As the second half of the semester has prgressed, I feel that I too have matured as a reader and interpreter of American literature. Below are some of my blogs and comments from the second half of the semester that exhibit my development and maturation.
Coverage: the following blog entries all include proper citations and links back to the course web page
Humility: within this entry, I commented about the Elizabeth Bishop poem, "Manners". I felt that she was sending a message about lost kindness in the world of today.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/humility.html
Distortion: this entry focuses on Sylvia Plath's disturbing poem "Daddy", which I interpretted as lashing out against the father-figure in life.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/distortion.html
The Wrath of Irony: commenting on Thomas Foster's literary guide, I felt that he made a particularly good point about irony and its seemingly invincible nature.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/04/the_wrath_of_irony.html
Timeliness: these three entries were all posted in advance to the required date of posting.
Reading into Something: Foster made a point about when authors intend for the audience to grasp a specific meaning from the literary work, but I made mention of how vastly interpretations might vary.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/reading_into_something.html
Overlapping Myths: David Cassuto's academic article spoke about the use of water within Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/overlapping_myths.html
Madness: Theodore Roethke was quoted in the introduction of the poetry anthology Eight American Poets. Madness was his topic, and I found it to be a rather interesting perspective...perhaps you will, too.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/madness.html
Interaction: these blogs all contain comment threads of significant discussion and length. There was a distinct interaction of my thoughts with those of my peers.
Do I Need New Specs?: speakign about Foster and the importance of grasping literary meaning, I felt that a tremendous amount of meaning depends on perspective.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/do_i_need_new_specs.html
Speakin' the Blues: Hanlon's academic article dealing with jazz and speech was of a particular interest to me, since I am myself a jazz musician. I commented on the coordination between the two items.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/04/speakin_the_blues.html
The Vicious Circle Known as Life: Arthur Miller's play "Resurrection Blues" embodies the idea that man will sink to the lowest levels of survival- the survival of the fittest.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/04/the_vicious_circle_known_as_li.html
Depth: these blogs all go into detail about something that I felt very personal about or had a specific content knowledge about that I wished to share.
You Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark: Thorton WIlder's play "The Skin of Our Teeth" presents the idea that flames not only warm the body, but also stimulate the mind.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/you_cant_start_a_fire_without.html
Even the Gray is Black...and White: Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man constantly deals with racism. This particualr blog deals with a passage drenched in subliminal racism.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/03/even_the_gray_is_blackand_whit.html
Love What You Do: Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife covers many grounds within life, but I was particularly attracted to the mindset of a musician: do what you do because you love it.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/04/love_what_you_do.html
Discussion: the following are blogs of peers that I have contributed to via commenting. All conversations made for fruitful class discussions.
Gladys Left Out: Julianne Banda's blog dealt with myths and symbolism within Wilder's play.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JulianneBanda/2009/03/gladys_left_out.html
The Trouble With Bugs and Coffee: April Minerd's blog dealt with a conversation between Ellison's narrator and a boarding house woman. The conversation was deeper than I had first thought...
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/AprilMinerd/2009/04/the_trouble_with_bugs_and_coff.html
Jazzed-Up Emerson: Matthew Henderson's blog about Hanlon's academic article made an impressive connection between the jazz age and the literary works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Ralph Waldo Ellison.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/MatthewHenderson/2009/04/jazzed-up_emerson.html
The Future Isn't Set in Stone: Jennifer Prex's blog about Niffenegger's novel presents an interesting take on how the main character, Henry, travels through time and justifies "destiny".
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JenniferPrex/2009/04/the_future_isnt_set_in_stone.html
Thank you for reading. If you'd like to reurn to the course webpage in order to view more portfolios...
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/05/portfolio_2/
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Miller, page 8
Life is indeed a cycle. Miller's "Resurrection Blues" touches upon the basic human moral struggles. In the conversation mentioned above, Felix explains to Henri that life is cut-throat. This quote applies throughout the rest of the play. It is especially evident towards the conclusion that all has come full circle.
The characters undergo a supposed change as the play progresses, but when Charley's return is questionable, everyones' character turns back on their words and also turns on their own personas. People are willing to change when they see a chance to reap the fruits of another's labor, but as soon as any risk is onvolved on their part, they get cold feet. Such is the case with Felix.
He makes it a point to run the country very strictly and do anything that he can to make it better, even if it involves crooked ways. Emily convinces him, using her charm and sensous appeals, to change and rethink his ways. However, when one looks closely, it is evident that Felix still wants his life to remain the same: he wants everythin else to change around him. As soon as he is the one who could be "screwed", Felix completely turns back on all that he was willing to "change". Life involves sacrifice, but Felix is not willing to sacrifice anything of his own.
Charley's refusal to come down in order to let them crucify him is also a bit of a pun. The goverment functions much like the Romans did with regards to Jesus Christ, but this time, it is the Christ-figure that beats the government to the punch. Thus, life is a vicious circle of events.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/04/miller_resurrection_blues/
]]>-Niffenegger, page 201
Henry explains to Alicia that music is something that one must be passionate about even when the music is not a particular favorite. He refers to how his father, seccond chair violinist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, plays every piece with fervor and dedication, even if he despises the piece. Likewise, Henry feels that Alicia should adopt the same attitude. However, it is sad to see the hypocrisy in the elder DeTamble's ways.
Henry's father has been in mourning ever since the loss of his wife. He has lost the love that is within his heart and soul. Violin playing has become second to drinking, and as we find out later, the drinking destroys his ability to play the violin. Mr. DeTamble loves music...or rather, he loved music, at one point.
It has been 23 years since Mr. DeTamble loved anyone or anything. Henry speaks the truth about musicians' philosophy, but his father mimics his way through the orchestra. His bitterness and self-pity consume him and the music that he had once loved.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/04/niffenegger_the_time-travelers/
]]>-Foster, page 128
And so it may seem logical, but irony is indeed a force unlike any other when it comes to literature. There are, of course, obvious ironies that seem to scream to the audience, but even more compelling are the subtle ironies that weave themselves throughout literature and stories, in general.
A wonderful example of such is given by Foster on page 130. He speaks of Gabriel Marcia Marquez's story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings". I recall reading that story in high school and wondering about the old man and the priest who questions him. The priest concludes that the old man is not an angel of God because he does not understand Latin, and yet, Jesus spoke Aramaic. The subtle irony of the ignorant priest's assumption nullifies his thought process. Simple little details can make a great difference. Foster reminds us, the audience, that even small details can make a huge difference. Irony can be everything from the seatbelt wearing driver crushed by a billboard, to General Patton survivng WWII only to die in a car accident several weeks later.
]]>Ellison, 335
At this point in chapter 16, the narrator is describing his feelings as the Brotherhood members prepare to address the crowd at the rally. Ellison paints a marvelous picture with some youthful imagery: age brings maturity in multiple facets.
The narrator speaks of this feeling of slight uneasiness and compares it to the sensation that one might get from looking at an old photo from the years of puberty. Changes were under way, but now the narrator faces changes and transformations even more pivotal than those of physical development: his psychological standpoint is morphing into a new state.
Life is a matter of constant change. Ellison's narrator does an excellent job of portraying that introspective view of change. There is that look in the mirror in order to see how time has not only changed the face, but the workings that go on within the head that holds the face.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/04/ellison_the_invisible_man_1/
]]>-Hanlon, 86
As I read this article about the speech utilized within Ellison's novel, I came to realize just how much the speaking styles of the characters relate to the jazz characteristics of the 1930s and the ensuing movements. Improvisation, a widely used technique in jazz literature, is seen in a light of courage and honesty. As a jazz musician, myself,I can relate to this feeling. I know that when I'm playing a chart and the director points at me to take a solo I feel very gratified when my solo expresses some idea that is passing through my mind: the chords line up and some rhytmic lick that I've stored away in my mind comes forward and sounds from my horn. When I finish and pull the instrument away for a short rest, I feel accomplished: I have expressed my thoughts through music and not relied on a script.
Much of the same phenomenon can be said of the improvisational speech. It's one thing to be able to write a beautiful speech in much the same way that it is to compose a piece of music, but the work is even more gratifying and accomplished when it is adapted and modified on the spot. It's one thing to memorize a speech or read from a jazz chart, but it's another thing to permit one's emotions to be read by the tongue, itself. Hence, the characters that makes use of the improvisational style are better accepted by the crowd since the crowd provides the inspiration for the words: a tailored fit, so to speak; as opposed to a canned speech that runs dry and seems generic.
]]>So black no sky could squeak through.
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you."
-Plath, page 212
Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy" is rather disturbing. It appears to be a very malicious attack on an oppressive father. There is a distortion of views within the poem: the above stanza demonstrates that Plath views the father as a remnant of the Third Reich acting cruel towards women in general.
Whether or not this was an attack on Plath's own father I am unsure, but there is a definte resentment of the father figure here. Perhaps the poem speaks of a father who is too old fashioned in his ways. The women like him because he is firm and reliable, but once they have been lured in, they find that he is controlling and unrelenting.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/poetry_selections_plath_blog_b/
]]>-Theodore Roethke, page 4
Madness...a truly awkward thing to ponder. Roethke had his odd bouts with madness as a result of his conditions, but what he said makes sense. The world around us dictates the norm and when someone goes against that norm to extremes they are viewed, quite often, as insane, wacky, or simply mad.
Circumstance is the world and its postion. The nobility of the soul is when a person adheres to what he or she believes deep down with an unwavering conviction. When someone's noble soul does not mesh with society's ideas then there is a friction. Strength in number prevails most often, thus, the individual of noble soul will be crushed, at least in the public eye, by society's dictation.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/poetry_selections_roethke_blog/
]]>
he said that the mare was tired,
so we all got down and walked,
as our good manners required."
Bishop, page 49
Throughout Elizabeth Bishop's poem "Manners", there is a definite sense of humility and kindness. The family gets down from their wagon and permits the horse to rest in the final stanza. I found this kindness of the father's very humble: no matter what the situation seemed to be, he was kind, gentle, and calm.
Perhaps Bishop was trying to send a message about the times to the reader. The poem is specified as "for a child of 1918". Is she saying that times have changes and that people no longer have this kind of kindness and warmth? Perhaps the world could use more of the lesson taught to this child of 1918.
]]>Cassuto, page 77
David Cassuto's article on the use of water within John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath also brings light to the myth of America's West...the land of opportunity and plenty (a promise land). In the above quote, Cassuto's point about the myth of the garden and its plentiful supply of water goes hand in hand with the idea of America's opportunity. Countless immigrants came to America with hopes of having the "rags to riches" sensation made popular by Horatio Alger.
In much the same manner as the garden and its water, America and its West were not always as promising as advertised, but then again, is anything ever the same as it is advertised? The garden and the American West are one, in a certain way. The garden is a land of fields where any man can find work and there is plenty to provide for a family. Amerca's West is that garden to Steinbeck's characters. The corrolation is direct: the American West was to be the place where all seeds of success would sprout with glee and prosperity.
]]>Ellison, page 34
As I read this passage in chapter two, I couldn't help but think that Ellison was revealing elements of race within the very architecture of the campus. As I read further, my idea was reinforced by Trueblood's dream and his mention of a white house with a white woman and escaping through the powerhouse. While Ellison gives hint with the color of the buildings themselves, perhaps he is also hinting at status.
In chapter six, Dr. Bledsoe scolds Ellison's narrator for causing a stir, all the while warning him that blacks have a place in the world...subserviant to the whites. The Home Economics cottage is symbolic of the finer things of life (good clothes, specialty cooking, home-making) while the powerhouse represents the nitty gritty rough work that is menial, yet necessary. It is much like Bledsoe's speech: power comes through "playing the game" and working one's way up to favorable terms with the white man. I suppose that in that regards, the powerhouse is not only symbolic, but a double entendre, as well.
Nevertheless, it is shocking to see so much racism, even when it involves the African Americans putting down African Americans. Ellison truly does work this intriguing conflict through all of his characters be they, black, white, or any color in between.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/ellison_the_invisible_man/
]]>Foster, page 232
When I first began thinking about literary interpretations, my mind immediately jumpes to how I had previously blogged about the reader bringing personal experiences into interpretations in order to better relate to a work of literature. As I read this particular chapter in Foster, I realized that it is possible to think that we relate a little too much to literature, not in the way that we have experienced exactly the same thing, but in the way that we twist the literature and contort it to fit current society. Sometimes literary works contain archetypes or parables that are timeless and apply universally to mankind, but sometimes literature contains drama and other emotional aspects. Not everything dramatic has to be Jerry Springer or what's happening in a high school hallway, but sometimes it is. Obviously, it is doubtful that Homer was taking the angle of a trash-talking gathering of people willing to make fools of themselves, but he created a tale in which the drama of war was exemplified to extremes. Nevertheless, the context of literature must be kept in mind while reading, lest we as an audience forget the works intentions.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/foster_how_to_read_literature_5/
]]>Wilder, page 32
Fire is a means of warmth. Human beings need heat in order to survive. But is it only the human being's body that requires heat? What about the mind? What about the inspiration and will to create, build, help, and imagine? Don't those processes require some sort of fire? Passion and the will to live are the fire that keeps mankind going.
Thornton Wilder's character Mr. Antrobus's above quote is a double entendre. While the human race will die without bodily heat, it will also die if no one takes any mental initiative. Throughout the play, Antrobus continuously returns to his books for inspiration and new ideas of how to make the world a better place. This goes to show that mankind's desires nt only lie with the mere idea of physical health, but also with the idea of mental health. Without the intellectual fire within the mind, man cannot function properly.
Wilder is conveying this idea through Antrobus's determination. While the quote is directed at bodily survival, Antrobus's actions display a desire for mental action. Thus, Wilder is displaying that his characters within "The Skin of Our Teeth" look to Antrobus for action and guidance: he is the spark that keeps mankind's mental fires going.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/wilder_the_skin_of_our_teeth/
]]>Foster, page 205
In Foster's chapter entitled "He's Blind for a Reason, You Know," Foster makes mention of the idea that authors should make pivotal ideas, symbols, and/or all other manners of important literary elements/devices obvious to the audience if it is something that will play an important part with regards to the plot of the story. I found this quote's appearance in this particular chapter interesting. Here we have Foster speaking about reasons for characters being blind, but then we realize that readers can be blind, too. How many times do readers miss important details that are right in front of them?
This is where close reading comes in. I know for a fact that I've become much better at reading between the lines. Rereading can often bring light to items and details that might have been missed. Foster makes a very valid point with regards to authors, though. If it is important, why would the author hide it from the audience? While the author must not play smoke and mirrors with important details (at least not to an unnecessary extent...some mystery is a good thing every now and then), readers must examine literature closely in order to ascertain all that is placed before them.
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/EL267/2009/03/foster_how_to_read_literature_4/
]]>Coverage
Stand Back Al: Global Warming is on a New Level: This was a response to Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice". http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/01/stand_back_al_global_warming_i.html
After Apple Picking...What Now? http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/01/after_apple_pickingwhat_now.html
Timeliness
The Never Ending Story: Here, I spoke about Thomas Foster's idea of one continuous story throughout the world and history.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/the_never_ending_story.html
Following in His Footsteps, Not Making Them: This was a response to Foster's conception of the Christ figure within literature and the piccky nature in which some readers can fall into when determining whether or not a character fits the profile of a Christ figure.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/following_in_his_footsteps_not.html
Interaction
Prison Walls and Scrap Piles: Within this blog, I discussed the nature of John Steinbeck's concept of a prison within The Grapes of Wrath. Man sometimes makes his own prison from seemingly invisible walls.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/prison_walls_and_scrap_piles.html
Spirits Within: Steinbeck's preacher in The Grapes of Wrath, Casy, proves to be a man struggling with his inner place within God's kingdom. Is the spirit of the Lord still gracing him, or has he lost his way in the darkness that is the world.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/spirits_within.html
Money: Practical, Love: Impractical: Here, I made comment on Sophie Treadwell's play "Machinal". The idea of true love winning over the necessities of human existence is a truly epic struggle. Is there a way to have both? Or will that idea prove to be a disaster?
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/money_practical_love_impractic.html
Depth
Automobiles and People: Both Can Wreck: I blogged about F. Scott Fitzgerald's characters within The Great Gatsby. People often think that cars wreck more than people, but humans make messes of themselves constantly, and some are more mangled than an auto wreck. Read for yourself...
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/ChristopherDufalla/2009/02/automobiles_and_people_both_ca.html
Diuscussion
Rosalind Blair's blog entry pertaining to the intelligence of the migrating Joad family in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath had a nice academic blurb following it.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/RosalindBlair/2009/02/are_you_smarter_than_a_joad.html
Jennifer Prex's blog about Foster's ideas of leaving interpretation up to the reader sparked interest in me. I found that readers can indeed become creative via imaginative play-throughs within the mind.
http://blogs.setonhill.edu/JenniferPrex/2009/02/creative_readers.html
Thank you for your time and reading.
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