I found the readings of Native Americans to be very fascinating. The one interested me the most was the story of The Killing of Crazy Horse. One of the points that Dr. Jerz pointed out to me in class was the feeling of bias that was found in the two articles about the life and death of Crazy Horse. The first account of the killing of Crazy Horse if told through the eyes of a young indian boy who looked up to Crazy Horse as an indian leader and warrior. Here are some of the examples of the boys potenital bias in telling his account of the death of Crazy Horse.
1) When hearing bad news, "Some of us turned around then and went back to camp, and soldiers sent the others back a little later; but Crazy Horse went on."
2) After descibing the events leading up to his death, the staory states, "Crazy Horse was dead. He was brave and good and wise. . . The could not kill him in battle. They had to lie to him and kill him that way."
The narrator only saw Crazy Horse as a hero and was bitter towards his murderers even though he did not seem to understand fully what happened the day of his death. There is also bias found in the article of the Encyclopedia of North American Indians as exemplied by the word "unfortunately" found when describing the vistory of the American troops over the Native American Indians. The article also describes the white people as being "cruel," which often times they were to the Indians, but someone like Custer (who was fighting against the indians) would never say something like that. I decided to research and try to find an article written on the other side of the spectrum by a white American who opposed the Indians.
I found an article in the Encarta Encyclopedia that described the death of Crazy Horse. This article contains a completely different attitude towards Crazy Horse and portrays the event in a more neurtal way by saying, " Crazy Horse and his warriors killed Custer and most of his cavalry. The United States Army then began a relentless pursuit of Crazy Horse; he finally surrendered in Nebraska on May 6, 1877. A few months later, while reportedly resisting confinement, he was killed by a soldier." I think it is important to research all aspects of a story to make sure you are not getting biased information.
I was also intigued by Nabila's article and statement about whether Crazy Horse should really be considered a hero. Nabila seemed to be concerned with the fact that Crazy Horse seemed to steal a man's wife away, but I thought of it in a different way. "Crazy horse was a quiet, introspective, and shy man" who loved Black Buffalo Woman since childhood. Although she was married, she left her husband to elope with Crazy Horse. I found this to be very romantic. I feel that because he was so shy he did not pursue Black Buffalo and realized he was too late, but his warrior/heroic qualities shone through when he fought for her love and went after what he wanted. Another aspect that I felt made Crazy Horse a true hero was his humble behavior. "He did not recount his war deeds, nor did he wear or display the symbols of achievement accruing to him."
I lastly wanted to comment on Nabila's ill feelings of the burial of Crazy Horse. I feel that his parents taking him into the mountains to bury him was respectful and was their way of dealing with their mourning. I think that she may have missed an important line in the narrative that stated, "It does not matter where his body lies, for it is grass; but where his spirit is, it will be good to be." Crazy Horse was a hero, and although he died trying to save and protect his people, his spirit and legend lives on.
After reading and dicussing Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Decitionary, I had a lot of mixed feelings towards the work, and Bierce himself. Our discussion in class raised many questions as to whether Bierce was bashing people, particularly women just because he hated them, Was he just trying to be funny, or was it because he was trying to facilitate a change in the society that he was living in?
I think that it is forst very important for everyone to consider that The Devil's Dictionary was not published all at once in a singlular book, but was rather published a few at a time in a Newspaper. When you think about it this way, i feel that Bierce had more time to think about what words he wanted to use and and what definitions he wanted to put to them. As i found in this article, Bierce's "true love was satire" and he would use any form to do it. I think of his dictionary as being equivolent to a political cartoonist today. Even though political cartoonists may not feel a certain way towards a particular political group, they know the issues that are out there and they create pictures that will spark interest in the public.
I agree with Erin Manko that although Bierce seemed to target women negatively in his article, that is how society is and he was just making a point. Many people would say that he critiziced women and African Americans too harshly. One of the definitions that actually made me cringe was that of an African (AFFRICAN, n. A nigger that votes our way.). I think that this definition is far worse than any definition aimed at women. Although Melissa Hagg points out very nicely that Beirce may have had bad experiences with women in his life, I would have to disagree with her that he picks on women more than any other group.
As pointed out by Paul Crossman, Aborigines is another interesting definition to look at.
ABORIGINIES, n.
Persons of little worth found cumbering the soil of a newly discovered country. They soon cease to cumber; they fertilize.
I feel that Beirce wanted to make people aware in a very blunt way, almost like a slap in the face, as to how cruel the American Society is. If he did not make the definitions to blunt and harsh, it would not have made such an enormous impact and would not be as talked about. Lastly, I think it is important to note that Bierce did not approve of the first title of his work, The Cynics Wordbook. Five years later, he changed the name to The Devil's Dictionary. I think that Bierce wanted people to know that these were not his (the cynics) words, but were the words of the devil. He was criticizing society and wanted change.
Depth:
I included "Huge Contrast in Bartleby the Scrivener" because it seemed to spark up good converation from the class.
I found an awesome article that helped me write "Farquhar's Journey Home."
Another poem that I investigated in depth was The Raven. Read my "Raven's Battle Between Good and Evil!"
Interaction:
I found it very fun to find things that I disagreed with in other people's blogs then explain my own findings to them. I did this in:
"Farquhar's Journey Home"
"The Raven's Battle Between Good and Evil" and
"Hester and Pearl "
Discussion:
It is very pleasing to see that someone has commented on the things that you say in your blogs, and i like reponding to my comments.
"Huge Constrast in Bartleby the Scrivener"
"Farquhar's Journey Home"
" The Raven's Battle Between Good and Evil"
Coverage:
These are from discussions in class.
"Too Much Reliance on Society"
" Poetry Slam Dunk"
Xenoblogging:
I went out and posted comments on my classmates blogs so heres what they said and what I told them back.
"EMERSON"
" Compassion for Farquar"
"Raven-ous"
Wildcard:
I went to see Lysistrata last week and I LOVED IT!!! I love theater and I loved this play and i wanted to share what I thought about it with all of you!
"Lysistrata"
The Greek Comedy, Lysistrata, written by Aristophanes and adapted by Ranjit Bolt was performed by the Seton Hill University Theater Department from October first through the ninth. I am glad I got to witness this erotic yet historical Greek Comedy. A cast of male and female Greek characters were played by talented student actors in this ninety minute long play. There was a unique constant set that fit perfectly into the drama. The basic theme of the play was the empowerment of women over men to achieve peace in Greece.
Going into the play, I had no background as to what was going to happen on the stage. I assumed that Lysistrata would be a male character, because a stereotype that I have in plays is the presence of a strong male lead character. I was surprised to see that Lysistrata was a female character who takes on an enormous leadership role. The women of Greece come together to get their men to stop fighting. After much coercion, they agree to give up sexual intercourse until their husbands declare peace and return safely to their homes. The play portrays the power that women and sex have over men and their actions. It was empowering to see the women of Greece taking action and going after what they wanted, no matter what they had to give up.
A main piece of the set that caught my eye throughout the play was a mural of images where women are taking control and showing strong character. It reminded me of the feminist movement, when women wanted to get out of the home and enter the working class. The recurring theme of war and violence also goes along with this idea because during WWII women had to take jobs in the factories when their men went away to war.
Watching Lysistrata was a very comical and entertaining way to get a look into Greek history while expanding my cultural awareness. I liked how risque the script was because the writer was not afraid to go against cultural norms of the PG script.
I really enjoyed everyone's poetry or short story interpretations because I know how diffucult it can be for some people to get up and perform in front of the class. Two of the poems that I enjoyed the most were both by Emily Dickinson. There both have contrasting moods so I feel they will be good to discuss together. Shanna DeFrances presented "How Happy is the Little Stone" and April Santavy presented "The Sun Kept Setting, Setting Still," both of which I will be referring to.
In "How Happy is the Little Stone" the mood is very cheerful and upbeat. I was happy to read a poem like this from Dickinson because I remember most of her poems being sad and depressed sounding. It seems as thought the narrator is envious of the simple life that the rock leads. It "does not care about careers" and it lives "in casual simplicity." It kind of amazed me how she can just write a poem about a rock, to me it seems like she is bored and needs a friend.
Another poem that I liked was "The Sun Kept Setting, Setting Still." Both of these poems dealt with nature and being outside, but the themes were completely different. This poem seems to fit Dickinson's style a little better because it deals with death, a subject she writes alot about. I love how the poem slowly describes death like the setting of the sun. It is a very relaxing feeling to hear it portrayed in this way. No wonder that by the end of the poem, she is "not afraid to know." I think this line is the most important in the whole poem. She seems to enjoy nature so incredibly much and marvels at its beauty, that she can only imagine heaven being even more beautiful than earth, and she is not afraid to go there and find out!
Honestly, when I read Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay called "Self Reliance," i was a little apprehensive and offended. He explains that I am paying a lot of money to get a degree from this prestigious university for "the education at college of fools." OK, maybe I am taking this line out of context because he is trying to criticize society and building robots of society, but he preaches of self reliance, and I would say that going to school to become self educated is far better than sitting at home and becoming a spec in society. The more someone learns and questions, the more self reliance they can get. He tells the reader to tell say what you feel and do not reject any of your ideas as foolish because "in every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts." What better place to say how you feel than in a classroom at college.
Emerson rejects society and feels it is "in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. He feels that you must act on your own accord and show "genuine action... Your conformity explains nothing." Emerson goes on to criticize the law and explains that "no law can be sacred to me but that of my nature." I disagree totally with his feelings here. Without law there would be chaos, without society there would be no civilization and why would we want to convert to old primitive ways of life? I feel that Emerson makes a contradiction in his essay when he asks, "Is the acorn better than the oak which is its fulness and completion?" when referrring to the power of God over people. If he can say this, why then can we not ask: Are individuals better than society which is its fullness and completion?
In a way I feel like Emerson is just trying to preach a new religion to everyone. He says not to follow society, but follow him instead? Hmmm that really makes me wonder about him. He refers a lot to religion and his way of doing things. For example, he says people should pray in private, but if everyone started doing that, it would become a societal norm again and there is just NO getting around it.
Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" is basically a battle between good and evil or heaven and hell. After reading Amanda Cochran's blog, I realized that she was raising many of the same questions that I was confused about. She questioned the symbolism used in the Poem and I decided to go out and reseach to find some answers. In the process, I found a very helpful site by Dana Gioia and after getting some background on the poem and rereading it, I understood it and liked it soooo much more!
Accoring to Gioia, the poem portrays four main elements : "a compelling narrative structure, a dark atmosphere, hypnotic verbal music, and archetypal symbolism." I agree that the poem sets up a strong narrative and Poe was known to write in this style, as with "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The Cast of Amontillado". Although the poem's rhythmic sounds distracted me the first time i read it, instead of just getting caught in the flow of the poem, I stopped and tried to figure out the meaning behind the story in the poem during my second reading.
The setting in the poem reflects the inner emotions and feelings of the narrator. In amanda's blog, she questioned the sex of the narrator, but in my eyes, there is no doubt that the narrator is a male pining over the loss of his loved one, Lenore. Written during the 1800's Poe would more than likely not be writing about a women pining for another woman at this point in time. The setting of the novel is very solemn, dreary, and lonely, just the same as the feelings the narrator is experiencing. As the lonely scholar sits in his room late at night, he notices a "dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor." Because it is so late and the mood is so spokey, I feel this leads the narrator towards some hallucinations/ bad dreams. The narrator is "napping" when the gentle tapping comes to his door, and I think that Poe is basically telling the reader that the narrator is in a dreamlike state and this may not be happening in real life, but the ideas are coming from his subconscious mind.
The aspect of life worrying the narrator is whether there is a heaven or hell and where is he going to end up. When he first heard a noise outside his door, he thought it was the ghost or angel of his beloved Lenore, but when he opens the door, "darkness [is] there and nothing more." He begins "wondering, fearing" about death and whether there is an afterlife where he will find Lenore, or will he find eternal darkness like he did when he opened the door to his chamber. The Raven shows up at the window as a demonic like symbol of hell and tries to persuade the narrator that he will face a hellish dark doom. It is symbolic that the raven lands on the Pallas Athena above the door because she is the Goddess of Wisdom, but the raven sitting on her creates a block or "inability of reason." The presence of the raven, makes the narrator question his initial belief in heaven, and raises new questions in his head.
There is also a lot of contrast between light and dark in the poem. The "radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore" contrasts with the raven or "thing of evil." By the end of the poem, the narrator seems to give in or give up his belief in good to the raven in the final symbolic act of the raven casting his shadow on the floor where the narrator's soul "shall be lifted [from that shadow] - Nevermore!"
After reading Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge," and reading a blog by a fellow classmate entitled "Compassion for Farquhar," I agreed with many things so was saying about feeling the compassion for the main character, I also slightly disagreed with one aspect of what she had to say. I would like to explain my point of view on the matter and open up a door for others to tell me whether they agree, disagree, or have another idea completely.
Erin's blog described the story as "a typical dream [where] everything goes prefectly." I feel that the story is more of a journey to the eternal home or heaven. After Farquar got out of the river during his escape, he "at least found a road which led him in what he knew to be the right direction... Overhead as he looked up through the wood, shone great golden stars looking unfamiliar and grouped in strange constellations." The reason the stars look unfamiliar is because they are not stars, he is following the light that all people who have a near death experience describe. There is another reference to Farquhar following the light that forshadows his death at the end of the story, and that is when he first falls into the river "he opened his eyes in the darkness and saw above him a gleam of light." A final reference in the story to death and religion is when Farquhar leaves the river to go home and "the wood on either side was full of singular noises, among which--once, twice, and again-- he distinctly heard whispers in an unknown tongue." This line made me think of an Angel whispering sweet things to him as he died to comfort him on his journey home.
Another aspect of the story that jumped out at me was the slowness of time in the moment of death. All of his senses seemed to become more aware and acute and his final moments dragged on for what seemed to be eternity. While Farquhar was awiting the moment to be hung, he heard "a sharp metallic percussion liek the stroke of a blacksmith's hammer... as slow as the tolling of a death knell... The intervals of slience grew progressively longer; the delays became maddening... What he heard was the ticking of his watch." This section of the story kept making me think of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" because the descriptions are so similar. An article describing this story states, " [Bierce] distorts time by revealing at the end of the story that Farquhar imagined his escape in the few seconds before he died even though the escape takes up a great portion of the narrative." I think this quote pretty much sums up the fact that Bierce was emphasizing the slowness of death in his short story.
I think one of Bierce's primary concerns for writing this story was to condemn war. At the opening of the story he describes military men anout to kill a good man with a kindly expression and "evidently was no vulgar assassin." Beirce seems to disagree with war and the slaughter of thousands of innocent men and women. I also think he empahsized the deception and unjust practices in war by ending the second section by describing the "Federal Scout" who tricked Farquhar into being caught by the soldiers. Another criticism i see in the story is if Farquhar really loved his wife so much, why would he go and take on the army at the bridge by himself. This was plain stupidity on his part and maybe his life with his wife was not as happy as he portrayed it in his perception before death. Maybe he was trying to escape an unhappy life.