IanSayre

FINAL BLOG AND PAPER

Well, unfortunately This final Blog portfolio was late. I was surprised top see it slid in in between the final and also surprised it was due because of the lack there of material covered however, to give an overall view of blogging, I have to say it was interesting it actually got me more into just writing little bits of things down but i dont prefer to sahare with the world but overall it helped get me to write more.

The Final Papaers
These were really a great expierence for me. I really feel that i have learned a lot about bringing my writing to a college level. Plot summary and character analysys aree things of the past now and I have Dr. Jerz to thank. Overall i was pleased with the course however i feel that a whole lot of constant struggles need to be eliminated such as due date confusion and bogging us down with multiiple assignments at the same time. But none the less thank you very much.

Western Girls

To begin it wa sincredibly tuff to get into. I really enjoy westerns and this just doesnt fit the norm. Cowboys were tuff they didnt have time to get all wrapped up in MELODRAMA. It have always thought melodramatic was a derogitive term and this play helped to affirm my previous judgement. Another problem that i had with this is the way they present the west as much softer than anything i have ever saw. Overall just dissapointed and not looking forward to discussing this piece as i have very little interest.

Dubois

Dubois called for major reform. he made all kinds of claims about how the times would keep blacks down unless they revolted into forcing their acceptance amongst the country. However it is important to note that he did not truly identify with a lot of poor blacks. His message excluded them from the plan, though it can be argued that it only excluded their impoverished state no true plans of his were domonstrated in the selections we read. Therefore his ideas's are all well and good but with out the structural plans behind them they become less authoritative. The combination of partial acceptance and no real backing of plans leads me to believe Booker T. had it going correctly.

Booker t. Washinton

After the discussion in class i believe that although we did not reach a definate conclusion that Booker T had the right idea at the time. He was trying to work out a plan that had real structure to it. His rivals talked about larger reform and made him sound as though he wasnt truly a thinker for his people. However Booker T. encouraged his people to go get jobs and to start working. This would be the best advice for any one during the time period. Obviously this was more difficult for blacks however the push for employment would have definately helped his culture. Basically He had The plans to back up his ideas and the structure and likeability to complete his goals which he eventually did.

Portifolio 2

Coverage1
I included this blog for coverage because I was evaluting what a critic said about another work.
Coverage2
I included this blog because I felt that it showed my ability to look at a work in different ways.
Coverage3
I included this blog to demostrate the ability to pull out major themes from a text.
Depth
This one is long and it takes analysis of of severaral authors oppinions on the same work.
Interaction
One example of my comments
Interaction 2
Another example of my comments
Discussion
Thanks for the comment Quin
Timliness 1
We discussed this in class for about ten minutes. It sparked a few other discussion and made for one of the most talkitive classes to date
Timliness 2
This was also sparking converstaion on the same day, not as much though.
Xenoblogging
I wrote on this for one of my papers and when it was brought up in class i believe it was a help to meredith as and an inspiration to lou to change his paper.

LITERARY CRITICISM

Analyzing Literary Criticism
The different angles authors take in literary critiques are usually used to promote their own personal views or to demonstrate their direct personal opposition to the stance of the creator of the original work. Though most authors claim to remain unbiased by providing an antithesis or con side of their argument, but authors don�t just write to get words on paper. They make claims and support them by using facts in the original work to animate their views of someone else�s diligent work. This is made clear in taking a look at three critiques of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Three different authors interpret the themes differently simply to push their personal views. Examples of this prove that authors of literary critiques are unable to avoid personal biases and are prone to pushing their own ideals more so than they are to actually evaluating a work.
To begin this can be seen by comparing the views that Douglas Anderson, Sanford Pinsker, and Eric Link have on The Adventures of huckleberry Finn. First Eric link uses a combination of physiological and moral approaches to evaluate the characters individually. In doing so, he vilifies Tom, and promotes Huck as a noble young man. �It is Huck�s moral nature that proves superior to the tarnished morality of Tom.� He also uses theft as a morality issue to push his views that Tom is simply a corruption to the moral growth of Huck in the novel. He portrays Huck as being on a moral excursion to find truth and reality through racism and turmoil. This would not necessarily be biased if he was simply characterizing the two,. but it becomes obvious that he has taken a personal disliking to tom and intends to prove his unworthiness as a character. He does not take into consideration that tom did have several good qualities and that Huck has some bad qualities himself. These views combined to a rather narrow minded argument that left the reader questioning the validity of this personal argument as it did not prove to provide any insight to understanding thematic reflections of each of the characters actions.
Another example of an author pushing their own views on a work is taken from a critique by Douglas Anderson as he uses a moral and historical approach combined with a new critical approach to analyzing the work as a graphic depiction of the time. He is obviously pleased with several of the scene�s realities in the story and he uses a close reading of individual words and passages to display his contentment with the �inexplicable mixture of tenderness and brutality in human character� that is portrayed by the novel. He makes it clear that he personally feels the world is a place constant change and them uses Huckleberry Finn to justify his argument.
Once more evidence of tactics to promote personal view can be found in a critique by Sanford Pinsker. This most obvious example can be seen within his first paragraph as he says, �What twain means to test out in Huck�s idiosyncratic telling of how he and Jim made their way down the river is nothing less than what freedom in America means�. This statement alone would not condemn him but right before he says this he makes it clear that he feels twain uses slavery as a way to depict freedom as necessary. This obviously makes his claim similar to his own definition of freedom.

Overall, the variable ways of critiquing literature are seemed to be used for making personal claims about the subjects tackled in the particular work of literature. These approaches to criticism leave the constant availability of bias and need to be plainly understood to grasp the point an author is trying to make. If this can be done they prove to be incredibly useful.

John Henry

I always have hated the fact that he lost and i hated it even worse when he dies. This is the kind of story that makes a higher percentage of americans route for the underdogs rather than a sure bet. It represents a period of change in america and by letting the picturesque representation of of a big black man die with the appearance of modern technology. However it still leaves me feeling like how much worse could it have gotten for slaves, maybe something like not being fully accepted into public schools intill the 1950s. Overall it is just a representation of time in america that most white peoeple would like to forget about. However it is unfortunate to note that white supremacy and skin head idiocy is on the rise once again in our country.

Huckleberry's ending is just fine

I really enjoyed the ending not only onthe story side but becaus ei honestly felt like twain tied up all the loose ends very well and was able to clearly portray his themage. In doing so He showed a great progression of both a young child and a slave and the world that they were living in. It is a great depiction of the contrasting moral values of both north and south and eeventually the old southern way of thinking versus he newly and forcefully implemented the new south would learn to deal with. I think one of the biggest realizations of Jims freedom discusses the new light that huck had found through his trip, Mid waythrough the book huck didnt think jim was capable of loving and now he not only askes him as a free man what will he do next but also proclaims him as a hero for having such an honerable mission this truly states the changing times and realization that children would have begun to make after the abolition of slavery. Further more it also good to see that even in the last words of the book huck does not plan to return to the ways of thinking he had mid novel and that the world would begin to change as a direct result of the youth of america realizeing this first hand by viewing the hardships slaves faced.

BAD BOYS BAD BOYS WHAT CHA GONNA DO

Thogh some of the Dime novels were intended for children this one is not directed soley to that purpose. In fact this book has the ability to capture an audience on multiple levels. This is obvious in that not only has it lasted this long, but that it is almost standard custom that every american educated child for the last 65 year has probably had to read it or several parts of it more than once before they were able to graduate highschool. In history, they want you to understand the Monroe Docrine by the time you graduate. In Math, you must have mastered Pathgrian therom and in literature, an american highschool gradute had better well be familiar with The Adventure of Huckle Berry Finn if he or she intends to graduate.

David Smith Outweighs Mr.Nashes arguments on Race but he did focus on it entirely

Page 360 As it is Quoted
"Good Gracious! anybody hurt?"
"No'm Killed a nigger."
"Well its lucky; because sometime people do get hurt." CH 32

Wow what a depiction of the time grim realities and harsh ending are certain to be obtained through the eyes of these young boys however it is to my great peasure that Smith notes that Huck actually makes a comment disregarding aunt sall'y way of thinking in the end of the novel it gives the reader the simple hope that though this child would continue to grow up in a racist enviroment he would already have a percieved notion of the wrong that are endured along with it. He goes on to talk about how regardless of class Good thinking whites hated blacks and considered them nothing more than a possession of someone else. It is my argument that it would be gratifying to a poor white man to know that even though he was having his own financial struggles that he certaintly wasnt a "nigger" and because he was not one he was superior to them. This southern prospective would have most likely be held on a much larger scale because in the reconstruction period the southern issues were being decided by northern scali wags who would fill the mandatory empty seats in the southern houses of government. Therefore the issues that were important to southerners and there old ways of thinking were being discluded. This is arguably justified because an ignorance of such lines of thinking that would prevent prolonging slavery in any way.

Henry Nash huh

I really dislike the way nash interperets CLemens putting down of the novel from time to time, though he has proven it to be true, i dont think he has proven that his every last intertpertation of Twain's personal letters are. Like we have said in class every fiction writer is god in his own universe and to think that this literally literary God did not have a plan for the whole novel is not to be discered by Mr. Nash to say the least. His argument that twain originally intended to sail Jim and Huck up the ohio is unlikely because as Nash says himself "twain didnt know the land up the Ohio" However he did know that little town in illinois that was all tied up in the reconstruction period in early american hisory it is very interesting to note that recently in my early american history class that we have discussed this period and spent some time talking about the cultural behaviors of the middle states torn between both slavery and simple human rights issues. It is interesting to note that most oof the laws were being passed so frequently that slaves and indentured servant as also mention by Mr Nash had blurred meaning to say the least. But it is ultimately freeing for jim as we found out that both Tom and Huck knew full well about Jim's already acclaimed freedom. This idea leads me to believe that Tom would have used this info against Jim and that Huck would have used this info to make sure nothing happened to Jim if it had came right out to a situation involving Jim's capture. Nash doesnt have it all wrong but he Presents mighty presumptuous allocations against a man who has been determined a "fictional genious"....

huck huck bo buck banafana fo~abrupt ending

chapter 24 at the end, Huck is actually surprised that Jim is capable of love. Tis is one of the Harshest and earliest depictions of the old southern way od being brought up. This is one of the best examples of direct themae in the novel though it is must lengthier than simply stating the south was really racist it is a significant part of hucks early charaxter and as he develops through the wealthy growth of capabilities he developed as he adventured upon this cruel underbelly of america. Furthermore it also brings out another strong emotional appeal in that Jim is justifiably devistated in the loss of his family members and it is my oppinion that a man like Jim would have done anything in his mostly unlearned ability to get them back. Another awful fact to consider in the situation is the treatment af a group of young females slaves could have been subjected to. Although as it is also unfortunate this is better than a tale told at Jefferson's MonteChelo where they reinacted a story of "civil" rape where the husband of the female slave was forced to watch as not jefferson himself but another higher ranking slave fornicated with her being obviously unwilling. Fortunately Jim would not have to suffer this consequence though the harch truths of the south would way on his mind for sure.

Poetry SLAM BAYBA BAYBA

This was most certaintly an interesting expierience. I thought it would be pretty different to actually perform rather than just talk about the performances (writings) we study in class. It was also pretty informative to hear several diferent understandings of the same poem. Lou and Meridith's reading of the same poem was especially interesting to see the oppions of male and female on the same work. It was also great to see how much emotion some of the students displayed. I am actually refering specifically to Leah's performance, Not to sound girly but it was so emotional for her that i actullay started developing some strong thoughts and emotions about the selection myself. As far as my performance was concerned i was personally pleased with this new found ability and though the responses i got were incredibly positive to the highest extent there were only a few of them who were able to bare the meaning with the inflections from the raven and being that they were all overwhelmingly positive except fo rlou anyway it seemed to me that i might have been slightly patronized.

I never saw a moor renunciate god

Dickinsons poem I never saw a moor is hard for me to take as anything less than an announcement of faith. A faith in what religion specificaly here is not the matter either simply that a faith in something greater is something the she is absolutely sure about. Her attention to religion is furter pointed out in Renunciation. Though this poem is much more difficult to interperet i do believe that it could either affirm or just directly renounce her ber beliefs. Either because i simply could nt pick or after thinking that maybe she couldnt pick. I took this poem as a simple questioning of the religous system itself, marrager is also a theme in this poem and im almost sure she is as confused with it as she is with religion. So therefore I also take this piece as not a complete but certaintly somewhat a loss of faith, in that she is not as certain as she was before.

In a library that brews liquer

Emily dickinsons Poem In a library is a representation of both a progression through personal growth and a progression through High Literature. It can be taken as a tale of personal growth in that the man in the poem is learning and devoliping thoughts and knowlegde. He is also taking his own perspecive and trying to build on it this poem infact reminds me of this class. The progression Through High Literature can be seen as she includes characters and authors of several of these works. Being that these to ideals are so closely linked it canbe seen that she is also talking about different perceptions of great works over time. A personal example of this is in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where I remember in high school taking completely different meanings from the exact same text. Another one of her works also contains a somewhat similar progression. IN XX I taste a liquer never brewed, she tells a short tale about how she litterally becomes high on life. It then continues to show a progression throught the seasons while enveloping her personal change through time so though these two poems are very dissimilar n nature it is my belief that they bae common themage.