In Foster, 2, 3,

via Foster, 2, 3,.

In my last post I talked about my creative critical project and the progress I had been making. Originally my plan was to have one story with three different pathways like I discussed. On was on route with that but then I didn’t really feel like it interpreted the poem the way I wanted it to. So I changed my plan a little bit.

This time I chose a high school setting for the Dickinson poem “I’m Nobody” and used stereotypes to show the issue of bullying. Now with technology and social media bullying has become an even larger problem and I felt that I could fit this in perfectly  with the poem. So I interpreted the poem through a scene in high school that displays just how much stereotypes and bullying can affect someone.

Since I started over I was a little crunched for time so the two middle illustrations do not have as much depth and the first two and the last one.

To put my project together I first made a script for the poem. I then illustrated different parts of the scene on standard sketching paper with graphite and charcoal pencils. I then took a picture of each illustration and edited it on my phone digitally enhancing them so that certain tones and lines stood out more and blended together. There was one illustration that was done on a drawing app. After that I put all of the illustrations together in a movie maker. I also chose a song that I felt matched the setting and the topic and that would also reach my viewers.

Here is my final product!

Taylor Creative Critical Project

My for my creative critical project I selected an Emily Dickinson Poem and illustrated it. The catch is that at a certain point in the middle of the poem I interpreted it three different ways and illustrate these three different interpretations. The different interpretations are  from different standpoints. The objective of my project is to see what I can learn from an analysis of a Dickinson poem from different ethnic/social/religious perspectives.

My stretch end goal, if creating this is easier than expected, would be having three different endings for the three different interpretations. My fallback end goal would be having one common illustrated ending for the three different parts. The way that I will present this project is through my blog.

The original plan is to scan all of my illustrations and then upload them to my blog. I will have the first illustrations on one blog page then for the three different interpretations I will have them on three separate blog posts that are linked back to the first one and then the ending will be linked on the interpretative posts to another post. In case scanning my pictures becomes too difficult I’ll just take pictures of them and then upload them onto my computer and blog that way.

So far I’ve been working on the drawings, I’m on the three different pathways now so I still have the ending/s to go. I’d say that they’re coming along pretty well and I’m on the right track. The only part that I feel I will have the most difficulty with is getting them all on my blogs and making it look nice in a presentable way. Worse comes to worse I have a tech savvy friend that said he’ll help me on thursday if I need it.

I think my project makes an analytical statement about the poem and Dickinson as a whole.

via Creative Critical Presentation Progress Report.

  Belasco’s Play: The Girl of the Golden West

I analyzed the aspect of gender roles within this play. Here Sheriff Rance accepts the challenge to play Minnie at poker because of the wager. So what does this mean? It means he was willing to risk letting the criminal, Johnson aka Ramerrez, go in order for the chance to make Minnie his wife.

There weren’t many women in the play which corresponds with history so this led me to evaluate the role that women had the play. Here Minnie is the central character. Even though Johnson/Ramerrez the the criminal that the story is centered around, Minnie is the character that moves the play one way or the other.

Why is she called ‘the girl’ instead of Minnie? During class we discussed the importance of the title and why Minnie is just referred to as ‘the girl.’ It’s a degrading reference. During the time women did not have prominent roles in society. They were house wives and workers. They were not seen as the brains behind operations yet. This ties back into the fact that the sherif was willing to risk losing a criminal to make Minnie his wife. It shows how rare women were in the west during that time because of the Gold Rush and how important it was with society to have a wife.

Although there is a sappy, fairytale ending to this play, I would say that it portrays qualities of a feminist work and really discusses the gender role of women during the time.

via Gender, Economics, the American Dream.

Foster’s book has actually done what the title says to help me read literature like a professor. Although this is my second year of college and I took the standard STW freshman class and had to write multiple papers last year, I realized that I came into this class with the skills I developed in high school. I always took high level classes so I thought that I was somewhat already on I higher level. What I realized is that I still had a lot of growing to do. Foster’s book helped me along the way because it taught me ‘how’ to read differently. It helped make literary close readings easier and taught me different aspects that I can use to deconstruct readings. The introduction and the first chapter of the book open us, as readers, up to the concept of the “language of reading,” which I used in my very first Foster post about the Star Spangled Banner. On a very basic level I made connections about certain words and what emotions they elicit in the reader. This was enough to talk about at the time, it was one of my first literary close readings and it gave me a place to start. As the school year continued and we continued reading Foster, the book gave me more things that I could draw on in a text in order to make a close reading. I grew as a reader and this book was a great tool that helped me get to where I am now. “What this book represents is not a database of all the cultural codes by which writers create and readers understand the products of that creation” (304) rather it’s a tool that readers can utilize to expand their knowledge and reading literature.

The Character of Flame: The Function of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter by Anne Marie McNamara

Although Hawthorne uses Hester as the main character in The Scarlet Letter, this paper will use Dimmesdale’s story to prove that the story is primarily about him.

The main character in The Scarlet Letter is typically associated with Hester Prynne since she is the one that had a child out of wedlock, is turned from society, and is forced to wear the scarlet letter A. However, the novel is primarily about Dimmesdale’s story, not Hesters. In The Character of Flame: The Function of Pearl in The Scarlet Letter. Although the happenings through the book are based around Hester’s scarlet letter, there is another character that many forget to consider as a key character throughout the story. Hester did not have the child on her own, it was a two man job and the other person involved was reverend Dimmesdale. The story works its way through the lives of Dimmesdale, Chillingsworth, and Hester and show the development in each character but what makes Dimmesdale a key character is his relationship with Pearl and the final act. Hawthorne shows the importance within Pearl from the beginning of the book to the end. It is the fact that Pearl and Dimmesdale have a relationship that elicits change that highlights Dimmesdale’s importance as well and separates him.”Since it’s obvious that neither Hester nor Chillingsworth constitutes an external cause for Dimmesdale’s volte face, it seems reasonable to insider the possibility that Pearl may be the agent who effects his unexpected public confession of paternity” (McNamara 537). That is why the relationship between Pearl and Dimmesdale becomes so important.

via Academic Article.

From the beginning of the book we have learned about going from educated society to the primitive wild. Buck was forced to earn his place in the world and he accomplished overcoming the obstacles placed in front of him, fighting through injustices, and receiving a little luck here and there. What I found interesting in this chapter is the way that Buck wrestles within himself between civilization and his natural instincts. He fluctuates between the sides that have   both been a part of his life. But in the end his wild side overrides civilization when he kills the wolverines which shows triumph. But Buck did not even realize this triumph until he had killed the indians at the wrecked camp sight. When he saw the dead dogs, Peter, and his beloved John Thornton his emotions took over him and he attacked man after man for a while killing them. Eventually stopped and this is when he realized what he had done. “He had killed man, the noblest game of all, and he had killed in the face of the law of club and fang.” Buck has now proven himself to be superior to men, even men that were armed. In the end, no matter how domesticate Buck had been his instincts ran wild and took over when they were called upon.

I found this neat clip that is just an overview and run down about the book and some of Jack London’s intentions. It covers everything and is pretty funny, check it out if you have the chance.

via Call of the Wild (Ch 7).

Nature V. Knowledge

Chapter 5 took a toll on me as a dog lover. All I wanted to do was yell at Hal, Mercedes, and Charles and tell them that theres only so much those poor dogs could take. What I grabbed from this chapter is that even though nature is hard on them, humanity can be worse. Buck was fortunate to have prior owners who weren’t cruel and knew what they were doing. These “newcomers” have very little clue as to what they’re doing and they see the dogs as tools rather than partners. In the wild, their lack of knowledge and incompetence proved to be deadly and it cost the lives of many of the other dogs too.

The theme that really shone through in these chapters was nature versus knowledge. You can’t out smart nature. In order to survive it you must understand it and accept it. Because Hal, Mercedes, and Charles weren’t willing to do either nature beat them.

via Call of the Wild (Ch 5.

“Buck  stood and looked on, the successful champion, the dominant primordial beast who had made his kill and found it good”

The author began chapter 3 by stating that the dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck. At this point the primitive will to survive was the now the sole concentration for Buck. It shows Buck’s transformation from not wanting to fight and trying to avoid it, to now fighting to be dominant. By the end of chapter 3 Buck is faced with the fight to the death between him and Spitz. In this scene Bucks instinct for survival reaches its peak as the wild calls for survival of the fittest. Buck will never survive in this environment and lifestyle if he doesn’t adapt. This becomes the central theme of this chapter.

Chapter 4 continues Buck’s fight for dominance. Even after he kills Spitz he fights for the opportunity to be lead dog and prove himself which he does. He excels and exceeds the expectations. Chapter 4 is a transitional chapter. Chapter 3 introduces us to the change at hand and chapter 4 carries through with it and shows the results leading into the way the Buck will develop in the future chapters.

via Call of the Wild (Ch 3.