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April 27, 2006
Death be not Proud
Edson, Wit -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
I really enjoyed reading Wit. This play is very complicated and requires more than just a quick skim. I think the approach that Edson used by having Vivian narrorate the play kept the audience's attention. It also left it open for humor which I really enjoyed. I liked this play because it challenged me to think and to try to make connections, some of which lead to dead ends. Like Jason said about Donne:
SUSIE: But what happens in the end?
JASON: End of what?
SUSIE: To John Donne. Does he ever get it?
JASON: Get what?
SUSIE: His Salvation Anxiety. Does he ever understand?
JASON: Oh, no way. The puzzle takes over. You're not even trying to solve it anymore. Fascinating, really. Great training for lab research. Looking at things in increasing levels of complexity.
I kind of made a relation between this and the play itself. It is very complex and offers many suggestions for deeper thinking. But, I think that Margaret Edson did this intentionally to get her point across.
To me Vivian is a very strong-willed person. She doesn't show affection and she is comfortable when she has control of everything, including her classroom. What I see in the story is a person who only knows her work and isn't emotionally connected to anyone. She's lonely During the course of the play I see Vivian realizing that she is dying, reaching out for someone to relate to, or to give her positive feedback. She finds this in Susie, who isn't smart, and isn't a person that Vivian would normally associate with. But now that she's dying, she needs someone and Susie is there to share a laugh with her. On page 69, Vivian says, "I can't believe my life has become so... corny." And at the end of her speech she says, "Now is a time for simplicity. Now is a time for, dare I say it, kindness."
Another interesting point I feel is a place in the play in which I feel a reversal takes place. Perhaps not a reversal of the entire play but definately a reversal of roles. On page 78 when Professor Ashford comes to see Vivian in the hospital I think it shows how worn out and exhausted Vivian is. As I was reading, I found myself thinking that her whole life, Vivian has been in a teacher or a parent role. She has always had control and now she doesn't. She is out of her comfort zone and has nothing left but tears. Prof. Ashford in this case takes the role of the teacher and now Vivian is the student.
As a side note, I made an ironic connection between John Donne's "Death be not Proud" and Vivian facing death. She faces without emotion and with a stern and authoritative front. She is able to console in literature because that's all that she has had for her life. So she is portaying the death of fear.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 09:44 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 25, 2006
Blogging Portfolio 2
This is the last blogging portfolio for the Spring 2006 semester. This blogging portfolio is showcasing my best and most in depth blog entries from March 1 to date. With this portfolio I hope to show that my critical thinking skills, my ability to understand in-depth analysis, and my ability to express my thoughts in a thoughtful way, have all grow during this semester. This is the second portfolio for EL 150 and I feel strongly that due to blogging and critical analysis, I am getting better at English and I hope that this has started off a great career in the field.
Coverage:
Politics or Opinion?
On this entry I discuss Foster's ideas of author's pushing opinions into their stories. I feel that they are closely related and must be differentiated.
Black Widow
On this entry I discuss this academic article and make a comparison between Cleopatra and a Black Widow spider in order to prove that she uses the men around her for political power and then is done with them.
Bowers Article
In this entry I discuss Rick Bowers and his interpretation of Antony and Cleopatra and the term "gogame." In which he shows how all the characters are involved in a power struggle.
Hall Article
In this entry I discuss Hall's approach to Antony and Cleopatra and the term "Heart." Hall discusses the Roman lifestyle and connects it to Shakespeare's play.
Comical Grammar
On this entry I discuss Lyne Truss's book, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." I talk about how enjoyable her approach to literature is and how she challenges us to find out "inner-stickler."
Comma on!
On this entry I discuss Truss's chapter on commas in which I realized that I definately abuse them.
No Compromise
This entry discusses colon usage in Truss's book.
Second Time Around
On this post I talk about Haddon's novel "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." I discuss how reading a work for the second time reveals new ideas. I also talk about how Haddon gives Christopher an "emotionless" personality.
Logical?
In this entry I discuss the second half of Haddon's novel. My main point is that Christopher bases his life on logic. His fears and his comforts all revolve around logical decisions.
A lot to think about
In this entry I discuss the first part of Arthur Miller's Resurrection Blues.
I talk about how this play is fast paced and how I like the character of Henri. I discuss his quote about love and life.
Hyphen and Dash
On this entry I discuss Lynne Truss's chapter on the hyphen and comma and point out some useful tips that I learned from it.
Emotionally Scarred
On this entry I discuss one of the many Foster selections in which he points out that physical scars in literature usually connect to an emotional problem.
Wearing Blinders
This entry deals with Foster's selection about readers' ability to keep an open mind when reading. He stresses the phrase Don't read with your eyes.
Two Worlds
On this enty I discuss Neal Stepheson's Diamond Age. I talk about how technology affects their world and I also ask a question dealing with the setting and time-period that this story takes place in.
Diamond Age 2
On this entry I discuss the second part of Diamond Age. I make a comparison between Chris in "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" and Nell in Stephenson's article.
Another Learning Experience
On this entry I show the connection between Nell and her educational experience.
Is Utopia Obsolete?
On this entry I discuss the academic article "Is Utopia Obsolete" which discusses the difference between a Utopia and a Mutopia.
Hidden Meanings
On this entry I discuss how Arthur Miller hides double meanings in the middle section of Resurrection Blues
Resolved?
On this entry I talk about the conclusion of Resurrection Blues. I discuss how Miller pulls all of the individual characters and stories together at the end but the story doesn't really resolve.
Death be not Proud
This entry was about Magraret Edson's play Wit. I discuss the importance of John Donne's sonnets in Vivian's life and the reversal of roles that take place near Vivan's death.
Depth:
Black Widow
On this entry I discuss this academic article and make a comparison between Cleopatra and a Black Widow spider in order to prove that she uses the men around her for political power and then is done with them.
Comical Grammar
On this entry I discuss Lyne Truss's book, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." I talk about how enjoyable her approach to literature is and how she challenges us to find out "inner-stickler."
Second Time Around
On this post I talk about Haddon's novel "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time." I discuss how reading a work for the second time reveals new ideas. I also talk about how Haddon gives Christopher an "emotionless" personality.
Logical?
In this entry I discuss the second half of Haddon's novel. My main point is that Christopher bases his life on logic. His fears and his comforts all revolve around logical decisions.
Two Worlds
On this enty I discuss Neal Stepheson's Diamond Age. I talk about how technology affects their world and I also ask a question dealing with the setting and time-period that this story takes place in.
Diamond Age 2
On this entry I discuss the second part of Diamond Age. I make a comparison between Chris in "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" and Nell in Stephenson's article.
Hidden Meanings
On this entry I discuss how Arthur Miller hides double meanings in the middle section of Resurrection Blues
Death be not Proud
This entry was about Magraret Edson's play Wit. I discuss the importance of John Donne's sonnets in Vivian's life and the reversal of roles that take place near Vivan's death.
Interaction:
Comment on Dena's blog
Comment on Mike's blog
Comment on Dena's blog
Comment on Dena's blog... again
Comment on Dena's blog
Another Comment on Dena's blog
Comment on Elyse's blog
Comment on Mandy's blog
Timeliness:
All entries also fall under timlieness. They were published 24 hours before the due date.
Discussion:
Politics or Opinion?
Comical Grammar
No Compromise
Second Time Around
A lot to think about
Hyphen and Dash
Two Worlds
Hidden Meanings
Xenoblogging:
Sparked a discussion about Truss
Sparked a conversation about "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time."
Sparked a discussion about Diamond Age
Sparked a discussion about Resurrection Blues
Wildcard:
A & C
This is a reflection on SHU's production of "Antony & Cleopatra" in which I discuss how seeing the play helped me see even deeper into the plot and learn things that I didn't understand from just reading the paper.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 01:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 24, 2006
Resolved?
Resurrection Blues 3 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
The conclusion of "Resurrection Blues" is quite interesting. Once again, Arthur Miller proves why he is Arthur Miller with his comical one-liners in potentially serious situations. However, I've got to say that I really enjoyed the play. I think that the comparison between Charley and the biblical story really pulls us into the storyline and for me personally, shocked me in a way that puts one of the most important and sacred stories of all time into a slap-happy story which focuses on sex and murder... it's just weird to see that connection and Miller does a great job of pulling it together.
I find Felix's change to be extremely interesting and it even made me wonder if he was serious. His love for Emily is unreal especially when he decides to divorce his wife for her. At first I thought that Emily was just playing him in order to get Charley off the hook but by the end of the play, I'm convinced that she is genuinly in love with him.
The ending seems to pull all of the stories together. I found myself getting a little confused by all of the conversations that were going on, but by the time that they were all standing there looking up at the light [Charley], Miller gave us the opportunity to see eveyone's true colors and at the same time it kind of leaves the ending unresolved. Obviously Miller forced us to want Charley to leave and not get crucified but then again maybe it was all of their imaginations? Maybe it was just a poem as Henri said?
One thing that I liked about Scence 6 was that for the first time, we get to meet Jeanine. I feel that the driving storyline that keeps us engrossed in the story is the relationship between Henri and Jeanine. Thought the play may not be resolved the relationship between these to is and to me that was my favorite part. Though Charley, didn't get to save the world, he did mend one relationship and I think that was the message behind this play. I loved Henri's line on page 91:
HENRI: I'm happy for the love I see in you, my dear, your hair flowing so gently around your face, and the softness that I haven't seen in so many years in the corners of your eyes. I love you Jeanine, and if it's he who brought you back to life...-Why not? I think now it is no more impossible than the rest of theis dream we live in.
This quote was my favorite in the whole book. To me this is the message. Why not believe? Why not live life to the fullest and take risks. As George Gray says, "To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, but a life without meaning is the torture of restlessness and vague desire. It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid."
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 09:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Hidden Meanings?
Miller, Resurrection Blues 2 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
I really liked the middle section of this book. To me, it was the funniest part, there were so many one-liners and also some hidden meanings. The only thing that threw me for a loop was the sexual terminology used in Stanely and Felix's conversation. It seems that the whole focus of the story is on Jack or Charley or whatever his name is... "the son of God." It started getting a little weird around the part that they talked about Jack being tri-sexual and "loving men, women, and vegetables." I found Miller's humor to once again come through. Miller puts this into perspective, however, our attention is shifted from him to Felix with the introduction of Felix's problem.
FELIX: -And how long can he stay lit up?
STANELY: Seems like... I don't know... a few seconds.
FELIX: Is that all.
This is the first glimpse that we get the idea of Felix's problem or the reason for him being the way he is, of course with the new relationship with Emily, we find Felix take on a total change and change from the hard ruling dictator to a peace loving humanitarian. I'm extremely amused by Miller's connections and his jokes and I'm looking forward to finishing this play.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 06:54 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 18, 2006
Is Utopia Obselete?
Hayles, ''Is Utopia Obsolete?'' (Online) -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
I found this academic article interesting. There were parts that were easy for me to understand and I felt that they related well with the book. However, there were other parts in which the analogies were too far of a stretch for me. I understand that this is an academic article and it's not supposed to be easy to read, however, I felt that at parts it loses the reader and seems to digress.
"Mutopia is the hybrid offspring of utopia and a reality too complex to fit into utopian forulae."
The thing that helped me understand what exactly a Mutopia was, was the definition of the prefix "mu" which means neither yes or no. I feel that this idea is accented by the thought that there are positives and negatives to every society.
"As converging smart coral creates turbulence, a few drops sprinkle on the airship, promoting 'hearty laughter from all of the fathers in the ballroom, who were delighted by the illusion of danger and the impotence of nature.'"
I liked how Hayles shows that the fathers can dominate nature without changing their own nature. It creates a great comparison with our society today. The powerful people do things that affect people below them and don't affect themselves. This brings up a great point about a utopian society. In a utopia, would this take place?
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 11:50 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Another learning experience
Stephenson, Diamond Age 3 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
I believe that interesting would be the right word to describe this book for me. As others said, I did appreciate the educational process that Nell went through. Her journey from childhood to womanhood was a remarkable adventure that kind of makes me want to have a primer of my own. I find the change that took place inside of Nell amazing and that part of the story really engrossed my attention. I don't know whether it was the jumping around or the technicality of the story but for some reason, I couldn't get my self in the other parts of the story. There were parts such as Judge Fang, and the idea of the Neo-Victorian lifestyle compared to the Chinese life-style that would jump out and grab my attention but other than that it seemed like a blur.
"On school nights, Nell reliably went to bed between ten-thirty and eleven, but Friday was her night to immerse herself in the Primer the way she had as a small child, six or seven years ago, when all of this had started."
This quote really shows that the primer isn't a toy in which a child outgrows and forgets. It is something totally different. It is actually growing with Nell. It is helping her more than any teacher could and the method that it is using is experience. Perhaps Stephenson is trying to make a point that experience is the best teacher. Maybe he's saying that in life, we don't remember everything that we sat in a classroom and heard. We don't use all of the techniques that we learned how to solve equations with. We learn from experiences that are positive and negative and show us the right thing to do.
To me the primer which had a Victorian narrorator did more than educate Nell. It pretty much transformed her. She started off in a lower class, poor, trashy, life. The interesting point is that it didn't change her into just an upper class member of the society that she was in, it turned her into a member of the upper class Neo-Victorian society. I feel that this is significant because it all depended on the origin of the primer. It also depended on Hackworth's intent.
In class on Monday Dr. Jerz said that he can't help us if we can't explain what we don't understand. Well, I do have a question that I think would clear up some of the story for me. What is the question between hackworth and Nell? To me, I felt like Hackworth could have been the main character along with Nell.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 07:55 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 16, 2006
Diamond Age 2
Stephenson, Diamond Age 2 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
This book is really starting to come together. As we talked about in class, there are so many different stories, but now they all seem to come together. What I like most about the book so far is that it Stephenson gives us just enough information so that we start wanting to know more and then changes the scene, but he never fails to come back to it. For example, he jumps from the scene with Judge Lang and Dr. X to one of Nell's experiences with the Primer to Hackworth and then back. However, as the story is going on, I'm able to start peicing parts of it together. The tactic that Stephenson uses made me wonder what some of the information was for. For example, at the beginning I wasn't sure how Bud's part in the whole scheme of things was of any importance. But although Bud himself doesn't change the course of the story, the connection from Bud to Judge Lang brings us into another part of the story and so on. Stephenson does a great job with connections and feeding us vital information through them.
The "connection" that I made wasn't between characters in this story however. It was between two different books, "Diamond Age" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time." What I found was the author's tactics seemed to be similar. There is a big difference in the styles of writing. Haddon was writing from an autistic boy's point of view, and Stephenson is writing as an author explaining a story. The comparison that I made however was between the way that the two authors write about the children in the books.
"Nell laughed to think of a little girl monkey flipping a great dinosaur over her shoulder. She went back one page and reread the last part more carefully: A couple of days later, when Belle came back to our cave looking lonely and forlorn, we both did our best to make her feel welcome. Dojo made a special meal in his kitchen out of rice, fish, and vegetables and made sure that she ate every scrap. Then he began playing a special game with her called somersaults."
In Haddon's book, he wrote from the prospective of Christopher. So Christopher felt that he didn't have to explain all of the things that were familiar to him, even though we found them different, such as the colors of the cars. So it seems as if there is no emotion in what he is saying. Stepheson uses a similar pattern in order to show us the innoncence of Nell and how she is growing. In the passage above he is showing that Nell is totally involved in the Primer and that to her it is the world, it is everything.
To be honest, I am trying to get into this book as I did with "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" and some of the other literature that we covered. But for some reason I am struggling with understanding the concept of "Diamond Age." I'm not sure why, but I do like the way that the book shows Nell growing as a person.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 11:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 11, 2006
Two Worlds
Stephenson, Diamond Age 1 (rescheduled from 14 Apr) -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
This book is very interesting. I find myself very confused at some parts and at others very interested. I feel that the reason that I get confused is because Stephenson has created a world, and with that world terms and ideas that are foreign to our own. However, in the foreign place we can still see similarities to our culture that cause us to stop and think.
Neal Stephenson does a great job of portraying two "worlds" in this book. To me, I can see the street-life in Shanghai compared to the more upperclass life of Atlantis. He seems to go on back and forth between two cultures leading us to believe that there will be some kind of connection between the two in the future. Bud seems to be a character that is trying to survive anyway he can. It was a little different for me reading about a character like this because we're not used to having a "killer" or a "bad guy" point of view. In a way, it made me as a reader uncomfortable about reading this. I was able to identify a little more with Hackworth because he is more of a noble character.
Something that I thought was noteworthy was that, especially at the beginning of the book, Stephenson gives us the idea that the human body is becoming a tool. An example is the skull gun inside of Bud's head. It also mentions the devices that make Bud gain muscle. It seems that this futuristic world more focused on advancement than of values and saftey for the human race. This is also shown with Nell and Harv, during the first time that we meet them. Their mother, Tequila, is not even a part of their lives. They use technology to make themselves matresses and Nell is amazed by the machine so she makes some more for her babies.
The only thing that is puzzling me is the exact time-period that this is taking place in. Stepheson describes Finkle-McGraw as a 70-year-old man. Then during the biography of his life it talks about Iowa City and South Dakota and it seems as if they are talking about our American culture. What I don't understand is how did this change occur so quickly in a matter of 70 years? Feel free to comment!
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 09:52 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Wearing Blinders
Foster (selections) -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
Thsi chapter was written very effectively. What I mean by this is that Foster doesn't come out and scare the reader by saying... "You should read things with an open mind and if you don't you are a bad person and you're going to hell." Instead, he gives examples in which he as well as many of the readers have fallen into traps in which our personal opinion takes over. What he's saying is that we should respect other's points of view and especially the conditions that the stories were written in. For example, "Sonny's Blues" by James Baldwin.
Don't read with your eyes seemed to be the reocurring theme to the chapter. He brings up an excellent point in how our culture is trained with talk shows and made-for-television movies that we need to identify a problem and find a simple solution. What we seem to overlook most of the time is the emotional situations that these problems can occur, not just to us personally but to others around us. Lilke I said, Foster brings his opinion in but doesn't force it.
On a side note, I personally feel that so many of the problems in our society are caused in part by the fact that we do a lot of talking and not too much listening. Oh, everybody says that they look at other sides of issues and that they are open minded, but are they really? I don't think that it's a matter of being open minded, I think it's a matter of respecting others and respecting who it is that says something. For example, if the old guy in the back of the line at Sheetz is saying that the War on Terror is a huge mistake and that our country is going to hell in a tea cup, what do I care? He can say what he wants and I'm free to agree or disagree, but it has no impact on my life whether or not he says it. I feel that we (as a whole society) make too much of a big deal out of the small things and don't focus enough on the betterment of our country... not ourselves. We need to sometimes think about how decisions will affect others instead of looking out for number one all of the time. Okay, I'm getting off of the soapbox but I couldn't resist... Foster was so inviting.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 04:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Emotionally scarred?
Foster (selections) -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
" After all, it's easier to introduce characters without imperfections. You give a guy a limp in Chapter 2, he can't go sprinting after the train in Chapter 24. So if a writer brings up a physical problem or handicap or deficiency, he probably means something by it."
This chapter seemed like common knowledge at first. I've heard this before and the first couple of examples weren't putting the peices together for me. However, when Foster brought up the example about Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," things started to sink in. He talks about Jake Barnes and his disability. It's different than most in that he lost his male reproductive organ. This obviously changes the whole view that we as readers are seeing. First of all, I haven't read the book, but I found myself sympathizing with the Barnes because I am also a male. Being able to sympathize is a huge part of a relationship between author and reader.
The other example that I really liked was the one right after it in "Alexandria Quartet," by Lawrence Durrell. Durrel uses disabilities and handicaps in another way. He gave every character in his story something wrong with them whether it be a missing limb, or a glass eye.
"Yet collectively they come to represent something else: everyone, Durrell seems to be saying, is damaged in some way or other, and no matter how careful or fortunate we might seem to be, we don't get through life without being marked by the experience."
He used these imperfections to show that not everyone is perfect and that we all have something wrong with us. I really like this tactic and enjoy learning new interesting facts about literature and creative writing through this book.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 03:46 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 09, 2006
Hyphen and Dash
Truss 4 & 5 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
Once again, Truss's light tone of teaching made it easy for me to understand punctuation, which is a challenge within itself. The two chapters, "Cutting a Dash" and "At Little Used Punctuation Mark," touched on subjects dealing with punctuation that I know I take for granted. For example, when someone says exlamation point, I automatically think that I know what that means. However, when I look at how often I really use it (basically never), I can't say that it's familiar to me at all. The other thing that opened my eyes was the section on italics. I honestly have to say that I did not know the rules for the difference between italics and quotation marks. Though my attention was focused mostly on the dash and the hyphen these earlier tips really reinforced what I once learned long ago in a place called public school where I recieved something called an education.
The tip that I feel helped me most with the dash was on page 159.
"Yet the dash need not be silly. The word has identical roots with the verb "to dash" (deriving from the Middle English verb dasshen, meaning "to knock", to hurl, to break") and the point is that a single dash creates a dramatic disjunction which can be exploited for humour, for bathos, for shock. "Wait for it," the single dash seems to whisper, with a twinkle if you're lucky."
To me, this makes the "complicated" concept of learning punctuation easier to think about. And more fun... or should I say funner?
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 08:56 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 06, 2006
A lot to think about
Miller, Resurrection Blues 1 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
I really enjoyed the first half of this play. It seems to be a very fast moving and action packed story. I particularly like Henri's character. He seems like he is tired of problems in his life. By discussing the "awakening" that he experienced with his new wife, I feel that the audience gets the sense that Henri wants a fresh start. I feel that by his daughter Jeanine attempting suicide, he feels like he's failed as a father. To me, Arthur Miller makes the audience sympathize with Henri and want to give him have a second chance. He's following his heart. The quote that I feel really opens up our eyes to Henri is found on page 25.
HENRI: You know, when I saw him outside my window a very odd thought... exploded in my heart - that I hadn't actually been seeing anything... for most of my life. That I have lived half blind... to Jeanine, even to my former wife... I can't begin to explain it, Felix, but it's all left me with one idea that I can't shake off - it haunts me.
FELIX: What idea?
HENRI: That I could have loved. In my life.
I feel that the reason that we feel for Henri and even Emily rather than the other characters in the first half is because they seem to be the only logical ones. Crucifying a man, in the 21st century? This is insanity and the only ones who seem to realize this are Henri and Emily. Henri is making decisions and acting on his heart. He's letting something else control him instead of falling into the way that all the other "modern" minds are thinking. This gives him a distinct difference and leads us to believe that he will be a very integral character in the second half of this play.
The other thing that really made me think was the comparison between the spanish speaking terrorists in this play and the Muslim terrorists that we see everyday on the news. In this play, Miller does a very good job of giving us just enough information about the "terrorist" that leads us to believe that he is willing to die for his religion. This strikes a very similar issue with the middle-eastern religions worshipping Allah. How do you fight someone that will die for their religion? This play shows how people have DIFFERENT beliefs. I really emphasize the word different because it's not a matter of right or wrong. It's about loving something enough that you would die for it. I feel that Miller does a great job of introducing this issue and he makes us unconsiously think about it. I'm very eager to find out what happens in the second half.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 11:02 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
April 04, 2006
Logical?
Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 2 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
The second half of this book, for me, reinforced the discussion that we had on Monday about Christopher being emotionless. I felt that he didn’t have any emotion and Dr. Jerz commented saying that he indeed does have emotion; however, he doesn’t express it like we do. For example, he feels bad for the dog so he wants to find out who killed it, but he doesn’t cry or get scared.
I found that throughout the second half of the book we see instead how Christopher and other autistic children deal with their emotion. I feel that Haddon did an excellent job of conveying the message that instead of becoming emotional, Christopher uses logic. For example right off the bat to start off the second half, he discusses his choices on where he will live with the diagram on page131.
“And then I realized there was nothing I could do which felt safe. And I made a picture of it in my head like this…Which meant I had to go to London to live with Mother.”
As we can see, Christopher is expressing his emotions by trusting in his intelligence and what he knows. This gives him a sort of comfort that nothing else can give him, not his father or mother or Siobhan. I also feel that in the second half there were many chances for him to fall on the ground grab his knees and start screaming. However, as the story went on, he didn’t do it as much. I mean yes there were many times that he got out of control when he was frightened and scared, but it seemed that he was on a quest to find himself, and by the end of the journey, there is hope. He knows that he survived life in the outside world on his own. In his mind, he is taking steps to becoming a “normal person” and that’s why I love this story. Even the last line says,
“And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”
Logically, he can.
Posted by AndrewLoNigro at 08:28 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 02, 2006
Second Time Around
Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 1 -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
This book is outstanding. It is amazing how much you can learn by changing your approach to reading a certain material. When I read the book earlier this summer I hadn't had much experience at reading for reasons other than pleasure. As we've already talked about in EL 250 Drama as Lit., I never knew that I could analyze material like I'm able to do now. The skills that I've learned in two short semesters have really enhanced my understanding of this book in a sense that I know what to look for now and can pick out agenda items. It's a great feeling.
Reading this again really brought back some memories. For example, at the very beginning, I realized how much I enjoyed reading "Christopher's" perspective even if it was really written by Mark Hadden. It must have really taken a lot for him to be able to act as another person. There must have been so much research and experience needed that we can't take anything in it lightly.
I really like how Hadden makes Christopher so emotionless. In Christopher's world, he sees a bloody dog; not breathing. He sees a garden fork pinning it to the ground and instead of feeling sorrow for the dog, he notices that the fork must have went through the dog the whole way because it was standing straight up.
Haddon also really uses the idea of showing instead of telling in examples throughout the first half such as this. In chapter 47 Christopher starts to explain his situation with the colors and the cars. I find it interesting how this is perfectly normal to him and Haddan really never comes out and says that he is autistic and autistic children tend to do things like this. We have to figure it out for oursleves. I didn't realize how much I like this book.
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