English 103 Fall 2009

Portfolio Submission Link?

2009-12-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Where are we submitting our portfolios to? Is there going to be a link in the submit essays tab like we've been doing all along? I really need the link to be up by tomorrow. If it is not up by tomorrow, I am afraid I will just have to email it. I know that's probably not what she wanted but I don't have time to wait for the link to finally be put up. I have other obligations as well and this class was originally supposed to end on the 16th.

Handout?

2009-12-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm not finding the handout Amy mentioned on Wednesday. I've looked on every tab in the course shell. Is there something I'm missing, or is it not up yet?

Thanks!

Soo..

2009-12-02T09:22:00.001-08:00

Are we just supposed to be revising our papers from here till the end of the class? According to the syllabus, there are a lot of things we haven't gotten to, but I'm not always the best syllabus reader. Anyone have suggestions or input? Anyone heard from Amy recently?

Thanks guys :)

I am not done yet!

2009-11-30T12:28:00.001-08:00

It has been a very difficult few weeks for me. I was diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) and then was told not to do house chores for a week. But being a single mom of three it is quite hard to put everything in one plate. The girls helped me as much as they can with the chores even if they also have to do their own assignments. On top of this, we had to move out the house. We had Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant, and took that day off for once. Then Friday, I had to continue packing and then hauled the huge furnitures out first. Saturday, we continue to put everything in boxes, (about 30 boxes all together) and other fixtures and smaller furnitures out. I am just exhausted as it is while trying to balance this part and family and school. I really have pulled my hair out (almost bald).

Anyway, I am still in the early stages of my research. I am stuck with Things Fall Apart. I did not have time to read the other choice, Cry, the Beloved Country at all. I thought of reading both so I could make the right choice. But, I did not have that luxury at all. Therefore, I do not have enough pages for my draft. It is really too stressful but being in the health situation I am right now, I really am trying so hard not to sweat the small stuff and some bigger ones or else, I would really be in deep trouble.

By what i have seen in here, you guys are doing so well. That is really great. I like some of the books you have picked since I have read them myself. Okay, good luck and wow, semester is almost over. It seems just like yesterday. Bye.

Research Blog 2

2009-11-29T23:51:00.000-08:00

So far, I've found plenty of sources about Catcher in the Rye. The only issue is trying to find sources dealing with Holden's psychology. Currently, I have a few. I like where my research is going, I just hope that I can write a sufficient paper. Most of my research is coming from articles on Ebscohost. That seems the best place to find legit articles and research sources. I found one article entitled "Holden Caufield: Self Appointed Catcher in the Rye" that I think I will draw a lot of quotations and information from. I really don't have any questions!

:D I really am enjoying this assignment. Catcher in the Rye is such a deep book, it's really fun to try and dig at it's core.

Research Blog 2

2009-11-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

My research paper is on The Great Gatsby and I chose the psychoanalytic lens to use. I have attempted to find sources online and at the local library. I really have not had much luck though. I need to find more sources, and I was hoping to receive both ancillary 3 and 4 with your opinions and tips, but I have yet to receive them. I have found one woman that has a book on all the literary theories, and she has used each theory on the book. I assume we need more than one really good source though. I going to try and go to Menifee sometime this week after work and hopefully find something at the campus library.

Research Blog - Tearing my hair out!

2009-11-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

I wasn't finding enough of the specific sources I'd need with the original theory/text I chose, so on Thursday, I switched both my lens and my novel. I'm not sure how smart of an idea that was, but I did it and I'm going for it. I ended up going with Stranger in a Strange Land and feminism for my lens. I was initially kind of overwhelmed with all of the avenues I could go down with my research, but I narrowed my source scope down once I decided on a thesis cloud. I've decided to write my paper from a point of view that examines the novel in the context of feminism as it existed in Heinlein's day and in today's feminist context. I'm also going to throw in some of the context of the libertarianism that is prevalent in most science fiction. There are unsurprisingly tons of sources regarding Heinlein and his views on politics and feminism. For his time, he was considered extremely liberal and in some camps, a radical. I've pulled a lot of research from the school databases and I'm also using the internet pretty heavily. I've found several newspaper articles and essays written on Heinlein and his canon of novels, which gives me a good base to explain my position. The sources on feminism are also coming easily as I'm looking mostly for basic history of the movement that explains each of the 'waves' in their historical context. The only real problem I'm having is finding criticism of the actual novel. I found a book written directly as criticism of Stranger, but its out of print and going for $80 on eBay. I don't think I'm willing to go that far for this paper, but my backup plan is to co-opt criticism of Heinlein in general and use excerpts that talk specifically about the the novel I'm writing about. I'm also using one or two other Heinlein novels as additional sources to augment my argument about Heinlein's viewpoints as they are espoused in Stranger. So far, I'm doing all right. I might add or subtract some sources as I refine my thesis and overall paper, but I'm feeling relatively confident.

OH WAIT! My ex-boyfriend and I are very good friends with a couple who owns a used bookstore in the valley and he called them just now. Turns out they have a copy of the EXACT book I'm looking for that deals with criticism of the novel. I can borrow it from them and I am totally set now. Thaaaat's amazing.

Research Blog 2 Reed Steiner

2009-11-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

I am doing my research paper on the poetry of Langston Hughes, "Weary Blues" and "Dream Boogie" using a African-American or Black literary criticisms. As far as my source go I hit all the requirements plus I have a few extra. I was kind of surprised by myself because I found that used the library more than the internet. I used to work at a library in Lake Elsinore so I'm pretty good at finding what I need. I found things from the Riverside County Library system, the library at MSJC, the library at RCC (I'm a student there too), and I ordered a few things using inter-library loans (which only cost a dollar per book and you can even get books from overseas). I actually went a little overboard and ordered too many books and had extra. I guess the biggest challenge for me was not finding the resources, but narrowing it down. I am actually enjoying this writing this paper quite a bit and am excited to finish it.

Regarding the rough draft of the research paper..

2009-11-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Does this have to meet the length requirements of the final draft? The way I read the syllabus, a rough draft that doesn't meet the length requirement won't be eligible for submission in the portfolio. Can anyone clarify the length/source requirement for this draft?

Thanks!

Research Blog #2

2009-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

The Question: This one is fairly open-ended. Discuss the research you have done thus far and what you think you might still need. From where are you pulling research? What have you found that seems particularly useful? Do you have any questions about your research?
(This blog isn't due until the research draft is due; there isn't any reason for you to rush on this one.)

This really has been a fun research project for me so far because I have found so many interesting and juicy pieces for my paper. I love it! I have titled my research paper, “Marxism Weaved into Pride and Prejudice,” and I feel that this title is appropriate as it gives the readers a sneak preview of things to come in my paper. As you could have guessed from the title, I am writing about Jane Austen’s lovely, romantic novel, Pride and Prejudice. It is one of my favorite love novels of all time because at first, the main characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, abhor each other and cannot stand to be within a foot of one another. However, by the novel’s end, they find it is their differences that have made them fall passionately in love with each other, and they live “happily ever after.” It is a wonderful love story, and what makes it a true classic is that it continues to captivate millions of readers years after its publication. To me, that is what makes an everlasting, solid story! Do you not agree? :-)
As far as my research goes for this particular paper, I am pretty much finished in that aspect. If only my paper was completed! :-) (However, it is getting there – I only have a couple more paragraphs to go, and I am happy with what I have thus far.) When I was doing my research, I searched in a variety of places. I searched for a while in MSJC’s online academic databases (EBSCO, ProQuest, and NetLibrary), I read a few of the articles that Professor Bolaski posted under “Course Materials” for literary theory (I found those to be helpful when I could not locate anything on my own), and then I checked out a couple of excellent books from the library that were perfect for my paper. I actually got two of my sources from our class module (two sources dealing with Marxism). They are excellent and just what I needed for my paper (plus, I could not get any other good sources on Marxism on the academic database). I also used our textbook as another source: in the back of our textbook, it discusses the different schools of literary criticism, and Marxism was one of the schools that were included in the group. It contained an excellent definition of Marxism, so I used that as a source as well. Another source that I found that was extremely helpful to me is an e-book that I found through the MSJC online library, NetLibrary. The e-book is entitled, “Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents”, written by Debra Teachman. It is one of my favorite sources for this paper, and I could not believe that I found it! The last item that I am using for my research paper is an actual book that I checked out from the MSJC Menifee Valley Campus library. The book is entitled, “Twentieth Century Interpretations of Pride and Prejudice,” and it is edited by E. Rubinstein. It is actually a collection of critical essays that deals with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It is a great resource. :-) Overall, it took me about a good two weeks to gather my research for this paper, and to sort through pieces of research that I collected and make a list of things that I wanted to use and things that I did not want to use. When I narrowed down my list, these items made it to my grand, final list. And, come to find out, they are working so far. I believe there are two difficult aspects of a good research paper – that is, gathering the research to the paper, and then actually putting the paper together. So far, I have completed the first difficult task: completing the research. Now, all I have to do is complete the paper to my expectations. :-)
There are a couple of sources that I have found to be particularly useful. The first source is the e-book, “Understanding Pride and Prejudice: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents”, written by Debra Teachman. This is a wonderful resource because it helps students to understand the basic history behind the novel. Pride and Prejudice can be a difficult novel to understand, especially if it is the first time that someone has been exposed to it. And, if students do not understand the customs and laws surrounding women, marriage, and inheritance during the 1800s, then it will be extremely difficult to follow the storyline. However, Debra Teachman offers a wonderful companion to Pride and Prejudice by explaining the detail-by-detail laws and customs that were a part of everyday life in the 1800s. This additional understanding to the novel truly helps the student understand the plight the Bennet family is in with their daughters’ futures, and why. I found this e-book to be a perfect, wonderful resource for my research paper. Another excellent resource that I found for my research paper is the book that I found from the library entitled, “Twentieth Century Interpretations of Pride and Prejudice,” and it is edited by E. Rubinstein. This is another great resource because it is a collection of critical essays based on the novel, Pride and Prejudice. I have looked through a few of the essays in the book, and they are all wonderful; however, because of this, I have not been able to choose one as of yet for my paper. I am still working on that. But, this is another great companion to Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, and another resource that I found particularly useful to my paper.
All of the resources that I found for my paper I found very useful and helpful and was also amazed how easily I could incorporate them into my research paper. That is what I loved the most about my sources! I hate finding sources that look good, and that I know would be beneficial to my paper, but unsure as to how to incorporate them in my paper. However, this was not the case with the sources that I found for this research paper. I made a rough outline of the rough draft of my research paper, and most of these sources fit perfectly in my paper. However, I do have one question about my research. In the prompt of the essay, it says that we have to use some type of criticism in our essay on our chosen text. I found a collection of critical essays on Pride and Prejudice in the library book that I found. The question that I have is how should I apply this criticism to my paper? I am a little bit confused on how we are supposed to do this. Other than that, I get the general idea of what we need to do for our writing assignment.
Searching for our research materials has been a fun and enlightening experience. It has shown me that in order to write a really good research paper, one needs to spend a good deal of time doing the research for the paper! However, if a person invests the proper amount of time into the project, they will reap what they sow: a research paper they will be proud of. :-)

Why Hughes?

2009-11-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

Why Langston Hughes – in my humble opinion—seeks to redefines history:

I chose Langston Hughes two poems, “Let America be America Again”, and “Open Letter to the South” for several reasons. One reason was that I was not really sure how much latitude we were going to be given for the research paper and wanted to make sure that it would fall under the “approved” category. Another reason is that I have not yet written about poetry and view this as a challenge to myself and my own analytical skills – hopefully this won’t bite me!!! Another reason I chose these works, and perhaps a reason that I came to after thinking about this assignment more thoroughly, is that I truly do believe that there is a parallel history that has yet to be written in America. This parallel history is one that deals with the races, other than white, who were a large part of the formation of this country, but who are largely ignored in the majority of textbooks and history books that we have today. Because we are only a century from this era of ignorance and racism, I honestly believe that it is up to the writers and historians of this day to reclaim, redefine, and rewrite the fractured history of America. In addition to this igniting of the past, I believe that post colonial theory is quite relevant to this time of literature in America. It is only further explored by the writings of Langston Hughes and especially his early radical poetry which is part of both of these poems. Hughes is unique in that he spoke out and wrote true to his race and class at the time regardless of the consequences. I guess that a history that was so integral a part of who we are as a nation today is a fact that I am not willing to overlook and hope to be a part of redefining it into the future.

2009-11-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

Research Blog 2!!!

2009-11-15T23:03:00.000-08:00

Extra Credit Blog #2 - Week of 11/15

2009-11-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

1) This one may be the easiest yet. :) I'd like to hear about the text you have chosen for your project. I'm actually asking you for summary here -- imagine that! What drew you initially? Did anything we read this semester spark an interest or lead you to your choice? Do you think you would have chosen this text at the beginning of the class rather than the end?
Not only does this sound like the easiest blog yet, but one of the most fun blogs yet.  The romantic novel, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, is a beautiful love story about two people that are complete opposites of each other. Miss Elizabeth Bennett is a young, beautiful woman living in a family where her mother is downright determined to get her and her sisters married off to a wealthy, young man. Elizabeth is young and carefree, and full of opinions about life in general, and she is certain about one thing – she does not want to marry out of financial obligation. She wants to marry a man for the right reasons – she wants to be in love. Back in the 1800s, this was a nice idea, but not necessarily a requirement of marriage. Parents married off their daughters so their daughters would be financially secure. This was Mrs. Bennett goal in the novel, and she was very persistent throughout the entire story. Elizabeth never agreed, and even turned down her cousin’s offer of marriage because she did not love him. Elizabeth’s match in the novel is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a very proud, stubborn man that has a very hard time mingling with others that are not of the same “class” as he is. When Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth first met, he made a statement about Elizabeth that greatly offends her at the community ball. Mr. Darcy states to Mr. Bingley (his friend) when Mr. Bingley tries to get Mr. Darcy to dance with Elizabeth, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies that are slighted by other men” (Austen 8). Elizabeth overheard this very rude comment that Mr. Darcy made, and she immediately had an understandably disliking of him. Furthermore, as she interacted more and more with Mr. Darcy throughout the novel, her prejudices against him increased because of his hard exterior, his attitude, and the rumors that she heard about him. However, as they really got to know each other, they both realized that it was their strong, different personalities that made them unique, and that some of the opinions that they had of each other changed as they discovered each other’s true character. They then became attractive to each other, and fell in love. At the end of the novel, Elizabeth’s eldest sister, Jane has married Mr. Bingley (Jane married Bingley for love too!), and Elizabeth and Darcy are happily married. Darcy proved his love to Elizabeth in more ways than one throughout the course of the story, and Elizabeth realizes this at the novel’s conclusion. They are happily married, and living in Darcy’s mansion, Pemberley. This is one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, and after I read it a second time, it seemed more magical than the first reading.
What initially drew to Pride and Prejudice for this project was the fact that we got to choose any piece of literature that I wanted for this project. I was so excited about that aspect of this research paper – the topic for my previous research papers were always chosen for me, and even though in some ways it made it easier to conduct the research, it was not exactly “fun.” When I read the prompt for our research project, and saw that we could choose any novel that we liked, I immediately thought of this old, romantic classic. I just love good, clean romance novels – they always leave me feeling so happy at the conclusion of the novel. Pride and Prejudice is no exception – in fact, it is my favorite romance novel because of the fact that it is so old, but has the power to still captivate people with its story of love even though we are not living in the 1800s. Furthermore, after having written a couple of essays in this critical thinking class, I feel that I am ready to analyze my favorite novel critically in a way that I have never done before and I am excited to do it. This is what initially drew me to my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice – the fact that I was able to choose it, and because I am excited to critically analyze it.
Yes, one small thing that we read this semester did help to spark my interest again in Pride and Prejudice. It was actually when we were going to write through a literary lens for Oleanna, but we ended up not doing that. It was the small paragraphs at the back of our textbook about the different schools of literary criticism on pages 1600-1603. The one paragraph that particularly awoke my love of Pride and Prejudice and helped me to see it differently than before was the paragraph on “Marxist Criticism.” I thought this paragraph was very interesting – I never really understood what Marxist theory was, and how it applied to different things, but after reading that paragraph in our textbook, I have a renewed interest in the history behind Pride and Prejudice and applying Marxist criticism to Pride and Prejudice. The paragraph about Marxist Criticism was not very large; however, it was chalk full of information, and I found it very interesting – interesting enough to do a full research paper on! It is amazing how a short paragraph that I read earlier in the semester affected what I wanted to do for this research project. I am so excited to see the outcome of it!
Honestly, no, I do not think I would have chosen Pride and Prejudice at the beginning of the class. I have to say, this has been one of my favorite English classes I have ever taken because it really has helped me to dig deeper into the readers, and really learn to analyze things. This really has been an enriching experience for me. In English 101, I learned how to structurally write better, but in this English class, I learned to actually analytically write better. I love that! I love reading texts and viewing then critically viewing it. It is quite fascinating to me. Keeping this in mind, if I would have chosen to analyze this novel at the beginning of the class without first knowing how to analyze properly, I know that I would have failed this project. This project is the “grand product” taking everything that I learned how to do beginning from the beginning of the semester – if I just jumped into it at the beginning of the semester and was told “choose my favorite novel and write it through an appropriate critical lens,” I would have probably looked at that like it was some form of Greek – from another planet. I am still a little bit unsure as to how I am going to structure my essay, but I have a good idea as to how I am going to write it (after I learned everything these past few weeks). I would not be able to say that if I have never heard of literary criticism. I would want to analyze this novel to the extent that it deserves, and I feel fairly confident that I can do that now after getting my feet wet in our first few writing assignments. However, if this assignment was given to us at the beginning of the semester, I probably would have not chosen Pride and Prejudice. Even though it is my favorite novel, now that I know the extent of analyzing we do in this class, I probably would have chosen something a little bit less complex until I learned all of this. However, since this is not the beginning of class, and we are nearing its completion (I cannot believe it!), I feel that I can critically analyze Pride and Prejudice to the extent that it fully deserves.
Normally, I do not get too excited about research papers as they do require a lot of research (which is probably they are termed research papers!), but for this particular paper, I am excited about piecing it together as I get to write about my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice. I have high expectations for myself – I want to see if I can critically analyze Pride and Prejudice properly using Marxism as the critical lens through which I view the text. I have never written a research paper like this before, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out! Good luck, everyone!

Week of 11/1 - LAST BLOG!! :-)

2009-11-15T21:07:00.000-08:00

English 103

The LAST BLOG!

Hello Everyone,

I am sorry I am posting this so late. I got a little bit extra time due to my skin breakout, and with my illness going on. I finally got it done! (Sorry it took so long, Professor Bolaski, and thanks again for the extra time. :-) ). Enjoy everyone, and have a blessed week!

Sincerely,

Jillian

1) The poem seems to merely narrate a sequence of events, but is there an implicit argument here? Should the writer have been more explicit?
In the poem, “First They Came for the Jews,” written by Martin Niemoller, the poem seems to merely narrate a sequence of events, but there is an implicit argument embedded in the poem. The implicit argument that Niemoller sends to his readers is that in wartime, all people are subject to death and destruction and people should do something – anything – to stop it. If they do not, they are helping to kill the millions of innocent people just like the enemy is. Niemoller makes this evident throughout the poem when he discusses who the Nazis came for: “First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1012). As the author demonstrates through these few, simple, but very powerful lines, he could have been the person that spoke out to help save some of these people. But, since he was not included in their particular “group” he did nothing to help. He was not interested – he may have felt a little bit of sympathy for the persecuted group, but not enough to actually help out. However, when he was the persecuted “group” he wanted someone to care and speak up for him, and help him out, but no one did: “Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1012). This poem may have been short, but it was very powerful due to the implicit argument that was contained within it. Niemoller wants his readers to know that it is wrong to be silent when mass murdering of millions of innocent people is going on, and that if there is anything that can be done on your end to help out – no matter how small – then you should attempt to do it. If the flood is not tamed and a dam is created to stop the destructive waters, then the waters will kill. Niemoller points out that the same thing goes for people – people can be highly destructive to each other, especially if hatred is involved. If other people do nothing to stop this utter destruction, then it can result in the death of millions of people. Niemoller points out that it is important for people to speak up for others, especially if they cannot speak up for themselves. Not only will this action save other peoples’ lives, but it could potentially save the speaker’s life as well.
No, Niemoller did not have to explicitly state his message in his poem. Almost all writers never “explicitly” state their central message or theme in their poems, novels, or short stories. Rather, they “implicitly” state their central message or theme to their readers – that is, it is a message that is evident by the reading and it not just outright stated at the end of the given selection. I would have to say, that would be a little be strange to read something, and then at the end of the reading, the author comes clean in a few paragraphs and states exactly what they wanted the readers to know about the central message or theme of the given selection. I have not come across anything like that as of yet. Therefore, I am glad that Niemoller kept the literary “tradition” going and did not just come out and state the given central message of his poem. I think that it is important to make the readers ponder a little bit about the selection they just read. It is not only good for a reader’s analytical and comprehension skills, but also to help them see that life does not just “explicitly” give out its answers to people’s questions; rather, life works more implicitly, like authors do. 
In the poem, “First They Came for the Jews,” written by Martin Niemoller, the author of the poem seems to narrate a sequence of events in poem; however, there is an important explicit argument embedded into it. Furthermore, Niemoller did not have to be more implicit in his argument as writers usually are not, and they like to leave readers pondering the important message of their pieces.

2) Are we made to feel sympathetic toward Mirabella? But not toward Jeanette? If so, what does that suggest about the author’s point of view regarding the education of the “girls raised by wolves?”
In the short story, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” written by Karen Russell, the author writes an interesting piece about girls that are brought in to a Catholic school in order to be “reformed” from their wild ways. These girls were not orphans or outcasts in human society – they lived out in the wild, and lived liked wild animals. They acted like wild wolves, and did not know how to act like humans. Therefore, they were brought into this school to be taught how to act like their own species. All of the girls that were brought in adapted at different speeds, but they all eventually learned how to speak, eat, and dress properly like normal civilized girls –all except Mirabella. She did not want to adapt to the new ways of her new home – she fought against the system and wanted to just be herself. This happens quite a few times throughout the story, and the other girls start to treat her like an outsider. Because Russell creates these characters to act this way towards Mirabella, the readers cannot help but to feel sympathetic toward her because she is struggling, and because of her childlike innocence. The narrator of the story, Claudette, talks about when Sister Josephine paired her up with Mirabella to feed the ducks, and the disgust she felt at that moment when this happened to her: “It wasn’t fair. They knew Mirabella couldn’t make bread balls yet. She couldn’t even undo the twist tie of the bag. She was sure to eat the birds: Mirabella didn’t even try to curb her desire to kill things – and then who would get blamed for the dark spots of duck blood on our Peter Pan collars? Who would get penalized with negative Skill Points? Exactly” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1078). As can be seen from the excerpt from the story, Claudette, the narrator of the story, is thoroughly irritated at Mirabella because the ways she acts affects the entire group of girls. They all get punished for Mirabella’s irresponsible actions, and because of this, her own “family” has even thrown her out of the pack. Claudette further explains Mirabella’s refusal to become a “human” in this new environment, and how Mirabella continues to act like an animal: “She’d go bounding around, gleefully spraying on their gilded statue of St. Lucy, mad-scratching at the virulent fleas that survived all of their powders and baths. At Sister Maria’s tearful insistence, she’d stand upright for roll call, her knobby, oddly muscled legs quivering from the effort. Then she’d collapse right back to the ground with an ecstatic oomph! She was still loping around on all fours (which the nuns had taught us to see looked unnatural and ridiculous – we could barely believe it now, the shame of it, that we used to locomote like that!), her fists blue-white from the strain” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1077). Mirabella is the only one of the girls that refused to act like a civilized human girl – she did not seem to understand why she had to change her ways. The reader can see how the other girls could become irritated with Mirabella because her actions affected the entire group; however, it is very easy to feel sympathetic toward Mirabella as well. She became an outcast in this strange place – not because the Nuns made her one, but because her own “family,” the group of girls that she lived with all her life, made her one. They became disgusted with her, and did not want anything to do with her because she would act like a regular human. The reader cannot help but to be sympathetic towards Mirabella – she has become alone in a strange world and her only “relatives” have deserted her. It is quite sad, indeed, but I do believe that this was Russell’s intention when she was writing this short story. And, it was interesting to see how an author’s way of writing can affect their readers to this extent.
The readers of this particular short story were made to feel sympathetic towards Mirabella, but not towards Jeanette. Jeanette was the “alpha” male of the group, and she was also the smartest one. She was the first one to learn everything – from reading, dancing, and speaking – and impressed the Nuns at her rate of progress. The group of girls did hate Jeanette because of her progress, but they hated Mirabella more because she made them look bad and would get them in trouble if she was around them. As stated before, Jeanette was very intelligent and learned everything quickly: “Jeanette was the first among us to apologize; to drink apple juice out of a sippy cup; to quit eyeballing the cleric’s jugular in a disconcerting fashion. She curled her lips back into a cousin of a smile as the traveling barber cut her pelt into bangs” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1077). The entire pack of girls knew that Jeanette was the most successful of the bunch – as Claudette stated in the story, they hated her for her high intelligence, but they did not hate her so much that they made her an outcast of the group. Even though the group of girls hated that Jeanette was intelligent, they all knew that her intelligence made them look good. It was for this reason that they still included her in everything they did, and why the reader does not feel as sympathetic towards Jeanette as we do for Mirabella. Again, it is interesting to analyze the effect that Russell’s particular way of writing has on her readers.
Because readers are made to feel sympathetic towards Mirabella and not Jeanette, this suggests that the author’s point of view regarding the education of the “girls raised by wolves,” is one of split opinion. Russell is showing how the education of these girls is tough, and what it can do to them. If they do not learn to become “civilized,” and if they get punished for not acting like humans, then these girls will start to turn on each other. They want to please their elders, but they know they cannot do this if there are members of their pack that are hindering their progress. However, on the other hand, Russell shows how educating these girls who have lived all of their lives in the wild are a good thing as well. If they learn to act like their own species, then they can live in a human society and have a chance at a better future than what they had before, living like a wild animal – naked and trying to find food. After reading this story, it was easy to decipher that the author had this split point of view about educating girls raised by wolves. It is not a subject that has the perfect answer to, and it could cause a lot of controversy as people could have a variety of opinions on the matter. As can be seen from the story, author had two different points of views, as shown through Mirabella and Jeanette.
In the short story, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” the readers of Karen Russell’s story are made to feel sympathetic towards Mirabella, but not Jeanette, and because of this, it clearly shows that the author had two different opinions regarding the education of the “girls raised by wolves.”

Extra Credit Blog week 10

2009-11-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

For my research paper I have chosen to write about The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. I chose it because of the obvious theme of materialism throughout the story and the negative impacts as a result of that materialism. This book has been called one of the best examples of The American Dream gone wrong. I wanted to explore why that dream went wrong in the book and why the author chose to write it that way. It is not the typical happy ending type of story and that has been one of the characteristics about it that has drawn people to study it over the years. I’m going to assume the question is “Would I have chosen this book at the beginning of the class rather than at the end?”. I would rather do it at the end now that we have studied these types of materials and have more knowledge about the subject.

Blog #10 - Extra Credit

2009-11-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

This one may be the easiest yet. :) I'd like to hear about the text you have chosen for your project. I'm actually asking you for summary here -- imagine that! What drew you initially? Did anything we read this semester spark an interest or lead you to your choice? Do you think you would have chosen this text at the beginning of the class rather than the beginning?

The text I chose is The Great Gatsby. There were some texts that we read during this class that caught my interest especially since I had read some in my literature class last Spring semester. I thought that if I had to write an actual research paper that has to be six to seven pages, I wanted to use either a short story or novel to work with. I was first introduced to this book in my junior year of high school. We had to write an essay on it from only reading one chapter assigned to us. I took the initiative to actually read the entire book since that one chapter intrigued me, and my teacher told me it was one of my best essays.

The Great Gatsby is centered on the narration of Nick Carraway on his move to New York and the people he comes to meet. He moves to West Egg where he meets Jay Gatsby. While Nick's cousin Daisy Buchanan lives in East Egg with her husband Tom. Through the story, it becomes known that Gatsby and Daisy were in love once before, and Gatsby wants her back. Tom has affairs that Daisy is aware of, and one of his mistresses we meet in the story is Myrtle Wilson. The book ends with Daisy accidentally hitting and killing Myrtle with the car she is driving. Myrtle's husbands places the blame on Gatsby and eventually shoots him.

Everyone in the story is corrupt in some way. Most of them only care about their wealth, or are thinking back into the past. I think whether at the beginning or near the end of the semester, The Great Gatsby would have been one of my top choices to write about for the research paper. It is full of scandals and people wanting to live wealthy lives. They are all mixed in relationships that are crumbling around them. My only hope is to find more sources to use for the paper itself.

Langston Hughes - Research Blog 2

2009-11-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

Langston Hughes Research Blog #2 –

In finding sources, our instructor has been a great deal of help for my research paper. I have borrowed a few books from her that deal with the post-colonial theory I will be using to analyze Langston Hughes’, “Let America Be America Again”, and “Open Letter to the South”. I also found a few sources through using Ebscohost Premier through the school’s library databases.

In doing the research project, I have almost redirected the focus of the essay based on a single line of an essay in one of the books I borrowed from Amy. “This may be called a literature of combat, in the sense that it calls on the whole people to fight for their existence as a nation” which was quoted from Frantz Fanon’s essay, “On National Culture”, I found both a theme and an angle to simply push the idea of my paper in another very directional way. I will still be using the post-colonial lens to further show how the process of colonization draws out this ‘fighting literature’ out in the oppressed people, and how it is critical that they respond to it in a manner so as to regain their identity.

Blog 10 Extra Credit Reed Steiner

2009-11-14T15:24:00.001-08:00

Blog 10 Extra Credit
For my research paper I chose to use two poems by Langston Hughes, "The Weary Blues", and "Dream Boogie". I really enjoyed the two poems we read in class "Harlem" and "Theme for English B". I liked the content of the poems and that fact that it kept me thinking afterwards, but to me there was just something special about the rhythms of the poems that had me the most interested. So I decided to find some more of his poems at the library and my two favorite poems I read were "The Weary Blues" and "Dream Boogie" because he wrote them to emulated two different styles of jazz, Boogie and Blue. I think it's amazing he managed to capture the essence of the two styles of music in his poems, and I knew had to used them for my research paper.
At the being of the semester I would never have chosen poems by Langston Hughes, mainly because I had never heard of him before I took this class. Also initially the thought of using a poem for my research paper was out because I never thought that I could write something that long on a poem, but after falling in love with these poems made it much easier. Also I thought it might be difficult to find sources for poems, but after I researched I found it rather easy to find tons of really good sources and am actually a little bit excited about writting this one! 

Ancillary #4

2009-11-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

Still no place to submit this on BlackBoard.

Extra Credit Blog 10

2009-11-13T23:45:00.001-08:00

1984 by George Orwell takes places in 1984 and is about an imaginary future where a totalitarian state controls every single aspect of life, including what people think. Winston Smith is the protagonist of the novel and works for the state. The fictional state is called Oceania and is ruled by a group of people known as the Party and their dictator is named Big Brother. Smith secretly hates the Party and decides to rebel against them by starting a diary in which he reveals his rebellious thoughts. Since he cannot really think about his thoughts because he could get caught by the thought police he needs to write them down in the diary. Later on in the novel, Smith meets Julia, who also works in the same state department as his. He begins a love affair her but meet secretly because members of the same department cannot be together. Smith meets a man named O'Brien who tricks Smith to find out what he is truly doing behind the Party’s back. When he is caught they end up torturing and brainwashing him until he fully believes in the Party and its doctrines. Smith is forced to betray his love for Julia, and his feelings for her are destroyed. After all of this Smith is released to live out his final days in the state.
I ended up picking this novel because it is describing what the author thought the future would be like when he first published this novel in 1949. Reading about all the different types of literary lenses there are, I thought this book could relate to them. There is not the critical breakdown of what the author has intended in the novel but several character developments and internal dilemmas each character faces.

Extra Credit Blog - Starship Troopers

2009-11-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Over the summer, Heinlein novels were thrust upon me by a good friend and I have found myself drawn into the world of early Science Fiction. I can not get over Heinlein and how he writes. I think the guy is a genius and there is just so much to draw from any one of his novels, I really don't think I could go wrong. I decided to go with Starship Troopers because Stranger in a Strange Land is just so full of stuff thematically and otherwise that I'd never be able to cram what I want to say into seven pages. Troopers makes some very strong statements about citizenship, voting rights, and military service and those are topics I don't really make too much noise about despite having strong feelings about them. I've never really written a paper that I feel like I have such a strong connection to and feeling about. I think that comes partly from being able to pick my own novel. I have a connection to this book and I finally feel like I'm going to be doing a 'real' research paper.

Basically, the book centers around Johnnie Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry. This is one of the few Heinlein novels told in flashbacks, and the format is very effective when combined with the first person narration. The story winds back and forth between past and present, starting with Johnnie's involvement in his first military raid. The narrative then flashes back to his senior year of high school and his decision to enlist in the MI. Five or so chapters chronicling his enlistment and various antics are followed with a flash back to the present. Johnnie eventually gets his staunchly anti-service father to enlist and his father ends up serving under Johnnie as he is promoted to captain at the end of the novel.

I haven't really read anything during the course of the class that influenced me to go with a Heinlein one way or the other, but this class has definitely given me a lot of confidence in my analytical abilities so I feel like I can tackle this project and do it justice. I'm not sure if I would have chosen this text at the beginning of the class because I wasn't as confident as I am now. I probably would have chosen something more benign. At this point though, I feel like I have a good direction and I'm finding some really great research. There are also other Heinlein novels I can use as sources to back up my points which gives me more reading to do :)

Is anyone else having trouble finding this week's readings?

2009-11-13T10:24:00.001-08:00

They're not in the book and I can find references to and reviews of "He Would Never Hurt a Fly" online, but not the full text. I can't even pull anything up regarding the play. Does anyone have some hints or links for me? Thanks!

Blog 10, Extra Credit

2009-11-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

Research Blog 2

2009-11-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

This one is fairly open-ended. Discuss the research you have done thus far and what you think you might still need. From where are you pulling research? What have you found that seems particularly useful? Do you have any questions about your research?

(This blog isn't due until the research draft is due; there isn't any reason for you to rush on this one.)

Ancillary #4?

2009-11-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hey guys :)

I was just looking at the reading schedule for this week, and I see Ancillary #4 is due at the end of the week. Has anyone seen it, or the research/extra credit blog prompts?

Thanks!

Research Blog #1 - Pride and Prejudice

2009-11-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

English 103
Research Blog #1
Pride and Prejudice

The critical lens that I am that I am thinking about using is Marxism. I am using this particular literary lens in which to view my favorite novel, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen. In our textbook, Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers, complied by John Schilb and John Clifford, it states that Marxist criticism is “based on the political and economic theories of Karl Marx. Marxists think a society is propelled by its economy, which is manipulated by a class system. Most people, especially blue-collar workers (the proletariat), do not understand the complex ways their lives are subject to economic forces beyond their control. This false consciousness about history and material well-being prevents workers from seeing that their values have been socially constructed to keep them in their place” (1602). After reading the textbook’s explanation of Marxist criticism, it is easy to decipher the concerns and interests of this theoretical school. Marxism is a theoretical school of thought that is based mainly on the economy, and held in place by a social class system. Marxism also explains that most people do not understand the “complex ways their lives are subject to economic forces beyond their control,” and that this obliviousness to understanding the strong economic forces “prevents workers from seeing that their values have been socially constructed to keep them in their place” (1602). I studied Marxism a little bit when I was in high school, but I never jumped into what it meant. However, now I what Marxism is, and thus, I am able to use this definition and apply it accordingly to Pride and Prejudice. I think that Marxism is the best methodology for me to use for Pride and Prejudice because it fits perfectly with the ideas that Austen weaves into the story. Mrs. Bennet – Elizabeth’s mother – is constantly concerned for her daughters’ welfare and is therefore always on the lookout for a potential wealthy husbands. Women did not marry for love; rather, they married to secure their financial futures. Women were tied to this strong belief system, and they let it run their lives. They never challenged it, and because of this, women were essentially “kept in their place.” Women could not be independent – they were dependent on men for everything. They had to be – it just was not normal for women to be earning their own paychecks back in the 1800s. Furthermore, men held women up to certain standards as well – once they became husband and wife, they were expected to do their “duties” that a proper wife would be expected to perform, such as being knowledgeable in certain subjects, such as music, literature, fine dining, etc. This “social” and “financial” system that was in place was a common feature of everyday life that Austen observed, and she incorporated this into Pride and Prejudice. Marxism is the perfect critical methodology to use for Pride and Prejudice of the structured, economical order of society that kept “everyone in their place.”

Extra Credit Blog - Week of 11/02

2009-11-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Theme for “English B” – The Question of Identity

Who am I? What will I do with my life? What am I supposed to do with my life? How am I important? These questions are common questions that most people ask themselves at one point during their lives that challenge their identities and what identity means to them. Some people are able to find the answer to these questions, and be satisfied with the answers they find; however, for those people who have faced various prejudices and hardships in their lives, these questions sometimes never have straight answers. Langston Hughes, the author of the poem, “Theme for English B,” wrote a poem about a young black student in a white school facing the question of identity. This student is trying to find his true self in the poem by expressing his voice to his instructor, but has trouble accomplishing this task. The main question that “Theme for English B,” raises about identity is what helps people to claim their identity; furthermore, after examining Hughes poem and the accompanying essay, identity is based on race and positions of authority.
In the poem, “Theme for English B,” written by Langston Hughes, the central question that Hughes embeds in his poem about identity is what factors help people to claim their identity. In the poem, the black student discusses various things that he believes might help him to discover who he is. For example, he states, “But I guess I’m what I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you: hear you, hear me – we two – you, me, talk on this page, (I hear New York, too). Me – who? Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love, I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. I like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records – Bessie, bop, or Bach. I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1069). Furthermore, in the essay, “Critical Essay on ‘Theme for English B,’” the author, Chris Semansky, states that the black student in Hughes’s essay is trying to find his identity by examining both his similarities to others and by finding out his differences: “His search for difference, in this case, instead yields both similarities and differences, as he first lists relatively common human desires—“Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. / I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.”--then more personal preferences—“I like a pipe for a Christmas present, / or records--Bessie, bop, or Bach” (Semansky 2). After examining these sources from the poem and from the essay, it is clear that Hughes had intended to place this important question for his readers to examine and hopefully help them to identity for themselves. In the poem, the young, black student who feels out of place in an all-white school hope to claims his identity by identifying with different material things, such as what books, music, and even what he enjoys getting for Christmas. Furthermore, the young black student discusses how he identifies with the city Harlem, and how Harlem makes up a part of who he is as a person. The poem and the critical essay written about the poem are essential examples showing how people shape their identities based on what they like, and even the places they grew up. Believe it or not, the places people live have a big deciding factor in how we shape our identity because it becomes a part of our culture. And, our culture becomes a big deciding factor in how we decide to shape our identity. It is amazing how the things around us and the things that we interact with help us to choose who we want to be. In the poem, “Theme for English B,” written by Langston Hughes, the author embeds the important central message of how the things around us influence our identities.
After examining Hughes poem and the accompanying poem on race, it is clear that identity in this poem is based on the issue of race. In the poem, the student explains to his professor that he is the only black student in the class, and because of this, it could actually affect how he will write this essay: “I wonder if it’s that simple? I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am the only colored student in my class. The steps from the hill lead down from Harlem through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator up to my room, sit down, and write this page” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1069). Furthermore, in Chris Semansky’s essay, “Critical Essay on ‘Theme for English B,’” he explains that people take positions on important issues all of the time in life, and this can cause them to view life differently, just like the black student in Hughes’s poem: “He tells us that he is a black man who was born in the South (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) and is now attending a white school in the North (Columbia University in New York City).These differences alone complicate the assignment, as they highlight Hughes's feeling of alienation and the difficulty of “going home.” Underscoring this difficulty is the speaker’s description of the long route he takes to his current home, a room at the Harlem YMCA, and his description of Harlem--a predominantly black community--as literally down the hill from the university. By characterizing his “home” in terms of distance and difficulty, Hughes emphasizes how “un-simple” description is; how, regardless of what we say or write about something, we are always taking a position because we are saying one thing instead of another” (Semansky 1). These two pieces of evidence from the poem and the essay demonstrate how identity is based on the important issue of race. In the poem, the black student actually explains how this assignment may not be as easy as it seems. He may not be able to write everything that is in his heart due to the fact that he is the only black student in the class. Furthermore, to complicate the matter, his instructor is white as well, and may not appreciate everything the student is saying just because the instructor will be looking at the assignment as one written “by a black student” instead of just “written by a student.” Semansky makes this same connection as well in his critical essay. Semansky explains how the student in the poem feels it is important to explain his racial background as it is his racial background that defines who he is, and how other people view him as well. The poem and the accompanying essay are key factors in showcasing how race does help a person define their identity because it is a person’s race that advances them or brings them down in society. It is a sad thing that some people look down on others due to the fact that they have different skin color – and because some people do this, it can cause others to have a certain opinion of themselves. This, in turn, can shape their identity, as it helped to shape the black student’s identity in the poem. After reading the poem, “Theme for English B,” written by Langston Hughes, and the essay “Critical Essay on ‘Theme for English B,’” written by Chris Semansky, it is interesting to see just how much the issue of race can play in shaping a person’s identity.
In the poem, “Theme for English B” written by Langston Hughes, and the essay, “Critical Essay on ‘Theme for English B,’” written by Chris Semansky, identity is also based on the positions of authority. In the poem, “Theme for English B,” written by Langston Hughes, the black student actually challenges the professor authority a little bit at the end of the poem when he states the following: “As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me – although you’re older – and white – and somewhat more free” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1070). Furthermore, in the essay, “Critical Essay on ‘Theme for English B,’” written by Chris Semansky, Semansky explains how the young black student was challenging the teacher by making this bold statement, and by doing this, it could cause the teacher to react irrational toward the student: “By questioning his instructor's very directions, the student-speaker is questioning his instructor's authority. While some instructors might think this action shows independent thinking and reward the student for such an action, it isn't clear that this will be the case in this poem. Hughes's description of the situation and of the instructor suggest that the instructor is most likely fairly conventional in his thinking (consider the generic nature of the assignment and the fact that the student isn't certain that the instructor can learn anything from him). Rather than seeing this poem as an example of creative independent thinking, the instructor might very well punish the student both for challenging him and for writing a poem instead of an essay. Seen in this light the poem, then, becomes an act of rebellion--of questioning the instructor's very identity as teacher” (Semansky 3). Semansky offers some excellent insight into Hughes’s poem by examining how a person’s identity is based on positions of authority. The teacher is in a very high and influential position, and has the potential to actually help shape his students’ identities with what he is teaching in the classroom. If the teacher uses this assignment for this particular purpose (for helping his students “discover” themselves), then his students (not just the black student, but all of his students) could really learn something about not only themselves, but also their professor. They will learn that even though their professor is in a higher position than they are, he cares about them and their futures, and is willing to assign homework that will actually matter in their lives. However, if the professor acts irrational towards some students because he does not appreciate their opinion, or does not appreciate them as people, he is still helping to shape his students’ identity. Only, they will not be building a positive identity of themselves, but rather a negative identity. If their teacher punishes them for what they write in the essay, and verbally abuses them, then how will the students gain a positive identity about themselves? No – their identities will be shaped negatively, and they will not trust anyone in higher positions of authority. It was interesting to see – in this poem – how someone in a position of power can have so much influence on other people’s identity.
Langston Hughes wrote a very powerful poem that deals with one of life’s most important issues – the issue of identity in this world. Every day, someone asks themselves “Who am I?” “Who will I be?” “Am I even important in this world?” And, these questions are answered and the person’s identity is shaped by the things and people around them. A person’s identity is one of the most important things they can gain in life; however, as demonstrated in Hughes’s poem, it is influenced by many factors that can either shape identity positively or negatively.
Sources:
1) Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers; complied by John Schilb and John Clifford; pages 1069-1070
2) Semansky, Chris. "Critical Essay on 'Theme for English B'." Poetry for Students. Ed. Mary K. Ruby. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Gale. MIRACOSTA COLLEGE. 3 Nov. 2009 .

Extra Credit Blog

2009-11-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

For the extra credit blog, I chose to do "Theme for English B". Hughes presents an idea that seems undoubtedly ironic but all together true: our identity not only rests in our self-perception but also in the relationships that define us. Communication and learning are two-way processes, channels that go both ways: "As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me--/although you're older--and white--/and somewhat more free." We do not only define ourselves, others define us as well. From my perspective, our identities are not only determined by how we "define" ourselves, but also by how others define who we are and how we are perceived. There's more than one side to a story. We can be more than just one definition. We are defined by many definitions.

Extra Credit Blog

2009-11-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

I chose to write about "Theme for English B." When I read this poem, I didn't really take it as anything negative at all, in fact, I read it as a declaration of being a proud African American. I believe that there are no questions about identity and that the author is just recollecting on the fact that he's just like a white person. Maybe he is coming into the fact that he is Black, yes, but he is too, American, and he is just declaring that. Identity is based on how you see yourself, according to this poem, and I, too, believe that.

Research Blog

2009-11-08T22:57:00.001-08:00

I chose to do my research paper on the Catcher in the Rye because I think that nearly everyone that reads it finds that they relate to Holden quite heavily. I know I have. I also chose it because it's my favorite book, ha. Holden is a very troubled character and so, with that, I've chose to use the psychoanalytical method as my lens to write through. I hope in doing this I can learn more about Holden and therefore, learn more about myself.

Research Blog!!!

2009-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I see that everyone has picked exemplary pieces to write their papers on...makes me feel a little mediocre. Nonetheless, I can't deny my guilty pleasure for Austen novels, and I have not written any papers on them yet. I will more than likely write my paper on Austen's novel Emma. I am in the last chapters of the novel and am debating whether or not I want to approach it from a feminist or psychoanalytic perspective. I'm sure that either will suffice. However, if anyone has some fresh approaches I could take, I would appreciate any feedback! :)

Research Blog #1

2009-11-08T19:32:00.001-08:00

The critical lens I am thinking of using is psychological criticism on George Orwell’s novel 1984. Psychoanalytic theory refers to the definition and dynamics of personality development. I think using this critical method on 1984 would work because the novel focuses a lot on society and how people act when they are put in a situation that they cannot control. Rereading this novel though a psychological lens will help understand how the characters to this novel can relate to society now in present time based on the fact that this novel represents what Orwell possibly thought the future would be like. Thinking through a psychological lens helps understand the people around you and what the message is they want to set across.

Extra Credit Assignment-True Identity Not Based On Color.

2009-11-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

Several question arise from the reading, the first: Do we "truly" know out identity? and secondly, when the poem was written "colored" were not considered "Americans" but "Africans". I never understood the word "colored" and it bothers me to hear people use the word. I would like to ask : "What color are they?" What dost the question "Will my paper be colored that I write?" mean? A persons identity is not based on reace, position of authority or ones racial views.
In English B the first six lines introduces the primary characters and elaborates on the information provided in the poems title. The instructions provided are very simple for the assignment. The speaker starts to list the reasons that the assignment might not be so simple. The speaker is addressing reacism in America and that race has nothing to do with his identity.
The student speaker communicates in line seven to ten that he begins the assignment, but then stops to question, his views. In line nine the detail of "color" is a description of the student speaker who is black and an inhabitant of Harlem. Due to the speakers race and domical the reader would belive that the speaker has felt racism in America and this would effect his identity.
The speaker questions the assignment again in line sixteen through twenty. In line nineteen the words "you and me", who is the the author referring to? of course, the instructor and the student speaker. The speaker is referring to a fight against the ignorance that created discrimination.
The speaker identifies himself clearly in lines tewnty-one to twenty-six in terms of his likes: "I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love/I tike to work, read, learn, and understand life". The speaker is showing the reader, author and instructor that he is the same as them. In addition, the speaker is showing that race has nothing to do with what he likes or dislikes
The student asked "Will my paper be colored that I write?" in line twenty-seven through thiry three. He is trying to make a statement that race has nothing to do with what he likes or dislikes. The speaker wants to be seen as an American and not a colored person.
The speaker states in line thirty-four through fory-one that "no one white can exist as white without his/her "colored" counter part. The student is making an important point to the instructor and him both can learn from each other no matter what race they may be. The speaker is just wanting people to see him as an "American and not a black man for his race does not make up his identity".

What I will be writing on...

2009-11-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

I think I have posted earlier that I am still deciding to write on Cry, the Beloved Country or Things Fall Apart. The settings of these novels are in Africa. I want to write on either of these novels because both have social impacts and social point of view. Most importantly, it is on clashing of cultures. This must be an issue years ago but I do think that the importance of addressing social issues such as the difference of our cultures are still a dominant issues even at this point of time. Otherwise, sociologists could not have written new books of this nature. I also believe that sociological issues would continue to be a topic for generations to come. I am thinking of using the Marxist approach on my essay.

Research Blog 1

2009-11-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

The critical theory I will be using is Psychoanalytic criticism. I chose The Great Gatsby. I was trying to decide between Feminism, Marxism, and Psychoanalytic. For the lens I am using, I will look at the character's romantic relationships with one another, and the defective intimacy problems they hold.

Research Project

2009-11-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Devils Ceremony of Evil vs. Good

The text that I have chosen is Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I will look through a religious view point. In Young Go0odman Brown, Brown is lead out into the forest to take part in a ceremony with the devil. I will look at the text from a religious point on evil vs. good.

Research Blog Topic

2009-11-08T11:41:00.000-08:00

For my research paper I will be using a Marxism lens to look at the effects of materialism on the characters in the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This method of criticism would work best for this novel because materialism plays such a vital role in the plot of the story and its relationship with The American Dream.

Where are we to post the essay?

2009-11-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know were to post my extra credit essay. I sent an email and a blackboard message asking, but no answer. Can someone help? Then, when I tryed to paste the essay in the new posting it will not allow it. Please don't tell me I have to retype the essay in the new post window.

Research Blog

2009-11-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

The critical lens that I will be using on my research paper is feminism. There is a book that I choose called “Moths,” that has several short stories of all the same origin. I will ultimately choose one, and analyze the story from a feminism perspective. All of the stories are in different generation, and supports the idea of gender roles in a Hispanic family. While most women are expected to stay at home, and never receive an education or have a voice of certainty. The stories are great for researching culture, religion, and dynamic in a Hispanic culture. I would love to explore this avenue of gender roles in a Hispanic culture, because I to am of Hispanic origins and would like to understand why the gender prejudice continues for so many generations.

( Sorry so late. I barley noticed the blogs that were posted here. I am planning on doing the extra credit as well if I have time this weekend last minute. )

Research Blog...Langston Hughes & Post-Colonialism

2009-11-07T10:56:00.001-08:00

For my research paper, I have chosen to write on Langston Hughes, and I chose the lens of post colonialism. I feel that this is a natural choice for this writer in terms of the poetry, the time era in which it was written, and the topics that are addressed in the poetry. Post colonialism deals with displacement issues of a large number of people and their search for identity both as a people and as individuals. It addresses issues of discrimination, oppression, racism, and struggle.

Colonization is, defined by Webster, “to infiltrate with usually subversive militants for propaganda and strategy reasons” (Online). After the colonization of any people, it is clear that the politics and power struggle are clear issues of contention. What post colonization attempts to do is redefine who these ‘colonized’ people are once again. Rather than dismiss them as products of their ‘colonizers’, it attempts to understand and appreciate the people who are subjected to this colonization and their attempts to thrive and adjust to the newly experienced ideas and surroundings they encounter on their way to re-identifying with their cultures. After colonization occurs with any people, post colonialism addresses the issues of developing a new identity both nationally and individually.

Post colonialism primarily refers to the resistance from the West to diverging cultures and classes. This Western resistance began this theory and continues to play a role in the development of this theoretical lens. Although some would argue that this is a temporary state, and not a true theory to be developed into the changing global society, post colonialism is a permanent way of looking at the trans-culturalization or the globalization processes that occur in any meshing of people, countries, or identities.

What Hughes two works dually theme is a process of colonization. The rhetoric that he uses is best described in “On National Culture” by Franz Fanon who states, “The native intellectual nevertheless sooner or later will realize that you do not show proof of your nation from its culture but that you substantiate its existence in the fight which the people wage against the forces of occupation.” This quote is indicative of the forceful nature by which Hughes attacks the structures of the oppression that the marginalized American’s felt at the hands of the European government ideas and institutions. More specifically, I intend to support the idea that Hughes was, in fact, waging a silent war on these oppressions and racisms through his writing.

Hughes himself expressed, “We, the creators of the new generation, want to give expression to our black personality without shame or fear… We know we are handsome. Ugly as well. The drums weep and the drums laugh.” Using works like “creators”, “shame”, and “fear”, it is easily seen that Hughes was passively attacking the standard of societal norms to attempt to redefine what the colonized people of his country should demand. Pushing the boundaries and testing the waters, both Hughes’ poems that I will analyze are full of conflict. It is this conflict and its sources that bring about the lens of post-colonial issues of alterity, Diaspora, Eurocentrism, hybridity, and imperialism.

Works Cited

Online, Merriam Webster. colonize. 4 November 2009.

Works Cited

Chrisman, Patrick Williams and Laura. Colonial Discourse and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994.

Online, Merriam Webster. colonize. 4 November 2009.

Extra Credit Assignment

2009-11-06T16:02:00.001-08:00

I will choose "English B" as my reading.

Bug Wars

2009-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be working with a Heinlein science fiction novel and using the New Historicist method of criticism to look at my text. Heinlein writes very thematically charged novels set in the future, however, both of the texts that I'm trying to decide between were written during times of upheaval and volatility in U.S. popular and political culture. New Historicism attempts to understand literature by looking at the historical and cultural context in which it was written, as well as attempting to understand history by reading period literature. I think this is going to be the most interesting angle to take when dealing with my novels. I'm leaning towards Starship Troopers at the moment. The novel revolves around several themes that have to do with citizenship, voting rights, and duty as an individual as well as a member of a greater society. Troopers was written in the late 1950s, as the world was dealing with the effects of WWII and Korea, as well as the burgeoning Cold War. Using New Historicism to get a look at the context in which Troopers was written will provide a lot of insight into the themes that Heinlein looks at in his novel.

Research Blog 1 Reed Steiner

2009-11-05T21:25:00.001-08:00

Research Blog 1
The literary theory that I am going to use is called the African-American or Black literary criticisms. Black criticism gives sense that black writing comes out of sociological, political and cultural situation marked by oppression is similar the post-colonial criticism because of the historical and cultural formation of the back culture and the oppression that they faced and still face today. It concerns the struggles of relations of race similar in some respect to the feminist theory. Focuses on the African heritage, on the evolved American black culture, on the possibility of adaptation to a new non-racial cultural formation. An attempt to recognize and celebrate black art that owes its meaning and expression to the particular expressions and traditions of black culture and experience. The most influential black aesthetic contribution, jazz, forms for many a model for black aesthetics and culture.
I am going to apply this lens to the poetry of Langston Hughes, "Weary Blues" and "Dream Boogie". Both pieces are suppose to mimic the style of jazz; "Weary Blues" mimics blues music and "Dream Boogie" mimic boogie. In my paper I want to talk about how these poems draw a image of the African American experience by incorporation music the poetry to celebrate back musical culture and express the significance of the Black Americans.
Here is the source I used on the Black literary theory:
"Department of English Languages and Literature - Courses." Brock University, Niagara Region, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines, Ont. L2S 3A1 Canada. Web. 06 Nov. 2009. .
So far these are my ideas, and if anyone has some suggestion I am open to hear them. Thanks!

Blackboard Status

2009-11-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

The blackboard looks as if everything is normal. Grade are as they should be. I do not yet have a midterm grade at all, but that hasn't been there anyway. Your most recent announcement was is available regarding additional sources for the research paper, and it looks as though all of the lectures that have not posted for the last couple weeks are now under course materials.

Overall, BB appears to be working fine from the student's end.

Hope this helps!

Rachel

Poetry Choice, Extra Credit Blog

2009-11-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

If you want to write about a short story, see the blog below. The directions are below as well, in the short story blog, so make sure you read them. You will write about only one text for this extra credit blog (although you should still respond to another's). This is the selection for the poetry essay.

1.“Theme for English B” is most often examined as a meditation and questioning of identity. The attending article explores the poem from this vantage point – explain which questions you think the poem raises about identity, and which it answers, if any. Lastly, consider what identity means here – is it based on race? On one’s reaction to race? On positions of authority? You decide.

Short Story Choices, Extra Credit Blog

2009-11-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Discussion Questions Week of 11/02

Choose one of the following to address. Write a short essay exploring the question(s) raised; this should have a recognizable thesis and attending paragraphs. It does not need to be as long or developed as a formal essay, but it should be more developed than the typical blog entry and have a clear main point around which the rest of the ideas are developed. You should quote from the attending articles and/or lectures offered on the text. As there have been multiple extra credit opportunities in the course, this last one (aside from your Writing Center visits, if indeed you are completing these) requires a bit more of you. Please do not feel compelled to complete these, but if you want to, well then, full steam ahead!

1.Consider “The Hunger Artist” using the short article “The Hunger Artist” in Course Materials. The story can be difficult to make sense of upon a first reading, but it’s enormously rich culturally, biographically, and historically. The story was published posthumously and counter to Kafka’s directions to “burn” the manuscript. You may recognize his name as he is the author of the acclaimed and widely known Metamorphosis.

Can such a performance/exercise be considered art? In our day, this may seem quite strange, but, in contemporary society, it wasn’t so much. Think about the characteristics we assign things we call “art” – which do we use today to decide something is of merit enough to be called “art”? Who decides this – the artist or his or her public? Which standards of definition do you think might be different now than then? By which definition or including which characteristics can we say the hunger artist truly is a “artist”?

2. Read the attending article for “The Penal Colony”, then explore the following idea: “Kafka's fiction examines the fate of individual characters put in humiliating, embarrassing, bewildering or sinister situations. The explorer is the quintessentially Kafkaesque character in “In the Penal Colony.” What, then, is the fate of this/these characters?

Research Blog 1

2009-11-03T16:23:00.001-08:00

****Blogspot admin was under repair/getting a patch fix yesterday, which is why your blog prompts are going up today.

Discuss the critical lens you are thinking of using (feminism, Marxism, etc.) Remember, you do not have to commit absolutely; you can always, despite, Ancillary #3, make changes to your final exploration. Why do you want to use this lens, and on which text will you apply this method of interpretation?

Research Prompt and Extra Credit Blog?

2009-11-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,
I hope that everyone is having a great week this week. I have a question. Has anyone seen the extra credit blog and research blog? I do not see it in our class module or in blogspot. Maybe I am just overseeing it, but I do not see it anywhere. I would appreciate the help. Thanks so much! Have a blessed week!

Sincerely,
Jillian

Just to double check..

2009-11-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

This week we need to:

Finish the workshop

Do Ancillary #3 if we're taking the extension

Do the research blog and the optional extra credit blog

Read the selections/lectures

Is that it? Did I miss something? Thanks guys :)

My Topics

2009-11-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

I am still deciding between Cry, the Beloved Country and Things Fall Apart. These novels address social issues and other personal conflicts. So, I am hoping to write a good essay on one of these books.

Thanks.

Discussion Questions

2009-11-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

I chose to write about "After Auschwitz." I really enjoyed this poem because of how brutal and violent it was. The words Anne Sexton chose really resonated with me. The imagery in the poem is probably what made it as great as it is. It seemed as though this poem captured the very anger that everyone whom was victimized by the Holocaust felt. And even though she is angry, she prays at the end for the Lord not to hear, almost as though she is guilty for being so angry. I really very much enjoyed reading this.

The other poem I chose to write about is "Let America be America Again." Again, I really enjoyed reading this poem because of the obvious angst portrayed within it's lines. I believe that anyone and everyone who reads this poem could feel something and identify with it's lines. Langston Hughes really captures the feelings and emotions of Black America in the past, and although I, myself, am not African American, while reading Langston's poetry, I can almost identify with how they felt because at one point or another, everyone's felt hopeless and like they deserve justice.

Discussion Questions For Week 10/26

2009-11-01T18:56:00.000-08:00

1. I found the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes to be full of similes. Langston uses several similes but at the same time they are used as a metaphor to create a bigger picture. The bigger picture focuses on the conditions of people whose dreams have been limited, put off, or lost in post-World War II Harlem. The raisin the poet talks about is a simile for the dreams. The last line "Or does it explode?" shows a feeling of frustration. All of these dreams have been put off and the more they get put off the more frustration that is created.

2. In Theme for English B by Langston Hughes there is one very apparent theme in the poem. The narrator which happens to be the college student seems to be having troubles in regards to identity. The poem asks who are we and how is it that we know who we are? The narrator asks himself this question and discovers that identity is a product of racial distinction. We are who we are not. Identity is something a community creates, whether that community be racially homogeneous or racially divided. In the class this community is racially divided but the narrator states that even though they are all different they are all connected. They are all striving for the same goal in the class. This is reassured when the narrator states “That's American./Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me./Nor do I often want to be a part of you./But we are, that's true!”

Last Discussion Questions Reed Steiner

2009-11-01T13:42:00.001-08:00

Last Discussion Questions Reed Steiner

1. My favorite poem from this week is "First They Came for the Jews" by Martin Niemoller. It was an interesting narrative that would wouldn’t normally hear. It starts off by saying that he did not speak of for the Jews, the Communists, the unionists, so there was no one left to speak out for him. Niemoller is saying that it's not just the Nazi's fault for the holocaust and it's not just the governments fault for other corruptions that happen it's all our fault because need to stand up for what is right and stand up against what is wrong no matter what the consequence is.

2.I also really enjoyed "The hunger Artist" by Franz Kafka. I thought it was an interesting concept to have an artist that fasts. I'm not sure of what the meaning is except I did make one connection. That man would fast for-forty days which is the same amount of time that Jesus fasted in the desert. So maybe the short story is some kind of metaphor or allegory for Jesus. At first the hunger artist was some big sensation because what he was doing seemed like miracle, Jesus performed merciless. Then after they were over the it they just let the man die and starve himself to death, much like Jesus. Jesus was killed by the same group of people that followed him. Maybe the hunger artist is support to be Jesus. The only thing that doesn't match up to well is the hunger artist did rise again.

Langston Hughes

2009-10-29T15:17:00.001-07:00

Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again” speaks open and honestly about oppression during a time when it was still taboo to speak about these topics. Integration was new and novel while both sides were still marinating in its nuances. Hughes speaks of many groups who were and still are oppressed in one way or another. African Americans, Native Americans, poor whites, immigrants, farmers and workers are all given equal grounds to stand up in this poem and demand equality. Although he does single out the African American’s journey as of more significance and importance throughout by way of multiple references, Hughes does a thorough job of making it clear that they are not the only victims of racism and oppression. In his lines, “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek”, it is clear that he is purposefully including many marginalized groups of the society in 1938 that most likely were forgotten by the writers at the time.

Reflective of the Depression that so defined this era, Hughes’ line, “Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today?” sums up what is obvious homage to the degradation of the financial landscape at the time. In a similar line, “The millions who have nothing for our pay”, reflects the desperate times that were facing Americans during the Depression. In yet another line, Hughes not only references the materialistic views of the upper classes, but does so in a way that is still highly relevant in our time, “Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!....... Of owning everything for one’s own greed!”. How true and insightful is this line even today as we see the capitalistic market more ominous than ever.

2009-10-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

So, for Ancillary 3...

2009-10-28T13:43:00.001-07:00

we can do it on any piece of literature we'd like?

Discussion Questions, Week 10/26

2009-10-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

This time around, I'm going to let YOU pick the questions. You may post about anything you like that you feel is of import in the texts about which you choose to write. This is, of course, your last "required" blog (remember that you do have "blogs" of a sort that correspond to the research project, but this is the last of the blogs as you've known them).

I'm quite interested to see what you'll come up with!

Assignments this week.

2009-10-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

Can someone please list all the assignments that need to be done this week. There are still no discussion questions, the midterm is not available, and the groups for the workshops are not listed.

I have three other classes, so it is rather annoying that this class is behind with what needs to be done all the time.

Thanks.

Discussion Questions from last week?

2009-10-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Do we have them? Did I miss them? or are we not doing them and no one told me?

Week 7

2009-10-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Everyday Use:
1. Consider the relationship between the story’s content and title. Ultimately, is “everyday use” a good thing? The narrator uses this term in the story itself, referencing the possibility that Maggie will receive the quilts. One sister has a very negative association with the idea that such items will be used “everyday”, and in a casual manner; the other appears to believe that such items should be used in order to demonstrate value – unused items have no value in Maggie and her mother’s household. Which definition of “everyday use” does the story, as a whole, appear to uphold?
The story in this case appears to uphold the definition of everyday use as something more practical. I think the mothers strong arguments, not only to defend Maggie but the fact that a promise had already been made to hand down a family heirloom stands as more important than how the quilt will actually be used. Dee wants it for nostalgic purposes, to have a constant and shown reminder of her heritage. Personally, we have a quilt that is a family heirloom and this story was so interesting to me because if that quilt were in my possession, I would do like Dee and hang it to be viewed, not used. How could something like that be replaced? I’m a huge fan of practicality but not for an item such as that.
1. “Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?” (Making Literature Matter 685)
Pessimistic! The couples are so drastically different! The question can’t helped but to be asked is love purely chemical, a physical reaction to another person or is it fate, something that is romantic and in the hands of destiny as though only two people were meant to be? That is left in the opinion of the reader! Laura is a hopeless romantic, flirting with Nick the whole time the story is taking place. Ed, might have been in love but it was such a distorted kind that nobody in the story could possibly relate to. Ed, took his own life for the sake of love and that could be considered the ultimate sacrifice….how isn’t that similar to love, say in comparison with Romeo and Juliet?

CAN NOT REACH YOU

2009-10-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Bolaski,
I have been trying to reach you since Tuesday regarding the Midterm problem that I had. Please reach me as soon as you can, I am concerned about missing the deadline for the test.
Thank You Desiree

Week 7/ Question 1 & 3

2009-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

1. I enjoyed reading this story, it kept my attention the entire time. All of the characters contradict one another at some point during the story. Terri’s previous relationship with an abusive husband is the topics of conversation around the table. Terri’s empathy for a man that once loved her seems to have no sign of normalcy to the others during conversation. The behavior described by Terri’s abusive ex-husband is odd, and does raise a concern when anyone is faced with that same situation. It’s hard for me to judge whether the obsession was completely Terri’s ex-husband, because in my mind she presented herself as obsessed as well. In a way Mel had a great deal of resentment about the situation, and in the story he appeared to change his attitude toward Terri. In any relationship I think it’s hard to start a healthy relationship with a problem like Mel and Terri had with her ex-husband. To me, that is a form of love but not healthy love. It completely depends on how severe a situation might be, so one may debate whether to “work it out” or leave the situation. She is hanging on to a feeling toward her ex-husband the entire time, and I think if Terri was given the chance, she would have stayed.
3.The story brought clarification to true love, so it was nor positive or negative toward the thought of true love. The older couple seemed to have a lot of insight on the dynamics of a long lasting relationship. The younger couple seemed as though they were learning everything, they could, about the obstacles they might be faced with one day. Ed, I do not doubt that he truly loved Terri, but he did not know how to express it in a healthy way.

Important: Please read

2009-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
As I have had trouble getting paper #2 back to you in the time frame I have allotted myself, I feel that an extension on the next assignment (should you want it) is only fair. I do not wish to burden you with the combination of reasons that the return of your work is slow this week; suffice it to say that I'm trying to post the rest of the papers as we speak. I cannot post announcements or email you through Blackboard. I can only upload papers intermittently. I have no idea why this is the case but am trying to get some help from tech services. I do not know if this is a system-wide error or not. Hold tight if you are trying to access or post anything in BB and it doesn't work. The problem sees to lie primarily with posting rather than accessing.

--Amy

Page Number for Poem, "Legal Alien"

2009-10-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I hope that everyone is having a blessed week this week, and that everything is going well. :-)

Anyway, I thought I would let you guys know about something I found out about one of our poems that we have to read this week. The poem is titled, "Legal Alien," and our homework list does not contain a page number. That is perfectly okay, because I just usually look it up in the beginning of our book. However, the textbook lists the wrong page number! It says, "page 875." I went to page 875 and it is the play "A Doll House." After I did a bit of searching, I found the poem on page 975. I hope that this helps everyone. :-)

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and God Bless!

Sincerely,
Jillian

Looking for this week's blog questions and lecture..

2009-10-20T17:58:00.001-07:00

I've checked all the folders in the course shell, my student email, and this blog and I can't find the prompt for the blog or the lecture we're supposed to have on Gilman.

Anyone have any ideas?

Week 10/12 DQ

2009-10-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

3. Consider the lecture on feminism (if you've read it or plan to; it's supplemental, but should be read if youa re planning at all to use feminism as a lens for your research paper). Do you think the text is feminist in nature? Why? How? Why not? (You will need t provide a clear, working definition of feminism to answer this-- whatever yours is.
I would say no. I would say that this is more on the gender identity or role playing in both stories. If this story revolves more on feminism, I would say that the author would not be very specific on how the male gender and the female gender differs when it comes to their abilities or what their roles are. I would say that, there is an equality in "job distribution". Like for example when the men went outside, they have to go out and use the other room or the barn, which is more "manly" in nature.
Well, at this time in age, both husband and wife should have a partnership going on in the kitchen. I know that some still thinks that the woman's place in the home is to maintain the household. That the man is only to sit and provide. Well, no (for me). Also, when the women solved the crime in the end of the story means that, women are equal to men. The mentality that men are superior than women, I do not think so but it is also reflected early in the story when the author said, "Mr. Hale is already outside waiting". That means to say that men should not be there waiting ahead of a woman? I do not think so, he can wait as long as it takes for her to get ready.
4. The play relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?
I think the cannary is one of the symbolisms used in the story as well as the quilt. The Cannary is symbolizing Minnie. It is affirmed in Mrs. Hales statement," “come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and — fluttery.” But the women find the bird dead; strangled, a symbol for Minnie’s squelched liveliness in a drab house. Just as Mr. Wright had clipped his wife’s wings and left her to toil alone in an insufficient kitchen, Mr. Wright killed the bird, “a bird that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too.” The bird once the wings are cut, it defeats its purpose of flying, meaning the bird is worthless in a sense. It is true with Minnie. When her husband leaves her in the house and that means Minnie's husband taking that "life" of Minnie in singing is just like taking part of her. Her happiness is also based in her singing.
Another example would be the quilt. The quilt are suppose to be a compilation of squares sewn together. At first, the quilt was neatly sewn by Minnie, meaning she was happy and content. Later on, the quilt's stitches were not uniformed and she uses a different way of stitching and tying together. Of which made the ladies conclude that it is the same way she is doing it to her husband. She was once happy with her husband then later, she uses the same knot she used on her husband's neck which ties the knot to Minnie's guilt.

Discussion Questions

2009-10-18T23:27:00.001-07:00

2. Consider the lecture on Trifles, and this question particularly: "What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what's the crime at hand...The legal crime, or the emotional one?

Personally, I think it's important to take into account all aspects of a crime: emotional and legal. And yet, the country we live in, as well as most countries in the world, see murder as murder. But in some special cases, people are excused. A crime is a crime. The law defines it. But I am torn on this issues because of emotions came into account, then so many people would get their chargers cleared because of the excuse of emotions. A while ago, I read something about a girl who was molested by her cousin in Oklahoma. No charges were pressed because the family ignored it, and the girl forgot about incident until she was fifteen. After it had happened, the girls grandmother confronted the boy, and he stated that he was dreaming about his girlfriend, and that he was sorry. Should he have been forgiven? Of course not! and that would be the issue if emotions came into account in the matter of legality. In Trifles, I found myself praising the fact that the woman took the box, because I feel as though any normal human would react in the same way, but, the law does not apologize, and that could either be a good thing or a bad thing.

4. The plot relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?

First and foremost, the kitchen, where most of the play and conversation takes place, is symbolic but only to the women. In the time where the play is set (or where it seems to be set), women were closely associated with kitchens, you know, the typical housewife stuff. The men are sitting around criticizing this women's kitchen, picking it apart, pick her apart, probably much like her husband did. Also, the canary (clearly) being strangled. The reader is put under the impression that her husband strangled the canary, and in turn, probably emotionally or mentally strangling her, ultimately, causing her to kill him.

I know this is off topic, but I really enjoyed this play and breaking it down. I hope everyone is well.

The Many Crimes Committed In Glaspell's Plays

2009-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

English 103 Blog

Discussion Questions

#1, and #2

"Trifles" and "A Jury of Her Peers" By Susan Glaspell

1) Which “version” do you prefer – “A Jury of Her Peers” or Trifles?
Why? Which elements seem better demonstrated/conveyed in the version of your choice? (You will need to provide a basic interpretation to answer)
Susan Glaspell, the author of the play, “Trifles,” and the short story, “A Jury of Her Peers,” wrote these two pieces to demonstrate how everyone can be guilty of crimes – whether they be defined by the law or not. Both of these stories do a very good job at conveying such an important message by staging a very strong plotline. Minnie Foster, one of the characters in both of the stories, is under arrest for the murder of her husband. There are five people going through her home, looking for possible evidence: Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff, Mr. Peters, the sheriff, Mr. Henderson, the young county attorney, Mr. Hale, the person who stumbled upon John Wright’s dead body, and Mrs. Hale, the wife of Mr. Hale. Mr. Hale starts explaining to Mr. Henderson exactly what happened when he came to visit that night – Minnie was acting very strange, and she did not even hide the fact that her husband was in the other room – dead from a rope around his neck. After the proper authorities are brought in, Minnie is taken away, and these people go through her house to look for evidence. The men do most of the searching while the two women start to discuss what happened to her, and how tough her life was with John Wright. As they get deep into the discussion, they spill their guilt out to one another about how they should have been better neighbors to Minnie, and how that is also a crime that should be punishable. They go through her things, and find a quilt that she was working on. It is a beautiful log cabin pattern quilt, and is neatly done, except for one area of the quilt. This one area bothers Mrs. Hale, and she starts to undo it and fixes it. When she looks for the sewing box, she and Mrs. Peters find an unexpected and unpleasant surprise: a dead pet bird with a broken neck. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters know that this is an important piece of evidence, but decide that they have never seen this evidence and conceal it – for Minnie’s sake. The play and the story both end this way, leaving the reader to ponder a few things for themselves.
The “version” of the play that I preferred was “A Jury of Her Peers.” This is my favorite version because it contained a more “in-depth look” at Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peter’s emotions, and it explained a little bit more of the story in depth than “Trifles.” Glaspell gives us a more “in-depth” look at Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters through the use of vivid imagery through their conversations. Readers of the story get to see the guilt of these two women, and how they consider their actions crimes when it came to being bad neighbors to Minnie Foster: “I could’ve come,” retorted Mrs. Hale shortly. “I stayed away because it weren’t cheerful -- and that’s why I ought to have come. I’ -- she looked around – “I’ve never liked this place. Maybe because it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a lonesome place, and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now- -” She could not put it into words” (Glaspell 273). From examining Mrs. Hale’s side of the conversation, it is clear that she is feeling quite guilty for not being a friend – or even a good neighbor – to Minnie Foster. She is realizing that a lack of friends and neighbors to check on her or to be there for her when she needed it could have caused Minnie Foster to turn to desperate measures, especially when it came to her destructive husband, John Wright. Mrs. Peters tries to comfort Mrs. Hale throughout the whole story (due to the fact that she did not know Minnie Foster too well), until Mrs. Hale brings up something about how the bird being “still” could have triggered something in Minnie. This really affected Mrs. Peters and she explains to Mrs. Hale that she understands what “stillness” is: “I know what stillness is,” she said, in a queer, monotonous voice. “When we homesteaded in Dakota, and my first baby died -- after he was two years old -- and me with no other then- -” Mrs. Hale stirred. “How soon do you suppose they'll be through looking for the evidence?” “I know what stillness is,” repeated Mrs. Peters, in just that same way. Then she too pulled back. “The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale,” she said in her tight little way” (Glaspell 278). This particular incident in the story triggers something inside Mrs. Peters, and she understands what Minnie Foster is going through for a brief moment. Mrs. Peters is the sheriff’s wife and deep down, after seeing the dead bird and hearing how Minnie Foster reacted to Mr. Hale, she has a good feeling that Minnie was responsible for the death of John Wright. However, after Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters continued their conversation for a while, they felt they were guilty of a crime as well – a crime of being worthless, uncaring friends and neighbors to a suffering woman. This realization causes them to make the decision that they did concerning the evidence they found: “Slowly, unwillingly, Mrs. Peters turned her head until her eyes met the eyes of the other woman. There was a moment when they held each other in a steady, burning look in which there was no evasion nor flinching. Then Martha Hale's eyes pointed the way to the basket in which was hidden the thing that would make certain the conviction of the other woman -- that woman who was not there and yet who had been there with them all through that hour. For a moment Mrs. Peters did not move. And then she did it. With a rush forward, she threw back the quilt pieces, got the box, tried to put it in her hand-bag. It was too big. Desperately she opened it, started to take the bird out. But there she broke -- she could not touch the bird. She stood there helpless, foolish. There was the sound of a knob turning in the inner door. Martha Hale snatched the box from the sheriff's wife, and got it in the pocket of her big coat just as the sheriff and the county attorney came back into the kitchen” (Glaspell 281). The conversations that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had in secret – away from the prying ears of the men – allowed them to understand that Minnie Foster was suffering in her home. That was the reason none of tasks that Minnie started ever got completed, and why her home did not feel welcoming. Minnie Foster needed a friend, but lacked friends or neighbors. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters realize this is why they are guilty of a serious crime. Everyone needs someone they can turn to when they are hurting – if they do not, it can cause them to seek desperate measures in order to find the solutions to their problems. Minnie Foster had no one to confide in, and she probably felt that everyone abandoned her when she needed them the most; this lack of people in her life caused her to seek a desperate solution to a problem in her life she did not know how to deal with. She probably did not even know if this was the right thing to do or not – she did, however, know that it would end the suffering that she was enduring, and that was good enough for her. But, as far as it being right or wrong, she probably was lost and confused because she had no one to tell her she was making a big mistake. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters realize this, and to atone for their sin, they hide the evidence that they know will convict Minnie Foster. They want to give her a second chance, and by giving her a second chance, they also give themselves a second chance to be good neighbors and good friends to her. Therefore, they hide the evidence, and Minnie is given a better chance at the trial. The story, “A Jury of Her Peers,” is wonderfully pieced together through the use of vivid imagery. The detailed conversations that go between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters help readers to understand their feelings more, and how their feelings play an important part in this story. Without understanding Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the readers would not understand the story. This is what occurs in “Trifles” – readers do not get what is going on because only the surface of the conversations are given, and are not given the whole thing. It is kind of like just being given a taste of a piece of pizza, but not allowed to eat the entire piece. To me, this is what “Trifles” was like. “A Jury of Her Peers,” however, was the entire piece of pizza – bold and full of flavors. This is why “A Jury of Her Peers” is the version of Glaspell’s story that I prefer the most – it helps readers to get a better understanding of the “whole” story, and not just pieces of it, like in the play, “Trifles.”
“A Jury of Her Peers,” written by Susan Glaspell, is the version that I prefer due to the fact that it helps readers to get a better understanding of the whole story between all of the characters through the use of imagery, instead of small pieces of the story, like in “Trifles.”

2) Consider the lecture on Trifles, and this question particularly: “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?
The lecture on the play, “Trifles,” was an excellent supplement because it helped us to consider some of the difficult, but important questions that readers must answer when reading this play. The main questions that are brought up in “Trifles,” are “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I think these are very important questions that everyone should consider – even when not reading a piece of literature – because it affects how we view events that occur around us, as well as our daily lives. These are two very important questions that I have explained below.
After considering the excellent lecture on the play, “Trifles,” and considering the questions, “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I believe that a crime can be labeled under both of these definitions – that is, real, solid crimes that people know they should not commit, such as stealing, murdering, kidnapping, etc, but I also believe that emotional injustices are also a crime as well because they can cause great pain or other grievances. After I read the play, “Trifles,” it was evident that there were a couple of things going on. Minnie Foster was having some problems with her husband, and it was also clear that it was these problems that led her to this last, desperate act – the final solution to her “problem.” No matter the circumstances, she did commit a crime – Minnie Foster committed murder. She took her husband’s life. If she did this out of self-defense – that is, her husband was beating and beating her, and then she found a weapon and killed him in order to defend herself – then that would be legal. However, she killed him while he was defenseless, and it makes her look like a murderer in court. Therefore, this is one of the crimes currently at hand, and what constitutes a legal crime under these particular circumstances. An emotional crime, however, is a little bit different because there is not a written “law” that says people are committing crimes if they are hurting other people emotionally. It is more of an unspoken crime that harshly convicts people straight at their subconscious level; therefore, they know they have wronged the other person. What constitute an emotional crime could be many things – such as feelings of loss, fear, abandonment, anger, or betrayal – that other people have caused. These particular feelings can cause people to feel as though everyone in the world is against them and that they have no friends to turn to or confide in – and therefore can be devastating. It can also cause people to do horrible things because they may not know how to deal with these devastating feelings. A perfect example of this principle is Minnie Foster. She was probably feeling all of these horrible feelings due to the fact that her husband was abusive to her, and to the fact that nobody cared enough to come over and be friends with her. These people – Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters – are guilty of emotional crimes, and they know they are. They are deeply convicted by their conscious, and they know they have wronged Minnie. They even have admitted they should be punished for these wicked emotional crimes, and I agree! Emotional crimes cause so much pain and agony. I can speak from experience. I am the victim of an emotional crime – just this last week, someone I love and care for deeply, emotionally wounded me, and I am physically and emotionally exhausted from the experience. That person, in my opinion, is guilty of a crime. That person betrayed and abandoned me in ways that I never thought she would. She is guilty of this horrible crime, and I hope that she is convicted of it, because I am a victim of it, just like Minnie was. I have not done anything crazy because of it, but I do have the horrible feelings that are packaged with this horrible crime. Minnie probably experienced it, just like I am right now. If there was some type of punishment for emotional crimes, I believe that everyone who was a victim would seek justice. They are just as evil as legal crimes, and they cause so much pain. I also believe that the amount of emotional crimes committed would drop if punishment were enforced. No one wants punishment, and this would be a perfect way to get rid of the pain that people cause each other emotionally. The person I deeply cared for caused me deep emotional pain, and I have yet to recover from it; I would hope that a punishment system would rid emotional crimes so other people would never experience what I am experiencing right now. Emotional crimes are just are devastating are legal crimes and come with devastating consequences – people need to realize they are just as awful and destructive as legal crimes and should be recognized as such.
After considering the lecture on the play, “Trifles,” and considering these two very important questions, “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I believe that legal crimes and emotional crimes are both the crimes at hand because they can cause the same amount of devastating damage, which is evident in the story, but can also be evident in life.

The Many Crimes Committed In Glaspell's Plays

2009-10-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

English 103 Blog

Discussion Questions

#1, and #2

"Trifles" and "A Jury of Her Peer" By Susan Glaspell

Discussion Question #1

Susan Glaspell, the author of the play, “Trifles,” and the short story, “A Jury of Her Peers,” wrote these two pieces to demonstrate how everyone can be guilty of crimes – whether they be defined by the law or not. Both of these stories do a very good job at conveying such an important message by staging a very strong plotline. Minnie Foster, one of the characters in both of the stories, is under arrest for the murder of her husband. There are five people going through her home, looking for possible evidence: Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff, Mr. Peters, the sheriff, Mr. Henderson, the young county attorney, Mr. Hale, the person who stumbled upon John Wright’s dead body, and Mrs. Hale, the wife of Mr. Hale. Mr. Hale starts explaining to Mr. Henderson exactly what happened when he came to visit that night – Minnie was acting very strange, and she did not even hide the fact that her husband was in the other room – dead from a rope around his neck. After the proper authorities are brought in, Minnie is taken away, and these people go through her house to look for evidence. The men do most of the searching while the two women start to discuss what happened to her, and how tough her life was with John Wright. As they get deep into the discussion, they spill their guilt out to one another about how they should have been better neighbors to Minnie, and how that is also a crime that should be punishable. They go through her things, and find a quilt that she was working on. It is a beautiful log cabin pattern quilt, and is neatly done, except for one area of the quilt. This one area bothers Mrs. Hale, and she starts to undo it and fixes it. When she looks for the sewing box, she and Mrs. Peters find an unexpected and unpleasant surprise: a dead pet bird with a broken neck. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters know that this is an important piece of evidence, but decide that they have never seen this evidence and conceal it – for Minnie’s sake. The play and the story both end this way, leaving the reader to ponder a few things for themselves.
The “version” of the play that I preferred was “A Jury of Her Peers.” This is my favorite version because it contained a more “in-depth look” at Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peter’s emotions, and it explained a little bit more of the story in depth than “Trifles.” Glaspell gives us a more “in-depth” look at Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters through the use of vivid imagery through their conversations. Readers of the story get to see the guilt of these two women, and how they consider their actions crimes when it came to being bad neighbors to Minnie Foster: “I could’ve come,” retorted Mrs. Hale shortly. “I stayed away because it weren’t cheerful -- and that’s why I ought to have come. I’ -- she looked around – “I’ve never liked this place. Maybe because it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a lonesome place, and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now- -” She could not put it into words” (Glaspell 273). From examining Mrs. Hale’s side of the conversation, it is clear that she is feeling quite guilty for not being a friend – or even a good neighbor – to Minnie Foster. She is realizing that a lack of friends and neighbors to check on her or to be there for her when she needed it could have caused Minnie Foster to turn to desperate measures, especially when it came to her destructive husband, John Wright. Mrs. Peters tries to comfort Mrs. Hale throughout the whole story (due to the fact that she did not know Minnie Foster too well), until Mrs. Hale brings up something about how the bird being “still” could have triggered something in Minnie. This really affected Mrs. Peters and she explains to Mrs. Hale that she understands what “stillness” is: “I know what stillness is,” she said, in a queer, monotonous voice. “When we homesteaded in Dakota, and my first baby died -- after he was two years old -- and me with no other then- -” Mrs. Hale stirred. “How soon do you suppose they'll be through looking for the evidence?” “I know what stillness is,” repeated Mrs. Peters, in just that same way. Then she too pulled back. “The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale,” she said in her tight little way” (Glaspell 278). This particular incident in the story triggers something inside Mrs. Peters, and she understands what Minnie Foster is going through for a brief moment. Mrs. Peters is the sheriff’s wife and deep down, after seeing the dead bird and hearing how Minnie Foster reacted to Mr. Hale, she has a good feeling that Minnie was responsible for the death of John Wright. However, after Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters continued their conversation for a while, they felt they were guilty of a crime as well – a crime of being worthless, uncaring friends and neighbors to a suffering woman. This realization causes them to make the decision that they did concerning the evidence they found: “Slowly, unwillingly, Mrs. Peters turned her head until her eyes met the eyes of the other woman. There was a moment when they held each other in a steady, burning look in which there was no evasion nor flinching. Then Martha Hale's eyes pointed the way to the basket in which was hidden the thing that would make certain the conviction of the other woman -- that woman who was not there and yet who had been there with them all through that hour. For a moment Mrs. Peters did not move. And then she did it. With a rush forward, she threw back the quilt pieces, got the box, tried to put it in her hand-bag. It was too big. Desperately she opened it, started to take the bird out. But there she broke -- she could not touch the bird. She stood there helpless, foolish. There was the sound of a knob turning in the inner door. Martha Hale snatched the box from the sheriff's wife, and got it in the pocket of her big coat just as the sheriff and the county attorney came back into the kitchen” (Glaspell 281). The conversations that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had in secret – away from the prying ears of the men – allowed them to understand that Minnie Foster was suffering in her home. That was the reason none of tasks that Minnie started ever got completed, and why her home did not feel welcoming. Minnie Foster needed a friend, but lacked friends or neighbors. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters realize this is why they are guilty of a serious crime. Everyone needs someone they can turn to when they are hurting – if they do not, it can cause them to seek desperate measures in order to find the solutions to their problems. Minnie Foster had no one to confide in, and she probably felt that everyone abandoned her when she needed them the most; this lack of people in her life caused her to seek a desperate solution to a problem in her life she did not know how to deal with. She probably did not even know if this was the right thing to do or not – she did, however, know that it would end the suffering that she was enduring, and that was good enough for her. But, as far as it being right or wrong, she probably was lost and confused because she had no one to tell her she was making a big mistake. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters realize this, and to atone for their sin, they hide the evidence that they know will convict Minnie Foster. They want to give her a second chance, and by giving her a second chance, they also give themselves a second chance to be good neighbors and good friends to her. Therefore, they hide the evidence, and Minnie is given a better chance at the trial. The story, “A Jury of Her Peers,” is wonderfully pieced together through the use of vivid imagery. The detailed conversations that go between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters help readers to understand their feelings more, and how their feelings play an important part in this story. Without understanding Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the readers would not understand the story. This is what occurs in “Trifles” – readers do not get what is going on because only the surface of the conversations are given, and are not given the whole thing. It is kind of like just being given a taste of a piece of pizza, but not allowed to eat the entire piece. To me, this is what “Trifles” was like. “A Jury of Her Peers,” however, was the entire piece of pizza – bold and full of flavors. This is why “A Jury of Her Peers” is the version of Glaspell’s story that I prefer the most – it helps readers to get a better understanding of the “whole” story, and not just pieces of it, like in the play, “Trifles.” “A Jury of Her Peers,” written by Susan Glaspell, is the version that I prefer due to the fact that it helps readers to get a better understanding of the whole story between all of the characters through the use of imagery, instead of small pieces of the story, like in “Trifles.”

2) Consider the lecture on Trifles, and this question particularly: “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?

The lecture on the play, “Trifles,” was an excellent supplement because it helped us to consider some of the difficult, but important questions that readers must answer when reading this play. The main questions that are brought up in “Trifles,” are “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I think these are very important questions that everyone should consider – even when not reading a piece of literature – because it affects how we view events that occur around us, as well as our daily lives. These are two very important questions that I have explained below.
After considering the excellent lecture on the play, “Trifles,” and considering the questions, “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I believe that a crime can be labeled under both of these definitions – that is, real, solid crimes that people know they should not commit, such as stealing, murdering, kidnapping, etc, but I also believe that emotional injustices are also a crime as well because they can cause great pain or other grievances. After I read the play, “Trifles,” it was evident that there were a couple of things going on. Minnie Foster was having some problems with her husband, and it was also clear that it was these problems that led her to this last, desperate act – the final solution to her “problem.” No matter the circumstances, she did commit a crime – Minnie Foster committed murder. She took her husband’s life. If she did this out of self-defense – that is, her husband was beating and beating her, and then she found a weapon and killed him in order to defend herself – then that would be legal. However, she killed him while he was defenseless, and it makes her look like a murderer in court. Therefore, this is one of the crimes currently at hand, and what constitutes a legal crime under these particular circumstances. An emotional crime, however, is a little bit different because there is not a written “law” that says people are committing crimes if they are hurting other people emotionally. It is more of an unspoken crime that harshly convicts people straight at their subconscious level; therefore, they know they have wronged the other person. What constitute an emotional crime could be many things – such as feelings of loss, fear, abandonment, anger, or betrayal – that other people have caused. These particular feelings can cause people to feel as though everyone in the world is against them and that they have no friends to turn to or confide in – and therefore can be devastating. It can also cause people to do horrible things because they may not know how to deal with these devastating feelings. A perfect example of this principle is Minnie Foster. She was probably feeling all of these horrible feelings due to the fact that her husband was abusive to her, and to the fact that nobody cared enough to come over and be friends with her. These people – Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters – are guilty of emotional crimes, and they know they are. They are deeply convicted by their conscious, and they know they have wronged Minnie. They even have admitted they should be punished for these wicked emotional crimes, and I agree! Emotional crimes cause so much pain and agony. I can speak from experience. I am the victim of an emotional crime – just this last week, someone I love and care for deeply, emotionally wounded me, and I am physically and emotionally exhausted from the experience. That person, in my opinion, is guilty of a crime. That person betrayed and abandoned me in ways that I never thought she would. She is guilty of this horrible crime, and I hope that she is convicted of it, because I am a victim of it, just like Minnie was. I have not done anything crazy because of it, but I do have the horrible feelings that are packaged with this horrible crime. Minnie probably experienced it, just like I am right now. If there was some type of punishment for emotional crimes, I believe that everyone who was a victim would seek justice. They are just as evil as legal crimes, and they cause so much pain. I also believe that the amount of emotional crimes committed would drop if punishment were enforced. No one wants punishment, and this would be a perfect way to get rid of the pain that people cause each other emotionally. The person I deeply cared for caused me deep emotional pain, and I have yet to recover from it; I would hope that a punishment system would rid emotional crimes so other people would never experience what I am experiencing right now. Emotional crimes are just are devastating are legal crimes and come with devastating consequences – people need to realize they are just as awful and destructive as legal crimes and should be recognized as such.
After considering the lecture on the play, “Trifles,” and considering these two very important questions, “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?” I believe that legal crimes and emotional crimes are both the crimes at hand because they can cause the same amount of devastating damage, which is evident in the story, but can also be evident in life.

Discussion Questions

2009-10-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

Which “version” do you prefer – “A Jury of Her Peers” or Trifles? Why? Which elements seem better demonstrated/conveyed in the version of your choice?

The version I preferred was "A Jury of Her Peers". It was a shorter version, and while I enjoy long stories, I enjoy even more when stories get straight to the main point of what the story is involving. Trifles was definitely the version where the reader had to try and interpret the story for themselves. In the short story version, you are able to know what Mrs. Hale is doing and thinking. The elements seemed better in "A Jury of Her Peers" since there are details provided about the characters. Trifles is nice to read through see the interactions between the characters, but the length of the play makes it a little tedious to read after a while.

The play relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?

There were quite a few symbols in the story. The canary died in the same way the murder occurred, and the death of the bird caused Mrs. Wright to snap since it was the one thing that brought her happiness. I looked up the word trifles and it can mean "a matter, affair, or circumstance of trivial importance or significance", or, "a dessert usually consisting of custard and cake soaked in wine or liqueur, and jam, fruit, or the like." Her jar of trifles were significant to her even if they were considered to be of no importance to others. The uneven quilt was symbolic as well, since it could be seen that there was something that distracted her from completing it correctly, or the tools to create the quilt could be used for different motives.

DQ For Week of 10/12

2009-10-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

1. Which “version” do you prefer – “A Jury of Her Peers” or Trifles? Why? Which elements seem better demonstrated/conveyed in the version of your choice? (You will need to provide a basic interpretation to answer)

I preferred the short story version, “A Jury of Her Peers” rather than the play. As I read both versions, it seemed like the play gives more interaction between the characters trying to understand what occurred, but this version allows to hear what other people saw and heard when they went to talk to Mrs. Wright. It is more straight to the point as to what they saw and from the play it mostly asks questions. I like the idea of trying to figure out what happened through objects and looking at the surroundings, but interactions with others as how Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter had with Mrs. Wright helps understand even more. The short story allows the reader to know what the exact emotions, facial expressions, and tones Mrs. Wright had when confronted about what had occurred to her husband. This tells a lot about a person, the way they act when confronted about a situation.

4. The play relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?

I found that the bird and the birdcage both seem to be symbolic in the play. The canary is a symbol of Mrs. Wright and the cage also relates to Mrs. Wright but symbolizes a sort of imprisonment for Mrs. Wright from her husband. These symbols allow the reader to understand some part of the relationship Mr. and Mrs. Wright had amongst each other and what type of people they were. Even Mrs. Hale tells she saw Mrs. Wright like a bird, “real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery.” Another important symbols is the unevenly sewn quilt. Mrs. Hale and Peter make note that she was a quilter and maybe taking the quilt could help her mind clear up a bit. The fact that it is sewn unevenly shows that she could have had several things on her mind.

week 6 questions 2 and 4

2009-10-18T16:41:00.001-07:00

4. Why do you think Mamet allows us a window into John’s life (signaled by the constantly ringing telephone, an apt metaphor for his connection to the outside world) but none into Carol’s (we have no sense of who she is or her life outside of this series of exchanges with her professor nor any events leading up to them)? Is Mamet empathizing with John by developing his character more than Carol’s? Do YOU sympathize with John and think perhaps the development of John’s character (as a professor, husband, father, recipient of a surprise party, etc.) might have something to do with where your empathy lies?
At first, I didn’t empathize with John. I thought he was being rather full of himself, acting like he was trying to help…I honestly think he was….but I thought he went about it in an i-know-all-im-the-professor-you-are-the-pee-on approach. With that said, I think Mamet’s intentions were to allow the reader to see that John was human; he had a life outside his role as a professor. We as readers did not have the fortune to have immediate insight to John’s life. I wish Mamet would have let us into Carol’s life a little bit more but with her, its easier to gather more about her, her past, her general attitude about men in general. My empathy is with both characters….I feel for Carol, she needs guidance but I empathize with John too, I still think he was set up.
2.Consider the portion of the conversation (the first meeting) in which Carol offers up her reasoning, as it’s implied, for her performance in the class: “No, no, no. I’m doing what I’m told. It’s difficult for me. It’s difficult . . . I don’t . . . lots of the language . . . The language; the “things” that you say . . . It is true. I have problems . . . I come from a different social . . . a different economic . . . No. I: when I came to this school: . . . does that mean nothing . . . ?” (702-703). what is Carol trying to say? Are her points legitimate? (Consider the context in which she’s offering them). Why or why not?
I feel that Carol is trying to say that she’s not getting what she came for. She may have came to that school knowing about John as an instructor and the class he offered in critical thinking. I don’t think she’s legitimate in her points, she’s crying wolf. Her economic reference is of little relevance. I feel that her points don’t matter a whole lot because I think she’s trying to open a whole different can of worms

Discussion Questions Week of 10/12 Reed Steiner

2009-10-16T16:08:00.000-07:00

1. I most definitely preferred Trifles to "A Jury of Her Peers". I read the play first and really thought it was good. Then I was thrown off guard at first because I did not know both stories were going to have the same plot. I thought reading them both of the was interesting at first because I thought it was fun searching for the differences in either story. I liked how "A Jury of Her Peers" was told from Mrs. Hale's point of view and the reader could get inside her head so the psychology of the characters more because she was explain it. After I was about half way done with "A Jury of Her Peers" I started to get board only because I knew what was going to happen. I thought Trifles was better to read, not because it was shorter or anything, but because it seem more suspenseful. Less of the information was being spoon fed to the reader. This forced to think harder and question what was going on. The play made the reader feel more like a detective because they were presented with all the same evidence Peters and Hale were given and had to come to a conclusion on their own. With Mrs. Hale explaining everything it was not as fun.

2. In the play Trifles and the short story "A Jury of Peers" there were quite a few people committing crimes. There was both Mr. and Mrs. Wright and even Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters were breaking the law. I would argue that a crime is the violation of mortality. Sometimes the law must be comprised because of moral choice. This would mean that both Mr. and Mrs. Wright did technically commit a "crime", but who's crime is the "crime at hand" or the main crime in the play. I believe that it is possible to break the law, but still do what morally right.

Mr. Wright, has a husband, had a moral duty to his wife to love, protect, and cherish his wife, but he did not do so. Making Mr. Wright the guilty one. Mrs. Wright was confided and suppressed so much that she was no longer herself. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters remember when Mrs. Write used to dress nice and sing they even refer to her as her maiden name suggesting that that was the person she really used to be. By the end of the story the reader comes to the conclusion that Mr. Wright was an abusive husband that drove his wife to murdering him. If you are unhappy it better to leave the man or get some kind of help to stop the abusive spouse, but their home was secluded and Mrs. Wright did not have any friends to turn to and it seems as though murder was her only option. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were able to discover all the emotion and hidden baggage just by looking through Mrs. Wright kitchen. Knowing this, Hale and Peters hid the crucial evidence that would convict Wright of murder. Both Hale and Peters knew who was responsible for Mr. Wrights murder, and that was himself. Hales and Peters took the law into their own hands and do what is morally right because they were able to see the real crime.

Discussion Question # 1 & 4 Week of 10/12

2009-10-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

1. I enjoyed the trifles version. The events were narrated through several perspectives; therefore the play was able to cast the theme clearly. Two men that bared witness to the first moments of the murders and how the wife acted. I was able to depict one judgment from the other, and cast my own judgment as to why the wife slayed her husband.
4. The play does have a specific symbolism within the plot. The main symbol that was transparent in the plot was the importance of trifles. Trifle can be one of two definitions. One definition could be something of little importance, or desert such as custard, jelly, and jam. In the play there is a scene were the two men stumble upon jarred trifles, and stated how important they were to Minnie. She truly wanted to save the jarred trifles, and worried about them freezing in the cold weather. On the other hand trifles additional definition was a direct reference to Minnie's feelings within her broken marriage. The symbolic message sent by these two definitions were that Minnie's feelings were important, and just as important as a jar of trifles.

Workshop #1 How does it work?

2009-10-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know how the workshop is suppose to work? Is it all dont here on the blog?

Thanks,

Reed

I know what stillness is.

2009-10-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

2. Consider the lecture on Trifles, and this question particularly: “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?

Trifles raises several interesting questions, a major one dealing with the issue of crimes and violence. It is clear that John Wright was at the least mentally abusive towards his wife Minnie, if not so physically. The fact that he killed her canary by breaking its neck points out that he may in fact have been physically abusive, but this is not proven. While Minnie did commit a crime in that she murdered her husband, a legal crime, spousal abuse and domestic violence were not considered legal – or even emotional – crimes at the time of the play’s conception. Glaspell seems to be making a point in this vein. While today women can use an affirmative defense in cases against their husbands or partners, this kind of violence towards women was in many ways status quo in the Midwest during the early 20th century. Unfortunately, there is no way to prove an emotional crime to defend Minnie’s actions against her husband, but that emotional crime was the underlying cause of John Wright’s death.

4. The play relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?

Glaspell uses several images in Trifles. These symbolic images include the canned fruit, the unfinished quilt, the dead canary, and its broken cage. Probably the most obvious symbolism is the canary. Mrs. Hale recalls Minnie Foster singing in the town choir as a carefree young woman before she became Mrs. Wright. Canaries are known for their song and the correlation of Mr. Wright killing the canary with Mr. Wright killing Minnie’s spirit is an easy one to make. It is also easy to connect the bird’s broken neck with the manner in which Mr. Wright died. This brings up the next symbolic element in the play: the unfinished quilt. Quilts can either be knotted or quilted in order to attach the top, batting, and backing. When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters note that the quilt was going to be knotted, they are making an allusion to the knot in the noose that killed Mr. Wright. At the first mention of knotting, the women seem to answer the question innocently and with no other connotation. But when the men ask again at the end of the play, Mrs. Hale’s reply carries a much more knowing tone. The women have figured out what happened and their answer is a veiled admission of this fact. Mrs. Wright’s canned fruits froze and burst in their jars when the fire in the kitchen stove went out over night. There are several symbolic elements to be taken from this observation; the first being that the fire went out. Fire is equated with passion and desire, and it can be said that Minnie’s desire to stay in her marriage had been extinguished when her husband killed her canary, her source of light and happiness. And just as the fruit burst, so did Minnie when she strangled her husband. The fact that only one jar remains could symbolize the need the other women feel to protect Minnie, to keep her from completely bursting and losing everything. These images are fairly obvious from a literary standpoint because they are easy to decode, but Glaspell links them to the reader through the title of her play. The men laugh at the wives for being concerned with ‘trifles’, but it is these ‘trivial’ details that uncover the truth that the men are unable to pinpoint.

Susan Glaspell

2009-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Question #1

The play Triffles by Susan Glaspell seems to be a bit more difficult to read as intonations from Glaspell are left to interpretation by the actors or the reader’s imagination. In contrast, the short story, A Jury of Her Peers gives full and complete detail regarding the characters’ feelings, facial expressions, tone, and emotions. In the short story, Glaspell states, “A frightened look blurred the other thing in Mrs. Peters' eyes” which is part of the character development for Mrs. Peters. In addition the paragraph not included in the play that shows a glimpse into the soul of Mrs Hale states, “‘the law is the law--and a bad stove is a bad stove. How'd you like to cook on this?’--pointing with the poker to the broken lining. She opened the oven door and started to express her opinion of the oven; but she was swept into her own thoughts, thinking of what it would mean, year after year, to have that stove to wrestle with. The thought of Minnie Foster trying to bake in that oven--and the thought of her never going over to see Minnie Foster--.”

The play leaves any characterization out of its descriptions, and only inference from the actors would clue the audience into these small details. The short story allows the reader insight into the authors mind, and develops intention behind the actions of her story’s personalities. Vividly developing Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters’ emotional constitutions also highlights the author’s views on feminism, male chauvinist behavior, and spousal abuse.

Question #2

Aside from the obvious homicide inflicted by Mrs. Wright, crime, defined by the law, would be any of the acts that are performed by the two women, Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters, during the course of their occupation in the Wright’s home that inhibited the finding of additional evidence. They were both fully aware of their wrong as they struggled to hide their behavior seen when they discover the lifeless canary and the harried stitching on the quilt. Both cases would give reason to believe that they were obstructing justice and the discovery of evidence. These seem to be minor crimes, and crimes motivated by the obvious defense of the horrible injustices they see within the Wright home.

The state of Mrs. Wright’s oven, her tattered clothing, and the obvious isolation she must have felt, and the canary’s obvious rage induced killing is only signs of a much larger crime against her. Most likely the culmination over many years of emotional damage to her psyche by this man, Mrs. Wright crumbled at this final act of deadly hate and killed her husband. Crime cannot be measured, and any feeble attempt to do so is consistently met with gross injustices. What crime has more evil? If considered that one crime sparked the other in the Wright’s case, then it is easy to see that damage inflicted over the years was the motivating force behind the secondary crime, and was completely preventable. Had Mrs. Wright not been subjected to years of emotional damage, would she have killed Mr. Wright?

Discussion Questions Week of 10 12

2009-10-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

Discussion Questions Week of 10/12 English 103 Fall 2009

1. Which “version” do you prefer – “A Jury of Her Peers” or Trifles?
Why? Which elements seem better demonstrated/conveyed in the version of your choice? (You will need to provide a basic interpretation to answer)

2. Consider the lecture on Trifles, and this question particularly: “What constitutes a crime and under what circumstances? That is, what’s the crime at hand . . . The legal crime, or the emotional one?

3. Consider the lecture on feminism (if you’ve read it or plan to; it’s supplemental, but should be read if you are planning at all to use feminism as a lens for your research paper). Do you think the text is feminist in nature? Why? How? Why not?(You will need to provide a clear, working definition of feminism to answer this – whatever yours is.
4. The play relies primarily on symbolism and some foreshadowing to develop the plot. Which elements are symbolic? How do you know?
5. Consider the question above . . . if the play relies on those literary elements, on which do “A Jury of Her Peers”? Do you find similarities in terms of method of development (characterization, symbolism, point of view, tone, plot, etc.) Major departures?

Week #8 Blog?

2009-10-10T20:58:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend, and that your essays are going great! :-)
I have a question....I just want to be sure...we do not have a blog for this week, correct? I have checked our homework schedule, and it looks like the only thing we have to submit is our essay. Is that correct? I just want to be sure. :-)

Thanks so much for the help in advance, and enjoy the rest of your weekend. God Bless!

Sincerely,
Jillian

We Belong in a Zoo . . .

2009-10-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you, those of you who sent kind messages about my son. We were able to go the Wild Animal Park today -- just for a few hours, but still -- he'd never been. Everyone needs a break, right?

Reading Schedule

2009-10-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Does anyone have the reading/due date schedule for weeks 9-18? I've tried to open it on multiple computers and I keep getting the schedule for weeks 1-8. Am I missing something or are other people having the same problem? My email is myxwesternsky@gmail.com if someone who has it wants to email it to me.

Thanks!
-Leslie

Week #7 Blog

2009-10-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

English 103 Blog

Discussion Questions

"Everyday Use" Discussion Question #3

3) “Although many students seem to prefer Maggie to Dee, most would probably rather be Dee than Maggie. Is this true for you? Why/why not?” Provide character analysis in your answer (Making Literature Matter 303)
In the short story, “Everyday Use,” written by Alice Walker, the author writes a wonderfully rich story about a mother and her two very different daughters. The mother in the story talks about Dee, her oldest daughter, and Maggie, her youngest daughter. These two girls are very different from each other; they have different personalities that have shaped their characters. The blog question for this particular story was a relatively easy one for me; it asks, “Although many students seem to prefer Maggie to Dee, most would probably rather be Dee than Maggie. Is this true for you? Why/why not?” For me, my answer is Maggie hands down. This is due to a couple of reasons, and they will be laid out below.
In the story, Maggie is a very down-to-earth, sensitive, gentle, and intelligent individual due to a hardship in her life. The family’s house burned down and this contributed to a limp that she will have for the rest of her life: “Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks. She has been like this, chin on chest, eyes on ground, feet in shuffle, ever since the fire that burned the other house to the ground” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 298). Furthermore, Maggie looks different due to the fire. Her skin is not smooth and pretty like Dee’s and therefore, she has learned to be stronger about this aspect in her life, even though she does get jealous of her sister and does wish she had Dee’s beauty: “Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 297). I have to say, in this aspect, I am like Maggie a little bit. I have a disability as well, and sometimes I can feel a little bit out of place. However, I do not feel like that every moment of the day, nor do I feel sorry for myself, as I think is the case with Maggie. Sometimes, however, there is a moment that can creep up that disabled people do wish they had the health of everyone else. This is something that I can relate to easily with Maggie. However, the one thing that I do admire about Maggie is her humble intelligence. She has a sharp, quick memory, and is something even her sister admires about her: “Aunt Dee’s first husband whittled the dash,” said Maggie so low you almost could hear her. “His name was Henry, but they called him Stash.” “Maggie’s brain is like an elephant’s,” Wangero said, laughing. As can be seen from Dee’s statement, Maggie is sharp, but does not quickly display this intelligence. It is as if Maggie thinks intelligence should not go with a disability, and therefore, she is afraid to show it. I do like how she is not a “show-off” with her sharp memory, but I wish that Maggie could have seen the gift that she had with her intelligence, and used it to open up more opportunities in her life (such as school, career, etc). However, being a shy and sensitive soul, Maggie did not even knowledge this gift and kept it to herself. Again, I like how she did not use this to act “better” than other people, but I also wish she could have seen the potential in herself and enjoyed life a little bit more. JJ One last thing that I admire about Maggie is her ability to sacrifice what she wants to make other people happy. When Dee was pouting for the quilts, trying to get Mama to give them to her, Maggie calmly came up to Mama and told her that Dee could have the quilts and that she could remember their “Grandma Dee without the quilts” (303). This piece of evidence from the story shows how self-sacrificing Maggie is – she cares about the needs and wants of others. Even though she really wanted those quilts, she was willing to let them go if she knew that her sister wanted them that badly. This is another great quality that I like about Maggie (everyone should think about what would make other people happy even if it means sacrificing your happiness for a while; I know this is a quality that is important to me and that I like to practice JJ).
Maggie’s sister, on the other hand, is the complete opposite from Maggie. She is flashy, physically beautiful, has to have the best in life, and will not take “no” for an answer. Dee speaks her mind, and it is obvious when she does not like something. In fact, as her mother points out, Dee was happy when their first house burned down because she “hated” the house: “And Dee. I see her standing off under the sweet gum tree she used to dig gum out of; a look of concentration on her face as she watched the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney. Why don’t you do a dance around the ashes? I’d wanted to ask her. She had hated the house that much” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 298-299). Furthermore, Dee was what I like to call a “material girl.” She loved to have nice things and wanted them all of the time. Now, I do not have any problem with anyone wanting nice things once in a while – it is in our nature. However, I do have a problem with people who have to have nice things all of the time, and then they show absolutely no gratitude for them, especially when they know that it caused the family a huge sacrifice. I think Dee was this type of “material girl” as the following piece of evidence suggests: “Dee wanted nice things. A yellow organdy dress to wear to her graduation from high school; black pumps to match a green suit she’d made from an old suit somebody gave me. She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts. Her eyelids would not flicker for minutes at a time. Often I fought off the temptation to shake her. At sixteen she had a style of her own: and knew what style was” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 299). One last thing that I really do not admire about Dee is her “I will not take NO for an answer” attitude. When she was trying to persuade Mama to give her the quilts, she already acted like Mama told her she could have them: “Some of those pieces, like those lavender ones, come from old clothes her mother handed down to her,” I said, moving up to touch the quilts. Dee (Wangero) moved back just enough so that I couldn’t reach the quilts. They already belonged to her” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 302). However, when Mama told her that she promised those quilts to Maggie, Dee became furious: “She gasped like a bee had stung her. “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts!” she said. “She probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” When Mama stated that she hoped that Maggie would put them to good, everyday use, Dee became even more furious: “But they’re priceless!” she was saying now, furiously; for she has a temper. “Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years they’d be in rags. Less than that!” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 303). Dee had a horrible attitude about these quilts. She wanted her mother to give in to her, and did not even consider Maggie’s feelings for one second. That is a shame, and it is also a shame that Dee thinks that the entire world will revolve around her. I do not like these “diva” attitudes that people acquire, nor do I admire them. It is pathetic, especially when it comes to not considering the feelings of others.
After analyzing these two characters, the answer to this particular question comes very easily to me. Not only do I prefer Maggie to Dee, but I would rather be Maggie than Dee. I would not want to be Dee! I would want to be Maggie any day of the week, with disability and all. Dee’s personality shaped her character into a person that does not care about other people at all; rather, she cares only about herself. Dee wants nice things, Dee wants people to give her things, Dee will not take no for an answer. The world revolves around Dee. Dee’s attitude and personality makes it really difficult for me to imagine anyone really wanting to be like her. Maggie, on the other hand, I could imagine being like. She may have a physical disability (with her limp) and scars from the fire, but she has a sensitive, gentle personality. Maggie thinks about the feelings of other people. When Dee was pouting like a spoiled child for those quilts, Maggie told Mama that Dee could have those quilts if she wanted them. Maggie was willing to give those quilts up to make Dee happy. Maggie cares about other people. In addition to being a gentle, sensitive, caring soul, Maggie is intelligent as well. But, Maggie does not use that intelligence in a boastful manner to gain attention to herself. That is a quality that I admire, but I wish that she would use her intelligence to open up different opportunities in her life, such as school, career, etc. Maggie could, but chose not to. This is the only thing that I would change if I were to be Maggie. I would be a little bit more out-going, and would not be extremely ashamed of my disability as Maggie is. However, in compassion to Dee, I would be Maggie no questions asked. I just do not like Dee’s personality or character, and therefore, prefer Maggie and would be Maggie if I had to choose between the two characters. In the short story, “Everyday Use,” written by Alice Walker, the author presents two very female characters that showcase how personality differences can shape a person.

"Kaspar Hauser Speaks" Discussion Question #2

2) Are you intrigued by Kaspar Hauser’s story? Do you find that you want to keep reading, or are you turned off by the narrative? In your explanation, consider structure: the author uses a “frame narrative” to concretize the story (here, within the confines of a speech to a group of people). How do you think you would have responded differently were the context NOT a speech but, say, a story told from an objective, third-person narrator?
In the short story, “Kaspar Hauser Speaks,” written by Steven Millhauser, the author presents the speech of a person who has recently become “civilized” after living in a dark tower all of his life. After reading Kaspar’s story all of the way through, I have to say, yes, I was intrigued by it. It was really interesting, sad, and inspiring at the same time. It was all of these things mixed into one due to the fact that Kaspar lived in complete isolation all of his life, and then made a remarkable recovery after he placed into Professor Daumer’s care. Yes, I found that I wanted to keep reading Kaspar’s speech; I really enjoyed reading it solely from his point of view, and not anyone else’s. I wanted to keep on reading because it was interesting hearing his story about how he viewed his life in confinement compared to his new life living among people. It helped me imagine what people, like Kaspar, feel like after such a life-changing ordeal. It was quite an interesting experience reading this story. In no way was I turned off by the narrative. It was the Kaspar’s narrative that “turned me on” so of speak. I really enjoyed it.
The author of the story, “Kaspar Hauser Speaks,” uses a frame narrative to concretize the story (in this story, within the confines of a speech to a group of people). If the narrative were not a speech, but told from an objective, third-person narrator, I would have to say that I do not think I would have responded as well to this particular story. This story really lends itself to the first-person point of view speech that Kaspar gives himself, and if it were told from a different point of view instead of Kaspar’s, then I do not think it would have the same effect. Kaspar is telling the audience, in his speech, about his experiences during his time of confinement, and his experiences after he was released. This makes it not only more believable, but also more personable. One experience that Kaspar tells the audience about during his speech that I found sad and interesting at the same time was when he was describing his frightening experience with the black hen: “One day I was taken for a walk in the streets, in the company of two policemen. Suddenly a black thing came toward me, a shaking black thing. Terror seized me, I tried to run away. Only later, much later, could I be made to understand that I had seen a black hen” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1087). This particular experience with the hen could only be recounted in Kaspar’s words. Only he could recount to the audience what terror he felt at that particular moment when the hen ran towards him – this could not be told from a third person point of view. Another experience that could only be recounted to the audience in Kaspar’s own words was his progress after he left the confinement of the dark tower: “Within three months I had learned to speak, to write, to understand the difference between things that are alive, like cats, and things that only appear to be alive, like paper blown by the wind. The ball didn’t roll along by itself whenever it wanted to: this too I learned, with difficulty. Who had cut the leaves into their shapes? Why did the horse on the wall not run away? Professor Daumer was very patient. I felt bursts of power and curiosity, followed always by a fall into melancholy, as I became more deeply aware of the big hole in my life” (qtd. in Schilb and Clifford 1088). I realize that Professor Daumer or even Professor Daumer’s family could have recounted these experiences in different ways as well, but it would not be the same because it is important to note how Kaspar felt during this amazing time of development for him. Only Kaspar, and Kaspar alone, could recount how he felt during this particular time in his life. Therefore, considering these things, the story would not have been the same for me if it were not in the speech form, and written in an objective, third-person narrative. This particular story, in my opinion, has to be written from the perspective of the person who went through the actual experiences – in this case, Kaspar Hauser himself.
In the short story, “Kaspar Hauser Speaks,” written by Steven Millhauser, the author presents the speech of a person who has recently become “civilized” after living in confinement for the majority of his natural life.

Week 7

2009-10-04T21:55:00.000-07:00

1. Use a personal definition of love an analyze one of the character's definitions of love in "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." Do they contradict one another? Complement one another? What do you think most contributes to one's worldview in terms of what love is and what we ought to do with it?

I don't know what love is. I've experienced it. I've been in love, but I don't think there is really one definition of love. I've been with people who's definition of love is very different than mine. So, in that sense, I believe that I can identify with Terri. Sometimes love makes people do crazy things. I know I've brought this up before in this blog, and I think too often people use the Biblical definition of love to define what love is. You know, the "love is patient, love is kind..." verse in Corinthians. Movies and songs and books and stories cannot define love. They may glorify it, but they do not define it. I don't think people are capable of defining it. I recently got out of a very serious relationship. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with this boy, and I loved him. But I have a very askew was of showing love. My idea of love is going out to dinner, and grocery shopping together, and scratching my legs when they itch me. And his idea of love was loyalty, and not talking to other people, and texting each other every second. I cannot say what happened, I don't know why our love failed, but it did, and I'm still very much in love with him, and I know he's still in love with me. Sometimes people just fail. Everything fails. I know this is so incoherent, but I have alot to say about this subject. When it comes to what contributes most to how one views love, I believe it's a mixture of things. Religion, socioeconomic status, what your parents taught you, it all comes together. Love is universal and it differs from person to person.

4. Do you think it helps or hinders the social fabric to affirm ethnic differences? Do you think America is a melting pot? Is a quilt a better symbol to capture our diversity?

I think it helps. Appreciating all people from all different backgrounds is what makes America, America. We came to this country based on the idea that we wanted to be different without bounds, and although it was a different freedom (religious), it was still freedom. I very much so think America is a melting pot because people from everywhere come together and become one. It isn't separated, and when being defined as a quilt, I think that still keeps people separated.

Communication

2009-10-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
3. “Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?” (Making Literature Matter 685)

This story is guardedly optimistic about true love. Mel is torn between his love for Terri and his love for his children, which necessitates a relationship with his ex-wife. As long as a relationship like that is maintained, for whatever reason, exes very often retain a degree of feeling for each other. Mel overcompensates for the fact that he has some feelings for his ex wife by publicly displaying feelings of disdain or anger towards her. Nick and Laura are in the early stages of love, and the early stages of love are always more optimistic and sugary sweet. Terri and Mel can see past that and are more honest about their love. The old couple that Mel tells a story about is a positive example of true love. The husband was depressed that he was unable to even see his wife, to make sure she was okay and protect her. That gesture is a shining example of deep, true, time tested love. As for Ed, some would classify him as crazy and many would classify him as dangerous. Ed could be compared to Miss Emily in "A Rose for Emily" in that both characters lived in a world where they believed that their actions indicated true love. To the 'normal' world, Ed is a dangerous man. He may have loved Terri, but he showed it in a way that violated the trust that true love is based on.

Everyday Use:
1. Consider the relationship between the story’s content and title. Ultimately, is “everyday use” a good thing? The narrator uses this term in the story itself, referencing the possibility that Maggie will receive the quilts. One sister has a very negative association with the idea that such items will be used “everyday”, and in a casual manner; the other appears to believe that such items should be used in order to demonstrate value – unused items have no value in Maggie and her mother’s household. Which definition of “everyday use” does the story, as a whole, appear to uphold?

The definition of 'everyday use' that Walker upholds in her short story is consistent with the definition that Mama and Maggie use. Everyday use is a good thing because it reinforces the attitudes and values of previous generations of family members, and allows them to be passed on to future generations. Dee connotes 'everyday use' with images of oppression and backwardness, preferring to box family heirlooms up and display them on a wall or an end table as talismans of a past that she has escaped from. She feels that her mother and sister are tarnishing their past by continuing to use the so called 'artifacts' for their intended purpose. Mama and Maggie prefer to honor and preserve their heritage for future generations by continuing to use quilts, furniture, and household tools in the manner for which they were created. Not only that, but Mama and Maggie have fewer resources than Dee and they see disuse as waste. Ultimately, families are best served by coming to a consensus regarding their heirlooms and what will best continue their legacy. Not all family possessions need to be put to 'everyday use' in order to be valued, but some are best served in that manner. The message that Walker is ultimately trying to get across is that heritage needs to viewed practically and with love.

Discussion Questions Week 7

2009-10-04T21:03:00.000-07:00

Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?

The story holds both pessimism and optimism. The elderly couple provides a more positive and lighter note on true love. Some may see the event as something sweet elderly people do. Nick and Laura also provide an optimistic view of true love in that they want to stay as in love as they are presently. Ed, on the other hand, seems to have a misplaced infatuation rather than love. If that is what true love entails, then that is something I wouldn't want to be apart of. :)

Consider the relationship between the story’s content and title. Ultimately, is “everyday use” a good thing? The narrator uses this term in the story itself, referencing the possibility that Maggie will receive the quilts. One sister has a very negative association with the idea that such items will be used “everyday”, and in a casual manner; the other appears to believe that such items should be used in order to demonstrate value – unused items have no value in Maggie and her mother’s household. Which definition of “everyday use” does the story, as a whole, appear to uphold?

Everyday use can be a good thing, as well as a bad thing. We should all try to preserve the things that hold value to us, but we never fully utilize them. Dee negatively associates everyday use of these heirlooms as mistreating them, however, Maggie and her mother positively associate everyday use as using the heirlooms to its full value and appreciation. As a whole, the story explains that value cannot be found if something is kept behind a glass case or a plastic wrap. When used to its full potential, we are reminded of the people who made them and used them before us.

Week 7: Discussion Questions

2009-10-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

3. “Although many students seem to prefer Maggie to Dee, most would probably rather be Dee than Maggie. Is this true for you? Why/why not?” Provide character analysis in your answer.

As both Maggie and Dee grew up, they lived in the same home, but they both appeared to each hold on to different values. Maggie has scars all over her arms and legs from a fire that burned down their old home. Her mother described her as "Like good looks and money, quickness passed her by" [299]. The words used by her own mother make her seem to be a very unintelligent girl that is not that attractive as well. Maggie was somewhat jealous of her sister too. "She thinks her sister has held life always in the palm of one hand, that "no" is a word never learned to say to her" [297]. Dee appears to be more materialistic than Maggie. She is said to be "lighter" than her sister and "with nicer hair and a fuller figure". Dee only wanted the nice items in life and only became nicer when her mother managed to send her to Augusta to school. When she comes back home with her husband, Asalamajakim, she is dressed in the fancy clothes and has even changed her name to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, since she feels her old name was oppressing her. While I admit that I prefer Maggie's sweet qualities to Dee's materialistic qualities, I would agree that I would rather be Dee. She is carrying the wrong values, but she still appears to be having the better life. I would hate to admit to being materialistic, but everyone is about something. Maggie is obviously the better person in general, but if I had to choose to be one, I would be Dee.

3. “Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?”

There seems to be both pessimism and optimism about love. Terri was optimistic about the love that Ed supposedly showed her, while Mel was more pessimistic about it. The old couple that were in the crash were a very good example of true love. The old man did not care about the accident, or what his injuries were. All he cared about was being able to see his wife, even though she was going to live. A lot of events were going on around him, but all he cared about was seeing her with his own eyes. For Nick and Laura's love, Nick says "In addition to being in love, we like each other and enjoy one another's company. She's easy to be with" [677]. Like their friends keep saying, they have only been married for eighteen months, but their love may be deep and real. They obviously love each other, and enjoy being near each other and listening to what the other says. They would be an example of positive true love. It is possible that Ed was indeed in love with Terri. His love turned into an aggressive obsession that made him want to hurt Terri, so that she could never leave him. Terri continued to look back at the way Ed acted with her as if she actually missed it. He was dangerous to be around, but Terri looked at the actions he did and felt that they were all out of the love he had for her. I do not know if that could be classified as true love, but it is an example of negative love.

Week 7

2009-10-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

4. Why do you think Mamet allows us a window into John’s life (signaled by the constantly ringing telephone, an apt metaphor for his connection to the outside world) but none into Carol’s (we have no sense of who she is or her life outside of this series of exchanges with her professor nor any events leading up to them)? Is Mamet empathizing with John by developing his character more than Carol’s? Do YOU sympathize with John and think perhaps the development of John’s character (as a professor, husband, father, recipient of a surprise party, etc.) might have something to do with where your empathy lies?
I think that Mamet allowsa us a window into John's life to built his character. He allows us to know that he has a wife and a son. I do have some empathy with John becuase I don't think that him telling Carol that he likes her or him putting his arm on her shoulder should be claimed as attepted rape. But I also, think that as a male prossfer that he should not have called her into his office told her those things.

1. Consider John and Carol’s first interaction (not the entire interaction, but up to point at which Carol mentions her background in relation to her performance in the professor’s class). What do you think is established in this interaction? Who and what do the characters reveal themselves to be? In such revealing, then, do you identify any miscommunication, non-communication, or a simple lack of communication? (In your discussion, consider particularly the “term of art” (701) exchange, the way in which John tells Carol she’s failing his class, and/or Carol’s offerings with regard to her performance (the language John uses, her socio-economic background, etc.).
In the first interaction it shows that both Carol and John had problems understanding things. Carol said that she had trouble understanding what John and the rest of the class were talking about. She said that she took notes and still did not understand. She was asking John what he wanted from her. I think that him telling Carol about his past and everyone telling him that he was stupid, was to let her know that everyone has problem understanding certain things, even teachers. Carol just makes excuses that she does not understand. She never once asks what she can do to help improve her grade.

Discussion Questions Week 7 Reed Steiner

2009-10-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:

2.Wow, I really enjoyed reading the lecture for What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. I definitely understood that Teri was being belittled and put down by her husband, Mel, but I was not specifically thinking social classes. In fact, social class never crossed my mind. I did this because I automatically categorize married couple as being in the same social class; the whole concept of being married into one’s social class. The wife would usually assume the same social level of the husband in marriage; love would overcome the social differences, but this is not the case. The lecture explained their social differences very clearly and suddenly the story became much more than about love or a verbally abusive husband. It helped me understand the philology behind why Mel was belittling Terri. It’s because he sets himself higher than Terri. So the question this lecture led me to as was: Does Mel really loves Terri as much as he thinks if he sees her on another social level? My answer is, no he does not. Maybe Terri abuse ex-boyfriend has just as much love for Terri as Mel because they both look down and Terri and abuse her. Both men do not treat her as a human being. Therefore neither of the men really have a true understand for what love is.

Kaspar Hauser Speaks:

2. I though Kaspar Hauser' s story was very intriguing and I was drawn in even more because of the narrative format it was in. I wanted to keep reading and find more things out about the character. I wanted to know more about what life was like being shut out for the world in a dark bock. The frame narrative he used by speaking to a specific group of people really set the stage giving it a real authentic, old, and foreign setting or where the speech was given. It definitely would not have been as effective as told for third-person. I believe the reason that I was drawn in so greatly was because it was so personal. As I was reading I was convinced the speaker really did experiencing the traumatic events and detached life he was explaining. This authentication would have been lost if it was explained by an outside person. The third-person or omnipresent point of view might still have been interesting, but the reader would not have been able to empathize as much. Without this empathic tone the reader would feel disconnected and less interested.

Discussion Q's Week 7

2009-10-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Discussion Questions Week 7

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:

3.“Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?” (Making Literature Matter 685)

The story seemed to have a pessimistic view on true love. None of the characters were able to agree on a definition. As the story progressed Mel seemed to become more and more agitated and obviously more drunk. He confesses to Laura that he would love her if it weren't for his own wife and friendship with her husband which kind of makes his claims to love his own wife lose value. The old couple is sort of a negative example. They were in love but that love was killing them. Nick and Laura have a positive outlook on love but they seemed to be too freshly married to start doubting anything. Ed probably honestly believed he had to do the things he did because he was in love but Ed obviously had some problems. But he was willing to die and go to extremes for it so I would argue that Ed was in love but maybe he didn't know the appropriate ways to express his love.

Everyday Use:

1. Consider the relationship between the story’s content and title. Ultimately, is “everyday use” a good thing? The narrator uses this term in the story itself, referencing the possibility that Maggie will receive the quilts. One sister has a very negative association with the idea that such items will be used “everyday”, and in a casual manner; the other appears to believe that such items should be used in order to demonstrate value – unused items have no value in Maggie and her mother’s household. Which definition of “everyday use” does the story, as a whole, appear to uphold?

This story seems to uphold “everyday use” as being something positive. For the family in the story, “everyday use” means the quilt is valuable because it is being used for what it was made for but for Dee “everyday use” means the quilt will become worthless. The story suggests that “everyday use” (meaning putting something to good use) is the proper way to use something.

DQ Week 7

2009-10-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

What We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
1. Use a personal definition of love and analyze one of the character’s definitions of love in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”. Do they contradict one another? Complement one another? What do you think most contributes to one’s worldview in terms of what love is and what we ought to do with it?

I define love as feeling that is created through communication, caring, understanding, passion, supporting, and trusting one another. Some one cannot just say they are in love with some because it is not just a word but an action and feeling. The character Terri has a different view of love. Terri was in an abusive relationship and says that all the abuse were acts of love. Her ex would beat her and while he beat her, he would tell her he loved her. After two attempts of suicide, Ed, her ex, shot himself. The reason for his attempts at suicide were because Terri had left him. Terri sees that as acts of love as well, he killed himself because he loved her. Our definitions contradict each other because Terri sees love as something that involves violence. There also seems to be no communication or feelings that showed he cared for her because he was always angry and beating her.

3. Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?” (Making Literature Matter 685)

Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” is optimistic about true love. Each characters stories about love shows that they believe love does exist and it can be a doorway into what they want love to be like for them. The couple can be a mix of both positive and negative examples of true love. It is wonderful that the old man was so in love with his wife that all he wanted was to see her with his again, on the negative side, he was depressed. True love doesn’t come with depression. Love can be a happy feeling and also sometimes a sad feeling for reasons but to feel so depressed because he couldn’t see her yet can show people that it is a sad thing. Nick and Laura’s story is a positive example because they have just sort begun their new lives and they have good things to look forward to. Ed is a negative example of true love because his actions do not justify what he did. He could have very deep inside of himself really did love Terri and he couldn’t take the fact that she was gone and felt guilty about what he did but when someone is in love they don’t beat them. You can say that he was in love but not truly in love because he really didn’t show it. He could have had other problems and that kept him from truly being in love.

DQ Week 6

2009-10-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

2.Consider the portion of the conversation (the first meeting) in which Carol offers up her reasoning, as it’s implied, for her performance in the class: “No, no, no. I’m doing what I’m told. It’s difficult for me. It’s difficult . . . I don’t . . . lots of the language . . . The language, the “things” that you say . . . It is true. I have problems . . . I come from a different social . . . a different economic . . . No. I: when I came to this school: . . . does that mean nothing . . . ?” (702-703). What is Carol trying to say? Are her points legitimate? (Consider the context in which she’s offering them). Why or why not?

Carol is trying to say that she feels like she cannot understand what John is saying during lectures because she has a different background than him. I think the different background she is trying to explain is not only a background were she grew up were people spoke with intellectual type words and had a higher income, but she is trying to communicate her past troubles to John. She may feel like if she opened up to him a little, he could understand why she is having troubles and maybe take it easier on her. This could give point to the fact that she had already planned to coy the professor into trying to get him to let her get away with the difficulty of the class and not grade her as hard as the rest of the class. Since that does not work she sort of goes and takes on plan B.

9. Consider Carol’s most serious accusation: “You tried to rape me. According to the law. . . . You tried to rape me. I was leaving this office, you “pressed” yourself into me. You “pressed” your body into me. . . . under the statute. I am told. It was battery. . . . Yes. And attempted rape. That’s right” (728). Discuss your reaction to this accusation. As you do, consider carefully Carol’s addition of “according to the law”. Is she, at some or any level, in the right? Is John right to be undone by this accusation?

My reaction to this accusation was a bit foreseen but at the same time I thought it was irrational. It seems like she already had everything planned out if she couldn’t get him to take it easy on her, she could accuse him of rape. She is contradicting herself every time she is talking to the professor. During her fist meeting with John she tells him that she does not understand him and the language he uses during class. At this meeting she persists on stating that he raped her ‘according to the law.’ If she cannot understand the language he uses in class how in the world can she understand what the law has to say. She does say that she was told all this and that gives meaning to the fact that she had already known she could use that as a target on him.

DQ 7

2009-10-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Week 7 Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions Week 7: CommunicationWhat We Talk About When We Talk About Love:
1. Use a personal definition of love and analyze one of the character’s definitions of love in “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”. Do they contradict one another? Complement one another? What do you think most contributes to one’s worldview in terms of what love is and what we ought to do with it? 2. Consider the analysis provided in this week’s lecture (in “Course Materials”). Did you interpret the story similarly? Why/why not? Does the analysis change your interpretation at all? Why/why not?
I am answering both questions above at one time.
True love is a feeling that is deep and strong that has no exact definition and that the dictionary does not have the right word to define it. I mean true love is something dynamic that does not only take the best out of a person but as well the his or her worst. Sometimes I wonder if love is not after all a positive feeling but a negative one as well. Does the word love overly marketed or sustained that it has lost its essence?
I do not agree that this is story is about social class and especially of what the last sentence states, “…romantic love is only a derivative that allows the characters to discuss the realities of social class under the guise of “true love”. I would say that this story is about the notion that love is universal – bears no boundaries or limitations. It shows that even the successful and the “elite” feels love as well but has no right standard of what true love is. I am not sure if Mel’s definition of love is at the “spiritual” level as to how the “rich and educated” would feel and define love. I would rather say that Mel’s definition is driven by his years in the seminary. He was trained to look at love at a different higher level, which is the spiritual state of loving. I do not think the upper social class people would love in that manner. Only the lay people, the members of the religious circle and the “few” are gifted to love at that highest level. That is impossible to reach for us.
This story shows that the members of the upper class do search the true meaning of love. The analysis does not change my interpretation of this short story. This is more about love as a universal language and that even the rich and educated do not have the same interpretation of what “true love” is really all about. I do not think that one has a set definition of love and who has the right to say that there is only one way of defining it?
The analysis also states that it is more of a class conflict. It can be true but it is not. It shows that nobody really knows what true love is all about, even if you are in the upper social class or not because if they did, they would not be discussing the subject of love. And at this modern point of time, there are still researches or topics in TV all in search of what the four letter word is really all about. Love has been around for centuries and yet nobody seems to know what that really stands for. There are always new books on love that grace the book shelves in Barnes and Noble. It suffices to say that love is mysterious.
It may be a social issue because just like I said earlier, love has no boundaries, rich or poor he or she is still a victim of love. I sometimes think that it is kind of a disease since when it afflicts a person, some feels some kind of “high” or euphoria and sometimes it makes a person act so violently and commits a crime because of love.

3. “Is this story optimistic or pessimistic about true love? Is the old couple a positive or a negative example of true love? What about Nick and Laura? What about Ed? Could you argue that he was in love?” (Making Literature Matter 685)

This story is shows optimism about true love. I would say optimistic because Mel’s story of the two older people involved in the accident, where the husband was depressed because he was not able to turn his head to look at the wife is a good and strong indication that even if Mel says, love is at the spiritual level, he has not found that level of love just like the old guy felt for his wife. By the way these people talk about love, especially Mel it is incredible that nobody has a set definition of true love. But regardless of the definition, each one of them, including Terri, feels that love does exist. Can you just imagine, Mel is a cardiologist, but then it sounds odd to me that he does not discuss the “mechanics” of the heart? I would have expected that instead, he would discuss something about the “medical” benefits to his or her heart one has when a person is in love. Love is so powerful and strong that it drives people to do unimaginable things when they lost it or love reflects in their behavior or actions. The old couple is a good example of a true love. It is like they are bound to each other by love. It is like the couple loses his or her strength without seeing each other. That is amazing. Nick and Laura, I would say that they are in the first stages of the “excitement” stage. I could not very well remember the saying that says something of a couple’s marriage in the first 7 years. Ed, was really hit hard. I know other people would say (especially the psychologists or psychiatrists) that when one behaves and thinks differently outside the norm, it becomes abnormal and has a “mental” illness. But is that really so just because of the theories that are studied in school? Has anyone really made a thorough research of what love could really do to a person’s behavior and way of thinking? Can love pump up more blood to the heart and heal a person’s heart problems? I mean, I had been wondering this all these time. There must be a relationship on this.

Kaspar Hauser Speaks:
5. De Toqueville, the famous French observer, of early nineteenth- century American society, thought that a drawback to democracy was the tendency of small towns to move everyone to the middle – that is, to encourage conformity, to relentlessly urge every one to fit in. Btu what about those who don’t? What happens to them? Is this Kaspar’s problem?” (Making Literature Matter 1091)
I would say that the French observer does not have respect and consideration of the people who wants to keep their culture and heritage. I do not believe that is true though. Look at the Amish people who do not want to assimilate and be one of “us”. They chose to keep their own cultures and yet they are also able to interact with the outside world. Look at them they are able to survive on their own and they have existed without any problems. Fitting in also takes a lot of courage. For the older generation who is used to their cultures and heritage, it would of course hard to assimilate and adapt completely to the new country. It is the younger generation who are born to the new country who are able to assimilate faster and blend in the new culture than the older ones. It is not about moving people to conform and fit in, it should be learning to co-exist and understand each other’s differences and helps us to grow and help us better citizens of the world. To dictate a small group on what to do and how to live is not a sign of democracy…

Discussion #7 Question 1&2 " What We Talk About When We Talk About Love."

2009-10-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

1. My definition of romantic love is a feeling that is rarely felt by someone. If and when someone is able to experience what true love is very lucky. I believe the components of love should be caring,understanding, believing, supporting, trusting, and passion. If one of those components are missing, it may cause an unhealthy balance in ones relationship. In the story Terri pleads with her friends that her ex-boyfriends abuse was love. I empathize with the character because, obviously he took his own life, due to his broken relationship with Terri. I do believe her relationship had some components; however missing one of those components made it unhealthy and abusive. In addition to the abuse I am convinced that her ex-boyfriend may have been suffering from a mental disease.
2. When Mel had told the story about the old couple, I think it brought a positive light to the subject of love. In the story he meticulously explains their injuries, and the process it took to revive their lifeless bodies. Through all of the pain and injuries, the husband could only think of his wife. The feeling of overwhelming anguish of not seeing his wife, surpassed all of the physical pain he endured from his injuries. To me, I thought it was extremely heartfelt and thoughtful that the man thoughts were fixated on his wife.

Week 6 Olleana

2009-09-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

4.

Yes, I think that Mamet defiantly builds up empathy with John. At first I thought that it was very rude that he kept answering the phone and interrupting his meeting with Carol, but each time he answered the phone it was to say he could not talk. The phone calls made the reader aware of his family life, that he had a wife and kids, that he's life was going in a new direction because he is about to be granted tenure, and that he is going thought the process of buying a house. It is the only interaction that is made besides John and Carols conversation made during the play. It sets John up as being someone who finally just hit the big time and life is starting to look much better for him. Things could not be better for the professor. Despite all the phone calls he appears to be a good teacher making time to help his student. This throws the reader for a spine when Carol starts making claims against trying to hurt his career and family. So naturally John is the one that receives the empathy right away.

8.

I think that it is really cool that they treated Carol and John as two separate features to the play and that it said "Whatever you think/ Whichever side you choose, you're wrong". It made me step back and I was reminded that, "Hey this is English, no this is art! There is no right or wrong answer." There is no secret way in which Oleanna and be interpreted or analyses that proves one hundred percent that there is a right or wrong answer. The only bad argument is one made without any defense. The only way to figure things out is to try to understand Mamet's intent, and I do not believe his intent was to make the audience side complete with one person. He wants people to walk away from the play and say those two people were both evil. Both John and Carol are in the wrong, there are both sinners. Both of them are equally to blame. There is not right or wrong person in this play. Both are wrong.

Having said this, it is what I think, and if you refer back to the program that means that I am wrong.

Week Seven-Everyday Use

2009-09-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

In "Everyday Use" Maggies flaws are shown to the reader from the onset. The physical scares are pointed out clearly to teh readers. There is the emotional scares as well. Maggie has been left disfigured because of a fire. She fells she is less of a person then her sister Dee.

Dee, is presented as being "flawless" in every way. Dee, is light skined, attractive,stylish, well educated, and has great hair. These traits are to suggest that Dee is superior to Maggie. This is a culture thing in this race being suggested. That the color of your skin (lighter) will help you go further in society.

Mrs. Johnson has contributed to Maggies lack of self worth by collecting funds to send Dee off to college, but not Maggie. Towards the end of the story Mrs. Johnson finally stands up to Dee in defence of Maggie by snaching the quilts from Dee.

Dee and Maggie are oppisite of each other in the subject of roots and family.

Week # 6 Questions 1 & 10

2009-09-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

1. In the first scene established with Carol and John is a great insight to their characters. My impression of John is a busy man, so he really wasn't interested in anything except his personal life.He gave the impression that he was preoccupied with his home purchasing, and Carol questions became irritating. Carol gave the impression of a passive aggressive student, needing help. There is defiantly miss communication, between the two characters. All together this scene describes a tension filled conversation that took place at the wrong time.
10. As the argument grew bigger, I think the lines had already been crossed. Both characters had already engaged in professional and personal conversion in a way. In a way I think his reaction was natural to her rude comment. John had already held back his true anger, throughout the entire conversion, and I think he lost it when she made that rude comment. In a way I think his irritation was displaced from his personal life, and he was already at the level beyond anger.

Week Seven

2009-09-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

My personal definition of love is: Love is an action and not a feeling. An action that is selfless towards yourself and endless towards another. What do I mean? When you love someone you show it in your actions. You stop worring about what you can get from someone you love. Instead you worry about how you can show the person that you love that you love them. In terms of what love is and how it contributes to one's worldview I would say it effects how one would see the world. If you hate everyone you would see the world though hate vs. love. Love holds the world together.

Week 7

2009-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

“Everyday Use” Questions #3/ “Kasper Hauser” Question #3

In, “Everyday Use”, the author does a great job of making the reader aware of Maggie’s imperfections from the beginning. Pointing out her physical scars from the fire that burnt down the family’s house, assigning her personality to traits of shame and envy, and describing her walk as that of a lame animal are only a few of the ways we are introduced to the character of Maggie.

Dee, on the other hand is someone who is obviously much superior to Maggie in every way. “Dee is lighter (referring to coloring of the skin) that Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure” (356) is one of many ways that Dee is portrayed as a much better person. All of these words make the reader feel sympathy and pity for Maggie, but also bring about high expectations for Dee.

Would anyone truly want to be Dee? Although Maggie holds shame in her scars, the shame Maggie holds for her family and home is far more deplorable. The mother, speaking of Dee says, “She wrote to me once that no matter where we “choose” to live, she will manage to come see us. But she will never bring her friends” implying that Maggie has a lack of respect, understanding, and appreciation for the heritage that she has. Maggie appears to be intelligent, but lacks the empathy needed to truly connect with those around her.

Obviously indoctrinated, when Dee arrives at the house for a visit in the story, she has changed her name, and renamed herself, suggesting that her former name was a reminder of oppression. Although her mother can trace the name back to before the Civil War, Dee insists on the new name. In a miraculous turn, Dee insists on having some items from the house that she now finds “priceless”, quite contradictory to her previous claims regarding her name and her distain for their home. When Dee inquires about the quilts, she again behaves with abandon for others’ feelings and hurls accusations at Maggie. Maggie graciously obliges and gives her the quilts, but not before the mother realizes what virtue abounded in her other daughter. She insists on Maggie having them.

“I can ‘member Grandma Dee without the quilts”, and “This was Maggie’s portion” are two of the most powerful lines in the story and punctuates everything about Maggie that is wonderful, understanding, humble, and giving. Not once does Maggie falter about who she is or where she comes from, and not only does this exude from her in the story, but she is content to be who she is and aware of her being so. So, once again, who would want to be Dee?

First and foremost, "Kasper Hauser" lost his life for seventeen years. In speaking of this unimaginable horror and cruelty, it is summed up best by the words “For it was only in leaving myself behind that I saw what I had been, although it is equally true that by the time I was able to see myself at all, I had already advanced so far that when I glanced back I was scarcely visible.” In this loss of seventeen years, Kasper has left behind the shell of a human life and assumed an overwhelming transformation into normal society. This gain of a somewhat “normal” existence does imply the loss of his former life, but nobody would call this a loss by any means.

In the last few moments of his speech, Kasper reflects on his losses and gains in the few years that he has regained a human existence. He’s lost his nervousness, and gained a bit of confidence. He attributes this gain of confidence to a loss of childlike rapture at the world around him. His ability to learn has not faltered, yet his progress and zeal for learning have lessened. His sense of touch is normal after being hypersensitive, and the loss of this, undoubtedly, is helpful.

With the understanding of the monumental changes that have been made, he acknowledges the loss of who he was before. “Sometimes I feel that I am slowly erasing myself, in order for someone else to appear, the one I long for, who will not resemble me.” These words truly shine perspective on the whole process of his assimilation into “normal” society. As he broods over the uniqueness that set him apart from the average person, he longs to be among them -- to be common, and un-interesting. In his desperation to be normal, he has ignored the beauty of who he actually is.

Posting in Red and Blue

2009-09-29T14:58:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

Just a request -- if you wouldn't mind, please post in colors other than red and especially blue (these are hard on the eyes and difficult to read, especially when the responses are long). You can use colors -- just use light ones -- the lighter the better, so the contrast between the typing and screen is much stronger.

Thanks,
Amy