[stylist] William the Conqueror; some thoughts to ponder

Tue Nov 13 23:23:42 UTC 2012

Eve, and Bill,
I think it's interesting the way a little piece of someone's writing can 
cause us to begin to remember so many things. I never saw this movie - I 
seldom see movies - but in my mind I can see the character you have 
described and the power of shouting the name.  To "name" a person or a thing 
is such a powerful act, isn't it!
>From our earliest memories, we  become our "name."

Lynda


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eve Sanchez" <3rdeyeonly at gmail.com>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] William the Conqueror; some thoughts to ponder


> Bill, I was thinking of your piece last night and two things kept coming 
> to
> mind. First is if you could somewhere in it make a statement of what it is
> you wish to conquer rather than civilizations I think it would be very
> strong and make a positive connection. Second thing was the image of Heath
> Ledger in his final joust in A Knight's Tale where he wore no helmet or
> armour and was riding with nothing other than the power of his name as he
> yelled "William." That was such a powerful scene in a movie well worth
> watching over and over. I do not know if there is anything you could gain
> from that image, but it is what came to mind. I think it means that 
> knowing
> who you are, in your case William, will enable you to overcome and
> conquer all obstacles. Just something I wanted to share as your piece 
> ended
> up sharing more with me than you could know. Thanks, Eve
>
> On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 8:42 AM, Lynda Lambert 
> <llambert at zoominternet.net>wrote:
>
>> Bill,
>> I think you hit on a really good point in you short piece. The "name"
>> itself is a power name. You know, there are some names that evoke a 
>> feeling
>> of power, just to say the word. William is  one of those names.  It is a
>> warrior name, a ruler, a prince, a conqueror, and Type A man!
>>
>> My father's name is William!
>>
>> Your piece led me to begin to think about the meanings that come to my
>> mind when I say that name. I began to think of it yesterday when I was
>> sifting through photos of my father because I wanted to post some of him 
>> in
>> honor of Veteran's Day. He was a veteran of WWII, served with Pattons
>> forces in Europe, and was in the third wave at the Battle of the Bulge.
>>
>> Then, I thought about other William's who immediately came to my mind -
>> and all of them were power people, too.
>>
>> I first thought about etymological elements of the name:
>> It is Willahelm - in German:  To break down this name you look at the two
>> parts of it.
>>
>> Will (means to desire)  and Helm (means a Helmet)
>>
>> Will desires a helmet. Now that is power - you think of why a man would
>> desire a helmet. You have the image of a warrior located within that 
>> name.
>>
>>
>>
>> Very quickly other Williams come to mind:
>>
>>
>>
>> William Gellome:  8th Century Norman, cousin of Charlemagne - he became a
>> monk. I think of this man because I used to lecture on Charlemagne and 
>> the
>> rise of monasticism in Europe.  I have traveled to Aachen and stood 
>> beside
>> Charlemagne's throne, overlooking the floor of his amazing chapel and
>> palace. POWER.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> There are other Williams throughout history and in contemporary 
>> literature
>> - so many of them. Some of my own favorite poets and philosophers are 
>> named
>> William.
>>
>>
>>
>> William Burroughs;
>>
>> William Blake;
>>
>> William Wordsworth
>>
>> William Shakespeare
>>
>> William Jennings Bryant
>>
>> Billy the Kid
>>
>> William Shatner
>>
>> Williams Carlos Williams (my MAN!)
>>
>>
>>
>> Yes, you can think of yourself surrounded and in the company of strong 
>> and
>> powerful men, William.
>>
>> Why not!
>>
>>
>>
>> Since I have begun seriously thinking about writing a series of vignettes
>> on my memories I am going to tuck away these ideas for use when I begin 
>> to
>> work on my father's life.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Lynda
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Outman" <woutman at earthlink.net>
>> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2012 9:18 AM
>>
>> Subject: Re: [stylist] William the Conqueror; some thoughts to ponder
>>
>>
>>  Well, I am not admiring anything about his reign
>>> Per cie, merely the abstract symbol of decisiveness.  It was a different
>>> time in history which for a wholehost of reasons we would not with to
>>> emulate fully.
>>>
>>> I have observed in my own life at times that I can fall into the trap of
>>> tentativeness.
>>>
>>> You raise a fair point that the full history may require further inquiry
>>> on
>>> my part.
>>>
>>> Bill Outman
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: stylist 
>>> [mailto:stylist-bounces@**nfbnet.org<stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org>]
>>> On Behalf Of Eve Sanchez
>>> Sent: Monday, November 12, 2012 8:49 PM
>>> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
>>> Subject: Re: [stylist] William the Conqueror; some thoughts to ponder
>>>
>>> Bill, I hate to say this as I am not an editor or critic, but William 
>>> the
>>> Conqueror, otherwise known as William the Bastard, was from the early
>>> Norman
>>> period. The Plantagenets came about 400 years later In the late 14th
>>> century
>>> with the reign of Henry IV. I do like your use of analogy though I would
>>> never want to be associated with such a person, that is neither here nor
>>> there. You admire him for his invasions and slaughters of innocent 
>>> people
>>> and that is your right. I would suggest doing a little more reading on 
>>> the
>>> history though to get your timeline correct. Diolch, Cymru Rhydd. Eve
>>>
>>> On Mon, Nov 12, 2012 at 3:25 PM, Aine Kelly-Costello
>>> <ainekc at orcon.net.nz>wrote:
>>>
>>> I like the thematic matter, good work.  To be an editor, and point out
>>>> the things that  jumped out at me:
>>>> "odacious" is actually spelled "audacious".
>>>> I wouldn't use the "I've" contraction in "I've desired after a
>>>> fashion", there is a bit of a jump in formality levels there.  And at
>>>> the start of that paragraph where you talk about yourself, maybe
>>>> introduce it with some sort of connecting phrase, like "on a personal
>>>>
>>> level".  I'd change "though"
>>>
>>>> to "although" there and put a comma after "Bill".  Also, the double
>>>> use of "desired" in that paragraph, there and in the following
>>>> sentence, doesn't read that well for me, I'd change one to something
>>>> else.  I'm not really sure what "desired after a fashion" actually
>>>> means to be honest.  Also - at the very top, I have no idea what
>>>> Plantaginate means (and I'm guessing I'm not the only one), so perhaps
>>>> you could clarify that? Just some thoughts ...  obviously you're the
>>>> writer
>>>>
>>>> Cool though :) our headmistress (who is also a history teacher) at
>>>> school is great at doing that, taking a historic example of someone
>>>> important and showing us how it can apply to our every-day lives
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Aine
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Bill Outman" <woutman at earthlink.net
>>>> To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org Date sent:
>>>> Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:33:58 -0500
>>>> Subject: [stylist] William the Conqueror; some thoughts to ponder
>>>>
>>>> Good afternoon, folks.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This may sound like it runs a bit counter to what we have been
>>>> discussing the last couple days concerning gratitude, but it's worth
>>>>
>>> thinking about.
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It came up earlier today when I was discussing division business with
>>>> Robert off list.  I had it partially written several months ago, but I
>>>> have enough now to present for your consideration.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Here it is below.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> William the Conqueror
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> William I of England, the first of the Plantaginate kings,
>>>> accomplished in
>>>> 1066 at the Battle of Hastings the rare feat of a successful military
>>>> campaign across the English Channel.  He thus acquired the English
>>>> throne, having set out from the Normandy region of France.  This
>>>> earned him the nickname William the Conqueror.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The name William originates from the German Wilhelm, meaning resolute
>>>> protector.  Resolute in intent he certainly was.  It can rightly be
>>>> said that his act of conquest was odacious.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Though I am known by Bill my given name is actually William, and I've
>>>> desired after a fashion to be another William the Conqueror.  I have
>>>> desired not to be just William the Acceptor.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If William the Acceptor had existed, he would have been utterly
>>>> content to accept his lot in life as pre-ordained and immutable.  He
>>>> would have accepted a status quo existence, thus remaining a complete
>>>> unknown.  This is why we have never heard of him.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> We may accept our need to cope with lack of vision, but if we do not
>>>> have some of the spirit of a conqueror, we will not reach our full
>>>> potential and experience the full amount of joy that might be possible.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Bill Outman
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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