We have chosen poems from Edgar Lee Masters: Spoon River Anthology. The poems are dated from 1916.
The following information that I jotted down is from Linda Fondrk's program card. Here is some information regarding the author. Masters is an American poet and biographer. The Spoon River Anthology is basically a collection of epitaphs in free verse revealing the secret lives of dead citizens, was acclaimed for its treatment of small-town American life.
1.) The Hill The poem is presented by the whole group. It is divided into several parts. The order of the presenting the poem in parts is the following: Linda, Katie, Melissa, Se-Ann, and Nabila.
The following short poems is presented individually.
2.) Sarah Brown This poem is presented by Linda Fondrk.
3.) Ollie McGee This poem is presented Se-Ann Williams.
4.) Fletcher McGee This poem is presented Melissa Hagg.
5.) Robert Fulton Tanner This poem is presented by Katie Aikins.
6.) Cassius Hueffer This poem is presented by Nabila Uddin.
As a whole group, we have chosen "The Hill" because it flows well when parts are read by many people. It is more effective and the audience will be able to capture the atmosphere of the poem. I have interpreted this poem to be when all the people are located on top of the hill that have died. In a nice way, it is said that all the people are "sleeping" on the hill. It firsts comes out to say, "where are so and so..." Then, it tells how each person died and is located on the hill. It is a dramatic poem and can you can feel the intensity of the characters.
Individually, I am presenting "Cassius Hueffer." I have chosen this poem in particular because it is displaying deep feelings about how a man feels when his tombstone is carved. My interpretion of the poem is when the main character has already died, and he tells the audience that he is better dead than alive, because he couldn't handle the mean things that people said about him. He doesn't like the how the present inscription is carved on his tombstone. It should have been changed according to him.
Coverage: This category contains all the major literary stories that we have studied in class.
Bierce's "The Devil's Dictionary"
Native American Oral Literature
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Chapters 1-15)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Chapters 16-31)
Huck Finn (Chapters 32-The Last)
Br'er Rabbit
Legend of John Henry
Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Robinson Readings
Belasco's "The Girl of Golden West"
Wildcard (This is my personal blog on games night at SHU)
Depth: These entries were analyzed in more detail.
Native American Literature
Adventures of Huck Finn (Chapters 16-31)
Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Interaction: These blogs are used for interaction with peers. Students discuss with classmates about the material that we have studied in class and provide their thoughts and insights on different topics.
Native American Oral Literature
Adventures of Huck Finn (Chapters 16-31)
Legend of John Henry
Discussion: In these entries, students were having conversations either dealing the specific reading assignment or just to discuss other various topics.
Bierce's "The Devil's Dictionary"
Adventures of Huck Finn (Chapters 1-15)
Adventures of Huck Finn (Chapters 16-31)
Xenoblogging: This term means that the blogger has commented on other students' blogs.
Katie Aikins
Melissa Hagg
Linda Fondrk
Wildcard: This entry tells something about myself; for example; what are my interests or favorite activities.
]]>In Janice's presentation, she gave a summary of what happened in the story. This was helpful to me, since the class didn't read the text due to unavailability. I was able to picture the characters and action that took place in my mind. I know the two main characters: Jack Rance and Dick Johnson. I liked the way Janice commented on Rance: "...When I first read about him I felt that he was the cocky, "I'm the Best", has to have what he wants guy."
In Zach's presentation, I liked about how gave the description of David Belasco and the setting of the play. It made me realize how the characters acted during to the time era. When I read the play, I did realize how Rance stated the Girl's name Minnie only about two or three times throughout the play. If Rance would have addressed her by Minnie instead of The Girl; I don't know it would have made a difference. She would have rejected him anyway.
So, basically the story revolves around three main characters; Jack Rance, Dick Johnson/Ramerrez, and The Girl. The other characters are just part of the story, but are not as significant. It's a triangle, that two guys want the girl, but The Girl rejects Rance and wants Johnson. However, after she finds out the truth about Johnson, she is hesistant for awhile, but finally decides that she wants to be with him the rest of her life. I thought that Johnson wasn't going to live anymore, because of Rance and his posse, but fortunately both Johnson and The Girl live happily ever after.
The only thing that I noticed and I didn't understand was the Girl's attitude. The Girl knew that she wanted Johnson from the moment she saw him; however when Johnson tried to come close to her, she backed away. I didn't understand why she would do that. If she knew that Johnson loves her and that she loves him, when why did she initially back away from him? It took awhile before she was close to him.
The place Cloudy Mountain in Calfornia sounds like a real place to me, due to the fact that many of the states in the U.S. have very odd city names. This name in particular sounds nice compared to the other names that some cities have.
Here is a link of some odd city names in the states and in some countries.
]]>My favorite game would have to be blackjack. It's easy and it's fun. The next day, I taught my little sisters how to play the game, and they thought it was exciting. They always seem interested whenever I share my college experiences with them. Now, I get to play blackjack on my cellphone, whenever I get bored.
You could say I am a game person. I have enjoyed playing games, since I was little. I like board, card, video and mind games. I am also interested in learning new activities, because it's very handy when you are traveling or when giving parties.
What kind of games does everyone else like to play now or as a little kid?
]]>Robinson attended Harvard from 1891 to 1893 despite his father's doubts about the value of a higher education. During the early 1890s the family's fortunes began to decline, triggering a series of tragedies that influenced Robinson's life and poetry. In 1892 his father died, and the panic of 1893 and the lingering aftermath slowly bankrupted the family over the next seven years. Robinson's brother Dean became addicted to morphine and returned home in failing health. Robinson was forced to leave Harvard because of the family's financial difficulties and his mother's failing health. She died in 1896 of "black diphtheria," and because no mortician would handle the body, the brothers had to lay out their mother, dig the grave, and bury her. During this time Robinson wrote the poems that were later published in 1896 as The Torrent and the Night Before and in 1897 as The Children of the Night.
From the first, Robinson's poetry was noted for mastery of conventional forms, be it the sonnet, the quatrain, or the eight-line stanza. The characters of works like "Richard Cory," "Luke Havergal," "Aaron Stark," and "John Evereldown" are faced with failure and tragedy.
After 1911, Robinson spent his summers in New Hampshire, and spent much time writing and publishing his poetry. By this time his books supported him for the rest of his life.
Robinson died on April 6th, 1935 in New York City. By this time all his immediate family had died. He wrote many popular and great poems during his days, some of these are: "Merlin", "Lancelot", "Richard Cory", "Miniver Cheevy", "Mr. Flood's Party", "For a Dead Lady", and "Luke Havergal".
Robinson was the first major American poet of the twentieth century, unique in that he devoted his life to poetry and willingly paid the price in poverty and obscurity.
Now, that you have an idea of what type of person Robinson is, I would like to share my opinion on two readings that sparked my interest.
Richard Corey
This short poem is about a young man who looked decent and was polite when approached by strangers. He was a rich man and people did respect him. It was kind of shocking, that one summer night; he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. People have so much that they got out of life, but still they are not satisfied. It is true how the rich and poor people suffer the most. The rich may have wealth, but not happiness. The poor are just unforunate because they have to battle to stay alive in society. It's only the middle class people, who are better off. They don't have to worry as much, and are the happiest group.
In this reading, it talks about the miller's wife who waits for her husband. There are context clues that the husband will not return, such as "The tea was cold, the fire was dead.." The husband committed suicide by hanging himself off a beam. After this discovery, the miller's wife drowned herself. At least, this is how the author wanted the readers to view this story. Actually, we really don't know if the miller hanged himself or if the miller's wife drowned herself. Perhaps, it's all just a hallucination as indicated by Locklear's article.
I did realize the pattern how Robinson has tragedy and sadness in his poems. Since Robinson's life wasn't as pleasant, you can tell that his poems are reflecting of his feelings and emotions of his life.
In Mindy's presentation, there were a lot of good points brought up. Mindy got my attention when Robinson's parents wanted a girl, but had a boy instead. They just ignored him, like his didn't exist. Robinson didn't like his name because the neighborhood people picked his name by a drawing it out of a hat. It was sad how Robinson was not very close to his family.
I liked how Mindy got the class involved by having different groups write interpretations and drawings of the characters. I learned more about the readings. Our group had Thomas Hood. He had a split personality, because he was happy in the outside, but was really depressed in the inside. The second group had Miniver Cheevey, which a man who was drunk and lazy. He liked medieval period, so he enjoyed observing paintings. The third group did Richard Corey. Richard Corey was viewed as a gentleman who society liked. Also, he was a rich man. However, he was miserable and shot himself in the head. It just shows how money doesn't buy happiness. The fourth group did Aaron Stark. He was a creepy man who just laughed at anything. Even if it's not the right time to laugh, he did. Finally, the last group did Mr. Flood. Mr. Flood was a lonely man who just remembers war experiences. He only time pass activity was drinking and he was attached to his jug.
Dr. Jerz noticed how Robinson hated his own name and he would draw special attention to his character's names. Dr. Jerz also discussed about "Mr. Flood's Party" in great detail. It resembles to "A Christmas Carol" written by Charles Dickens. In this story, there is a character named Ebeneezer Scoorge and he is visited by three ghosts. In the story, "Mr. Flood's Party, the name Eben is mentioned and it talks about Flood's past experiences. Mr. Flood invites himself to drink and he is affectionate towards his jug because that's his only relationship. He also talks about his war experiences, but no one seems to believe his stories. He is a very lonely man.
]]>I would like to focus on three presentations, since the most discussion took place and some good points have been viewed.
In April's presentation, she views that "The women comes to realize that the real source of her depression is the way she is repressed by society." April focuses on how John is treating his wife. He may be a physician, but perhaps the woman's depression have been caused by her husband's behavior. Melissa Hagg commented that during today's society it would have been controlling his wife, but back then it is just called being considerate and caring. I believe that there are more than one way of looking at the text. No one is right or wrong, it's just how people view the information.
Dr. Jerz commented that the physician is caring in his professional manner and he just want to solve his wife's health problems; however all the woman might need is more affection and attention from John.
In Trisha's presentation, she talks about incidents of how men are controlling women throughout the story. Trisha also brought up a good point of how the woman wasn't able to move in the begining of the story and how John is capable of moving around, but then at the end of the story, John fainted and the woman was able to move around. This is a drastic change of how men overpowered women, and then it showed how women are coming up first at the end of the story.
In Mike's presentation, he seems to focus greatly how it is wrong to treat women the way John did. Mike thinks that John did not love his wife and didn't really share an intimate relationship. Eventhough they had a child together, it was basically "an act of service" for the woman to provide a child for John. It was great how Mike had in depth information of his feelings and interpretations of the text.
Dr. Jerz commented that the author might have delibrately left questions unanswered, so that the readers can have a debate.
In my personal opinion, I believe that the woman is suffering from some sort of depression, because the text talks about her nervousness and how she viewed things differently. Nothing to her was appealing. I would like to add that eventhough John is a physician and treats his wife like one of his patients, he still cares for her. I found it weird of how he kept referring the woman as a little girl. He is just thinking that doctors know best and wants his wife to get better fast. Perhaps, he wants her to get better fast, so that she can get back to housework, organizing parties, and other feminine things. But you have to remember that is story takes place in the late 1800's. This was common thinking of men. Also, the yellow wall paper is an important symbol in the story that contributes to the woman's illness. By having nothing to do in her room, not even to write, all she had was ugly yellow wall-paper to stare, so naturally it led her condition to be worse after awhile.
Here are two links that talk about Gilman's personal life.
http://www.cortland.edu/gilman/AboutCPG.htm
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/gilman.htm
Dr. Jerz brought up the point that the steam drill was coming whether or not John Henry won or lost. The bet was if John won the race, then the salesperson would give the steam drill to him and if he lost the race, then he would have to buy the machine. As a result, "They worked John Henry to death, and then replaced his men with a machine anyway. Because of this message, the legend of John Henry has been a staple of leftist politics, labor organizing and American counter-culture for well over one hundred years."
In Katie's presentation, she mentioned how some websites were not really accurate, since some people say John was either a white or black man, the area where he grew up in was either West Virginia or Alabama, and finally whether or not John was real or fake. These are the conclusions made by Katie. It's really up to the person to believe if it's a legend or not based on other's observations.
In my opinion, it doesn't matter whether John Henry was real or not. It's the actual legend that makes the reader involved in this story, for example, I'm sure everyone has heard of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Sure, people may just believe it's a legend, but others believe it is real. I think if the story is good enough and has some substance to it, then it's valid to be either one. A good legend or realistic story to me would be if it gets pasted down from generation to generation.
In Renee's presentation, liked how she defined folklore, myth, and legend. It helped me to understand which category John Henry can be placed under. Renee mentioned that this ballad was popular in the late 1800's. It so happens that the Civil War took place in 1861, so John Henry would have been very young during that time.
The question that she mentioned is whether John Henry was a legend or a real story? In my opinion, I think it's a legend just because the facts are not accuate. The main points are the same, but some of the details are not consistent, for example; his birthplace or whether he was a white or black man. If it was a real story, then it would have surely stated these huge facts. However, people have different perspectives of John Henry.
In Tiffany's presentation, she called about how Br'er Rabbit hated Br'er Fox. In a way, it is saying how White Americans hated African-Americans. A question that was brought up by Tiffany would be why was it appealing to white and black readers? It was popular among both Black and White readers in the North and South, because it presented an idealized view of race relations soon after the Civil War. Diana commented that it was not just about race, but just a clash between personalities and it was about society in general.
The class concluded that the readings were hard to understand because of the language. Most students read it 3 or 4 times to understand the stories. Overall, it was the most difficult reading that the Native American and the Huck Finn readings.
Dr. Jerz stated that there is a difference between dialect and slang. Dialect is when people talk the English language, but in a different way. It's like an accent. Slang is a degrated form of a perfect language. Bascially, it's a lingustic issue.
In my opinion, I think that Br'er Rabbit in general wasn't a bad story, but if I would have understood it better, then I would have enjoyed it more. It is interesting how the African American folk culture had many stories to tell to the children. It is a good activity to make the children think in a imaginative way.
In Chapter XXXIX, I couldn't believe how Huck and Tom placed snakes and rats in the shed with Jim in it. Huck didn't even object to his unfair treatment to Jim. If he did care about him, then he would have not went along with Tom's plan. You might say that society has been affecting Huck, because he is thinking to himself why is Tom helping a runaway black man? He is jeopardizing his safety to help Jim. Now, Huck is having mixed feelings of what he and Tom are doing.
In Chapter XLIII, Tom pays Jim forty dollars for his troubles and wants to send Jim back as a hero. Jim replied, "Dah, now, Huck, what I tell you? -- what I tell you up dah on Jackson islan'? I tole you I got a hairy breas', en what's de sign un it; en I tole you I ben rich wunst, en gwineter to be rich agin en it's come true; en heah she is! Dah, now! doan' talk to me -- signs is signs, mine I tell you; en I knowed jis' 's well 'at I 'uz gwineter be rich agin as I's a-stannin' heah dis minute!" This proves how Jim believes in his superstitions and he wasn't just tricking Huck just to get his money in the earlier chapters; Jim seriously believed his omens and future predictions.
Overall, I believe this book's prime focus is on Huck Finn and how he grows as an individual. There is an enough evidence to confirm this idea. Huck as changed from a mischievous boy to a wise young man. There were some parts in the novel that I liked about Huck and some parts I didn't. I liked how Huck invented new plans in order to fool people. It showed his creativity and how he can get out of tough situations. I didn't like how Huck just left Jim to face all the horrible things Tom put him through with the snakes and the rats in the shed. Huck should have done something to help Jim. I guess Huck was there for Jim physically, but not emotionally.
Shanna's presentation was about heroism in this novel. She defined "hero" in four different definitions. All of them related in one way or another. I believe that this was a good topic to discuss, because I see where she is getting the idea of heros in the novel. The three main characters: Huck, Jim, and Tom are the main heros. The following is an interpretation of how the class viewed three the characters to be heros.
Huck is a hero for several reasons including: caring about Jim, to go out and have an adventure, and not afraid to tell Tom his plans. Huck has an different way of thinking, and he does this because he wants to find himself. You can tell that he is acting out as an adolescent.
Jim is a hero because he is there for Huck and he inspires him. When Huck grows physically and mentally, Jim is like Huck's mentor. Jim knows how to deal with Huck through actions, and not on an intellectual level. It takes guts to deal with Tom and Huck with their plans and all the trouble that he has gone through.
The only reason Tom is a hero is because he wants to free Jim. Mainly, he's not really a hero, since he acts quite foolish. Also, Tom already knows that Jim is free. Tom's morals are not as good, but his characteristics are heroic. He is a natural leader, and the kids want to follow him because he is charismatic and his plans are fun and courageous.
]]>In Chapter XVIII, Huck lives with the Grangerfords and now Huck develops a new interest in girls. The only problem is that the family is having a feud with the Shepardsons. This feud has been going on for years, until one day the Grangerfords (Buck and 19-year old) have been killed by the Shepardsons in a gunfight. Now, Huck must sail away in his raft with Jim to find a new location for him to stay. Huck was distrubed for awhile, since he did enjoy the family's company.
In Chapter XXIV, the king and the duke decided to paint Jim blue for the performance of their show. They placed a sign on Jim and he is supposed to represent a "Sick Arab". I find this rather amusing, because I don't know why being painted blue represents an Arab. What's the connection? Also, I find it upsetting that if Huck is such great friends with Jim, then why did he let the king and duke paint Jim? Huck should have protected Jim and not allowed them to paint Jim blue.
In Chapter XXIX, there was a conflict between the king and duke and the real Harvey and William Wilks. Both were going on and on about who is real and who is a fraud. There was a turning point to the story when the king said, "I warn't up at the Pint in the mornin'." Then, the lawyer said, "Preacher be hanged, he's a fraud and a liar. He was up at the Pint that mornin'. I live up there, don't I? Well, I was up there, and he was up there. I see him there. He come in a canoe, along with Tim Collins and a boy."
The doctor always had suspected that the king and duke were frauds, but couldn't convince the townspeople. When the lawyer asked them to sign a paper to see who is the real Harvey and William, there were excuses made from them. So, Harvey said to describe the tatoo on Peter's body. Harvey said one thing and the king said that there wasn't any tattoo. The townspeople went to the place where Peter was buried and wanted to view the tatoo. Instead of focusing the tattoo, the townspeople were in an uproar to discover $6,000 in gold inside the coffin. During the confusion, Huck has escaped to the raft and met up with Jim.
After reading up to Chapter 31, Huck's relationship with Jim is getting stronger. He wrote a letter to Miss Watson telling her where Jim was located, but Huck makes his decision of what to do and the real evidence of Huck's friendship with Jim is in the following quote: "It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: "All right, then, I'll go to hell" -- and tore it up.
I have noticed how Huck is involved with death and violence. There are so many places where he has encountered these situations, but Huck is unaware of the pattern. Perhaps, Samuel Clemens wanted the get this point across to the readers and it makes the story more interesting to read and to have more feedback.
I have read Melissa's and Se-Ann's blogs on their views of the novel. Both their presentations in class were insight and has raised good points in class.
In Melissa's presentation, she focused on the symbols of freedom. I agree with her that the river is a major symbol, because Huck feels free when he rides the raft along the river. He doesn't have to listen to anyone :including his pap, the widow, and Miss Watson. He wants to do what he wants. A good example was brought up that Huck and Jim rode down the raft naked. Then, didn't have anyone to stop them, so it feels that they are connected with the river. The river is a feeling of protection. It has kept Jim safe, since he is a runaway slave. He tries to avoid being sold to others. That's why Huck and Jim always hide the raft from everyone, so they can ride down the river later on. They feel it as a security item. Linda brought up a good point on how the story is moving with the river being a central focus on the story.
In Se-Ann's presentation, she talked about freedom and society. It goes along with Melissa's presentation, but some of the material are more in depth. The class had a debate whether or not there are different world views of the children of the past and the children of today. Back then, children were allowed to be free and play around anywhere. Nowadays, children are more restricted and are not allowed to do activities where they are alone. They need constant attention, because of how society is shaped up to be. There are events, such as child abduction going around, so parents are forced to keep an eye out for their kids at all times. The children of today, do not experience freedom as the children of the past did. There were more adventures back then than nowadays.
Dr. Jerz brought up an interesting point. He noticed how Huck and Jim missed the Ohio River, which is the Northern part and is the free states. Since, they missed this route, they continued to go South, which is the Mississippi River. MarkTwain (Samuel Clemens) didn't go to the Northern part, so he decided to make the characters go to the Southern part, since he has rode down this river many times. He knows what to expect down the Mississippi River. For instance, if Samuel Clemens changed the route to the Northern part, then the story would have been different. I viewed this thought very insightful and informative.
]]>In Chapter VII, Huck makes the situation look like that the robbers have broken in the cabin and killed him. He does this by cutting the pig's throat and having the blood trail to the river. He also covers up the hole,with a rock, since he cut it through with a saw. He is a clever boy of 13 or 14 years of age to come up with these plans.
In Chapter XI, Huck disguises himself as a girl and goes into a formerly abandoned shack, where a woman of the age of forty lives. Her name is Mrs. Judith Loftus. At first, Huck creatively tells his story of how he reached to her location. Huck also tells that his name is "Sarah Williams", and then when the woman asked again, he replied "Mary Williams." The woman asked why he had two names, and then Huck covers himself by saying that his full name is "Sarah Mary Williams." After awhile, the woman recognizes that it is a boy and not a girl by the way he threw the lead at the rats. When she asked for his real identity, he said his name is "George Peters" and describes himself as an apprentice to a mean farmer. She lets him go after quizzing him on several farm subjects to make sure he is telling the truth.
In Chapter XVI, Huck thinks about how he helped Jim escaped from Miss Watson. After all, she has done a lot for Huck. He wanted to turn Jim in, but after Jim revealed to him that he is his best friend and is the only one to keep his promise, then Huck became soft-hearted. When two men came upon the raft, in the search for runaway slaves, Huck didn't turn in Jim. He mislead them to a house where he said that his family has smallpox and needs help. The two men didn't want to be contaminated, so they gave Huck twenty dollars and directions on how to get people to help his sick family.
The three presentations made by Erin, Jessica, and Jen were informative and raised good points.
In Erin's presentation, I liked how she analyzed the relationship between Huck and Jim. In Chapter 8, p. 31, it is where Huck is glad that he has encountered Jim on the island. He was getting lonely because he was just gazing at the stars and have no else to talk to. I think Huck does want friendship with Jim and doesn't care if he is a black man. Huck went to school and he is more educated than his father, so he knows the difference between right and wrong thinking. Even when Huck didn't want to tie Jim to a tree, it was because he felt a special bond between him. Although, Huck was tricking Jim at certain times, e.g. fog incident, snake encounterment. He did felt bad afterwards for Jim.
In Jessica's presentation, she talked about freedom. Some of the examples were that he didn't like school, fancy clothes. He prefered to live with his father because there are no rules for him. The reason Huck and Jim went on their journey is because Jim doesn't want to be sold and he wants to go to the free states. For Huck, he doesn't want to go to Widow Douglas nor does he goes to his father. He wants to do what he wants.
In Jen's presentation, she talked about superstitions, for example spilling of the salt and touching snake skin. By touching the snake-skin, it brought back luck, because Jim was bitten by the snake. There other superstitions involved as well, like the Jim's hairball oracle and how he predicts the future. He might have done it to get money from Huck or he might have did it because that is how he believe in things where he came from. I remember another incident where Jim says that by having hairy arms and chest, it will bring riches to oneself. It is interesting how there are numerous predictions if one has something or if one does something.
Here is a link that talks about the early edition of Mark Twain's controversial novel.
]]>From my understanding of the story;Crazy Horse is most often remembered as a warrior and leader of warriors, when he rode into battle. He was killed because he didn't do what the commanding general told him to do and that was to plot against the government. When Crazy Horse died, his body was never found. Some say that his parents hid the body somewhere on Pepper Creek.
The quote I found interesting is "When it was day, Crazy Horse's father and mother brought him over to our camp in a wagon. Then they put him in a box, and I heard that they had to cut him in two because the box was not long enough. They fastened the box on a pony drag and went away alone toward the east and north. I saw the two old people going away alone with their son's body. " When I read this quote, I thought to myself; how disgusting and unrespectful to cut up their own son and shove him in a box.
Also, he might have been a hero during battle, but his personal life could have been better. The quote that I am referring to is the following: "He had three wives during the course of his life. The first was Black Buffalo Woman, whom he had loved since boyhood. Though she had married another, she left her husband (a privilege allowed in Lakota tradition) and eloped with Crazy Horse. But her jealous husband followed them and nearly killed Crazy Horse. Black Buffalo Woman finally returned to her husband, mainly to avoid bloodshed among her own people. His second wife was Black Shawl. His third wife was Nellie Laravie (or Larrabee), given to him five months before his death. Of the three, only Black Shawl bore him a child, a daughter. Black Shawl was the wife with whom he lived through much of his adult life; she died in 1920. Their daughter, named They Are Afraid of Her, died at the age of three, probably of cholera."
For further research, I found a similar website that goes into further detail with Crazy Horse's life. I found it on yahoo search.
In this text, it is describing about Adam and Eve. The creator created the first man and first woman. He told them not to touch or eat the apple. The comparison is going on between the white skinned people and the yellow skinned people. As a result, the yellow skinned people ate the apple and were naked. The white skinned people resisted the temptation and didn't eat the apple. Also, they were fully clothed. When the creator spoke to them, he told the yellow skinned people to go to the forest and eat the animals that live there and use their skins for clothing.
I think the interpretation for this text is that the creator is comparing the yellow-skinned people to animals because that is how they behaved when they disobeyed the creator. So, now they have to live like animals. The creator has given the people complicated human brains and a functionally body, and is above the level of a mere animal. The creator wanted to put those two colored skinned people to the test, to see which one will follow.
How The White Race Came To America And Why The Gaiwiio Became A Neccesity
The main point of this story is when the young man meets "an evil spirit" . The spirit states. "A great reward is yours if you will help me. Here are five things that men and women enjoy; take them to these people and make them as white men are. Then shall you be rich and powerful and you may become the chief of all great preachers here."
The young man opened his bundle of five things and found a flask of rum, a pack of playing cards, a handful of coins, a violin and a decayed leg bone. He wanted to received his greatest reward from the spirit, so they decided to distribute it to the people. However, the spirit revealed that "These cards will make them gamble away their wealth and idle their time; this money wilt make them dishonest and covetous and they will forget their old laws; this fiddle will make them dance with their arms about their wives and bring about a time of tattling and idle gossip; this rum will turn their minds to foolishness and they will barter their country for baubles; then will this secret poison eat the life from their blood and crumble their bones."
After he witnessed all the chaos and craziness from the people, he realized his mistake. Evil was overpowering his judgement. He was selfish and just wanted the riches and didn't think what these five items would do to the others.
Zuni Creation Story
The Genesis of the World or the Begining of Newness
There was nothing in the world. It was filled with emptyness and darkness;but Áwonawilona created the land, sea, clouds, light, and nature. This text shows the begining of the world's natural creations.
The Genesis of Men and Creatures
The Unripeness and Instability of the Young World
It is stating that the earth is very young, and it is suffering from natural disaster, such as earthquakes and creatures coming out from the underworld and spreading evil everywhere.
I thought it was creepy how the young man called for his dead uncle for help, and when he appeared, the young man became his dead uncle. It's the young man's body that was possessed by his dead uncle's spirit.
In conclusion, I really can't compare it to the Genesis due to the fact that I am not at all familar with it. Christianity is not my religion, so I have no idea what to compare. I can only interpret and give my opinions on the text.
In Depth Class Dicussion
In class we discussed about "The Creation" story. In this story the ribs of Adam and Eve are switched. The Genesis presents "Garden of Eden" in a few ways including:
1. Living in harmony with nature
2. No shame
3. Never worries
4. Instant gratification
5. Direct intimate connection with God
The serpent told Adam and Eve to eat the appple and you will be like God. This was the only request God told them not to do; however both of them ate the apple. Their sin is the disobediance of God. This in text, both of them are with clothes. In the Genesis, they were created naked. And the transgessors are punished by taking away their clothes. You can see the difference in all three situations.
In the readings of Native American Literature, the Native Americans heard stories by the white Southerns. The Native Americans required help from the white people. They didn't want the white people to have the attitude "I'm better than you". They need to learn from one another and work together. This is a type of separation of culture. In western myths, it talks about dark colored people, and how they are viewed negatively. For example, it was the "yellow skinned" people who disobeyed and were portrayed as "evil." The white skinned skinned were obeying and were portrayed as "good." You could see how the colored people like the Native Americans were not accepted into society.
By comparing the "Crazy Horse" vs. "The Killing of Crazy Horse", there are similarities and differences in these stories. In Crazy Horse, it stated that he resisted attempt of plotting against the government and a guard stabbed him. In the killing of Crazy Horse, he died in a different way and didn't plot aganist the government. The point of view of this paragraph: ..."Unfortunately, those victories served only to motivate the army to step it's campaigns..." You can tell that the author is biased in favero of North American Indians. Also, this battle had three different names. First, "Custard's Last Stand", then the "Battle of Little Bighorn", and finally "Greasy Grass."
In the reading that deals with the young man and the five items, it shows the "weakness" of charcater that lead down to Native American culture, due to the whites. The white men come with temptations, just like in the story with the apple. The white skinned people were tempted to eat the apple, but didn't.
]]>For Diana's presentation, I didn't even know that religion played a major role. It was an interesting fact. I liked how she defined certain words that went along with her presentation. It was very informative.
In the beginning, when I first thought heard about this text, I thought Bierce wrote about bad words and bad thoughts; however this was not the case. Bierce wrote about various types of words, from the word abodomen up to the word zany. I have to admit, it was creative for him to come up with these meanings.
There was a huge debate whether or not this holds true, because both sides seem to be right to me. However, perhaps this is how Bierce viewed women because women were treated negatively and unfairly during those times. In my opinion, when I read this text, I thought it was funny and entertaining for awhile, but after reading word after word, it was getting boring. If you could compare to www.dictionary.com you can see the difference in Bierce's definitions and the actual definitions.
The words that I thought were funny are the following:
WEAKNESSES, n.pl.
Certain primal powers of Tyrant Woman wherewith she holds dominion over the male of her species, binding him to the service of her will and paralyzing his rebellious energies.
VOTE, n.
The instrument and symbol of a freeman's power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.
TWICE, adv.
Once too often.
CABBAGE, n.
A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.
DESTINY, n.
A tyrant's authority for crime and fool's excuse for failure.
FAMOUS, adj.
Conspicuously miserable.
Coverage: This category contains all blogs on the major literary works studied in class.
Bartleby:The Scrivener
An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge
The Scarlet Letter (Chapters 1-9)
The Second Half of the Scarlet Letter
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"
Review of Poetry Slam
Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance"
Wildcard (This is my personal blog entry on my trip to Pakistan)
Depth: These entries are more detailed, in order to anaylze the texts.
Review of Poetry Slam
Emerson's "Self Reliance"
The Second Half of Scarlet Letter
Interaction: These blogs are used for interaction with peers. Students give their opinion or they either agree or disagree with your statement.
Emerson's "Self-Reliance
My Trip To Pakistan
Melville's "Bartleby:The Scrivener"
Discussion: In these entries, students are engaged in conversations associating with the specific topic.
Emerson's "Self-Reliance"
Melville's "Bartleby:The Scrivener"
Relationship with Hester and Pearl in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"
Xenoblogging: This interesting word, which means that the blogger has commented on other students' work. The following are the list of students, which the blogger has commented on them.
Shanna DeFrances
Sarah Elwood
Linda Fondrk
Melissa Hagg
Stephan Puff
Wildcard: This entry just tells something unique about the blogger. I have become comfortable as a weblogger, so I have included some additional websites within this text, that you might find interesting.
]]>Some fun things that I recalled was when my grandfather picked mangos from the tree that was located on the roof. We drank fresh mango juice every day at breakfast. Also, coconuts were knocked down by a hook, and when they fell to the ground it didn't break. An ax was used to chop the outer covering of the coconut.
We checked out the local shopping mall. It is four or five floors high and the windows were made of glass, so people can see the wonderful view. There were numerous stores, such as food, music, clothing, jewelry, etc.
My favorite place to visit was Clifton Beach. It is a popular place to have picnics, go to concerts, or just to relax. I loved how seagulls hovered in the air and the lake was shimmering under the sun. People just walk on the boardwalk to view the sunset.
If we ever get bored around the house, we always went up to the terrace. From this view, you could see all the houses and what the neighborhood kids are doing. The terrace is used for washing and drying clothes, but you can also gaze at the stars in the night. People have this type of structure, because it is hot all year round.
I was amazed to see a huge McDonald's restaurant. It is very spacious and it allows the kids to play in the play area. There is also Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Chinese food available for the public. Like in the U.S., teenagers usually work in these restaurants.
There are many different kinds of food we ate. There were a variety of foods that were served to family throughout the day. My grandmother made sure we eat plenty of food. Sometimes, we eat out, but usually we ate what my grandmother cooks. She is a terrific cook. Usually, I eat only breakfast and dinner, but over there, I ate 3 times a day, plus snacks. It was great!!
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