“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is a novel by Khaled Hosseini, Khaled introduces a story set in his hometown Kabul, Afghanistan which spans before Soviet War till after the rule of the Taliban, a Sunni Islamic group. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” introduces two women whose lives intersect and as a result develop a mother daughter relationship.
The story begins with Mariam who is an illegitimate child that grew up in a hut whose mother is a sick and bitter woman and father is disloyal. On Mariam’s fifteenth birthday she goes to see her father so that he can take her to the theater like he promised. He avoids her and sends her home. Upon arriving, she sees her mother has hung herself due to abandonment. Mariam is sent to marry Rasheed, a shoemaker thirty years her senior. She accepts without protest and decides never to speak to her father again. From the beginning Mariam has had bad luck however; her luck worsens when she marries Rasheed. Rasheed at first is gentle with Mariam however, after each miscarriage he becomes unpleasant. Rasheed becomes so mean to the point of yelling and taking out all his frustration out on her for made up reasons. Mariam is constantly verbally and physically abused by her husband.
Part two of the novel introduces Laila, who was encouraged to pursue her education by her father; she has a close friend by the name Tariq who she cares about. When Tariq decides to move with his family to safety Laila and Tariq make love. Her entire life changes when a rocket lands on her house killing her beloved parents. When she learns that Tariq, her boyfriend, died due to a rocket attack near the Pakistan border she agrees to marry Rasheed in order to save Tariq’s unborn child.
Laila and Mariam become allies and develop a mother daughter relationship that ultimately makes them stand up to Rasheed. One day Laila is receives a visit from Tariq, who she believed died. Her son tells Rasheed about the visit. Rasheed becomes jealous and starts beating Laila. Mariam realizes if she does not stop him he will beat her to death. Mariam picks up a shovel and struck him over the head repeatedly. Mariam kills Rasheed and later confesses to her crime. She sacrificed herself so that Laila could leave and survive to live a normal life with the love of her life, Tariq, and with her two children. . Hosseini’s portrays each character with human emotions and shows examples of their daily lives.
“A Thousand Splendid Suns” theme revolves around the strength of women and hope. Hosseini introduces a story that is a story about war in Afghanistan however he reveals it though the eyes of two women as the struggle with the demands of oppression. Hosseini successfully constructs a story that can be retold countless times. Hosseini develops an emotional bond with the characters with the reader which makes them realize the hardships women endured in Afghanistan.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Movie Critics
For a long time, I have wanted to write about something that really bothers me, bad movies. When I say 'bad movies', I typically am referring to movies with bad writing which, to me, will ruin an entire film.
Now, to me, writing can ruin an entire film for many reasons. One being the fact that the writing develops the characters, and you can't have a good movie with shitty characters. And recently I have been noticing an increasing amount of movies with flashy graphics and movies with poor writing. Which has led me to the conclusion that directors are now using 3D graphics to compensate for their 1D characters. One particular movie that bring this to mind is Avatar, which seems to be either loved or hated. I on the other hand am in the middle, but that's another story. Avatar was full of stock characters such as the relateable, rebellious woman and the headstrong, blood-thirsty military Sergent.
Not only do these fancy graphics attempt to add dimension to flat characters, they also try to fill in plot holes. A very good example of this is Tim Burton's recent portrayal of Alice in Wonderland. I, like a lot of people, used to be a big fan of Tim Burton, growing up on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands. But just like most directors these days, Tim Burton has been failing to live up to (his) past movies by creating recent horrors such as his Alice in Wonderland. Alice was plagued by many catastrophes, one after the other, but one that stuck out in particular was its major plot hole. This plot hole consisted of the Queen of Hearts claiming that she would recognize Alice anywhere (and kill her), but when Alice prances into the Queen's court, the Queen conveniently does not recognize Alice at all. Not only that, but the Queen even goes as far as liking Alice and inviting her back into the castle! How could a woman who knows Alice's face very well, not recognize Alice? I am not sure, but apparently the production staff was too busy working on the graphics to notice this non sequitur.
I just don't understand how companies are now investing so much money into movies with bad scripts. I know there are many terrific writers out there looking to get their scripts turned into movies, yet big companies are more concerned with taking a movie, pumping it up, and getting a big name director to be a part of it. Last time I checked people enjoyed good movies whether or not they know the directors name or have to wear 3d glasses to see it. It all boils down to terrible movies getting credit for nothing, which always makes them outshine the really amazing movies such as Up! (2009). Which I would like to say is a brilliant movie that deserves much more credit than it has been given.
But I would like to end on a positive note by saying that there are still amazing movies being released. I guess it's just harder to find them when they aren't popping out at you (hardy-har-har).
Let The Right One In
If you were in my section, you know I chose the novel "Let The Right One In" to nominate for a Pulitzer Prize. I gave a PowerPoint presentation where I expanded upon the commonly known plot and delved into the themes that run throughout the book, a few of which included isolation, cruelty toward children by adults and other children, crime, romance, and, of course, vampirism. I had included a link of the movie's trailer in my presentation, but time ran short and I didn't get to show it to the class. This was honestly one of the best film adaptions of a novel I've ever seen and the bleakness of the book truly translates well onto the screen. The child actors are phenomenal (which, as we know, is a rarity onscreen and even harder to do when the content is serious). Brilliant movie, brilliant book. I'd say it doesn't matter if you choose to watch it or read it first. The book IS more detailed, which is a bonus, and describes more of Eli's background and contains several more scenes that exemplify each of the characters' personalities. However, the film is stark and straightforward. If you haven't read the novel, it's also more shocking. There's pros and cons either way, but I encourage you to check both of them out.
This is the official website for the movie, which came out in 2008, the same time the novel was translated into English. There's already an American remake in the works, which I find disappointing. Why can't we just leave great foreign films alone? Watch them with subtitles. It's not that difficult. There doesn't need to be an "American" version of everything. You're missing half the body of the novel if you take away the setting of Sweden, as the original source includes European child prostitution rings, the "old world" vampire history, European public transit (which is completely absent in the US with the exception of major cities), Cold War worries about Sweden's neighbors, how bloody cold it is in Scandinavian countries, etc, etc....
Death at a Funeral, a British black comedy, was recently re-released as an American comedy and was generally not as well regarded as the original. Why not come out with our own films instead of half-arsed remakes literally TWO or THREE years after the original came out? It makes no sense to me! The director remaking "Let The Right One In" has said that he hopes everyone will give his film a chance and how much he reveres the original, but it leads me to wonder... why not let the world discover how great the original is before slapping an American one on the market? Does this feel like a cultural dominance trend to anyone else? I'd love to hear your opinions, because with the onslaught of Japanese horror remakes, American versions of British comedies, and now, taking about the only thing Americans have heard about from Sweden (with the exception of Moto Boy (swoon!)) has really gotten me going.
Can you think of a remake that ever got your blood boiling?
Looking back on Atonement Last Chapter
After Robbie’s detail account of the war, Ian McEwan switches gears by re-introducing Briony. Instead of being the fantasy obsessed child who misperceives the world around her McEwan introduces Briony in a different light.
After Cecilia breaks her ties to her family and becomes a nurse Briony is left without a sister. Briony becomes a nurse instead of going to Cambridge. She experiences what it is like to be a trainee nurse. Later she comes in to contact with wounded soldiers. Briony meets Luc Cornet a French soldier. She is ordered to sit with him because he only speaks French and even though her school French she comforts him. When he asks her to loosen his bandages she realizes the fatal extent of his injuries (side of his head was missing). In his last moments of living he confuses her for a girl his mom wanted him to marry. He asks Briony if she loves him she hesitated yes because “No other reply was possible. Besides for the moment, she did. He was a lovely boy who was a long way from his family and he was about to die” (292). Briony comes head on with reality of death in the hospital. However, she has not out grown her love for fantasy because “she imagined the unavailable future…her sister –in-laws teasing her about her accent, and Luc Cornet loving her in his eager way”(293).
One day Briony decides to attend the wedding of her cousin Lola and Paul Marshall before finally visiting Cecilia. Now that she is wise and mature she wishes to atone her actions of wrongfully accusing Robbie Turner of raping her cousin Lola. When she arrives at Cecilia’s apartment she is determined to tell her that she knows Robbie is innocent and she will write a letter attesting to that. However, when she shows up to the apartment she does not expect to see Robbie. In the end they both refuse to forgive her. However she promises to begin the legal system.
Briony has written a novel about Cecilia and Robbie. Briony hopes to publish this book during her life time however; this does not seem to be a possibility due to the characters in the story. Briony states that she will only be able to publish the book if she changes the names of the characters which she refuses to do because she wants to stay as close to the truth as possible. This further shows that Briony has developed a conscience and a sense of reality during her younger years. She even states that she wishes she had written factual stories of the War when she was working in the hospital. Even in her twenties when she was a nurse, she changed names and details of her day to add entertainment. She adds that if the Lola and Paul Marshall were to die she would be able to publish the book. The Marshalls due to their fame are unwilling to be associated with the scandal described in Briony’s book. The scandal although true will ruin the Marshalls reputation.
In the end of the novel (set in 1999) Briony is seventy seven years old and she reveals that she wrote the novel. She also informs the reader that apart from Robbie and Cecilia’s thirty minute meeting, they never saw each other again and she never went to Cecilia’s apartment to make amends. Robbie died from septicemia and Cecilia was killed by a bomb. Through this book she wishes to give them the happiness they deserve she changes the ending of the book so that Robbie and Cecilia reunite and live out their lives in her novel. Towards the end she adds “I know there’s always a certain kind of reader who will be compelled to ask, but what really happened? The answer is simple: the lovers survive and flourish. As long as there is a single copy, a solitary typescript of my final draft, then my spontaneous, fortuitous sister and her medical prince survive to love,”(350).
After Cecilia breaks her ties to her family and becomes a nurse Briony is left without a sister. Briony becomes a nurse instead of going to Cambridge. She experiences what it is like to be a trainee nurse. Later she comes in to contact with wounded soldiers. Briony meets Luc Cornet a French soldier. She is ordered to sit with him because he only speaks French and even though her school French she comforts him. When he asks her to loosen his bandages she realizes the fatal extent of his injuries (side of his head was missing). In his last moments of living he confuses her for a girl his mom wanted him to marry. He asks Briony if she loves him she hesitated yes because “No other reply was possible. Besides for the moment, she did. He was a lovely boy who was a long way from his family and he was about to die” (292). Briony comes head on with reality of death in the hospital. However, she has not out grown her love for fantasy because “she imagined the unavailable future…her sister –in-laws teasing her about her accent, and Luc Cornet loving her in his eager way”(293).
One day Briony decides to attend the wedding of her cousin Lola and Paul Marshall before finally visiting Cecilia. Now that she is wise and mature she wishes to atone her actions of wrongfully accusing Robbie Turner of raping her cousin Lola. When she arrives at Cecilia’s apartment she is determined to tell her that she knows Robbie is innocent and she will write a letter attesting to that. However, when she shows up to the apartment she does not expect to see Robbie. In the end they both refuse to forgive her. However she promises to begin the legal system.
Briony has written a novel about Cecilia and Robbie. Briony hopes to publish this book during her life time however; this does not seem to be a possibility due to the characters in the story. Briony states that she will only be able to publish the book if she changes the names of the characters which she refuses to do because she wants to stay as close to the truth as possible. This further shows that Briony has developed a conscience and a sense of reality during her younger years. She even states that she wishes she had written factual stories of the War when she was working in the hospital. Even in her twenties when she was a nurse, she changed names and details of her day to add entertainment. She adds that if the Lola and Paul Marshall were to die she would be able to publish the book. The Marshalls due to their fame are unwilling to be associated with the scandal described in Briony’s book. The scandal although true will ruin the Marshalls reputation.
In the end of the novel (set in 1999) Briony is seventy seven years old and she reveals that she wrote the novel. She also informs the reader that apart from Robbie and Cecilia’s thirty minute meeting, they never saw each other again and she never went to Cecilia’s apartment to make amends. Robbie died from septicemia and Cecilia was killed by a bomb. Through this book she wishes to give them the happiness they deserve she changes the ending of the book so that Robbie and Cecilia reunite and live out their lives in her novel. Towards the end she adds “I know there’s always a certain kind of reader who will be compelled to ask, but what really happened? The answer is simple: the lovers survive and flourish. As long as there is a single copy, a solitary typescript of my final draft, then my spontaneous, fortuitous sister and her medical prince survive to love,”(350).
Class Post III 4/29/10 Section G
For me, I think knowing how to play with words and sentences is such an art. I want to reach that level where I can interpret and understand inside and out of the language. It's different from biology or chemistry. There is something more emotional and related to human nature to know how to express and speak exactly how one wants than knowing how a human body works. I always thought about how English teachers are the most creative ones who really know something about life. I don't know why. I guess from what they've seen and read.
To me, English is something that determines everything. Everywhere one needs to read and write so sometimes it discourages me in other areas when I think I can't write or read as well. At the beginning of this year, I had a lot of goals I wanted to reach. Some of them include: bigger vocabulary, more variety in the way I write, and write clearly. Although I may not have reached all of those things, I did find out more about what I can do and how I should approach writing. Writing takes a lot of planning, and practice until one can write decently well in a timed setting, given so many times in my high school. I learned to take time in planning and brainstorming to put down anything I have on the paper. And when I have ideas coming, just writing them down in a train of thoughts will help me find something that'll fit to be a summing idea from all of them. Also, going to the writing center for my weekly appointment helped me learn a little about being more daring in what I want to write. In general, writing more helps lessen my fear of writing, somewhat.
Reflection (G)
Now that the year is over, I suppose it is time to reflect on my experience in this class. I really enjoyed this class, despite the early hour. I feel that I have improved in my writing, especially when it comes to clarity. The goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year were to improve my level of comfort writing conclusion paragraphs and transitions. I do think that I am better at writing transitions. Talking about my first essay one on one was extremely helpful in this area because I hadn't ever really talked in depth about what makes a good transition sentence before. I also found that Nadi's presentation about revisions was very relevant to the clarification of transitions. I admit, I still feel uncomfortable with conclusions. I have never found a formula that I liked to write conclusion paragraphs, and while sometimes I am happy with what I write, more often it feels contrived. It is possible that one simply has to find inspiration to write a good conclusion, but I don't know how to find inspiration on command. Other than my discomfort with conclusions, I felt very comfortable with the pace of this class. I very rarely felt like I was flying blind, and over the course of the semester, I have come to really appreciate our workshops, to which I attribute my feelings of preparedness.
After class on Tuesday, I sat down to look at the four pieces I wrote for this class. I could see, by comparison, the improvements that I have made, and I think that I am aptly prepared for the writing that I will have to do from this point on.
After class on Tuesday, I sat down to look at the four pieces I wrote for this class. I could see, by comparison, the improvements that I have made, and I think that I am aptly prepared for the writing that I will have to do from this point on.
Reflections on Class
Class is ooovveerrr!!! whoo hoo..but the feeling is honestly relieving and stress free because that means no papers until the fall! I would have to agree with everyone else that this class has definitely set my standards up for any text that I will be reading from here on out because of our mad skills in close-reading.
I actually did not think I would enjoy this class as much as I have and it would probably be because I do not like English. I truly despise the thoughts of writing, reading, and analyzing because the process to writing a paper seems to be on-going and it never stops because if you were to leave a piece of your work somewhere and come back to it with a "fresh pair of eyes," the whole process of editing and revising starts yet again. Now, I probably would not say i despise writing papers but maybe dread of it..which sounds a little bit better to me because that just means I would write the paper just for the heck of it and find out that the paper was not so bad after all.
With the help of Professor Crowther and my peers, I am now openly comfortable to let people read some of my work because in high school we would not go through the whole process of editing or revising as much as it was pushed in this class and so I would just write a paper the night before and not have anyone give me feedback. I have learned that critiques can be harsh, but it is okay because that just helps your paper bring forth what you are trying to say and help readers understand the message that you were trying to pull through. I have also found out that writing papers in MLA style is very crucial (so always check your margins!) and doing a works cited page isn't as hard as I thought it was ought to be because that seems to be a problem for a few of us.
Through this course, I can now say that I have happily improved from what I wanted to accomplish by the end of this semester which is to be more comfortable with the way I write, allow others to read my work, definitely take time to start papers early and not procrastinate, and little things like transitioning, putting each paragraph together to make the actual paper, and being able to form well structured thesis statements.
I would like to thank Professor Crowther for all the help that she has given me and for welcoming all of us at her house for a small get together and the amount of work she puts into grading our papers and commenting on all of them. I would also like to thank those who were able to help me on my papers and give me ideas and that everyone has a safe and wonderful summer!
I actually did not think I would enjoy this class as much as I have and it would probably be because I do not like English. I truly despise the thoughts of writing, reading, and analyzing because the process to writing a paper seems to be on-going and it never stops because if you were to leave a piece of your work somewhere and come back to it with a "fresh pair of eyes," the whole process of editing and revising starts yet again. Now, I probably would not say i despise writing papers but maybe dread of it..which sounds a little bit better to me because that just means I would write the paper just for the heck of it and find out that the paper was not so bad after all.
With the help of Professor Crowther and my peers, I am now openly comfortable to let people read some of my work because in high school we would not go through the whole process of editing or revising as much as it was pushed in this class and so I would just write a paper the night before and not have anyone give me feedback. I have learned that critiques can be harsh, but it is okay because that just helps your paper bring forth what you are trying to say and help readers understand the message that you were trying to pull through. I have also found out that writing papers in MLA style is very crucial (so always check your margins!) and doing a works cited page isn't as hard as I thought it was ought to be because that seems to be a problem for a few of us.
Through this course, I can now say that I have happily improved from what I wanted to accomplish by the end of this semester which is to be more comfortable with the way I write, allow others to read my work, definitely take time to start papers early and not procrastinate, and little things like transitioning, putting each paragraph together to make the actual paper, and being able to form well structured thesis statements.
I would like to thank Professor Crowther for all the help that she has given me and for welcoming all of us at her house for a small get together and the amount of work she puts into grading our papers and commenting on all of them. I would also like to thank those who were able to help me on my papers and give me ideas and that everyone has a safe and wonderful summer!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Class Post II 4/28/10 Section G
While I was reading Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, one story about a woman who drinks vodka in order to rid of stage fright so that she can play the piano in front of a crowd made me think of one thing: getting/being drunk. I don't know what it is like to be drunk. I don't know if I would be able to digest what someone says or tells me when I am drunk. Or how I'd be thinking differently. I can't imagine the feeling of not knowing what is going on around me, or my reality, if I am drunk. But in a way, isn't getting drunk to be away from reality? I guess I'm so protective of what is going on around me, my reality, that I can't let it go. What do you think?
And Olive Kitteridge. I think we have all been Olive Kitteridge during some period of our lives. We feel unappreciated, and we show negativity, but we are all good-hearted in whatever we were trying to express. Through those experiences, we change. We become better and accept more easily. We find mysteries about ourselves and others that we can't figure out and wish we just had answers to. But we learn that not everything has an answer, at least not an answer that is definite. What matters is virtue, spontaneity, love, trust, faith, and so on. We find answers in those things. And we need to believe and fight on.
Review of "Bel Canto"
This past weekend, Theaterworks 2010 had put together three acts in one play and luckily, I was able to attend one of them. I stayed for first act which was, "Bel Canto", which means beautiful singing in Italian.
The scene began with a mother and her daughter, Phyll, in a cellar because there were warnings about a flood happening outside. By looking at the stage, the props and the way things were set up very much portrayed that of a stuffy cellar with nothing that worked but an old record player. The atmosphere of it all seemed a little bit tense and it was soon learned that the father of the family had walked out on them and the mother never takes it easy when the subject is being brought up. As they were about to get into a heated argument, Phyll's sister (can't remember her name) arrives from a night of going out. She comes back home from meeting with a friend and drunk. Their mother does not take this too easily and suddenly has a heart attack. Phyll and her sister had no choice but to leave their mother laying on the ground because no one was able to go out until the next morning because of the flood. As both sisters got the opportunity to talk, they both realize what they can now do with their life and what the problem was as to why everyone began to lash out at each other. Phyll is then told that her sister is pregnant and that she will be moving to Hawaii to do things that she wants to do with her life.
So, how is the title significant to the play? I think that Phyll realized that she is now free to do whatever she wants because it was usually her mother that was holding her back from what she wanted to do and from going out as well. She even cut connections off with a boy she was interested in (which is the same guy that got Phyll's sister pregnant). I think that her realization came from her sister's "beautiful singing" in which she is now capable of doing things that she use to enjoy, including singing opera. Although the way things ended were bittersweet for Phyll, I think it was an eye opener for her which could do tons of good.
The scene began with a mother and her daughter, Phyll, in a cellar because there were warnings about a flood happening outside. By looking at the stage, the props and the way things were set up very much portrayed that of a stuffy cellar with nothing that worked but an old record player. The atmosphere of it all seemed a little bit tense and it was soon learned that the father of the family had walked out on them and the mother never takes it easy when the subject is being brought up. As they were about to get into a heated argument, Phyll's sister (can't remember her name) arrives from a night of going out. She comes back home from meeting with a friend and drunk. Their mother does not take this too easily and suddenly has a heart attack. Phyll and her sister had no choice but to leave their mother laying on the ground because no one was able to go out until the next morning because of the flood. As both sisters got the opportunity to talk, they both realize what they can now do with their life and what the problem was as to why everyone began to lash out at each other. Phyll is then told that her sister is pregnant and that she will be moving to Hawaii to do things that she wants to do with her life.
So, how is the title significant to the play? I think that Phyll realized that she is now free to do whatever she wants because it was usually her mother that was holding her back from what she wanted to do and from going out as well. She even cut connections off with a boy she was interested in (which is the same guy that got Phyll's sister pregnant). I think that her realization came from her sister's "beautiful singing" in which she is now capable of doing things that she use to enjoy, including singing opera. Although the way things ended were bittersweet for Phyll, I think it was an eye opener for her which could do tons of good.
First Pick: The Lovely Bones
In “The Lovely Bones”, the protagonist of the story is a normal 14 year old American girl living during the 1970’s. However, the difference from other stories is that Susie Salmon was brutally raped, murdered, and dismembered. The story is of her family and the search for her murderer. She resides up above in heaven where she watches over her family. Meanwhile, her family grieves; she looks after them and her friends. Alice Sebold writes a story in which she draws from her own experience. Her other book, “Lucky” is a memoir in which she discusses her rape and her search for her rapist and the journey taken through the legal system. “Lucky” comes from the fact that she finds herself lucky because a woman was raped, murdered, and dismembered in the small alley that she was raped. Sebold‘s “The Lovely Bones” is about the other woman that was not so lucky.
“The Lovely Bones” begins with “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973” in this sentence the reader realizes that this story will be bluntly narrated (1). Nothing will be held back and details of her life and the lives of others will be revealed. Susie feels as though she was destined to misfortune when her grandmother says that since she saved Buckley’s life (Her younger brother) she is fortuned to live a long and happy life.
The search for Susie’s murderer begins to become interesting when Mr. Salmon suspects Mr. Harvey (who we know from the beginning of the novel is the murderer). Mr. Salmon heads out to the cornfield when he sees a light coming from there. Expecting to see Mr. Harvey he grabs a bat to confront him. Instead he is met by a young girl and her boyfriend. Mr. Salmon is attacked and hit with the bat. The novel introduces suspense in every chapter because after this incident Lindsey (Susie’s younger sister) still being suspicious, breaks into Mr. Harvey’s house and steals a drawing of the underground structure were Susie was murdered. However, Mr. Harvey leaves town. Mr. Harvey is not caught even though later there is evidence that makes him an official suspect.
Sebold’s title comes from a line towards the end of the novel in which she says:
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life (320).”
The lovely bones do not belong to the victim but to the idea that bones are the foundation on which living things are built. This is what gives Susie the strength and understanding to move on in heaven.
The novel introduces suspense and makes the reader develop an emotional attachment with not only Susie but also her entire family. Sebold was able to make her reader’s feel what her characters feel through life and death.
“The Lovely Bones” begins with “My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973” in this sentence the reader realizes that this story will be bluntly narrated (1). Nothing will be held back and details of her life and the lives of others will be revealed. Susie feels as though she was destined to misfortune when her grandmother says that since she saved Buckley’s life (Her younger brother) she is fortuned to live a long and happy life.
The search for Susie’s murderer begins to become interesting when Mr. Salmon suspects Mr. Harvey (who we know from the beginning of the novel is the murderer). Mr. Salmon heads out to the cornfield when he sees a light coming from there. Expecting to see Mr. Harvey he grabs a bat to confront him. Instead he is met by a young girl and her boyfriend. Mr. Salmon is attacked and hit with the bat. The novel introduces suspense in every chapter because after this incident Lindsey (Susie’s younger sister) still being suspicious, breaks into Mr. Harvey’s house and steals a drawing of the underground structure were Susie was murdered. However, Mr. Harvey leaves town. Mr. Harvey is not caught even though later there is evidence that makes him an official suspect.
Sebold’s title comes from a line towards the end of the novel in which she says:
“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent-that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life (320).”
The lovely bones do not belong to the victim but to the idea that bones are the foundation on which living things are built. This is what gives Susie the strength and understanding to move on in heaven.
The novel introduces suspense and makes the reader develop an emotional attachment with not only Susie but also her entire family. Sebold was able to make her reader’s feel what her characters feel through life and death.
Brief History of The Seminole Tribe of Florida
The Seminole Tribe of Florida is one of the most prosperous and most powerful among Native American tribes. Comprised of nearly four thousand members, The Seminole Tribe has grown in size and reputation. At the beginning of the twentieth century their main mean of income was tourism. Today the tribe has over seventy productive organizations and departments that are geared towards the future and advancement of it's members. In 1513, when the Spaniards landed in Florida, there were already nearly two-hundred thousand ancestors of the present day Seminole Tribe of Florida living and flourishing there. 1887, one hundred and twenty-one years ago, saw only two-hundred Seminole men, women and children living in the everglades swamps. This was who remained after three Seminole wars and countless attempts on the government's part to enforce the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This act resulted in what we know as the "Trail of Tears", one of the less honorable events in American history. For years afterward the Seminole people stayed and made Florida their home. The spirit of Osceola and Abiaka, war leaders who were brave and defiant towards the removal, resonates throughout the years in the attitudes and lifestyles of the Seminole people. This was especially apparent at the conclusion of World War Two when the Seminole Tribe of Florida was threatened with the termination of all governmental services and eviction from their reservations. These were a people, isolated, who rarely left the reservations for reasons other than religion and tourism, faced with the decision that would determine the future of their tribe. The United States of America did not think they could do it. They considered the Seminole people uneducated and incapable of non-traditional decision-making and leadership. If this super power was doubting their future, was there any hope for this small tribe of indians? On August 21, 1957 the Seminole tribe voted to adopt a charter and constitution in order to become a federally recognized tribe. In the beginning the tribe struggled but the tribe's leaders and it's members kept in mind the future of it's people and it is now one of the most respected tribes in the United States. If the Seminoles had given up in their pursuit of better lives, my life would be different, but today I appreciate what my ancestors, forefathers and foremothers did for my tribe. The story of the Seminole Tribe of Florida is a story of inspiration. One which everyone can look to and gather that there is no excuse why a person or a group of people can't overcome their situations and prosper.
Works Cited
Mitchell, Virgina. Seminole Tribe of Florida: Celebrating Fifty Years of the Signing of Our Constitution and Corporate Charter (Florida: Seminole Communications ©2007) Print. pgs. 5,34, 39, 57, 104-137
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
What I have learned in Dr. Katy's class.
To be honest, I was a little upset at the beginning of this class because I felt as if I were forced to take it. As a requirement for English, I had to take a 110 class before I could take a "fun" english class. My only choice was taking "Picking the Pulitzer" with Dr. K. because seriously, I had recieved my acceptance letter from Agnes Scott on Dec 11, 2009 and classes began on Jan 12, 2010. Therefore, I was (quite possibly) the last student on the planet to register for classes that late. There were three other English 110 classes, but all were full, so essentially...I was stuck with Dr. Crowther.
Then, to my utmost horror we begin our English class with (enter da da daaaa)...poetry. I was mortified. Not only am I not good with poetry, but I am not good with poetry. I explained this to Dr. Crowther thinking she might show a little favor, but she merely scoffed (here I am imagining the teacher who turned into the wicked witch and started singing "You'll shoot your eye out" to young Ralphie) and said: You'll do fine. It's just one one poem."
I can't speak for everyone in the class, but I thought I would do a stinking job and get an "F" on my first assignment in my favorite subject. Thanks Dr. Crowther. Fortunately, I recieved my first assignment back, and with trembling hands, took it, and slowly peeled back the front cover to expose my B. What? No A? What about all of the trouble I went through? The sleepless nights? The endless stream of oil sludge coffee? The lack of romanticism in my personal life?...yeah right. Maybe, if I had brought a basket of chocolate and force fed her she would have given me my so desired A...But hey, it didn't work for Ralphie and the fruit basket did it?
Putting the fun aside, I was ecstatic about my B and it gave me a bit of confidence with the other assignments (although now that I think about it, my next assignment was a C). But I still had confidence. Not once did I feel that I couldn't do the work in Eng 110. There were times, however, that I didn't want to do it. Dr. Crowther has this thing...this aroma? aura? essence? about her that makes you want to do your best. I was trying to impress her with my smartness, and ended up impressing myself. Impressive isn't it?
She was funny when she was exasperated (remember when she explained the difference between it's and its?...how about proper MLA formatting?) and intimidating, but not on purpose.
All in all, I learned that I can critique someone elses work besides my own, and that somehow, someway, I'd like to be as articulate and well versed in literature as Dr. Crowther is. I can do it, and I'm not as bad at analyzing poetry as I thought I was.
Then, to my utmost horror we begin our English class with (enter da da daaaa)...poetry. I was mortified. Not only am I not good with poetry, but I am not good with poetry. I explained this to Dr. Crowther thinking she might show a little favor, but she merely scoffed (here I am imagining the teacher who turned into the wicked witch and started singing "You'll shoot your eye out" to young Ralphie) and said: You'll do fine. It's just one one poem."
I can't speak for everyone in the class, but I thought I would do a stinking job and get an "F" on my first assignment in my favorite subject. Thanks Dr. Crowther. Fortunately, I recieved my first assignment back, and with trembling hands, took it, and slowly peeled back the front cover to expose my B. What? No A? What about all of the trouble I went through? The sleepless nights? The endless stream of oil sludge coffee? The lack of romanticism in my personal life?...yeah right. Maybe, if I had brought a basket of chocolate and force fed her she would have given me my so desired A...But hey, it didn't work for Ralphie and the fruit basket did it?
Putting the fun aside, I was ecstatic about my B and it gave me a bit of confidence with the other assignments (although now that I think about it, my next assignment was a C). But I still had confidence. Not once did I feel that I couldn't do the work in Eng 110. There were times, however, that I didn't want to do it. Dr. Crowther has this thing...this aroma? aura? essence? about her that makes you want to do your best. I was trying to impress her with my smartness, and ended up impressing myself. Impressive isn't it?
She was funny when she was exasperated (remember when she explained the difference between it's and its?...how about proper MLA formatting?) and intimidating, but not on purpose.
All in all, I learned that I can critique someone elses work besides my own, and that somehow, someway, I'd like to be as articulate and well versed in literature as Dr. Crowther is. I can do it, and I'm not as bad at analyzing poetry as I thought I was.
What This All Led To - Reflection
When I was registering for classes this Spring, I was dreading ENG-110 because there were so many options to choose from, but none that would fit my schedule. I finally chose to register for "Picking the Pulitzer: Becoming a Modern Literary Critic" with much hesitation. I read great comments about Professor Crowther, but she was last here in 2005! A lot could have changed in those five years I reminded myself. Not knowing what to expect, I walked in class ready to be disappointed. Becoming a Modern Literary Critic was never a goal of mine, nor did it interest me. I thought I would dread this class and the assignments we would be given, but I am happy to say that I have learned a lot and am glad I decided to take this class.
I liked that Professor Crowther had us set goals for ourselves the first few classes because it allowed me to determine what I wanted to get from this class. It made me realize that I cannot accomplish something I don't know--I had to expect or want something to know where to go and what to work towards. And so I told myself I wanted "to learn to first understand complicated literature so I can fully appreciate it as an art. I want to learn to enjoy reading and to read more. I also hope to improve my analytical and comprehension skills and maybe have a new favorite book after this class." These seemed to be a bit ambitious, but I wanted range so I could at least land somewhere in those goals.
Though learning to analyze literature was not fun at the beginning, I have come to believe that I could overcome any literary analysis paper that is assigned. After explicating Native Guard, I began to gain confidence in my potential and abilities--I felt like I was on top of the world. Looking back at the writer I was pre-ENG-110, I am able to say that I have accomplished my goal of improving my analytical and comprehension skills. Having to write about things that I couldn't see before in books allowed me to realize that my perspective on literature was skewed. It only took some close-reading to really understand what an author is trying to say and realize that things are done on purpose to convey a message.
Though I still may not like reading much at all, I feel my appreciation for literature from having to analyze so many different things has made it easier and more likely for me to read. I would not say that I have any new favorites books because Harry Potter is still my love, I have books I do like and enjoy.
Overall, I appreciate all the ideas everyone presented in class and hearing everyone's perspective has really taught me to realize my own voice as a writer. I hope everyone else enjoyed and learned as much about themselves as writers as I did and I know this wouldn't be possible without Professor Crowther. Thank you for being such great motivation and help in making this class enjoyable and aiding us in becoming little modern literary critics.
I liked that Professor Crowther had us set goals for ourselves the first few classes because it allowed me to determine what I wanted to get from this class. It made me realize that I cannot accomplish something I don't know--I had to expect or want something to know where to go and what to work towards. And so I told myself I wanted "to learn to first understand complicated literature so I can fully appreciate it as an art. I want to learn to enjoy reading and to read more. I also hope to improve my analytical and comprehension skills and maybe have a new favorite book after this class." These seemed to be a bit ambitious, but I wanted range so I could at least land somewhere in those goals.
Though learning to analyze literature was not fun at the beginning, I have come to believe that I could overcome any literary analysis paper that is assigned. After explicating Native Guard, I began to gain confidence in my potential and abilities--I felt like I was on top of the world. Looking back at the writer I was pre-ENG-110, I am able to say that I have accomplished my goal of improving my analytical and comprehension skills. Having to write about things that I couldn't see before in books allowed me to realize that my perspective on literature was skewed. It only took some close-reading to really understand what an author is trying to say and realize that things are done on purpose to convey a message.
Though I still may not like reading much at all, I feel my appreciation for literature from having to analyze so many different things has made it easier and more likely for me to read. I would not say that I have any new favorites books because Harry Potter is still my love, I have books I do like and enjoy.
Overall, I appreciate all the ideas everyone presented in class and hearing everyone's perspective has really taught me to realize my own voice as a writer. I hope everyone else enjoyed and learned as much about themselves as writers as I did and I know this wouldn't be possible without Professor Crowther. Thank you for being such great motivation and help in making this class enjoyable and aiding us in becoming little modern literary critics.
Paper #4
In writing this paper, I discovered something about myself. I have never actually written a book review. Some of you may think this is sad, but I literally had to Google "How to write a book review" at three o'clock in the morning to get this paper finished! I kept saying to myself, "I know to include a summary and opinion, but what else?" It's like for that moment, everything I had learned in class went right out the window! Then when I read the guide, I remembered. "Duh! Characters! Themes! Be a critic, Caela!" I laughed at myself, which reduced a little stress, by the way. I just thought I'd share that little story. Feel free to laugh at me. I know I did.
Class Reflection
Hey Guys,
I was wondering what everybody in the class thought about the class overall. What was fun? What were the biggest challenges? What did you take from the class?
I enjoyed some of the discussions we had. However, to be honest, a few put me to sleep. My biggest challenge, other than getting up in the morning, was definitely the papers. I was never good at writing papers and must admit that I struggled in trying to finish them on time. Getting help was also new to me, though. However, asking for help was the best thing I could have done.
This class opened my eyes to different types of literature. I never liked poetry, but this class gave me the chance to give poetry a chance. Although the poems we read weren't exactly my favorites, I learned to close read and understand them. The same with short stories. Reading Atonement was also a big challenge. The first part was so boring (no offense) and hard for me to comprehend because I couldn't give it my full attention. Then, when we discussed it in class, I thought "Oh, now I get it!" Ironically, that was the easiest paper for me to write.
Overall, I enjoyed the class and what I got from it. Dr. Crowther was a great professor this semester.
What do you guys think?
Class Reflection
I cannot believe that this English class will be over in thirteen hours! Time flies and I will definitely miss this whole class, professor Crowther’s long dress, and miss the feeling of going to a class on Tuesday and Thursday when the campus is still in its dreams. Sorry to be emotional at the beginning, but throughout the semester, I really enjoyed it. I also learned a lot during the semester and among those I learned, the most important is that I become more aware of the fact that everybody has the equal right to read and write.
Originally from China, I have only seven years’ experience of learning and using English. Even after staying here for several months, I still feel weak in reading and writing. I used to keep English literature far away from me. One reason is that I am afraid my insufficient knowledge of the new language and culture will hold me back from understanding the works. I feel even more inferior when it comes to literature criticism. I always have the idea that I am be the last person on earth who has the authority to criticize those native articles and books written by well-known authors. I used to read literature only for appreciating, or as a good way to learn English. With that kind of idea in mind, I never tried to be critical when I read English works. I always think unconsciously that “Those writers are far better than me. How can they be wrong? How can their arguments lames?”
But now, after the semester of training to be a critic, I find myself more and more confident in critical writing. And once I begin to write like that, I become a more critical reader too. It is so true what professor Crowther said the other day: “It (the critical reading) is like a pair of glasses you take on, and once you take on, you wear it all your life, it is hard to take it off.” I began to feel myself questioning the writings of CNN news when I read every morning. I become more and more aware of my own right of reading and writing.
At the beginning of the semester, I wrote down several goals for the course, which includes to have a more complex and diverse knowledge of vocabulary, strategies of critical reading, how to give critical comments on the reading material. At the end of the semester, after writing four critical reading papers, I can proudly say that I achieved the goals I set earlier. Yet even more proudly I can say, that I have conquered the inferior feeling of reading and writing. Now I truly believe that everyone has the equal right to read and write and of course to criticize!
Originally from China, I have only seven years’ experience of learning and using English. Even after staying here for several months, I still feel weak in reading and writing. I used to keep English literature far away from me. One reason is that I am afraid my insufficient knowledge of the new language and culture will hold me back from understanding the works. I feel even more inferior when it comes to literature criticism. I always have the idea that I am be the last person on earth who has the authority to criticize those native articles and books written by well-known authors. I used to read literature only for appreciating, or as a good way to learn English. With that kind of idea in mind, I never tried to be critical when I read English works. I always think unconsciously that “Those writers are far better than me. How can they be wrong? How can their arguments lames?”
But now, after the semester of training to be a critic, I find myself more and more confident in critical writing. And once I begin to write like that, I become a more critical reader too. It is so true what professor Crowther said the other day: “It (the critical reading) is like a pair of glasses you take on, and once you take on, you wear it all your life, it is hard to take it off.” I began to feel myself questioning the writings of CNN news when I read every morning. I become more and more aware of my own right of reading and writing.
At the beginning of the semester, I wrote down several goals for the course, which includes to have a more complex and diverse knowledge of vocabulary, strategies of critical reading, how to give critical comments on the reading material. At the end of the semester, after writing four critical reading papers, I can proudly say that I achieved the goals I set earlier. Yet even more proudly I can say, that I have conquered the inferior feeling of reading and writing. Now I truly believe that everyone has the equal right to read and write and of course to criticize!
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Pulitzer is Following Me
This is a warning: the topics discussed in our class will follow you where ever you go.
I have a very interesting story to tell today. This past weekend I went home with one of my friends to Midway, Georgia which is near Savannah. We decided to stop at the old cemetery there because it is known for ghost encounters and all those shenanigans. Here are some photos which don't to it justice for the creepiness...but it will give you an idea.
Those are just two veiwpoints and what was beyond the wall was enough to give you chill bumps. Many confederate soldiers and their families are buried here along with hundreds of people from that time period.
Anyways, on to the interesting part of my story. We quickly walked past an information wall and something caught my eye...the word "Pulitzer." I stopped to read knowing this would be something interesting to blog about!
The winner of the 1982 Pulitzer prize was a work entitled "Mary Chesnut's Civil War" edited by C. Vann Woodward. Which is a rendition of a book called "The Children of Pride: A True Story of Georgia and the Civil War" written by Robert Mason Myers. This book consist of letters sent to and from a highly influential person in Liberty County Georgia during the Civil War, Reverend Charles Colcock Jones. Jones owned a plantation and served as a missionary to slaves. He,himself, did not believe in the institution of slavery.
It was at the Midway Graveyard that Reverend Charles Colcock Jones is buried along with his wife and 2 of his children. I was able to take a picture (althought low in quality) of the information wall as well as Jones' grave.
This is where I caught site of the information.
This is the grave site of Reverend Charles Colcock Jones.
I found all of this very interesting and was excited to do research and find out about the book and the Reverend himself and I hope you found my findings interesting too!
I have a very interesting story to tell today. This past weekend I went home with one of my friends to Midway, Georgia which is near Savannah. We decided to stop at the old cemetery there because it is known for ghost encounters and all those shenanigans. Here are some photos which don't to it justice for the creepiness...but it will give you an idea.
Those are just two veiwpoints and what was beyond the wall was enough to give you chill bumps. Many confederate soldiers and their families are buried here along with hundreds of people from that time period.
Anyways, on to the interesting part of my story. We quickly walked past an information wall and something caught my eye...the word "Pulitzer." I stopped to read knowing this would be something interesting to blog about!
The winner of the 1982 Pulitzer prize was a work entitled "Mary Chesnut's Civil War" edited by C. Vann Woodward. Which is a rendition of a book called "The Children of Pride: A True Story of Georgia and the Civil War" written by Robert Mason Myers. This book consist of letters sent to and from a highly influential person in Liberty County Georgia during the Civil War, Reverend Charles Colcock Jones. Jones owned a plantation and served as a missionary to slaves. He,himself, did not believe in the institution of slavery.
It was at the Midway Graveyard that Reverend Charles Colcock Jones is buried along with his wife and 2 of his children. I was able to take a picture (althought low in quality) of the information wall as well as Jones' grave.
This is where I caught site of the information.
This is the grave site of Reverend Charles Colcock Jones.
I found all of this very interesting and was excited to do research and find out about the book and the Reverend himself and I hope you found my findings interesting too!
Blogging with Alice Walker
A few weeks ago I went to Alice Walker's lecture at Georgia State University. She is quite a character and someone who can be greatly learned from. One of the first things that I was anticipating before we arrived was, "What is she going to be talking about?" She didn't have any recent publishings to my knowledge.
Well when she began to speak she immediately answered my question. She said, "I'm going to talk about me." Which makes sense. Beyond that, though, she began to talk about her life and perception of our most recent history, which I found very fascinating. She claimed to have retired from her writing career, even though most of her lecture consisted of readings from the blog she constantly writes in.
In a way, hearing from her blogs was more rewarding to me than reading any of her books. They are first-hand, immediate accounts of her views, not necessarily of civil rights anymore, but of modern whereabouts that she records her thoughts on. For example, she writes a lot about her chickens. Forget equality of race! "Why did the chicken cross the road?" she says, "to bring us both to the other side." She tells us of her experience communing harmoniously with 12(?) chickens that roam her backyard. She also blogged a beautiful poem in memory of Michael Jackson and talked about the present hardship of American farmers and the troubles with technological development.
What is interesting to me about the idea of Alice Walker blogging is that we get to listen to her mind develop as society does. To be honest, I almost expected her to talk about things that happened 50 years ago, but it was very impressive to me that her perception updated as the world did, and she sees some of the problems that occurred 50 years ago tumble down the line into 2010.
Alice Walker's blogs are an account of her continuous thoughts, like a journal or a blueprint of her mind, that is so easy to learn from. I never realized the benefit of blogging, but apparently it can be just as valuable of a historic artifact as classic literature.
Well when she began to speak she immediately answered my question. She said, "I'm going to talk about me." Which makes sense. Beyond that, though, she began to talk about her life and perception of our most recent history, which I found very fascinating. She claimed to have retired from her writing career, even though most of her lecture consisted of readings from the blog she constantly writes in.
In a way, hearing from her blogs was more rewarding to me than reading any of her books. They are first-hand, immediate accounts of her views, not necessarily of civil rights anymore, but of modern whereabouts that she records her thoughts on. For example, she writes a lot about her chickens. Forget equality of race! "Why did the chicken cross the road?" she says, "to bring us both to the other side." She tells us of her experience communing harmoniously with 12(?) chickens that roam her backyard. She also blogged a beautiful poem in memory of Michael Jackson and talked about the present hardship of American farmers and the troubles with technological development.
What is interesting to me about the idea of Alice Walker blogging is that we get to listen to her mind develop as society does. To be honest, I almost expected her to talk about things that happened 50 years ago, but it was very impressive to me that her perception updated as the world did, and she sees some of the problems that occurred 50 years ago tumble down the line into 2010.
Alice Walker's blogs are an account of her continuous thoughts, like a journal or a blueprint of her mind, that is so easy to learn from. I never realized the benefit of blogging, but apparently it can be just as valuable of a historic artifact as classic literature.
Finding Literature Outside of Books and Outside of the Classroom
As we’ve talked about in class, it’s difficult now, after taking this class, to read a lot of things or watch television shows without “close reading” them and analyzing them and their meanings. I’d noticed this a few times before, but nothing really stuck out to me too much. Personally, I’ve begun to do this with music too, looking into the lyrics of the music to see if I could identify any literary devices and being critical of the writing of the song. I especially noticed this after my Joyful Noise concert last Wednesday night when I couldn’t help but notice the true poetry that is such a vital part of the music.
All of the songs from our concert told stories, as does a lot of gospel music. Also, although the songs are very personal and sung with feeling coming from the performer, they are relatable to many people. The songs are used as a type of testimony or praise outside of a church (or within some churches.) These songs are easy to catch on to because of the large amount of repetition used. The repetition is not only so that it is enjoyable to the audience, but more so that a greater amount of people can sing the songs and they are easier to remember. Even though the music sounds complicated and uses multi-part harmony in the verses and refrain, they are typically easy to catch on to after only one or two times listening to the song.
One particular song that has stayed with me is “Help Me Believe,” originally performed by Kirk Franklin. The chorus of the song is as follows:
“Help me believe, can I believe,
Let me believe, I wanna believe.
I’ve been here before
And can’t take that hurt again”
It is easy to see the repetition included here, even in just this small section of the song. The chorus itself is also repeated several times throughout the song, and the verses in between all have the same melody, only with different wording to continue the story of a man’s journey in discovering his own beliefs.
I thought this was important to share with the class because I know I’m not the only one who has begun to have a tendency to pick apart everything they read now as a critic. For me it happened with music, I think I’d be interesting to know what everyone else is learning to look at with a critical eye too!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
"Not For Robots" by Laini Taylor
I used to think that I hated writing. In high school, whenever I had a writing assignment (a paper or story), it would take me FOREVER to put anything down on paper. I had pretty severe writer's block and I would end up pretty exhausted by the time I was through with the dumb thing.
But after randomly finding this site, everything made sense. Simply put, I'm just a perfectionist. Like Taylor says, I find writing "both glorious and maddening, necessary and impossible, dazzling and stupifying." In other words, people who find writing easy more than likely don't work as hard at it as those who find it hard and work hard in order to obtain their desired grade. (For those of you who find writing papers easy AND get good grades on them, I envy you.)
Even if you don't think about writing in those extremes, this is a pretty interesting and somewhat entertaining site. First, she talks about her personal story as someone who always dreamed of being a writer, but never really got to it because of how difficult it is to actually sit down and force yourself to do it. Proceeding it is a series of blogs that are meant to be helpful for writers, such as "ideas and brainstorming," "exploratory drafts," "some important decisions," "methods to my madness," "hardwork & revisions," and "getting published." Her ideas are really easy and amusing to read. She uses a lot of quotes and helpful metaphors, such as relating brainstorming ideas to a "seed." Taylor is also very relatable, using her own experiences writing to walk you through her advice.
Probably my favorite part of the website is the giant list of insightful quotes that run down the right side of the page. Here is a list of some of my favorites:
"A writer is someone to whom writing is more difficult than it is to other people."- Thomas Mann
"The only way [the book can be written] is to set the unbook -- the gilt-framed portrait of the book -- right there on the altar and sacrifice it, truly sacrifice it. Only then may the book, the real live flawed finite book, slowly, sentence by carnal sentence, appear."-Bonnie Friedman
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."-Mark Twain
"Looking back, I imagine I was always writing. Twaddle it was too. But far better to write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all."-Katherine Mansfield
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."- Chekhov
I recomend taking a look at this site. It's like a blog, so it's pretty easy to read, to the point, and really laid back. Simply put, she allowed me to see the act of writing in a new light. The expression of language is really hard!
But after randomly finding this site, everything made sense. Simply put, I'm just a perfectionist. Like Taylor says, I find writing "both glorious and maddening, necessary and impossible, dazzling and stupifying." In other words, people who find writing easy more than likely don't work as hard at it as those who find it hard and work hard in order to obtain their desired grade. (For those of you who find writing papers easy AND get good grades on them, I envy you.)
Even if you don't think about writing in those extremes, this is a pretty interesting and somewhat entertaining site. First, she talks about her personal story as someone who always dreamed of being a writer, but never really got to it because of how difficult it is to actually sit down and force yourself to do it. Proceeding it is a series of blogs that are meant to be helpful for writers, such as "ideas and brainstorming," "exploratory drafts," "some important decisions," "methods to my madness," "hardwork & revisions," and "getting published." Her ideas are really easy and amusing to read. She uses a lot of quotes and helpful metaphors, such as relating brainstorming ideas to a "seed." Taylor is also very relatable, using her own experiences writing to walk you through her advice.
Probably my favorite part of the website is the giant list of insightful quotes that run down the right side of the page. Here is a list of some of my favorites:
"A writer is someone to whom writing is more difficult than it is to other people."- Thomas Mann
"The only way [the book can be written] is to set the unbook -- the gilt-framed portrait of the book -- right there on the altar and sacrifice it, truly sacrifice it. Only then may the book, the real live flawed finite book, slowly, sentence by carnal sentence, appear."-Bonnie Friedman
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."-Mark Twain
"Looking back, I imagine I was always writing. Twaddle it was too. But far better to write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all."-Katherine Mansfield
"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."- Chekhov
I recomend taking a look at this site. It's like a blog, so it's pretty easy to read, to the point, and really laid back. Simply put, she allowed me to see the act of writing in a new light. The expression of language is really hard!
Representations of Individuals and Culture through Literature
In the Tibet through Film and Literature course I am taking, while recently trying to catch up on my reading, I have read numerous articles about the Tibetan people and how non-Tibetans view them. Although this is not specifically directed toward the English 110 course, I think it is applicable because no matter what genre we read, the author is presenting a situation, a culture, or a person in a certain way that affects the reader.
In the class about Tibet, I have come across many articles by Western authors that depict Tibet as what is commonly called a “Shangri-La,” which is a utopian, mystical society with magical powers. Because creative writers, and even some scholarly writers, portray Tibet as a spiritually enhanced place, the average Western readers thinks of Tibetans as primitive people who are seriously spiritual and have clairvoyance. However, the reality is Tibet is not a Shangri-La society with magical influences. Because many Westerners are unknowledgeable of the Tibetan way of life, they accept this depiction of Tibet.
Another example of people being portrayed a certain way is found in Natasha Tretheway’s Native Guard. Her deeply personal life paralleling a historical truth is the muse for her outstanding poems. An issue to think about is how Tretheway represents the groups of people found in her poems: herself, her mother, the African-American Union Soldiers, and her mother’s second husband. One interpretation is Tretheway compares herself and mother to the African-American Union soldiers are martyrs while demonizing her mother’s second husband and history’s lack of recognition for the Union Soldiers. This causes the reader to sympathize with Tretheway, and the reader takes in exactly what Tretheway intends for him or her to: Tretheway, her mother, and the Union Soldiers story evokes sorrow and a sense of courageousness, while society and Tretheway’s stepfather play the role of the bad guys. Tretheway constructs her poems with purpose to make the reader see a particular situation the way she does.
An final, primary example of people being depicted in a specific light according to the author or narrator is in the novel Atonement. Ian McEwan purposefully offers all of the main characters’ perspectives, and what the reader learns from this literary technique is the story changes depending on the teller. Subject to who is narrating at the time, the reader’s thoughts are influenced by that person, regardless of whether or not he or she agrees. The point is the narrator is revealing an event or person in the manner the narrator wants the reader, as well as other characters, to see. A case where this is obviously evident is with Briony. Through Briony’s representation of Robbie, she convinces most of the other characters in the novel to follow her suit. Even though the reader is set up to hate Briony and does not agree with her portrayal of Robbie, she manipulates the other characters to see her point of view.
Now, I am left with thoughts when reading new texts about how a person, situation, or culture is portrayed. As I write more papers, essays, journals, or blogs, these thoughts further develop into wondering how I am portraying a group of people. What perspective am I trying to convince to my reader? Am I biased because of lack of knowledge, personal upbringing, or culture? I encourage you, classmates, to look for this in both academic and pleasure readings. What is the author telling you about a person or culture? Are they believable? Also, as I will strive to do, we might try taking a step back to look at our own writing.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The German invaders
I want to share with all of you this really amusing story that came up in the conversation on Friday during an orientation meeting I was attending for my summer internship in Germany.
We were having a question and answer break with two German interns who had just recently been hired by the German Chamber of Commerce for a year long internship. We were four American participants and we were curious to know some of the main cultural differences they had observed since they arrived.
One woman shared an anecdote she had recently experienced. A colleague invited her one morning to a concert that was taking place the following evening, offering to give her the extra ticket. Excited, she said she would love to come and marked it in her calendar. The next day, she asked this same colleague what time he would like to meet to go to the concert. She described his reaction as a mix of confusion and a sudden loss of memory. After a few seconds, he told her that in fact, he had another person coming with him so the ticket was no longer available. She felt hurt and disappointed, especially because her fellow German intern had asked her earlier if she would like to go out that same evening. She had declined the invitation because she had committed to going to the concert. The funny part of the story was when they both confirmed that in Germany, when someone invites you somewhere or when someone asks if you would like to do something, they really mean it or else, they would not bother to say so.
They left us with this little warning: "If you don't really want a German on your sofa, don't say it would be nice to have them over sometime. If you do, then be prepared to have a German knock on your door and eating your snacks."
I laughed at this little story because I can imagine this "German" showing up at some one's house, unexpectedly in your understanding but full of expectations from his understanding. Would that not be a great story line for a short movie?
I have myself experienced many, many cultural misunderstandings and continue to be amused and startled every time it happens. Why do we all understand things differently? Doesn't that in some ways reflect itself in our daily encounters on campus or even off campus? Luckily, they usually just provoke some slight momentary discomfort. I remember feeling confused as a child because I couldn't understand why everyone said hello to me in the US, having been accustomed to French cold shoulders or why I HAD to have both my hands visible on the dinner table in a French setting whereas at my grandmother' s in Virginia, that was considered a rudeness. She ate with one hand on her lap.
I still have not been able to get used to is calling a professor or a person with a higher position than me by his or her first name, ie a member of the school's faculty. Never, never could I imagine doing that overseas without shattering centuries of learned behavior.
I thought these observations would interest the class, as we have read novels about how meaningful gestures and behaviors can be and how a few small misinterpretations can alter one's story line.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Words Matter
Yes, actions speak louder than words but words...words speak volumes.
Our generation has been both blessed and cursed by the rapid improvements in technology. As a friend of mine put it "the Internet is the bullhorn for our generation, it's how we're heard." After clicking away at a computer for a number of hours talking to friends in other states and other countries I realized that he is absolutely right. Not only does our generation rely on the Internet but we are becoming increasingly dependent on the written, or more appropriately, the symbolic language.
Every single day billions (if not trillions) of text messages are sent across the US. We check our Facebook at least five times a day and we receive emails regularly. The same expressions that were once sprayed along the sides of trains and buildings are now taking the form of rants and blogs. Expect to see every major moment in our history on Facebook or twitter. Though I came into English 110 expecting to me disappointed but the irrelevance of the class to my daily life, I was wrong. In this day of communication it is more important than ever to understand how to write and interpret writing. Almost everything we communicate so how becomes a form of writing. We create our own shorthands and languages and adapt spelling to compensate for limited space or access to letters just like those who came before us.
I imagine years from now anthropologists will look at the past two decades as a period of extreme literary transition. The transition from one medium of literature to another and all of the changes in language meaning and use will either tell them a lot, or appear to be nothing more than gibberish.
End of the semester celebration!
Dear All
To celebrate the completion of an awesome semester, I'd like to invite everyone to come for pizza and snacks at my house next week. I've come up with possible days/times, so please vote in the comments for the one you'd prefer. I'll pick the one that gets the most votes.
The options are:
Tuesday, April 27 (last day of class) at 5pm
Tuesday April 27 at 7pm
Wednesday April 28 at 5pm
Let me know what works for you!
KC
To celebrate the completion of an awesome semester, I'd like to invite everyone to come for pizza and snacks at my house next week. I've come up with possible days/times, so please vote in the comments for the one you'd prefer. I'll pick the one that gets the most votes.
The options are:
Tuesday, April 27 (last day of class) at 5pm
Tuesday April 27 at 7pm
Wednesday April 28 at 5pm
Let me know what works for you!
KC
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Reflection on English 110 and general engilsh writing in my freshman year
When I look back at my first literary critique, which is written only for fun before I came to Agnes Scott and is never handed in, and compare it to my essays after the first year of college with courses in history, political science and English 110, I see an amazing progress on English essay writing, especially the focus of thesis statement and the weight of analysis. However, while I am glad that my improvement is obvious, English 110, a course that really focuses on “literature,” raises a question to me on the issue of international students being forced to learn English writing skills.
My first essay is on Wuthering Heights. This is the first English novel that I analyze in detail, not the first English novel I read obviously. Although it is fairly long (about 14 pages in MLA format), in retrospective, I do not feel good about it at all because there is no thesis. I still remember how ambitious I am on the first essay I am going to write in English so that I tried to include everything in it. However, someday this semester while I am reading the assignment of English 110 on the introduction to different types of literary critiques, I realize how naïve I was of the ambitiousness of my first essay. Even the most profound and experienced critics cannot include everything in a single essay; I dared trying to write an epic? It is a shame to me because it reminds me of an ancient Chinese saying that only those who are ignorant dare try everything. Only after finishing the literary critique on The Storm and a historical analysis on Atonement did I realize how important narrowing down a thesis is. Only by focusing on a suitable coverage of thesis according to the pages of the essay can I really reach the point of making MY argument. That is the first thing I learnt in my freshman year.
The second thing I realize on retrospective of my first essay is the endless quotations and the lacking of analysis. I used to think that by direct quoting, readers will understand the point I try to make because the text is copied exactly onto my paper. However, only after several times of peer editing when I see the same problem taking place on others that I cannot understand what others are talking about did I realize how rarely ideas can be expressed only from quotation without analysis. Or to put it in another way, quotation is only supplementary. It is nevertheless others’ intellectual property. A liberal arts education should teach me how to think critically, not by imitating, but by creating. Probably the difference between studying in high school and in a college is the relationship between knowledge and the students. In high school, we are knowledge importers. We learn what is written in the text books, memorizing facts (at least it is the way in my country, China.) However, in college, we are supposed to transit to a knowledge exporter by providing our own opinions and giving evidence and analysis to support our argument. I know it is a long way to go to be a true exporter; but at least, I am clear of the qualitative difference and it will take time to make quantitative improvement.
While I see my progress in English writing, I become more aware of the gap and challenge for international students studying in a college conducted in their second language. No matter how clear our structure is, how logic our transitions are, and how interesting the thesis statement is, the subtle vocabulary choices and ways of expressions are not that can be learnt in a short period of time. We are not born with an innate understanding of English. There is still a gap between our mother tongue and the second language. While English writing might be difficult enough for English-speaking students, it is MUCH harder for us because language might be our biggest problem in expressing ideas. It always happens on international students that we know what we want to express, but could not find the correct words or the way of phrasing. However, by choosing to study abroad, we are forced to the same starting line with other domestic students. I sometimes question the system of English 110 because it is unfair for us to be put into the same classroom with American students because we are actually not at the SAME starting point. However, is there any better way for us? Nevertheless, we are supposed to, or I would rather say, we choose to get involved into the English-speaking environment as quickly as possible and the learning of how to write in English and all the formats along with is the must-step for us. We have pretexts to complain, but there is no way we can escape.
After the first-year in college, I am happy I have made huge improvement on my writing because that’s the first step to express my ideas and to be a serious critic. I am also aware of the challenges in front of international students but the only way we should choose is to face them and put more diligence into writing to catch up with domestic students. I feel my vocabulary is not diverse enough and I need to learn the nuances between similar words to make my future writing more understandable and clearer. That’s my goal for the summer.
My first essay is on Wuthering Heights. This is the first English novel that I analyze in detail, not the first English novel I read obviously. Although it is fairly long (about 14 pages in MLA format), in retrospective, I do not feel good about it at all because there is no thesis. I still remember how ambitious I am on the first essay I am going to write in English so that I tried to include everything in it. However, someday this semester while I am reading the assignment of English 110 on the introduction to different types of literary critiques, I realize how naïve I was of the ambitiousness of my first essay. Even the most profound and experienced critics cannot include everything in a single essay; I dared trying to write an epic? It is a shame to me because it reminds me of an ancient Chinese saying that only those who are ignorant dare try everything. Only after finishing the literary critique on The Storm and a historical analysis on Atonement did I realize how important narrowing down a thesis is. Only by focusing on a suitable coverage of thesis according to the pages of the essay can I really reach the point of making MY argument. That is the first thing I learnt in my freshman year.
The second thing I realize on retrospective of my first essay is the endless quotations and the lacking of analysis. I used to think that by direct quoting, readers will understand the point I try to make because the text is copied exactly onto my paper. However, only after several times of peer editing when I see the same problem taking place on others that I cannot understand what others are talking about did I realize how rarely ideas can be expressed only from quotation without analysis. Or to put it in another way, quotation is only supplementary. It is nevertheless others’ intellectual property. A liberal arts education should teach me how to think critically, not by imitating, but by creating. Probably the difference between studying in high school and in a college is the relationship between knowledge and the students. In high school, we are knowledge importers. We learn what is written in the text books, memorizing facts (at least it is the way in my country, China.) However, in college, we are supposed to transit to a knowledge exporter by providing our own opinions and giving evidence and analysis to support our argument. I know it is a long way to go to be a true exporter; but at least, I am clear of the qualitative difference and it will take time to make quantitative improvement.
While I see my progress in English writing, I become more aware of the gap and challenge for international students studying in a college conducted in their second language. No matter how clear our structure is, how logic our transitions are, and how interesting the thesis statement is, the subtle vocabulary choices and ways of expressions are not that can be learnt in a short period of time. We are not born with an innate understanding of English. There is still a gap between our mother tongue and the second language. While English writing might be difficult enough for English-speaking students, it is MUCH harder for us because language might be our biggest problem in expressing ideas. It always happens on international students that we know what we want to express, but could not find the correct words or the way of phrasing. However, by choosing to study abroad, we are forced to the same starting line with other domestic students. I sometimes question the system of English 110 because it is unfair for us to be put into the same classroom with American students because we are actually not at the SAME starting point. However, is there any better way for us? Nevertheless, we are supposed to, or I would rather say, we choose to get involved into the English-speaking environment as quickly as possible and the learning of how to write in English and all the formats along with is the must-step for us. We have pretexts to complain, but there is no way we can escape.
After the first-year in college, I am happy I have made huge improvement on my writing because that’s the first step to express my ideas and to be a serious critic. I am also aware of the challenges in front of international students but the only way we should choose is to face them and put more diligence into writing to catch up with domestic students. I feel my vocabulary is not diverse enough and I need to learn the nuances between similar words to make my future writing more understandable and clearer. That’s my goal for the summer.
SPARC: The Quiverfull movement,Manifest Destiny, and 19 Kids and Counting
Yesterday, I was able to attend four different SPARC presentations based on political science-based subjects. However, the one that I found the most interesting, and the most relatable to non-political science majors was one presentation on the Quiverfulls and the Duggars from the famous show: 19 Kids and Counting.The presenter argued that the Quiverfull movement is a form of manifest destiny and that the Duggar children are used as a commodity of the far right to balance out the influx of outside ideologies and races.
For those of you who don’t know, manifest destiny is a concept that surfaced around the 19th century that is often used in conjunction with the United States’ idea that we were destined by god to expand across North America. It was also used to justify the war with Mexico in the 1800s and justify all expansion efforts under the reason that we were destined by god to save people by defending democracy and fighting for god.
Also, for those of you who don’t know(I certainly did not until yesterday) the Quiverfulls are a Christian sect who believe that it is up to god to “close the womb” and until they will have as many children “as god gives them”(this is how the Duggars ended up with 19 children). This movement started during the women’s rights/feminism era in which Mary Pride listed many different quotes from the bible to justify what she felt were “a woman’s duties.” She felt as though women should move away from the radical feminism and go back to basics when women raised children and took care of the home under the authority of their husbands. The name for this movement came from the psalms verse stating that:
Lo,children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of the mighty man;
so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them:
they shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
I, and others listening to the presentation were wondering what the difference between the Quiverfulls and the Catholics were, the presenter said(and it appears to me) that the Catholics believe in natural contraception just no medicine, the Quiverfulls believe in no contraception at all and that all children were given by god and are therefore a blessing.
The Duggars are a part of this christian sect. The presenter put this in a political light by externally saying that the Duggars and other families such as theirs are seen as acceptable by society(especially the right wing) because they are balancing out the influx of immigrants that are “messing up” america’s demographic. In some Quiverfull text, it is said that these families with multiple children can also help “save” this world from the devil. I think the presenter said that within 3 or 4 generations of these families with multiple children, they could help bring America back to being “god’s land.” This goes along with the concept of manifest destiny because these Quivefulls could be seen as middle-class,white americans who are saving America from the “godless immigrants” like those during the period of manifest destiny were bringing their god and democracy to these other places to expand. The Duggars have never said that they are doing this, her thesis was drawn from research that she did on this movement and the Duggars.
However, I found this presentation interesting in general because she was able to mix politics and a modern television show to come up with a interesting thesis/presentation. If you are interested in more information, I suggest that you look into the Quiverfull movement, its history and maifest destiny.
Mrs. Dalloway
Since my final paper is Michael Cunningham’s The Hours, which discribes three female figures based on Virginia Woolf and her representative novel Mrs. Dalloway, I determine to watch the movie of Mrs. Dalloway. Mrs. Dalloway is a movie talks a woman’s one day, but shows her lifetime. Virginia Woolf amplifies a unique way to depict Mrs. Dalloway, which is called stream of consciousness storytelling: which is characterized by associative leaps in syntax and punctuation that can make the prose difficult to follow(Wikipedia). Mrs. Dalloway’s narration throughout the movie is blur since the speech is alternating between direct and indirect monologue. As far as I’m concerned, both the novel and the movie contribute to our contemporary literal and social life. The significance of the movie and the novel should not be ignored by people who admire and praise them. Mrs. Dalloway was like a literal bomb, shocked and surprised the society in the early 20th century.
In the movie, some aspects riddled with the themes Feminism and Homosexuality.
Feminism
A steady underlying theme in the book is feminism, the roles of women of the time period and their seeming insignificance. Take an inner sight of the movie, Clarissa Dalloway's character emphasis the strong role of women and embodies both sexual and economic repression. The plot paints the protagonist, a charmed and attractive woman that all the men around her are obsessed with her. This shows the women’s social situation gradually become important and high-valued in her time. She deliberately holding a party, which she thinks, can content everyone’s satisfy. She is able to express herself and be outstanding in the parties she throws and embraces the high social expectations. In addition, in the opening of the movie, Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy flowers herself,
Another woman figure, Sally Seton, an old friend of Clarissa whom Clarissa admires dearly,is also thought to be a powerful and independent woman. For example, she smoked, she ran down a corridor naked, and she shows her unladylike quality which gives people a man feeling. Sally should be treated as a feminist since her motivations and behaviors act against those traditional and constrained women in the early 20th Century in England.
Confusion of Life
In the movie, we see that Clarissa is struggling to find her roles and positions in the society. She keeps thinking her purpose in life that day. She recalls the good old time with Peter Walsh and Sally Seton. The time that she was in a relationship with Peter until the appearance of Richard Dalloway. She decided to marry “safe” but “stodgy” Dalloway instead of energetic but progressive Walsh. Is she regret now? Her life will be totally subverted if she marry Walsh but she is aware of having compromised by marring Richard, is less challenging and risky. The safe marriage makes her hiding her real feeling. As we saw in the party, she hides her uncomfortable feeling no matter how uneasy she feels about her life. Even though she is tired of repeating the same thing days by days and her brain start moaning people she dislikes, she is stilling hanging a polite but fake smile on her face. Her actions make me feel sad, I interpret this scene as a sense of isolation and disconnect of life. Beneath the appearance of this splendid party, only loneliness and another part of ourselves(which is not exposed in front of the public) left. When Clarissa stands by the window in her solitary room, she contemplates the suicide of a Veteran named Septimus. She admires and respects the death of Septimus, his suicide is an cat of embracing life which saves himself from constraint, he is free from pain and torment which is caused by war. Septimus’s actions drag Clarissa into shame, as an upper class woman, she desires and schemes for social success despite her life is dull and tedious. Clarissa is longing for a passionate life inside her heart, however, she does not dare to violate her seemingly wonderful life. Therefore, Clarissa considers Septimus’s death as her disgrace. Clarissa realises that her life is almost end, and she is capable of enduring her farce marriage.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
And You Thought You Hated Economics!
Today I had the pleasure of attending a few of the SpARC presentations related to Economics. Guilty of attending originally for the extra credit, I was pleasantly surprised when Christy Weeks introduced her topic of study.
Her project titled "Happiness Economics" explored the research field by the same title and whether or not people properly allocate their resources to encourage their happiness. Weeks created a simplified model economy where all goods were split into two categories: Material goods such as televisions and clothes, and Relational goods such as conversation and fellowship. The currency used to purchase these particular goods was time (though both may cost money as well). Weeks began by describing a concept that was absolutely brilliant and better still, simple to understand.
She discovered that people, American's especially, do not allocate resources in a way that promotes maximum happiness. According to the application of economic principles, we spend most of our time accumulating material goods which, according the Law of Diminishing Returns begin to become less satisfying if not dissatisfying as you in crease your consumption. When consuming Relational goods, Weeks argues, consumers do not need to worry about diminishing returns. While after the first working laptop each additional laptop becomes more of a hassle (I.E "Where am I going to put all of these fully functioning laptops?"), I am not less and less satisfied with the friendship between me and my best friend of eleven years. In fact, I am probably more grateful and satisfied with my friendship after eleven years than I was after the first three.
In addition, Weeks introduced the idea of Hedonic Adaptation. Hedonic Adaptation is what causes us to wish to climb higher and higher in the pay scale. The principle says that as income is increased, the more expensive the lifestyle becomes, and ultimately the consumer is just as satisfied or dissatisfied as she was when she has a lower income. While three years ago you could only afford a Samsung, after your raise you purchased an iPhone for which you are now impatiently waiting the upgrade. Once again you are not satisfied with your pay because what was once high quality to you is now "cheap." This problem does not effect relational goods to the same extent that it effects material goods.
You may not be as excited by these findings as I am but I find it rather impressive that Christy Weeks was able to use principles of economics to say what we have been saying for years: Money can't buy you happiness and friendship is more valuable and more satisfying than material goods.
If you didn't get a chance to attend SpARC this year I encourage you to do so next year, you would be surprised what interesting thing out Scotties are researching!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)