Reading Analysis Week 17: Rushdie

This was a very interesting story and had a pretty different plot than what we have read so far in the class.  One of the things that I could not stop thinking about though was the timing of Saleem's birth.  "On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact.  Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greetings as I came.  Oh, spell it out, spell it out; at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence" (1131).  Before reading the story, the introduction explains the significance of this, saying "Saleem is born at midnight, between August 14 and 15th, 1947, the moment at which India and Pakistan became separate nations; as a "child" of that historic hour" (1130).  Based on Saleen's comments, he does not seem to like being born during the independence.  He mentions a few times his displeasure, "I had been mysteriously handcuffed to history" (1131).  What he is saying here is that he is always connected to the independence event that happened when he was born.  He also adds, "for the next three decades, there was to be no escape" (1132).  He was unable to break the tie that he was born with to the independence event and it was always something he was associated with.  

If I was him, I would get annoyed and would also be displeased with always being connected to an event like that.  People would look past the person and just always go back to the time he was born. I feel this would discredit him and and be disrespectful.  
"The Perforated Sheet" Salma Rushdie 1131-1143

Reading Notes Week 17B: Devi

"Giribala" Mahasweta Devi Page 1149-1165

Girabla- Not thought highly of, "nobody ever imagined that she could think on her own, let alone act on her own thought" 1149
-Described as just being average "like so many others, was neither beautiful nor ugly, just an average looking girl" 1149

-Aulchand- Bounces from marriage to marriage, not stable. Doesn't own anything.
--Takes objects that are given to him and sells them to buy a new fair.

Aulchand pays Giri's father to have her hand in marriage. They get married and he leaves Giri

Week 17A: Rushdie

"The Perforated Sheet" Salma Rushdie 1131-1143

"On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact. Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came. Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence" (1131)

''Saleem is born at midnight, between August 14 and 15, 1947, the moment at which India and Pakistan became separate nations; as a "child" of that historic hour, he finds that his destiny is entwined with India's fate as a nation, so that his life unfolds as a precise parallel to the country's collective history thereafter" (1130)

Feels lost- "if I am to end up meaning- yes, meaning- something" (1132)

"Tai had been young.  He had been playing this same boat, standing in the same hunched position, across the Dal and Nageen Lakes...Forever. As far as anyone knew." (1135)

"You know what this is, nakkoo? It's the place where the outside world meets the world inside you.  If they don't get on, you feel it here.  Then you rub your nose with embarrassment to make the itch go away.  A nose like that, little idiot, is a great gift.  I say: Trust it.  When it warns you, look out or you'll be finished.  Follow your nose and you'll go far" (1138).

Week 16 Analysis: Soyinka

Recitatif by Toni Morrison started out as a very heartfelt story.  In the beginning of the story when the narrator, Twyla was talking about being dropped off at the orphanage, I felt very sad for Twyla and also the girl that Twyla rooms with, Roberta. Twyla did not want the reader to feel any sympathy for her thought.  This can be seen on page 1174, "People want to put their arms around you when you tell them you were in a shelter, but it really wasn't that bad".  Twyla's experience at the shelter was not as bad as most people make it seem.  Twyla and Roberta did have issues with the age group older than them however.  They were bullied by them and never were able to get along with them.  Roberta and Twyla eventually left the shelter and each went their separate ways.  I again felt sad for Twyla after she left her friend, and also when they had a run in years later.  While she was serving at a restaurant, Roberta walked in and seated with some friends of hers.  Twyla was excited but her run in with Roberta was not what she was expecting, Roberta pretty much blew her off and didn't want any part of her.  

The way this story was told, I was able to connect to it and feel the heartaches. Toni Morrison did an excellent job connecting the readers emotions to the characters in the story by using Pathos.  The part of the story that really caught my attention was when she didn't want any sympathy for being in the shelter.  It made me think of her as some sort a tough, independent young girl.


Recitatif - Toni Morrison - 1174-1187

Reading Notes Week 16B: Kenzaburo

The Tree at night is only present by the sound of water drops hitting the ground.  There is not much detail described about it other than its silhouette

Rain Tree is destroyed in a fire

Rain tree a symbol? Metaphor for something?

The tree is always talked about during the night, when it is dark?

Relation to Indian Folk Art- this black tree Krishna has climbed is undoubtedly what would be called an Indian in my country.  It has certainly been no tree through the sensibility and techniques of Indian Folk Art style" (1119)

Reading Notes Week 16A: Soyinka

Recitatif - Toni Morrison - 1174-1187

Narrator doesn't want sympathy for being in an orphanage. "People want to put their arms around you when you tell them you were in a shelter, but it really wasn't that bad" (1174).

Twyla- Narrator, telling her story
Roberta- Person she roomed with in the shelter

Twyla and Roberta have a conflict with the older group of girls. They bully them. 

Roberta leaves Twyla-1178

Twyla becomes a waitress, and Roberta is seen in the restaurant.  Twyla goes up to say hi and reconnect but the interaction is not what she was hoping for.  1178-1179

Twyla runs into Roberta again, years later at a grocery store.  This time Roberta is excited to see her and wants to know what she has been up to.  Twyla has one boy, Roberta has four step children.

Racial Strife- 1183- she describes it like an animal - "all day it screeched and at night it slept on rooftops"

second meeting with Roberta at a protest.  This time they do not get along and they have different view points on the subject.

Third Meeting and they are talking now, remembering times they had at the orphanage

Week 15 Reading Analysis- Girl

"Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid consists of numerous sentences that are only separated by semi-colons.  The author narrates her mother's advice that she has received growing up as a young woman.  Even though the mother is giving her daughter advice, the mother seems to be lecturing her, almost threatening her daughter to follow the guidelines that she has mentioned.  In addition to the advice, she is given specific instructions on how she is expected to carry out day-to-day housework along with how a young woman should act.

I noticed this story was broken down into three main ideas.  The first idea the young woman was receiving are the roles that are passed down through generations.   Her mother states, "don't squat down to play marbles-you are not a boy, you know" (1146).  Her mother in this phrase is telling her how to act out in public and to not objectify herself and be labeled as a slut.

The second idea I received from the text was that the mother is reminding the young woman how to be a woman.  This lecture from her mom is a code for women to live by, it is a list of duties that woman are expected to do and to perform them a certain way.  She states, "this is how you set a table for tea, this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest" (1146).  The mother is explaining to her daughter how she is expected to set the table for different dinners, and now to perform regular household chores.

The third idea are life lessons from the mother.  The mother wants the young woman to abide by the rules to become a successful woman.  She does not want her daughter to be an ordinary woman, but she wants her to work hard to be the best that she can be.  Additionally, the mother feels that if theses rules are not followed, the daughter will not be successful in life.  The mother signifies the importance of these rules by using repetition of the phrase, "this is how you".

-Patrick

"Girl" Jamaica Kincaid. Pages 1144-1146.

Reading Notes Week 15B- Girl

Girl Jamaica Kincaid 1144-1146

I remember reading this story in a previous english class, I think English 100?

Girl by Jamaica Kincaid at orders for a young girl that she must abide by as she grows up. Societal norms. “Always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach” 1145
This is how you...
This is how you...
This is how you...

I think this is written from a mother's perspective and she is lecturing her daughter on how she needs to act and what duties she is supposed to fulfill.

Reading Notes Week 15A: Yellow Woman

Yellow Woman - Leslie Martin Silko 1030-1036

Told from the perspective of Yellow Woman

Yellow woman cheats on her husband with Silva

Her family is down the mountain, she has a husband named Al, a child and her grandparents.

Silva steals Cattle to sell the meat to the Mexicans in Marquez. He lies though to yellow woman and tells her he hunts the cattle.

Yellow woman returns home, lies to her family and told them she was kidnapped.

Week 14 Project Action Plan: Social Inequality in Hedda Gabler

The prompt I have chosen to address is:

"How are class differences presented in the work?"  using the play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen.  

I have chosen to do this project because I am interested in learning more about the classes of the time and also to show the social class inequality in the play.

Some topics I am brainstorming currently are wealth, patriarchy, victorian values, class differences

"Do you remember how she would go out riding with her father? In that long black outfit, with the feather in her hat?" (783)

"But where did she get her manners, flinging her hat around any way she likes here in the drawing room.  People just don't act that way" (789).

"If you just bring yourself to call her Aunt Julie, for my sake Hedda, hm?" (789)

These are quotes that I have found just from Act 1.  I have not yet read Act 2-4 but plan on doing so before next weekend.  I will definitely need more evidence to support my claims.  I am also interested in watching the play from an online video.  

Working (very rough) Thesis- Henrik Ibsen uses Hedda and her interactions with other characters in the play Hedda Gabler, to show 19th century social class inequality.

As I read the rest of the play, i will update this with more quotes and examples from the text.


Citation: Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Page 781-838

Week 14 Analysis: Lispector

I found "The Daydreams of a Drunk Woman" to be a very depressing story.  The part of the story that touched me the most was her interaction with her husband.  It was pretty clear to me that her alcoholic habits impacted the relationship that she had with him.  For example, when the husband came home from work, he knew that she was under the influence and let her be.  "What the devil's the matter with you?" (810).  The husband however, received backlash from this confused drunk for no reason.  The lady yelled at her husband saying, "Go to hell!...prowling round me like some old tomcat" (810).  Clearly this lady's alcohol abuse has affected the way she acts towards her husband, and ultimately impacts the kind of relationship they have.  The husband however seems to be understanding and knows this lady is not herself.  He knows the alcohol is affecting the way she thinks.  He replies to her backlash saying, "You're ill, my girl" (810).  The husband still cares and loves his wife, which can be seen with his use of language.   He showed affection when he said, "my girl".  Her husband also seems to be an alcoholic, which is maybe why he is understanding of her situation.  "and if her husband was not drunk it was only because he did not want to show disrespect for the businessman, and full of solicitude and humility, he left the swaggering to the other fellow" (811).  This implies to me that the husband himself struggles with alcohol abuse.  He might not go to work drunk but when he gets home, he must also drink himself to sleep.  Clearly the alcohol abuse has impacted the way this couple interacts with each other and influences the kind of relationship they have.  If they did not abuse alcohol, they would be happier people.

-Patrick

Reading Notes Week 14B: Lispector

This story is about a struggling alcoholic.

She stays home all day, gets tired and sleeps most of the time.

talks to her self

marriage issues

drunk rages 812-813

The lady wakes up beside her husband in the middle of the night and her mind starts racing. She starts to disrespect herself and her mind races.  She is intoxicated.

Reading Notes Week 14A: Postwar and Postcolonial Literature

Postwar and Post Colonial Literature, 1945-1968

The world after WWII was a mess.  Hundreds of Thousands of people died and countries were destroyed.

The US and Soviet Union were locked in a Cold War. Each country had enough nuclear weapons to to take out the planet.  They each knew though that who ever sent the first missile off would be the one to take the beating.  As a result, both countries were locked and waiting for each other to make a move.

After 1949- Half of the world lived under Communism.

To avoid nuclear attacks, the two different sides fought wars in different territories such as Korea and Vietnam.

Decolonization in Western Europe, often accompanied by conflicts over redrawn borders

The initial stages of post colonial development were frequently marked by internal conflicts, civil wars, and dictatorships

First world, second world and third world emerges

Postwar period in western Europe saw rapid rebuilding and further industrialization. 

Week 13 Project Brainstorm

Not going to lie, I am pretty excited that we are getting close to the end of the semester and that this is the last project!  That being said, I feel that I improved a lot on my second project over my first and I am hoping to make this one even better than the second.  The three topics I have chosen for this project are below.

Choose a reading selection. Explore the relationship between elements of the selection. For example: how does setting influence character development?  

Emily Dickinson often wrote about death.  I believe she was influenced by her way of living.  She stayed in her home and never really ventured out to explore the world.  Instead of exploring the world, she chose to dive deep and explore herself instead.  Her poems about death I think were influenced by her choice to stay inside her house.

 From a piece of fiction (short story, section of novel, or a play) choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following questions: 

• What is the author’s attitude towards her? (how can you tell?)
• What is your attitude towards her? 
• How do (at least 2) other characters view her? 
• How does she view herself? 

This topic seems intriguing to me, but I am not sure which way I would attack it.  The reading that comes to mind right away with this topic is The Song of Ch'un-Hyang.  I would need to re-read this story and do a close analysis of the character to figure out what I would write about with this one.  Of the three, this one is least likely to happen.

Choose a reading selection. Then choose one of the following questions, and write an argument in response to it: 

• How does the work reflect the period in which it was written? 
• What does the work reveal about the cultural behavior contemporary to it? 
• How are class differences presented in the work? Are characters aware or unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives? 

This topic is what I am feeling the strongest towards.  Of the questions listed above, the last one about class differences is the one I would be answering too. The reading that comes to mind for this topic is "Hedda Gabler" .  In this story, there is a disagreement with Hedda Tesman and Miss Tesman, over the placement of Miss's hat.

Week 13 Analysis: Anna Akhmatova

Anna Akhmatova's Requiem was a very heartbreaking poem about a mother and her son who was taken away by the secret police in Russia.  The stanza's that make up the Requiem are actually meant to be read together, one after another.  They tell the story of a woman who waiting outside to hear her son's sentence for 17 months while he was in jail.  The stanza that really stuck out to me was "VII".

In stanza "VII", she showed hope that she could live again.  She got word of her sentence, and at first she was crushed. "And the stone word fell On my still-living breast" (571).  The reader can see here her emotion as she got the news that her son was going to be sentenced to death, when she got word of the sentence her heart sank.

She offers hope though that she will be okay and will be able to push through this suffering.  She said, "never mind, I was ready.  I will manage somehow" (571).  She believes she can continue on with life and leave it behind her.  However, for her to do this, she must change herself.  The first thing she mentions she must do is, "i must kill memory once and for all,".  She believes that in order for her to continue on with life, she must forget everything about her son.  Next she said, "I must turn my soul to sone, I must learn to live again" (571).  This is in reference to her heart.  She is pretty much saying that she must turn her heart to stone, so she will not feel any emotion so she can live on her life. 

This was my favorite stanza from this Poem because the lady showed a sign of hope.  Up until this point, the poem was very sad and heartbreaking for her.  The situation was out of her control and there was nothing she could do but sit back and watch with agony.

Anna Akhmatova, Requiem, Pages 568-575

Reading Notes Week 13A: Requiem

This poem tells the story of a mother who had her son taken away to a prison.

It is very depressing and sad, she stands by the gates for 17 months while she awaits to see her son.  Another lady in line asked her to write a poem about her experiences, so this was the result.

The poem is told in first person, there are many "I" references

In the poem, she is standing outside in shivering siberia.  She talks of death and also addresses her madness, "now madness half shadows my soul with its wing" 572

themes-
war, death, dedication, motherhood

Reading Notes Week 13A: Yeats Easter 1916

Easter 1916 by William Butler Yeats, Pages 522-524

"On Easter Sunday 1916, Irish Nationalists began an unsuccessful rebellion against British rule, which lasted throughout the week and ended in the surrender and execution of its leaders" (522).

This story poem was written during the beginning of WW1.  I would assume the setting of the story is somewhere in Ireland.

In the first stanza, it seems like a happy, joyous stroll down the street.  "i have passed with a nod of the head or polite meaningless words, or have lingered awhile and said polite meaningless words"

In the second stanza, the poem talks about the passing of the some people.  The first is a woman, "that woman's days were spent in ignorant good-will, her nights in argument until her voice grew shrill" (523). The death of two men (Patrick and Thomas) "was coming into his force; He might have won fame in the end, So sensitive his nature seemed, so daring and sweet his thought" (523)

The third stanza, he is describing heaven. "the horse that comes down the road, the rider, the birds that range from cloud to tumbling cloud" (523)

The fourth stanza, he questions whether the British execution of the Irish leaders was necessary or even justified. "was it a needless death after all?" (524).

Week 12 Analysis: Close Reading of In Defense of "Memoirs Of A Declining Ryukyuan Woman"

Kushi Fusako received some backlash and hatred towards "Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman" after it was published in Fujin koron, a monthly woman's magazine.  She was called out by a few men who did not agree with her usage of names she gave people and how she associated them with other classes or races in the story.  The phrase that upset the men was, "the Okinawan people" because it put the Korean people and Aniu people in the same category, thus degrading the Okinawan people. After reading, "Memoirs Of A Declining Ryukyuan Woman" I agree with Kushi Fusako, in her use of "Okinawan people".  Her intent on using the phrase wasn't to degrade the Okinawan people.  She was not being racist or prejudice against the group of people, but in fact the men who are upset are the racist ones because they believe the Okinwan people are more superior.  Kushi Fusako wrote on page 407, "we are all Asians and equal as human beings".  She believes there are no superior races in Japan and never wrote her story with the intent of putting another race down.

After reading her story for myself, I did not think she was being racist or degrading towards the Okinawan people.  Sadly, I feel that this is something we deal with in our current culture.  People have become so sensitive to race and gender names.  I understand that there are negative and derogatory words out there, but that is not what I am talking about.  There seems to be an issue that pops up every few weeks now where something was said by someone or an advertisement did something that was prejudice, when in fact, if you understand the context or what happened, it wasn't prejudice at all.  The people who are upset are usually being the prejudice party.

Reading Notes Week 12B: Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman

Main characters mother is dying-

"it was hard for me to imagine my mother surviving this winter with her failing health" (402)

Tattoos seem to have some mystical power or force that prevents mothers from living long-

"tattoos have caused suffering in almost every Ryukyuan family. Even if a woman can save enough money to send several sons to higher school, she is destined to be left behind in her hometown until she dies, thanks to those tattoos on the back of her hands" (402)

Based on her defense of the memoirs, she seemed to have offended people by using the term "Okinawan people".  She grouped a few different races together and the people who called her out were in fact being the racist ones. The other never used that term in racial context. (407)

Reading Week 12A: Modernity and Modernism 1900-1945

Modernity and Modernism: 1900-1945 Page 3-13

Modernization Era

• Modernization Era
• New Means of Transportation
• Steamship, Railroad, Automobile, airplane
• Telegraph and Telephone
• Allowed communication instantly
• World population more than tripled
• Infant Mortality Declined
• Weapons became more powerful
• Bloodiest Century- 200 million people died in wars, revolutions and genocides
• Radioactivity, X-Rays, Quantum Theory
• Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity 
• World War I: 1914-1918
• 15 Million Deaths
• Treaty of Versailles (1919)finalized the end of the war
• Found League of Nations
• Great Depression: 1929
• Started with stock market crash
• New Deal- Public Works spending, social security
• World War II: 1939-1945
• Nazi's exterminated 6 million Jews
• U.S. Dropped atomic bombs on Japan starting the nuclear age
• Modernism
• Linked political crises with a crisis of representation
• broke away from standard plots, verse forms, narrative techniques and genre boundaries
• inclusion of taboo subjects, social roles 

Analysis Week 11: Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen Pages 781-738

I found this play to be very entertaining and I did not expect it to end the way it did with Hedda taking her own life.  Hedda's character was a major impact in how the play went and without her character traits the story would not have been as entertaining.  

I think Hedda's character comes off as snooty and also selfish.  Hedda comes from an upper-middle class family, whereas her husband George comes from a lower-middle class family.  This difference in social class causes some tension between Hedda and George.  For example, on page 789 Hedda is upset that George's Aunt left her hat on a chair.  Hedda states, "But where did she get her manners, flinging her hat around any way she likes here in the drawing room.  People just don't act that way" (789).  George, from the lower-middle class, set his aunt's hat there and he thought it was appropriate.  Being that these two are from different classes, they each have different expectations and rules around the house.  

Another example of the difference in social class backgrounds can be seen when George asks Hedda to address the Aunt as "Aunt Julie".  George tells Hedda, "If you just bring yourself to call her Aunt Julie, for my sake Hedda, hm?" (789).  Hedda being from the upper middle class did not feel that she should have to address her that way.  She responded with, "Tesman, for God's sake, don't ask me to do that" (789).  

Hedda was not willing to lower her standards even though she married into a lower-middle class family.  She still wanted to hold her standards higher and also wanted to live the lavish life she had with her father.  George bought a large house just to please Hedda, even though it meant stretching past his financial means.

Reading Notes Week 11B:Ibsen

Hedda Gabler, Act I (781-800)

Hedda and George Tesman are from different social classes.  Hedda is from the upper-middle class and George is from the lower middle class.  (780)

Hedda's character seems very selfish and uptight.  She wakes up and then makes many requests around the house and complaints about the aunts hat being on the chair.  This tells me that she is very particular and not forgiving.

George is the opposite, he seems very respectful and understanding.

Hedda and George do seem like a mismatch

Reading Week 11A: The Death of Ivan Ilyich

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

The first chapter of the story, I get a sense of greed from the judges and also Ivan's wife.  They all seem to be sort of excited for his death as it will result in promotions.  When Peter goes to the house for the funeral, he has a sit down conversation with Ivan's wife about how she can make the most of the pension from the gov't. Lots of greediness and selfishness by others.

The secon chapter about his life portrays him like an everyday man.  It flashes back with a description of his life. Ivan was very serious about his job and did not let his personal life get in the way of his work.

Ivan coems down with an illness but different doctors give him different answers as to what the illness is. Ivan knew he was dying and he became fearful of death.

Reading Notes Week 10B: Ichiyo

Higuchi Ichiyo 1872-1896

"Separate Ways" Page 907-913

Okyo and Kichizo have a brother/sister relationship.

The boy is feeling lost and does not know who his mother and father is.  He feels that he is better off dying now.- 909

He is hopeful that someday he will run into his mother and father and want to live longer.

Kichizo gets upset because people that he likes in his life are always leaving.  Granny at the umbrella shop died of palsy; Kinu threw herself into a well; Okyo is now leaving him.

Kichizo is very disappointed and upset with Okyo.  She took a job to be a mistress, hearing this he breaks off their relationship. 

Reading Notes Week 10A: Notes From Underground

Fyodor Dostoyevsky 1821- 1881

"Notes from Underground"

The underground man is representative of the current population.

He admits that he is ill right off the bat- "I am a sick man....I am a spiteful man. I am a most unpleasant man.  I think my liver is diseased" 635

The narrator seems to be very depressed and is rambling on about his feelings and thoughts of people.

He contradicts himself a lot- "an intelligent man in the 19th century must be, is morally obliged to be, principally a characterless creature; a man possessing character;" 637

The Underground is very rude to the prostitute.  This shows he is a senseless character- "But you realize right from the start that you're a slasve.  Yes a slave!" 687

Underground then wants to love the prostitute Liza, "Liza, Id Say, Do you really thing that I haven't noticed your love? I've seen everything. I guessed, but dared not be first to make a claim on your heart" 697

Week 9 Progress

So far I feel that I have been pretty well with this class.  I have found that most of the readings so far have been pretty entertaining and I have been engaged with them.  My favorite assignments that we have done so far this semester were on the Growth Mindset Theory.  I really enjoyed those articles and I thought it was a great read for everyone.  One thing I need to do is take advantage of the EC that is offered and do some assignments to make up for some missed readings and some points that I forgot to claim in Canvas. I keep forgetting to claim my points after I post my assignments. >_< 

For the second half of the course, I am going to try a different strategy with my homework.  I want to try and get a lot of the home done during the week over the weekend.  It gets tough during the week to do homework late at night. If I could get a big chunk of reading or some assignments done during the weekend, it will make the week a lot easier.

-Patrick.

Week 9 Analysis: Close Reading of Ghalib

The poem I choose to do a close reading on was “Petition: My Salary”.

I chose to write about this poem because I thought it was very powerful. Ghalib really flexes his muscle using words to defend himself and get his message across to Bahadur Shah Zafar, emperor of Mughal. In the poem, Ghalib is petitioning to get paid more frequently. When he wrote this poem, he was getting paid once every six months, rather than the normal once a month salary pay.

Ghalib’s poem has many powerful messages within it and justifies his claims using poetry. For example lines 10-14 read,

“But if you look at me,
You’ll see that I am
A prisoner of life, not death-
And six monthly paydays
Fall only twice a year. ”

In these lines, Ghalib is telling how his six month salary is only given to him twice a year. He compares his pay schedule to the practice among Muslims in India remembering the dead twice a year (600, footnote).

In the next few lines, he talks about how he has to continually pull out debt and borrow money to get by each month.

“All I do each month
Is take out debt,
With wrangles over interest
Repeated endlessly-
My money-lender has become
A partner
In one-third my earning”

In lines 15-21 above, he is telling the emperor that a third of his money takes a third of his money each pay period. Too get himself by in between his pay periods, he is constantly borrowing money and taking on more and more debt.

Lastly, he defends himself by writing,

“If you wish to hear
An epic of war,
My tongue’s a sharp sword;
If you convene an assembly,
My pen’s a cloud
That rains down pearls”

I interpret this line as him telling the emperor to call an assembly to hear his plea. “My tongue’s a sharp sword” means he will use his skill of powerful words and poetry to debate. And lastly, “my pen’s a cloud that rains down pearls” is Ghalib telling the emperor that his poetry is as good as pearls.

Of the poems in this section, this one was my favorite. The metaphors used in this poem make it very fun to read. When I first read over it, I missed the underlying meanings. However when I read it a second time around and went line by line, I really was able to appreciate his skill. Ghalib knee he had a strong talent to write poetry and he used this to his advantage when he went to the Emperor to petition for a monthly salary.

-Patrick

The Norton Anthology: World Literature, Vol E. Ghalib. Petition: My Salary. Pages 600-601.

Reading Notes Week 9B: Ghalib

Ghalib Poems - Pages 591-601

There were a few poems that stuck out to me from this reading.

Couplet 8- Page 596
This poem is about an ex-lover of his who must have appeared in his dream. "You're sleeping by the side of another lover" -meaning his ex is sleeping along side another man. "what reason would you have for visiting my dreams" -From this line, we know that his ex appeared in his dream.  It seems to have disturbed him.

Petition: My Salary Pages 600-601
This poem is directed towards his emperor.  At this time, Ghalib was getting paid twice A YEAR. "but if you look at me, you'll see that i am a prisoner of life, not death- and six monthly paydays fall only twice a year"

He also defends poetry in this poem. This is what intrigued me.
"It's a violation of etiquette not to praise poetry, it's an act of violence not to love me"

Defends himself
"Today, the world has no one like me- a poet of worth who speaks beautifully. If you wish to hear an epic of war, my tongue's a sharp sword"

Project Two Topic Brainstorm

After doing the last project, I have a better idea on what to expect going into the second project.  Below are the following three topics that interest me most, in no particular order.  For the second project, I will be doing A LOT more leg work ahead of time.  For the first project, I realized I didn't do much for the week to week project work and it hurt me big time when it came down to finally having to write out our project. I will not be making that mistake this time.

1. "Pick a subject: love, work, freedom, etc. Then choose two selections and discuss how that subject is discussed in those selections. Use Literary devices to help frame your discussion"
-This topic interests me because it will require me to really dig deep in a couple of readings.  So far this semester, our readings tend to be grouped into similar themes or have similar messages behind them.  This topic will require me to really understand the reading and to pick them apart to find similarities.  So far I have been very into the readings and have enjoyed reading them.

2.  "From a piece of fiction (short story, section of novel, or a play) choose a female character on whom to focus, and create a project that discusses some of the following questions:

• what is the author's attitude towards her? (How can you tell?)
• What is your attitude towards her?
• How do (at least 2) other characters view her?
• How does she view herself?

-This project interests me because usually there is a hidden message behind the woman in the stories.  The author's attitude towards the woman can relate to current culture or society.  I hope some of the stories we read in the upcoming weeks involve a female character that I can write about.

3. Choose one short story or novel excerpt. Write a piee in which you explore the following:

1. In what ways could this story be considered an artifact of history?
2. What does this story teach us about history?
3. How does a story teach us about a time or place differently than a history book?

-This topic was interesting to me because so far this semester, the stories we have read have given us a glimpse of what struggles people faced.  Although the stories have been fiction, they were based on real events at the time.  History rarely tells us what it was like from a first person point of view like the stories. do.

Week 8 Reading and Writing

Thus far, the reading and writing assignments are working out pretty well. I do not really have any complaints with them.  Thankfully the readings have not been huge and overwhelming to the point where I struggle to keep on pace.  I like how we have enough time to read and also appreciate the fact there is tons of opportunity for extra credit work.  I have yet to do some EC but I will be doing some shortly to make up for some missed assignments.  My favorite reading that we have gone over this semester has been Tartuffe.  This story I understood the most and it was very entertaining to me.

One thing I would like to improve on going forward, would be to take better reading notes so they will help me with my project later.  I tend to do the readings late at night and then I am so tired that my notes are very shallow.  I ran into this issue with my first project and had to pretty much pull the project together without my notes.  Totally my fault and I will make sure I don't make the same mistake for the second project.  My first project was just okay, I was not satisfied with it but after the revision I feel better about it. I hope to really knock it out of the park with the second one to make up for it. 

I also need to remember to declare my points in canvas. I keep telling myself I will log into canvas in the morning but end up getting caught up with other things and don't follow through. 

-Patrick

Week 8 Analysis: Dickinson Poems

Emily Dickinson’s poems were very dark and different.  One of the poems that really caught my attention was “712”.  In this poem, Dickinson uses personification to describe death.  Death is talked about as if it were a person.  For example, in line 2 of the poem, she refers to death as “He”.  The line reads, “He kindly stopped for me-“.  Death is referred to as “He” throughout the entire poem and is referred to as if Death was a man.  I believe this poem is about her journey to the end of life with this “man” called Death.  She talks about being in a carriage with Death, and slowly driving past Schools, Fields, and the setting sun.  The poem ends with the line, “were toward Eternity-“, which I think was referring to dying.

The main theme of her poetry is obviously death.  When she wrote of death however, she wrote as if it was a person or something that he was fascinated with, rather than something that was feared.  For example, in poem 712, she refers to death as a person and wrote, “He kindly stopped for me”.  In addition to giving death human traits, death is talked about in a positive tone, as opposed to be something fearful or negative. 

Emily Dickinson’s poetry really caught me off guard.  I had no idea someone could be so passionate about death and to also look at death the way she did.  She took death, something that people fear and something that is usually associated with dark times, and made death an experience.  She wrote about death curiously, as if she wanted to experiment with death or “meet” death.  My favorite poem from this section was 712.  I thought it was very interesting how she gave death a personality and then wrote about a ride that she went on with death to Eternity. 

-Patrick

Emily Dickinson, Poems, Page 482-490.

Reading Notes Week 8B: Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley, "England in 1819", page 399.

This poem talks about a time when the king has passed and the princes are about to take over.  The princes are not in "in the loop" with how to rule.  "Rulers who neither see nor feel nor know" .   The general public do not like the princes, "through public scorn, mud from a muddy spring" .  

Reading Notes Week 8A: Dickinson

Dickinson-

A common theme I noticed in her poetry was death.

Poem #465-
This poem seems to be about what happened in the room when "she" died.  "When I died"
She talks about a fly in the room that starts to "eat" her dead body after death.
-"What portion of me be assignable- and then it was there interposed a fly"

Poem #519
Death of someone close to her?
"Twas wrm- at first- like us-
until there crept upon
a chill- like frost upon a glass-"
Talks about someone dying, going cold.
"The fingers grew cold"
"The busy eyes-congealed"

Poem #712
In this poem she talks about how death came after her, unavoidable and the journey she went on with death. Death is given a personality.
"Because I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me"

"we slowly drove- HE knew no haste"
"For HIS civility"

Week 7 Analysis: Close Reading of Bartleby, the Scrivener

My favorite paragraph from Bartleby, the Scrivener was the paragraph that described the office, or chambers as the narrator called it.  This paragraph caught my attention, because the descriptive language used painted a picture in my head of where majority of the story about Bartleby takes place.

Most of the story takes place in the office of a lawyer.  The office is located on Wall-street in New York City, New York.  The lawyer's office is described to be very plain and without any bells or whistles inside.  The lawyer describes his office as being "rather tame" and "deficient in what landscape painters call "life" (297).  What he means by this is his office lacks any sort of life or excitement. It made up of white walls and has a skylight in the ceiling that offers light from the top of the building to the bottom floor.

What is even more impressive than the lack luster interior is the lack of views the lawyer's office has of Wall-street or New York City.  His office is built right up against other buildings, he mentioned his neighbors being "within ten feet of my window panes" (297).  Irony is used to describe the wall that he is able to see through his windows.  He said, "in that direction my windows commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade" (297).  While it may seem that the narrator is cracking a joke about the wall, he is actually serious and expresses his "passion" for the wall when by saying, "which wall required no spy-glass to bring out its lurking beauties" (297).  While this wall may seem like just an uninteresting brick wall, the lawyer has found the wall to be beautiful and an important characteristic of his office space.

I can picture this scene in my head, the office is wedged between two tall buildings and the windows that run down the sides of the buildings offer nothing but views of the brick walls that make up their neighbors.  Being that the story takes place on Wall-street, the buildings are built on top of each other and crammed together.  I think this paragraph is most often overlooked and is important because it sets the tone for most of the story.

-Patrick

Bartleby, the Scrivener- The Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume E, Page 293-325

Reading Notes Week 7B: Bartleby, the Scrivener

Bartleby, the Scrivener

Narrator- Lawyer "do a snug business among rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds" 297

Chamber location-wall street, crowded area with buildings stacked on top of each other -"my windows commanded an unobstructed view of a lofty brick wall, black by age and everlasting shade; which wall required no spyglass to bring out its lurking beauties, but for the benefit of all nearsighted spectators, was pushed up to within ten feet of my window panes" 297

Turkey- described as short, around 60 y/o
-has a temper, calm and efficient in the morning, angry and sloppy afternoon - the end of the day.
-too energetic and sloppy-"he would be incautious in dipping his pen into his inkstand.  All his blots upon my documents, were dropped there after 12 o'clock" 298


Nippers- young man, around 25 y/o
-ambitious
-always bothered by the height of the table he worked at. Either to high or too low.
-grinds teeth-nervous habit
-short fused in the morning, calm and collected afternoon -2nd to last paragraph 300

Ginger Nut- 12 years old
-student at law
-errand boy
-cleaner/sweeper
-made $1/week

Bartleby-
-"extraordinary quantity of writing. as if long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on my documents" (301) -Bartleby was a workhorse.
-Worked all day and all night.
-"I would prefer not to" 302
-Homeless, chose to live in the office.
-Refused to leave the office

Bartleby, the Scrivener- The Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume E, Page 293-325

Reading Notes Week 7A: Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Jean-Jacques Dessalines- 36-39

-Saint Domingue was the jewel of the French empire in 18th Century.
--good source of sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton and slaves.

-French Revolution wiped out hierarchy.
--Free blacks vs. white population
--Slaves made up majority of the population and rose up

-After more than a decade long war led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, France officially liberated slaves.
--1801 Slavery was abolished

-Jean-Jacques Dessalines- Second in command to Toussaint
--Defeated french troops in 1803
--Proclaimed new nation called Haiti
--Crowned himself emperor
--Assassinated in 1806

LIBERTY or DEATH

-"never again shall a colonist or a European set his foot upon this territory with the title of master or proprietor" (39)

-moto: "Liberty! Independence!"

Reading Analysis Week 6: The Lamb by William Blake

The Lamb by William Blake was a very interesting poem. I had to read the poem through a couple times to really understand what it was about.

The poem is told from a young child who is questioning a “Lamb”. The poem is divided into two separate parts. The first part of the poem, the child speaking questions the lamb’s origins. “Little Lamb, who made thee?” The child is also questioning the lambs purpose in life and how it came to be the one who is eaten and who has to give up their wool for clothes. “Gave thee life, and bid thee feed” and “gave thee clothing of delight, softest clothing, woolly, bright;” (335)

The second part of the story reveals who the Lamb is. The Lamb is really a symbol for Jesus, it is a religious reference. This is revealed in the 3rd line from the second paragraph, “He is called by thy name, for He falls Himself a Lamb”. He is referencing Jesus in this poem, so “He falls Himself a Lamb” translates to “Jesus calls himself a Lamb”. The poem ends with “God Bless thee”, another religious reference.

The main theme of this poem is religion. The Lamb is being used as a symbol for Jesus, thus this poem is about Jesus and how he came to be. In the beginning of the poem when the child is questioning the lambs origin, it isn’t clear. It is revealed however in the second paragraph what the Lamb represents.

William Blake was a known Christian so this poem comes at no surprise. His religious faith influenced his poetry and this is just one example of his poetry that involves religion.

-Patrick


Blake,William. “William Blake.” The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Third Edition., E, W.W. Norton & Co, Pp. 330-341

Reading Notes Week 6B: Barbauld

To a Little Invisible Being Who is Expected Soon to Become Visible

This poem is about a baby that will be born soon. The baby is being described as having limitless potential _ "what powers llie folded in thy curious frame,"

the poet is eager and anxiously awaiting the arrival - "burst thy prision doors," haste, infante bud of being, haste to blow" "Favoring spells to speed thee on thy way"

From Eighteen Hundred and Eleven, A Poem

This poem was written at a time of war with France and is told in a very negative tone.  There is mention of nature however as being something to look forward to in such dark times.

Reading Notes Week 6A: Blake

William Blake- 1757-1827
-Cast priests and kings as responsible for exploiting the poor, repressing sexuality and stinfling art, and he admired the devil himself for disobedience (330)
-Both parents were from lower-middle class, Radical in their politics and unorthodox in religion
-Writer, artist and illustrator

The Lamb-
The speaker is a child, questioning a lamb about how it came to be.

The child is questioning the lamb and asking how it came to be the one to be eaten? "Gave thee life and bid thee feed" (335)

"gave thee clothing of delight; Softest clothing wooly bright" Lamb gave wool for clothing

"Little Lamb Who Made Thee? -Little lamb who made you?
"Dost thou know who made thee?"- Do you know who made you?

Religious reference?

Blake, William. “William Blake.” The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Third ed., E, W.W. Norton & Company, pp. 330–341.

Comment Wall

https://sites.google.com/view/english145lmc/project-1

-Patrick

Week 5 Analysis: Close Reading of Saikaku

The paragraph of "Life Of A Sensuous" woman that really caught my attention began on the bottom of page 600, starting with "Eventually the head priest of one temple fell in love with me, and I agreed to become his temporary wife..."  What interested me in this paragraph was how she exposed the monk's lives behind closed doors.  The aging woman telling the tale was also very surprised about what she saw at the floating-world temple.  Monks have always been portrayed as religious leaders and men who are setting examples to live by.  What the woman sees however, is something a little different.  She found out there are six days a month where the Monk's would not obey their abstentions.  She said, "they vowed to rigorously limit their fish and poultry and their sex with woman to the nights of theses six days" (600).  The monks would let loose on these six days and satisfy their pleasures and temptations.  She continues on by saying, "the pursue their pleasures, they went all the way to Third Avenue in downtown Kyoto and visited places like the Koiyan Inn" (601).  The older woman exposed the truth to these men that she is telling the story too. The men probably had no idea that Monks went out and slept with woman a few days of the month.  I believe this passage of the story has a meaning and it is show that Monks are not as innocent as they are made out to be. Most days of the month the Monks are obeying their abstentions.  "On other days, the men acted like model monks" (601).  The Monks are always looked up to and are examples for their culture, however little to people know what actually happens behind closed doors.

-Patrick  

Works Cited:

Saikaku, Ihara. “Life of a Sensuous Woman.” The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Peter Simon, Third ed., D, W.W. Norton & Company, pp. 591–602.

Reading Notes Week 5B: Basho

Basho was a haikai master

He set out on a journey that lasted around 5 months.

Basho was feeling very weak and his body was worn from traveling, however is mind and spirit remained strong. 

Basho at the end of his five month journey became ill and before fully recovering, he embarked on another journey.

This story was mainly about his five month travel and his experiences along the way. 

Reading Notes Week 5A: Saikaku

Saikaku-

This story about a woman was very interesting.  The story is told from a couple different perspectives but seem to be about the same woman.

The first section (An old woman's hermitage) involves this woman telling her life story to two men who are in search of pleasure.  They talk to this woman and want to hear her story and experiences about love.

The second section (Mistress of a Domain Lord) is her telling the story of how she was found and then bought and sold to the lord. 

The third section (a monk's wife in a worldy temple) is her telling of how she dressed like a man to get into a monk's temple.

Week 4 Project Planning: Compare/Contrast Voltaire & Tartuffe

The two stories that I am going to compare and contrast are Voltaire and Tartuffe.  While these stories are very different, I believe they share some common literary elements as well as have some that a drastically different.  The reason I picked these two stories was because these were the two stories that I would like to learn more about. I read them during the assigned reading but I didn’t feel that I understood them as well as I should have.  I would like to compare the settings of the story, both physical and chronological, the two types of conflict-internal and external conflict, symbolism that is used throughout each story and the central theme of each story.

Basic Outline-

Introduction

Very Brief Overview of Each Story

Setting

-Physical

-Chronological

--Compare/Contrast

Conflict

-Internal Conflicts

-External Conflicts

--Compare/Contrast

Symbolism

-Examples within Voltaire

-Examples within Tartuffe

--Compare/Contrast

Themes

-Themes within Voltaire

-Themes within Tartuffe

--Similar themes?