Saturday, 11 December 2004
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Well I must start off by saying I was totally taken by the book. Not only was it very good but I also thought it was REAL. Which made the reading of it a little frustrating thinking this well educated man was acting how he did. From class I understand the point of his writing technique. Yet I was unsure as to why he every so often reminded us, the reader, that it was a story of his life. Sometimes I felt like he was trying to make me belive it was real when I already thought it was real based off the title. "I shall take advantage of this pause in my narrative to more closely describe the 'Club'" (48). Just as I would get into the story and it was all flowing he would break it like that. I am not sure as to what need this is to the story. Why doesn't he just use more descriptive words when he first introduces the club? It would make for a much smoother reading. Also it seemed to me he had another theme in the story other than the ones talked about in class. Well I don't know if it would be called a theme but respect for other races. The narrator learned how to live in the white culture, black culture, spanish culture, european culture and learned german. Everywhere he went he learned the language and customs. While his white companion did not. It showed to me a kind of respect for the people he was living around. Maybe poking at the white American's view of everyone should know english?
Wednesday, 17 November 2004
The Damnation of Theron Ware
I want to go back to the topic we were discussing in class today. The idea about, is it better to not have the faith and give better sermons vs. having the faith and not being as convicting. When one has the faith it is assummed that He is getting his insperation and the words for his sermons from the Bible and prayer. Many people I know that give talks, pray that God will talk through them. Giving witness to His word not the speakers word. Now if he does not have the faith and is allowing ungodly things to influence his sermons can't we assume it's the work of the devil. It would no longer be God speaking truth through the vehical of the pastor because God is not present in him. Not saying that he is indirect contact with the devil or even realizes the negative power that comes from what he is doing. But I am saying that words that aren't from Godly ways are from sinful ways. Which would make sence as to why his sermons are more appealing the more he falls from faith. Sin is usually more appealing than holy ways to most people. With this idea it would defidently be better to have the faith and give sermons that are not as convicting.
Friday, 05 November 2004
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky
This story was very interesting. It seemed to have many different underlying themes. The one I found most interesting was of the new world vs. old world. The old world would be the wild west and the new world would be city life. Potter represents people of the old world conforming to the lifestyle of the new world. His Bride coming to Yellow Sky shows the invasion the the new world. Yet we get a sense that this transition is not a complete fit at first. We see this in the description of Potter. "The man's face was reddened from many days in the wind and sun, and a direct result of his new black clothes was that his brick-colored hands were constantly performing in a most conscious fashion" (Crane 920). I imagine a very ruff working man of the land, trying to be comfortable in a black business suit of the city. He doesn't quite fit the role yet but for some reason he has been conformed by his Bride. Showing the inevitabilitly of what is to come. The wild west being civilized by the city foke.
Friday, 29 October 2004
In reading these stories by Charles W. Chesnutt I've noticed a repeating pattern. It seems that he uses the same story set up. A white Northern man with a sence of reason, a white Northern woman who in some ways believes the story and then an African American who tells the story. I was wondering why he always uses this set up and if it has benefits. Does this make it easier for the white audience to listen to the story themselves as if they too are the white Northerner in the story?
Wednesday, 20 October 2004
"The Foreigner" & "A White Heron"
I noticed that in both of Jewett's stories she includes a cat in relation to the storie teller. The word cat as an item can be seen in well known phrases such as "let the cat out of the bag." This phrase expresses the idea of telling a secret. Both stories find the narator with a secret. Mrs. Todd in "The Foreigner" knows the whole story of Mis. Tolland. Sylvy in "A White Heron" knows the secret of where the Heron's nest is. If this, the cats presence, is to mirror or emphase the telling of secrets then it could be taken farther. In "The Foreigner" the cat is with Mrs. Todd the whole time and is moved when she moves. In "A White Heron" there is a bird called a cat-bird. It is called a cat-bird because of its call that is like a cat's meow. These birds are mentioned right around the time Sylvy says she knows the heron's secret. I am just wondering if Jewett may really be using the image of the cat to emphase the idea of knowing secrets and chosing whether or not to tell these secrets.
Saturday, 16 October 2004
The Country of the Pointed Firs
When I first read this book I found it hard to stay interested. I found it to be pointless and random. After I read it I went back and read the begining note. It talked about how her story illustrates "the effects of isolation and hardship on the inhabitants who lived in the decaying fishing villages..." (Jewett iii). This gives the story much more meaning. She not only illustrates this through the stories of peoples lives but through the lay out of the book. I like how she isolates the individual stories into what amost apear to be short chapters. Like the girl said in class, it's like people watching. We just get glimpses of their lives. This is why this story is so unique, because her writing style has a distinctivly different pattern.
Friday, 08 October 2004
"Under the Lion's Paw" & "Revolt of Mother"
I find it interesting we read these two stories together. Both stories showed family life, specifically, how husband and wife interact. Sarah and Mrs. Haskins both are serving wifes that work very hard, do not complain and make do with what they have. In "Under the Lion's Paw" we find that Mr. Haskins is a compassionate husband that we see worry about his family. He works his butt off to better his family's standing. Yet in "Revolt of Mother" we find that Father seems to be more occupied with providing and moving forward in his farming. He builds a beautiful new barn for his animals and leaves his family living in a house that is less than decent. Both stories are about the farm life yet their family values are quite different. "Under the Lion's Paw" painted a picture of how wholesome and good the farming families are. Yet "Revolt of Mother" shows us the complete opposit. I was wondering if this is maybe a differences in social class ideals in the farming community. If maybe these two stories take place in different areas of the country or world. Or if it is something else that causes these two stories to contrast.
Friday, 01 October 2004
DAISY MILLER: A STUDY
I found this story to be quite interesting. Henry James did a good job of illustrating a woman of Amerian ideas. I come away from the story wondering what James wanted his point to be. I found there to be two main ideas. First the idea of America being very liberal and not fitting in with the rest of the world. Showing that we are on the cutting edge of whats new. Second the idea that no matter what culture you are in there is different standards for males and females. Daisy was looked down on in the society she was living in because of her actions with the two men, Mr. Giovanelli and Winterbourne. Yet Winterbourne was able to be interested in Daisy and his foreign love. This difference in standards also scales the social status factor, which are directly related. In the end either point you take as the main point seemed to be what killed her. The fact that she did not fit in to their cookie cutter of what she should be she lost the fight. You can either say she was killed by society, since she was breaking one of their superstituions/rules/ideals. Or you can say based on her own bad actions karma stepped in and she paid the price.
Saturday, 18 September 2004
Emily Dickinson's poem 465 is one of my favorite poems of her's. The way she moves through the falure of sences is amazing. It starts out with a very aware sence of whats around her. She describes hearing buzzing and sees that it is a fly. She also felt the stillness in the air. The last stanza is aparent synaesthesia. She associates the two sences of seeing and hearing together. And her eye sight fails in the last line. This seems like it is a perfect illustration of a natural death. Slowly you die to different sences and functions until you finnally die.
Friday, 03 September 2004
The pieces from Walt Whitman's Drum-Taps were a nice change for me. I was actually able to understand what was being said. Specifically I want to talk about "As I Lay with My Head in Your Lap Camerado." I really liked this one, it gave me a picture of a war movie. You know toward the end when one of the main characters are about to give up. As one man falls the other all of a sudden has this awesome speech of encouragement. His speech is so moving his 'brother' gets back up and keeps going. I find this same thing happening in Whitman's poem. His 'brother' has fallen and he is "[laying] with my head in your lap camerado[.]" It seems that they both have given up slightly and are just sitting there and talking. The speaker is expressing his feelings of not being worried of dying because "hell is little or nothing to me" and "heaven is little or nothing to me." Yet in the end he says "I confess I have urged you onward with me, and still urge you." This is really where you get the finnal piece as to what they are doing on the ground. The speakers 'brother' has fallen and he, the speaker, has bent down with him to give him another "urge onward."
