March 2009 Archives
Okay, so my blog entry is on the whole exert from when the narrator had smoked a reefer cigarette in the prologue. Okay, so all of us being in college know what reefer is and if you don't well it's a drug. Anyways, the whole exert is that of a dream like state. I found that it was more of a nightmare more than anything. What astounded me though, was the line "Git out of here, you fool! Is you ready to commit treason?"(10) Now I have read the book before in one of my Honors English classes and already know what this is referring to, but just out of the sense that I never did read it, how is one going to commit treason? What was the motive that Ellison, told us this line before hearing of the narrator's 'curse'? Perhaps, Ellison is trying to get at something with the mother of the seven boys. Perhaps it is his grandmother or great grandmother speaking to him and warning him of dangers to come. Just my thought on the exert and its meaning. I'm not as good at close reading as others in the class and maybe someone has some insights into this?
In the article we see how us as American's individually and as a society are pretty dumb. It says that as soon as there was great rainfall in the great plains there was a swarm of farmers going there to grow crops, even after there was evidence that the "where annual rainfall fluctuated from seven to twenty inches" shows that we were dumb as a nation and culture to believe that this land would save us from our lack of food and grain. As a result, we got a drought which caused the farmers to "lash out at the weather, believing it caused their woes." This is not true because we cause out own woes. This takes me to the thesis of the essay. It is to show us that we thought one large rainfall would keep our land fertile for years to come and that we would not have to worry if there was low rainfall in one year or growing season. This statement is pretty non-obvious in the sense that the essay shows us what we did to get into the situation of the dust bowl, but it is pretty obvious in the sense that the same things happened to us in the 19th century. We went to where there was an abundance of water thinking it would never run out, but in the end it ended in an ecological disaster just like during the dust bowl.
"Truth is in the eye of the beholder." That is a pretty famous quote. I don't know who said it, not many people do, probably. Foster kind of hits on this point. He says that "If you're going to understand the ladies, and the meal, and the story, you have to read through the eyes that are not your own, eyes that, while not those of Aunts Kate and Julia, can take in the meaning of the meal they have provided." Foster says this to show us that we have to look at a story through someone that is living in that time period. For example, if we were reading Grapes of Wrath, again, it would make it much easier to read and understand the story and the struggle of the Joads. I read the story just to get through it. I have read it before and hated it the same. Now knowing how to read stories, how to put myself into them will make reading alot easier, but how do I teach myself to do that?
In chapter 21 of Foster's he talks of heroes or the main characters having physical or mental marks that set them apart from everyone else. I agree with him. In most of the novels I have read the heroes do have some sort of imperfection. In 1984, for example, Winston Smith is a small, skinny and weak person. He works a job given to him by the government and lives his life by the rules of one ruler. He lives in a totaltarian society and hates it. He struggles to find the truth behind his totaltarian leader. Being small and frail makes this significant because he is too small to do any physical damage to the guards or anyone. But through his intelectual abilities he tries to unravel the mysteries of the society that he lives in. So, I agree with Foster when he says "You give a guy a limp in Chapter 2, he can't go sprinting after the train in Chapter 24. So if a writer brings up a physical problem or handicap or deficiency, he probably means something by it." (Foster pg. 200) These deficiencys add to the plot. They add new challenges to the characters.
"And, gladys, I want you to be especially nice to your father tonight. You know what he calls you when you're good-his little angel, his little star. Keep your dress down like a little lady. And keep your voice nice and low. Gladys Antrobus!! What's that red stuff you have on your face?" (Mrs. Antrobus pg.25) These lines by Mrs. Antrobus really struck me. In the lines before that and after she is very nice to her children. Why does Wilder make the characters in the book seem especially bi-polar? Throughout the whole play they seem to shift their moods and characteristics drastically from one line to another. Perhaps, Wilder is trying to get at something different than just telling us that this family is crazy. Perhaps he is trying to show us how small tiny things can change our moods so easily. Perhaps it is to show us that people as a whole are very susceptible to our surroundings.
Here is my portfolio. I can't say I am really into this blogging thing, but I guess I am going to have to get used to it.
Coverage:
Why The Sad Setting, Steinbeck
Timeliness:
Baptism in Literature? I Think Not
Depth:
While I was beginning to read The Grapes of Wrath for the second time, I really started to realize the minute details that Steinbeck puts into the first chapter. He uses this chapter as a sort of building block to throw us into the dust bowl. "The rain-heads dropped a little spattering and hurried on to the next country. Behind them the sky was pale again and the sun flared. In the dust there were drop craters where the rain had fallen, and there were clean splashes on the corn, and that was all." This shows what the dust bowl was really like. the rain would come and just spit a litte bit, not even enough to wet the ground. Steinbeck shows the true drought that America was going through at the time. The talk about how you could see just where the rain fell on the ground and corn shows that the weather was truly unforgiving. I do wonder one thing though. Why does Steinbeck not just simply tell us "It was the dust bowl"?
In chapter 18 of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster speaks of water as a symbol in most writings. He links water and death as one big symbol. "See this in symbolic terms. A young man sails away from his known world, dies out of existence, and comes back a new person, hence is reborn." Foster continues to state that this is the same as baptism. In baptism someone is put under water blessed by a priest or any holy member ordained to perform the task. I do not see this as baptism in books. I see people falling in water simply as them falling in water. Sure this sometimes has a dramatic effect on the character, or adds a very big twist into the plot. If someone dies in the water it will certainly add something to the plot and take something away from the character that lives, but I still think that the character does not have a 'rebirth', but rather just a traumatic experience that they have to deal with throughout the book. Maybe I am not doing enough close reading into Foster's work, but I just don't see a character in a book being 'baptized' unless they are literally being blessed in the book.
Ok, I copied and pasted this because I blogged on the wrong blog. My bad.
As I was reading at the end of chapter 1, I came across the part where Nick Carraway notices Gatsby standing outside his mansion. Gatsby stretches his arms toward the sea and trembles a bit. Nick says it may be because of a faint green light at the end of the dock. I was wondering the same thing. What could it mean? It has been a good 4 years since I have read the book. Anyone have any comments?
Ok, so "The Old Man and the Seas" is a great work out literature and can never be left out. Again, I am going to rant about symbolism in literacy. Ok, so I am a catholic and a pretty devoted catholic. I have strong faith and go to church when I have the time. I have always been taught(with nine years of catholic schooling under my belt) that jesus was the only Jesus and that God is the only God. Now I know other cultures believe in a different God than I do and I have no problem with that, but Foster states that in "The Old Man and the Sea" that the main character is that of a Jesus figure. I see where he is coming from with the torn hands and three day journey and all that mumbo jumbo. Look at the texts though. Look at how the book ends. He doesn't end up being a savior for us, being a giant figure in society that solely bases his life on one giant belief. I know this is just a rant, but I am trying to make a point. Jesus is Jesus and a character in a book a character in a book. They aren't Jesus or God or a woman savior. Foster goes on to say "But a christ figure doesn't need to resemble christ in every way; other wise he wouldn't be a christ figure, he'd be, well, Christ"(122) So he is saying even if a man or woman has one mark of the Christ he or she is the christ figure in the book. Wow. I don't believe that one bit. So say I was the main character in a book and fell while running from some bullies. Oh No! I got a cut on both of my hands from rocks and they look like holes. Uh Oh. Get the nails and crucifix ready, cause I'm going on the cross. No, I don't think that at all. Maybe in a work of literature if the main character has all the characteristics of Christ. Cut on the side, nail scars, feet scars, face scars, followers and all that biblical stuff.
In Foster's chapter ten, he speaks of how rain and snow are crucial parts of a novel. How do we know this. He says that we should see rain first "as a plot device"(pg. 76) "atmospherics"(76) and "misery factor"(76). I can see where he is coming from by making the characters miserable and have to seek shelter while being on a manhunt. He uses this example in his writing. But take into consideration, maybe the author is looking outside his window while writing and notices it is raining and is a gloomy day. The author then puts rain in the novel not even thinking of having it as a factor throughout the story. Maybe the only motive he had for the rain or snow is to make the story longer by making the characters have to seek shelter in-order-to continue on. I blogged about this before too, I hate seeing water in stories as symbolic or a baptism. It just strikes me as being blasphemus(SP?) maybe it's just my faith talking.
Ok guys, here it goes. I'm going to blog on everything that I haven't blogged on yet, which is almost everything. Here goes nothing. In "The Great Gatsby" at the beginning of chapter 8, "I couldn't sleep all night; a fog horn was groaning incesantly on the sound, and I tossed half-sick between grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams." I think that is possibly a fore-shadowing of Gatsby's inevitable death. Death is grotesque and frightening and sometimes even savage. In any sense, the fact that Nick could not get any sleep and was having these nightmares is enough to hint at something grotesque or frightening happening soon.
Recent Comments
Dennis G. Jerz on Portfolio 1 - robert Zanni: Most students who stick with t
Ashley Pascoe on Rain as important? Really?: I agree with what you said abo