beer while watching Andy Griffith. 

            In this story the Women’s Historical Society learns that Mayberry had a hero of the Revolutionary War as one of its citizens and they suspect that one of his descendants is still living in the town. They plan on doing research in the local library to determine the name of the descendant and there will be a big presentation of a commemorative plaque when the citizen is discovered. Barney gets it into his head that he is the descendant and he does some very haphazard genealogical research to prove it. But then the ladies come to Andy’s office and announce that the descendant is Otis Campbell. But Otis is the town drunk and he happens to be right there in a cell and sleeping his latest binge off. Andy conceals that fact from the ladies. Later that afternoon is the presentation and the mayor wants Andy to find someone to pretend to be Otis and accept the award. But when Otis is sober Andy tells Otis and his wife Rita and they are very proud. At the ceremony Otis is late. Outside they hear a stumble and a crash and Otis and Rita walk in. Otis is sober but he’s wearing new shoes that hurt his feet and make him not walk straight. He accepts the award but donates it to the mayor on behalf of Mayberry. Later Otis staggers into the jail and lets himself into a cell. It turns out that he’s still sober but he's been shopping with Rita and his feet are killing him. 

            Rita was played by Dorothy Neumann, who played supporting roles is, “The Ten Commandments", "Private Parts" and “The Undead”. She was often cast in horror films as a witch. 

            Mrs Bixby was played by Isabel Randolph who played a supporting role as Mrs Uppington on the radio show “Fibber McGee and Mollie." She co-starred in the film "The Missing Corpse" and “Hoosier Holiday." She co-starred in the soap opera “Dan Harding's Wife". 

            Mrs Harriet Wicks was played by Carol Veazie. I hadn’t had dessert by the time the episode was over so I had rhubarb pie with yogourt and coffee while watching another episode. In this story Andy learns that a state police inspector is coming that day to inspect Andy’s sheriff's office. Andy is not worried because the inspector is a friend of his but then someone else arrives. He’s a by the book tight ass named Ralph Case who writes down every quirky thing that's going wrong at the jail. It happens to be the town drink's birthday and so Andy insists that he not be in a cell and that there be cake. Case discovers that there are no bullets in Barney’s gun and he tells Barney to load it. He almost shoots Case in the foot right away. Case calls his boss Mr Brady to ask him to come down and see for himself what is going on at the Mayberry sheriff’s office. Meanwhile Andy gets word that Luke Rainier the moonshiner has locked himself in his house and shooting at anyone that comes near. Andy, Barney and Case go out there and come under fire. Mr But Andy says Luke is such a good shot that if he hasn’t hit them already he doesn't mean to. Brady arrives just in time to see Andy walk into the gunfire and into the house, arresting Luke. He is impressed and gives the Mayberry sheriff’s office a clean bill. Andy recommends that Mr Case needs a vacation.