NikkiMoses

The Scarlette Letter

This was my first reading of "The Scarlette Letter" and I have to say I enjoyed it. The plot itself I felt was intriguing and seemed advanced for this time period in which Hawthorne was writing during. I know alot of people did not like all the tedious details but I felt it placed me right on the set of the story. I could feel the stern ways of life placed upon these people and the initial shock of Hester and her sin of adultery. Today it seems as though we are unable to be shocked and social norms are broken daily. The news alone detaches us from tragedy because it is so often viewed. Our leader, our president, commited the same sin as Hester in front of the entire nation to be subjected to, was it realy that shocking, how many of our other leaders have ridden on this band wagon? and did we brand Monica, certanly not, we gave her interviews and her own purse line. Did we kick our leader out of our society or did he keep on going with plenty of those fancy cigars to puff on? sure he did. Could one even imagine if a time warp occured and a person of Puritan law was here today, wow that would be an amusing insight on all the corrupt ways we practice religously today. Just a thought let me know what ya think.

Could Peyton Farquhar be a Hero?

Bierce's short story,"An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge," was much more insightful then when I had read it in highschool. I apprichiated the descriptivness in his writtng style. It paints a picture and allows the reader to see as Peyton is experiencing his dreams or hallucinations before he is killed. The part where Bierce takes us to binocular, superhuman vision with Peyton was great and you can begin to understand that something weird is unfolding.I think Bierce created a main character that the reader felt compassion for. We know he was a gentleman and a simple planter. He was also willing to put his own life in danger to help protect his country- grounds for the title of a hero? I think so. What is the defeniton of a hero? I find that Peyton fits under the category of c in the link listed above. Though his desire of burning down the bridge failed and can't be credited for an achievment his actions and intentions shows a courageous being. Do we not consider those in the military heros, those who risk their lives for our saftey ? Peyton believed that he was doing his part in fighting against the Yankees. To bad he did not recognize he was benig set up by a federal scout posing to be a confederate solder.
So what do you think, is Peyton Farquhar considered to be a hero?

October 11, 2004
Retro Poetry Slam
To be honest, I was petrified to go through with this thing. It is one thing to read a poem, but to act it out in front of the class, well that's a wnole different ballgame. I can say that after presenting, though it did not go quite as I had practiced, I was relieved and proud to have gone through with it, sucked it up, and completed the assignment. The performances were awsome and to say the least I was certiantly intimidated to follow any of my classmates acts. But hey I'm learning right?
I was surprised to find the various elements and techniques that involves expressing a poem. The use of ones voice to create a mood, or physical motions, or props all have great significance in the deliverance of the poem. The slightest change in tone or position is able to create depth, meaning, and displays the emotions as the reader presents their own unique interpretation of the works. This assignment gave the class insight on how the performer percieved the poems' meaning in the way the deliverance was made.

I was intreseted in knowing if this form of expression was often used and what the benefits were in practicing such an art. I found this site
to be extremely compelling. P.S.2 Interdisciplinary School of Learning, located in Jackson Heights ,NY is an elementery school that practices the expression of poetry. This paticular school starts the children in the forth grade with excersises similar to ours demonstrated in class and proves to be very valuable. The article states, "The linguistic strategies help students use language and express and appriciate complex meanings, while enabeling them to understand the order and meaning of words. The bodily kinesthetic strategies help the students manipulate objects, use a variety of physical skills and develope skills through mind-body union." This article revealed that through excersises such as these the students produce creative thinking skills and become dramatic readers. I can only think that if maybe someone such as myself were introduced to a workshop like this at that tender age I would not have been so uncomfortable and more readily to grasp this assignment with confidence.
What do you guys think, should children be subjected to these kind of exercises and are these skills necessary?

Bartleby

In Mr. Melvilles', "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" an employee by the name of Bartleby is hired and begins to disrupt the work routine of this paticular office. Not necesarily disrespectful in an offending manner but more of the passive way which Bartleby lives by that offends his boss and co-workers. The only aspect of the story that kept me reading was to find out the deal with Bartleby. When asked to do certian tasks that the job required Bartleby would simply reply, "I prefer not to" and leave it at that. Could you imagine, telling your boss after they gave you an order, "I prefer not to", plain as day without any explanation, yeah right! But the boss was in a way intrigied with Bartelby. The narrarator states, after the repeated line of "I would prefer not to" was esclaimed, "With any other man I should have flown outright into a dreadful passion, scorned all further words, and thrust him ignominiously from my presence. But there was something about Bartleby that not only strangely disarmed me, but in a wonderful manner touched and disconcerted me." This passage allows the readers to see that the narrarator is very tolerant of Bartleby but astound at his behavior. Eventualy Bartleby goes to jail because he is found living at the office, oddly enough, where he dies alone as he had lived.
This was a sad story but not tragic though it ended in death. Maybe because throughout the story I did not have a close relationship or feel of Bartleby. He is introduced in a distant and strange manner so as to not produce sentimental feelings towards him. Bartleby was not portrayed into a character of feeling, no emotion was sighted into any of his relationships. Not even a thank you to his boss to show he his gratful for the job he clearly does not deserve. However I did mangage to feel sorry for him because of the lonely life he led though not attached to his character.
And what about his work ethic? Sure there are people in the workplace that are incredably lazy and manage to not pick up a finger all day long, but to blatenly tell your boss "no," that is grounds for direct dismissal.

NikkiMoses

The Scarlette Letter

Could Peyton Farquhar be a Hero?

Bartleby

This is just a test