It is not uncommon for books to share some similar plots, characters, and themes, but Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the barbarians had such similar scenarios that is would have been illogical not to see parallels between the two books. They both depend upon their government that in each book is not serving to benefit anyone other its own desires. Also, the books both contain characters that are damaged by the government’s imperialistic tactics.
Both books were set in a place exterior to the “main territory” (Europe and the Empire). The external areas were inhabited by natives that were looked down upon as less intelligent and often as not even human. In Heart of Darkness, the Company sends people to the Congo to civilize the Africans. The Company wants their actions to appear to be significant and honorable when in fact the European men sent to the Congo often go mad or die without helping any Africans. Heart of Darkness does not show any examples of wanting to protect of help the Africans while they are stationed in Africa. Instead, the men want to shoot at the natives for entertainment if they come near. The supposed morals of the Company are not the actual motives that influence their actions. Similarly, in Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate is stationed in the wilderness and living carelessly when Colonel Joll is sent by the Empire to solve problems that do not exist. Joll is sent to disband a congregating force of Barbarians are supposedly planning an attack on the Empire. Instead of the government fixing a problem, it creates one. After Joll takes many barbarians hostage, the barbarians begin to congregate and get prepared for war. When attacked, victims will arm themselves. Consequently, Joll builds hysteria in the town and bands the townspeople together out of fear of a problem that Joll himself created. Both stories are risking the lives of their own people to solve a “problem” that is not real.
Lastly, both books have a man serving their government fall in love/become infatuated with a native woman. These women may be interpreted in various ways in both books, but for me they symbolized the bridge between two people that had such different customs. In Heart of Darkness, Kurtz goes mad in the wilderness where he has an “African mistress.” The Company sees as the final evidence that Kurtz has gone crazy. Similarly in Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate houses a barbarian and eventually returns her to her people. The Magistrate’s actions are evidence that he is a traitor and he is locked away in a cell. The townspeople believe that the Magistrate is old and has gone insane. Having love for a native woman is seen by the powerful government’s people as impossible for a sane person because these people are seen as less than human and living inferior lives.
482
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Magistrate's Conscience
Waiting for the Barbarians is a fascinating story about the Magistrate and his struggle in dealing with the unjust actions of Colonel Joll. Because the story is set in an unknown place and time period, it shows that this story could happen in the past, present, or future. The Magistrate is very conscious of human behavior and emotion and he often has uncontrollable thoughts that leave him emptied-hearted or confused.
The Magistrate notices the way that Joll’s appearance and from these attributes the Magistrate develops a deep dislike for Joll. In the first encounter between Joll and the magistrate, the Magistrate notices Joll’s strange eyeglasses that are opaque. Immediately the Magistrate sees the glasses as a barrier that separate Joll from everyone else. Later, the Magistrate notices the way that Joll remains quiet and will not smile in front the prisoners because “before prisoners, it appears, one maintains a certain front” (3). Then, the Magistrate is thinking about Joll and he wonders “does he wash his hands very carefully, perhaps, or change all his clothes; or has the Bureau created new men who can pass without disquiet between the unclean and the clean?” (12) The Magistrate believes that Joll is conducting useless torturing and questioning, and the Magistrate cannot comprehend how a man could carry out such measures and not feel quilt. Finally the Magistrate says that “all my life I have believed in civilized behaviour; on this occasion, however, I cannot deny it, the memory leaves me sick with myself” because a man like Joll calls the people barbarians is not civilized himself (23).
Another character that the Magistrate focuses on is a barbarian girl who he finds crippled and blind. He becomes very curious about the girl and eventually invites her into his home where he provides her a home and job. He gets into the ritual of cleaning her wounds and bathing her each night. The Magistrate is uncertain about why he keeps her in his house because he cannot decipher his feelings toward her and he feels “no desire to enter this stocky little body glistening by now in the firelight. It is a week since words have passed between” them. He feeds her, shelters her, uses “her body, if that is what [he] is doing, in this foreign way” (30). As the story progressed, the Magistrate is unable to have sexual relations with her because he does not have the desire. The Magistrate continuously tries to have intellectual conversations with the girl, but she will answer factually and the Magistrate notices they would be a ill-matched couple.
The Magistrate is getting old and he wishes to live the rest of his days in peace. He observes Joll and the Barbarian girl wishing that he could let them do as they desire, but his conscious pushed him to act in what he knows is right even if his actions may reap horrible consequences.
486
The Magistrate notices the way that Joll’s appearance and from these attributes the Magistrate develops a deep dislike for Joll. In the first encounter between Joll and the magistrate, the Magistrate notices Joll’s strange eyeglasses that are opaque. Immediately the Magistrate sees the glasses as a barrier that separate Joll from everyone else. Later, the Magistrate notices the way that Joll remains quiet and will not smile in front the prisoners because “before prisoners, it appears, one maintains a certain front” (3). Then, the Magistrate is thinking about Joll and he wonders “does he wash his hands very carefully, perhaps, or change all his clothes; or has the Bureau created new men who can pass without disquiet between the unclean and the clean?” (12) The Magistrate believes that Joll is conducting useless torturing and questioning, and the Magistrate cannot comprehend how a man could carry out such measures and not feel quilt. Finally the Magistrate says that “all my life I have believed in civilized behaviour; on this occasion, however, I cannot deny it, the memory leaves me sick with myself” because a man like Joll calls the people barbarians is not civilized himself (23).
Another character that the Magistrate focuses on is a barbarian girl who he finds crippled and blind. He becomes very curious about the girl and eventually invites her into his home where he provides her a home and job. He gets into the ritual of cleaning her wounds and bathing her each night. The Magistrate is uncertain about why he keeps her in his house because he cannot decipher his feelings toward her and he feels “no desire to enter this stocky little body glistening by now in the firelight. It is a week since words have passed between” them. He feeds her, shelters her, uses “her body, if that is what [he] is doing, in this foreign way” (30). As the story progressed, the Magistrate is unable to have sexual relations with her because he does not have the desire. The Magistrate continuously tries to have intellectual conversations with the girl, but she will answer factually and the Magistrate notices they would be a ill-matched couple.
The Magistrate is getting old and he wishes to live the rest of his days in peace. He observes Joll and the Barbarian girl wishing that he could let them do as they desire, but his conscious pushed him to act in what he knows is right even if his actions may reap horrible consequences.
486
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Women of Heart of Darkness by Jeremy Hawthorn
-Marlow believes that women live in a more than perfect world and this leads to the perpetuation of the cycle that fuels imperialism
-The three main women in Heart of Darkness are Marlow’s aunt, Kurtz’s African mistress, and Kurtz’s Intended, and it is important to recognize that Marlow’s view of woman is different for the European women and the African women.
-European women = debilitated and sterile
-African women = passionate and fecund
-Woman serve the purpose of “soothing” men who do imperialism’s dirty work, and woman are able to do that by living in a “world of their own” that is naïve and idealistic.
-Kurtz manages to destroy both his African mistress and his Intended by abandoning them both in different ways.
-The three main women in Heart of Darkness are Marlow’s aunt, Kurtz’s African mistress, and Kurtz’s Intended, and it is important to recognize that Marlow’s view of woman is different for the European women and the African women.
-European women = debilitated and sterile
-African women = passionate and fecund
-Woman serve the purpose of “soothing” men who do imperialism’s dirty work, and woman are able to do that by living in a “world of their own” that is naïve and idealistic.
-Kurtz manages to destroy both his African mistress and his Intended by abandoning them both in different ways.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The End of The Sound and the Fury
The final section of Sound and the Fury is narrated from a third person perspective which focuses mainly on Dilsey, the Compson’s female Black servant, who provides a final glimpse at the Compson family. It is significant that the final section is not narrated in first person by a member of the Compson family because the reader is slowly withdrawing from the crazy Compson minds and entering a nonbiased perspective. Through the third person narration, it is clear that Dilsey is the last remaining sane person and loving caretaker of Benjy living with the Compsons. She is willing to take him with her to church on Easter because she believes he, like anyone else, is loved by God. In a sense, the story ends after going full circle because first Miss Quentin, (like her mother Caddy) has left the Compson house and the final scene shows the fragile happiness of Benjy. If any slight change is made in Benjy’s routine, he becomes very upset and sad. When Luster drives a different way to the cemetery, everything becomes out of order for Benjy. By closing the scene with the carriage turning around and Benjy calming down again, closure is established in the sense that although all the characters are living their lives in a miserable manner, they have a system and for them it provides order.
225
225
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Superstition vs . Knowledge
The idea that the traditional southern intelligent white man and the uneducated black man have been reversed within the Sound and the Fury has lead to some thoughtful conversation in our English Class. Generally we all agreed that the black servants demonstrate superior insight to the white people’s understanding of the events in the novel. While reading the novel, I agreed with this hypothesis. My viewpoint altered after reading Charles D. Peavy’s article, Faulkner’s Use of Folklore in The Sound and the Fury. The article suggests that rather than the Black servants possessing higher intellect than the white Compson family, they rely on Negro folk beliefs and superstition. What causes addition confusion is that Faulkner was also aware of Black superstition; therefore, within the Sound and the Fury, superstitious signs are foreshadowing of the future for the characters. Superstition is equal to knowledge in many respects in the Sound and the Fury.
What fascinated me was that Peavy uses some of the exact passages to support the black servant’s reliance on superstition that our class used to support the blacks superior intellect to the whites. The black servants’ ideas may appear to originate from education, but they in fact are rooted in superstition. First the black servants see the “signs” of imminent death. The blacks notice two superstitious signs of death: the screeching owl (a black death omen) and a howling dog (black sign that someone is about to die). The two superstitious signs do precede the death of Mr. Compson, but that is due to Faulkner’s knowledge of Negro folktales, no scientific reasoning. Even though the novel reflects a reversal of black and white within the South, the blacks are still reliant on superstition for their reasoning.
Another example of Black superstition is Roskus’s belief that Benjy is like the dog in his ability to sense death. Benjy “knows lot more than folks think...He knowed they time was coming, like that pointer done. He could tell you when hisn coming, if he could talk. Or yours. Or mine” (31-32). Roskus is indeed observant that people often neglect to see that Benjy has some capacity to learn and understand, but once again the idea takes basis from Black superstition. Roskus parallels Benjy and Dan, the dog, to rationalize this belief of Benjy’s amazing “smelling” abilities. Both the dog and Benjy have inferior knowledge and do not use the typical human senses.
Lastly, a superstition regarding names is apparent in Roskus’s negative reaction to the changing of Benjy’s name. When Roskus learns that the original name Maury is changed to Benjamin, he complains that “they ain’t no luck on this place…I seen it at first but when they changed his name I knowed it” (29). An old Black superstition is that to change the name of a person will cause his death. While this superstition does not lead to the death of Benjy directly, it can be seen as the foreshadowing of the downfall of the Compson family as a whole.
Interestingly, the story is full of superstition; and therefore superstition has merit and equality to knowledge. Within the novel, it is crucial not to overlook superstitious signs because they very often are accurate. The black servants display their upward movement in society by not only practice of their historical superstitions, but also their superiority in better perception and prediction of the fall of the Compson family than the Compsons themselves.
570
Works Cited
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 79, No. 313 (Jul. - Sep., 1966), pp. 437-447
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of American Folklore Society
Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. New York: Vintage, 1991.
What fascinated me was that Peavy uses some of the exact passages to support the black servant’s reliance on superstition that our class used to support the blacks superior intellect to the whites. The black servants’ ideas may appear to originate from education, but they in fact are rooted in superstition. First the black servants see the “signs” of imminent death. The blacks notice two superstitious signs of death: the screeching owl (a black death omen) and a howling dog (black sign that someone is about to die). The two superstitious signs do precede the death of Mr. Compson, but that is due to Faulkner’s knowledge of Negro folktales, no scientific reasoning. Even though the novel reflects a reversal of black and white within the South, the blacks are still reliant on superstition for their reasoning.
Another example of Black superstition is Roskus’s belief that Benjy is like the dog in his ability to sense death. Benjy “knows lot more than folks think...He knowed they time was coming, like that pointer done. He could tell you when hisn coming, if he could talk. Or yours. Or mine” (31-32). Roskus is indeed observant that people often neglect to see that Benjy has some capacity to learn and understand, but once again the idea takes basis from Black superstition. Roskus parallels Benjy and Dan, the dog, to rationalize this belief of Benjy’s amazing “smelling” abilities. Both the dog and Benjy have inferior knowledge and do not use the typical human senses.
Lastly, a superstition regarding names is apparent in Roskus’s negative reaction to the changing of Benjy’s name. When Roskus learns that the original name Maury is changed to Benjamin, he complains that “they ain’t no luck on this place…I seen it at first but when they changed his name I knowed it” (29). An old Black superstition is that to change the name of a person will cause his death. While this superstition does not lead to the death of Benjy directly, it can be seen as the foreshadowing of the downfall of the Compson family as a whole.
Interestingly, the story is full of superstition; and therefore superstition has merit and equality to knowledge. Within the novel, it is crucial not to overlook superstitious signs because they very often are accurate. The black servants display their upward movement in society by not only practice of their historical superstitions, but also their superiority in better perception and prediction of the fall of the Compson family than the Compsons themselves.
570
Works Cited
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 79, No. 313 (Jul. - Sep., 1966), pp. 437-447
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of American Folklore Society
Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. New York: Vintage, 1991.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Weight of War
The Things They Carried reveals the inner workings of a platoon that is fighting during the Vietnam War by describing the literal and figurative things that the men carried. The young men are mixed up in a world where it is difficult to distinguish between fantasy and reality while also trying to maintain their reputations. Through our knowledge of each of the character’s physical and emotional loads, we discover the personalities of each character. Each description peels away a layer of each character, until the descriptions of “the things they carried” become figurative burdens such as love, heartache, and horror.
The first items such as P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wrist watches, etc. were carried for necessity by all men. The men carry loads that “weighed between 15 and 20 pounds, depending upon a man’s habits or rate of metabolism,” and depending upon the kind of mission they are taking (627). Specifics about each character show that Dobbin’s carries extra rations because he is a big man, Jensen carries hygiene products because he practiced field hygiene, Lavender carries tranquillizers because he is fearful, and Kiowa carries his New Testament and moccasins to keep quiet. These essential items are carried for the purpose of satisfying the soldiers’ physical needs and keeping them safe which leads to their emotional and psychological health.
Also, the men carry tangible items that serve no practical purpose, other than emotional and phychological. Nearly all the men carry photographs of their women left behind which is the first indication of emotional baggage literally and figuratively. Cross carries two pictures of Martha that entrance him and send him down the path of endless daydream. He also carries Martha’s letters that physically weight ten ounces, but have a immense weight in the heart. “Dobbins carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter,” merely for emotional purposes (629). Lavender carries “six or seven ounces or premium dope, which for him was necessity,” that not only has a physical weight, but also serves to preserve his mental wellbeing (226). The men often “carried each other, the wounded or weak,” which shows their loyalty to one another and feelings of responsibility and honor (631). “The land itself—Vietnam, the place, the soil—a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues their faces” is also a part of their literal load, but also enveloped their minds because it is where they spend all their time and all they have to reflect on, besides their memories of home (631). The men also bear superstition, which leads Cross to carry a good luck pebble and Jensen to carry a rabbit’s foot. Superstition serves as another outlet for their emotions because they can be less fearful if in the past they have dodged death by chance, but attribute the chance to their “good luck charm.” Lastly, the men literally “carried infections…diseases…lice and ringworm and leeches and paddy algae and various rots and mold,” that reveal the danger of being a soldier (631). Even if the men don’t die in battle, they may die from the prevalent dangers of a soldier’s life. These “things” bridge the gap between the physical and mental “things they carried.”
The men wrestle with emotional baggage throughout the story due to their backgrounds, participation in the war, and individual ways of coping with that the situations they encounter. Kiowa carries “his grandmother’s distrust of the white man” because of his upbringing, Jimmy Cross carries “the responsibility for the lives of his men” due to his rank, and the men carry “a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” because they have three powerful standard weapons (626-628). The “unwieghed fear” that the men harbor internally is as heavy, if not heavier than, the physical weight of their packs (627). The emotional damage that the war causes is so strong that they are literally being torn up on the inside and out by the situation.
Lastly, the way the men “carried themselves” bears significance to their ability to endue the war and stay sane. Reputation is what inspires the men to go to war, and it is what keeps them going. It is what “brought them to war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor. Just to avoid the blush of dishonor,” (634). They also must hold “themselves with poise, a kind of dignity” and maintain “the masks of composure” while dealing with “all of the emotional baggage of men who might die,” because their reputation depends on it (633-635). Some accomplish this by demonstrating “a sort of wistful resignation” because “they were afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it,” (634). In essence, the men are too scared to be cowards. Unfortunately their desire to maintain a manly reputation leads to “grief. Terror, love, longing—these were tangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight,” (634).
The men have the assurance that “they would never be at a loss for things to carry” (632). They will always have physical and metal loads that weigh more than any man should have to carry. The narrator explains that “It was very sad…The things men carried inside” and the story closes with “carry on” which further exemplifies the multiple levels of meaning of the word carry in the story (636).
898
1. Did anyone notice that Jimmy Cross has the same initials as Jesus Christ and that “Cross” is a sign of Jesus Christ? What do you make of this?
2. What is the purpose of the work “hump” in paragraph 5?
3. Why do you guys think that Martha sent Cross the rock with the story about “separate-but-together”
4. Is there any way that there one date meant something significant and that Martha loves Cross too? Why or why not?
5. Does anyone think that Cross’s transformation of mindset at the end was negative?
The first items such as P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wrist watches, etc. were carried for necessity by all men. The men carry loads that “weighed between 15 and 20 pounds, depending upon a man’s habits or rate of metabolism,” and depending upon the kind of mission they are taking (627). Specifics about each character show that Dobbin’s carries extra rations because he is a big man, Jensen carries hygiene products because he practiced field hygiene, Lavender carries tranquillizers because he is fearful, and Kiowa carries his New Testament and moccasins to keep quiet. These essential items are carried for the purpose of satisfying the soldiers’ physical needs and keeping them safe which leads to their emotional and psychological health.
Also, the men carry tangible items that serve no practical purpose, other than emotional and phychological. Nearly all the men carry photographs of their women left behind which is the first indication of emotional baggage literally and figuratively. Cross carries two pictures of Martha that entrance him and send him down the path of endless daydream. He also carries Martha’s letters that physically weight ten ounces, but have a immense weight in the heart. “Dobbins carried his girlfriend’s pantyhose wrapped around his neck as a comforter,” merely for emotional purposes (629). Lavender carries “six or seven ounces or premium dope, which for him was necessity,” that not only has a physical weight, but also serves to preserve his mental wellbeing (226). The men often “carried each other, the wounded or weak,” which shows their loyalty to one another and feelings of responsibility and honor (631). “The land itself—Vietnam, the place, the soil—a powdery orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues their faces” is also a part of their literal load, but also enveloped their minds because it is where they spend all their time and all they have to reflect on, besides their memories of home (631). The men also bear superstition, which leads Cross to carry a good luck pebble and Jensen to carry a rabbit’s foot. Superstition serves as another outlet for their emotions because they can be less fearful if in the past they have dodged death by chance, but attribute the chance to their “good luck charm.” Lastly, the men literally “carried infections…diseases…lice and ringworm and leeches and paddy algae and various rots and mold,” that reveal the danger of being a soldier (631). Even if the men don’t die in battle, they may die from the prevalent dangers of a soldier’s life. These “things” bridge the gap between the physical and mental “things they carried.”
The men wrestle with emotional baggage throughout the story due to their backgrounds, participation in the war, and individual ways of coping with that the situations they encounter. Kiowa carries “his grandmother’s distrust of the white man” because of his upbringing, Jimmy Cross carries “the responsibility for the lives of his men” due to his rank, and the men carry “a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried” because they have three powerful standard weapons (626-628). The “unwieghed fear” that the men harbor internally is as heavy, if not heavier than, the physical weight of their packs (627). The emotional damage that the war causes is so strong that they are literally being torn up on the inside and out by the situation.
Lastly, the way the men “carried themselves” bears significance to their ability to endue the war and stay sane. Reputation is what inspires the men to go to war, and it is what keeps them going. It is what “brought them to war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor. Just to avoid the blush of dishonor,” (634). They also must hold “themselves with poise, a kind of dignity” and maintain “the masks of composure” while dealing with “all of the emotional baggage of men who might die,” because their reputation depends on it (633-635). Some accomplish this by demonstrating “a sort of wistful resignation” because “they were afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it,” (634). In essence, the men are too scared to be cowards. Unfortunately their desire to maintain a manly reputation leads to “grief. Terror, love, longing—these were tangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight,” (634).
The men have the assurance that “they would never be at a loss for things to carry” (632). They will always have physical and metal loads that weigh more than any man should have to carry. The narrator explains that “It was very sad…The things men carried inside” and the story closes with “carry on” which further exemplifies the multiple levels of meaning of the word carry in the story (636).
898
1. Did anyone notice that Jimmy Cross has the same initials as Jesus Christ and that “Cross” is a sign of Jesus Christ? What do you make of this?
2. What is the purpose of the work “hump” in paragraph 5?
3. Why do you guys think that Martha sent Cross the rock with the story about “separate-but-together”
4. Is there any way that there one date meant something significant and that Martha loves Cross too? Why or why not?
5. Does anyone think that Cross’s transformation of mindset at the end was negative?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
People Change Over Time
This week I read one contemporary short story, but I did not like it. It’s called Today I’m Yours by Mary Gaitskill. From the title I was expecting a romantic love story or quite possibly a sad love story because “today” makes the relationship sound temporary which suggests a breakup or separation. Regardless, I thought it would be a charming little story about a man and woman. It ended up because a story about lesbian lovers who saw each other on and off for a long period of time, but in the end they realize that they can never be together. One of the women is married and she cheats on her husband and the other has a girlfriend who she cheats on throughout the story. It was somewhat interesting, although I wish the lovers did not simply walk away from one another in the end like they mean nothing to one another.
I really liked the Shiloh short story because it reminded me of what could have happened with Grandparents’ marriage, had my Grandfather not required my Grandmother to follow him as he grew internationally aware and educated. Although the stories are a bit different, Shiloh is a key example of what my grandfather feared could happen to his relationship if they did not grow together.
Shiloh is a story about the realization of a woman, Norma Jean, that she has changed and her makeshift marriage is holding her back from her dreams. The short story is told through the eyes of her husband. Her husband, Leroy, notices her changing and is aware that his wife may leave him. Leroy tries to connect with his wife, but it is too late and Norma Jean is already out of reach. Like the characters in Shiloh, my Grandparents also got married because my grandmother was pregnant with my mother when they were both eighteen. Even though their baby did not die, their marriage could have taken the same path as Norma Jean’s and Leroy’s because they started out the same initially. As time passed, both my grandfather and Leroy got jobs that required them to often be away from home. The difference was that when Leroy was away he lost touch with his wife, but when my grandfather was away he would often bring my grandmother. My grandfather considered the possibility that he would change and grow as he traveled and if left behind, my grandmother would not. Even when my grandmother would not want to go to the places that my grandfather planned to travel to, my grandfather would encourage her and she would always be glad she went. They have now been married for fifty-five years and in my opinion they have been so happy together because they have grown and changed together. I think that it is not uncommon, unfortunately, for big businessmen to travel and lose interest in their wives at home who are not exposed to the same situations as them. Businessmen then may meet other women while working who intrigue them. In Shiloh the scenario is reversed, Norma Jean is left home and she explores new areas of interest, while Leroy remains the same as he was in high school. Both the scenario of the businessman and the scenario in Shiloh develop due to the same circumstance: separation and different experiences.
556
I really liked the Shiloh short story because it reminded me of what could have happened with Grandparents’ marriage, had my Grandfather not required my Grandmother to follow him as he grew internationally aware and educated. Although the stories are a bit different, Shiloh is a key example of what my grandfather feared could happen to his relationship if they did not grow together.
Shiloh is a story about the realization of a woman, Norma Jean, that she has changed and her makeshift marriage is holding her back from her dreams. The short story is told through the eyes of her husband. Her husband, Leroy, notices her changing and is aware that his wife may leave him. Leroy tries to connect with his wife, but it is too late and Norma Jean is already out of reach. Like the characters in Shiloh, my Grandparents also got married because my grandmother was pregnant with my mother when they were both eighteen. Even though their baby did not die, their marriage could have taken the same path as Norma Jean’s and Leroy’s because they started out the same initially. As time passed, both my grandfather and Leroy got jobs that required them to often be away from home. The difference was that when Leroy was away he lost touch with his wife, but when my grandfather was away he would often bring my grandmother. My grandfather considered the possibility that he would change and grow as he traveled and if left behind, my grandmother would not. Even when my grandmother would not want to go to the places that my grandfather planned to travel to, my grandfather would encourage her and she would always be glad she went. They have now been married for fifty-five years and in my opinion they have been so happy together because they have grown and changed together. I think that it is not uncommon, unfortunately, for big businessmen to travel and lose interest in their wives at home who are not exposed to the same situations as them. Businessmen then may meet other women while working who intrigue them. In Shiloh the scenario is reversed, Norma Jean is left home and she explores new areas of interest, while Leroy remains the same as he was in high school. Both the scenario of the businessman and the scenario in Shiloh develop due to the same circumstance: separation and different experiences.
556
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Role of Drugs and Alcohol in Cathedral
As the analyst this week for Cathedral by Raymond Carver, I spent some extra time investigating the characters personalities and the events within the story. Although this story concerns real people from Carver’s past as its characters, it is fascinating to infer the purpose/meaning of each incident in the story. In particular, I found it very surprising when the narrator asks the blind man if he wants to smoke some dope. I became curious about why this is part of the story. As soon as the blind man and the narrator’s wife arrive, drinks are served. The characters all rely on alcohol and marijuana to enjoy themselves and relieve their anxiety. Both elements are vital to the short story because they lead to the successive actions and are the driving force to the events that characterize the narrator, his wife, and the blind man. Marijuana and alcohol affect the minds of the smokers and facilitate their loosening up and understanding of one another.
When the characters sit down for small talk, drinks directly follow. The narrator asks the blind man what kind of drink he would like as a gage of his personality. He chooses whiskey and the narrator says “I knew it” as if he had been able to read the blind man’s mind, when in fact the narrator has a warped perception of the blind man’s actual personality. The characters continue chatting and new rounds of drinks are served as needed. The atmosphere is comfortable between the narrator’s wife and the blind man, but the conversation still seems unnatural and the narrator feels left out. The narrator’s wife is trying too hard to assist the blind man because of his handicap and her hospitality is overbearing.
Later, drugs are introduced to the story and the characters finally open up to one another and connect. Prior to their smoking, we do not witness any eased tensions, rather the characters have awkward conversation. In fact, the narrator says that he wishes him wife would come back downstairs because he does not want to be left alone with a blind man. He then offers the blind man another drink and marijuana. The blind man agrees to try some for his first time. They smoke the joint together and the narrator is impressed because the blind man smokes “like he’d been doing it since he was nine years old.” The narrator finally realizes that the blind man is more like him than he had recognized. Soon after the narrator notices that his wife’s robe has slipped away, but then another turning point occurs when he thinks “What the hell” because the blind man can not see anyway.
The subsequent experiences between the blind man and narrator are possible because of the narrator’s realization that the blind man is a ordinary man who is not a threat to the narrator’s relationship with his wife and because they are high. We discover that the narrator often has terrible dreams, so he stays up late to avoid them. He may disclose this information because he is relaxed from smoking. The biggest event is the conversation that gave the story its name. The narrator and blind man discuss a cathedral. As depicted in many movies, people often find television more entertaining when they are high. Because the narrator is high, he becomes enchanted by a cathedral. The two men discuss it and the blind man wants the narrator to draw it out while holding the blind man’s hands to the pen. As their hands draw out the cathedral, the narrator is totally connected with the blind man and his preconceived notions are destroyed. This activity could also be an effect of the marijuana because feelings are enhanced when people get high. Therefore they may have been able to feel a deeper connection by physically touching. The activity is also influential because the narrator literally sees the world in a new way after experiencing it as a blind man. Throughout the story, the narrator undergoes a transformation from prejudiced and negative to experience and understanding.
678
When the characters sit down for small talk, drinks directly follow. The narrator asks the blind man what kind of drink he would like as a gage of his personality. He chooses whiskey and the narrator says “I knew it” as if he had been able to read the blind man’s mind, when in fact the narrator has a warped perception of the blind man’s actual personality. The characters continue chatting and new rounds of drinks are served as needed. The atmosphere is comfortable between the narrator’s wife and the blind man, but the conversation still seems unnatural and the narrator feels left out. The narrator’s wife is trying too hard to assist the blind man because of his handicap and her hospitality is overbearing.
Later, drugs are introduced to the story and the characters finally open up to one another and connect. Prior to their smoking, we do not witness any eased tensions, rather the characters have awkward conversation. In fact, the narrator says that he wishes him wife would come back downstairs because he does not want to be left alone with a blind man. He then offers the blind man another drink and marijuana. The blind man agrees to try some for his first time. They smoke the joint together and the narrator is impressed because the blind man smokes “like he’d been doing it since he was nine years old.” The narrator finally realizes that the blind man is more like him than he had recognized. Soon after the narrator notices that his wife’s robe has slipped away, but then another turning point occurs when he thinks “What the hell” because the blind man can not see anyway.
The subsequent experiences between the blind man and narrator are possible because of the narrator’s realization that the blind man is a ordinary man who is not a threat to the narrator’s relationship with his wife and because they are high. We discover that the narrator often has terrible dreams, so he stays up late to avoid them. He may disclose this information because he is relaxed from smoking. The biggest event is the conversation that gave the story its name. The narrator and blind man discuss a cathedral. As depicted in many movies, people often find television more entertaining when they are high. Because the narrator is high, he becomes enchanted by a cathedral. The two men discuss it and the blind man wants the narrator to draw it out while holding the blind man’s hands to the pen. As their hands draw out the cathedral, the narrator is totally connected with the blind man and his preconceived notions are destroyed. This activity could also be an effect of the marijuana because feelings are enhanced when people get high. Therefore they may have been able to feel a deeper connection by physically touching. The activity is also influential because the narrator literally sees the world in a new way after experiencing it as a blind man. Throughout the story, the narrator undergoes a transformation from prejudiced and negative to experience and understanding.
678
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Daisy's Parenting Struggle
Teenage Wasteland was the most impressive of the week’s short stories because it addressed bad human behavior and made me think about its cause. Depending on what the reader believes is the cause of Donny’s bad actions, he or she forms an opinion about Donny’s family life, in particular his mother Daisy.
In the past I have heard different ideas about why people act the way they do, such as the “nature vs. nurture” argument. “Nature” is the hereditary force upon a person and “nurture” is how that individual has been raised. I believe that the two are both important in the make-up of someone’s personality, but that the combination of the two influences differs depending upon the particular person. In Donny’s case I think that “nature” is the main problem. The narrator gives no evidence of anything that the parents did wrong to provoke Donny’s rebellious behavior. Therefore, his parents were not to blame for the start of the problems and their extreme struggle to help Donny should not be criticized.
Although Daisy is not the perfect mother by any means, she tried her very best to help her son. The story portrays her as a loving mom who dearly wants to help her son, but her personality thwarts her noble effort. Daisy’s insecurity and gullibility make it harder for her to choose the best oath to Donny’s recovery. When Daisy is called into the principal’s office, she is “shamed” and feels like a “delinquent parent” because her son is causing disruption in the school. Then, when she leaves the office, she “held her stomach in” because she is worried about looking like an overweight housewife. Her behavior during this scene reveals her insecurity as a woman, but not her inability to be a good mother. After the conference, she takes action by checking Donny’s homework daily. Daisy exhausts herself by all of the attention that she gives Donny. Unfortunately, the school calls again and Daisy has to try a new strategy. Daisy is willing to do whatever it takes to help Donny. Her next attempt is scheduling a visit for him with a psychologist who then refers Donny to a tutor named Cal. Cal takes advantage of Daisy’s gullibility by demanding full control of communication with Donny’s school regarding Donny’s progress. Daisy feels completing defeated by her failed attempts to help Donny and agrees to handover all power to Cal. Daisy is scared and unsure about how to handle her son’s growing problems. She feels that she has done everything she can do to help her son and that Cal is Donny’s last hope. It is easy to criticize her for allowing Cal to take such authority, but she is desperate and Cal appears to be the only remaining answer. Also, Cal is not a random man; he is referred to her by a certified psychologist. Daisy is susceptible to the audience’s judgment because she could have intervened sooner or done something different; but, I still believe that it is not fully in her power to save someone who does not want to be saved. Even if she had the opportunity to try again, I do not know what she would have had to do to save Donny.
540 words
In the past I have heard different ideas about why people act the way they do, such as the “nature vs. nurture” argument. “Nature” is the hereditary force upon a person and “nurture” is how that individual has been raised. I believe that the two are both important in the make-up of someone’s personality, but that the combination of the two influences differs depending upon the particular person. In Donny’s case I think that “nature” is the main problem. The narrator gives no evidence of anything that the parents did wrong to provoke Donny’s rebellious behavior. Therefore, his parents were not to blame for the start of the problems and their extreme struggle to help Donny should not be criticized.
Although Daisy is not the perfect mother by any means, she tried her very best to help her son. The story portrays her as a loving mom who dearly wants to help her son, but her personality thwarts her noble effort. Daisy’s insecurity and gullibility make it harder for her to choose the best oath to Donny’s recovery. When Daisy is called into the principal’s office, she is “shamed” and feels like a “delinquent parent” because her son is causing disruption in the school. Then, when she leaves the office, she “held her stomach in” because she is worried about looking like an overweight housewife. Her behavior during this scene reveals her insecurity as a woman, but not her inability to be a good mother. After the conference, she takes action by checking Donny’s homework daily. Daisy exhausts herself by all of the attention that she gives Donny. Unfortunately, the school calls again and Daisy has to try a new strategy. Daisy is willing to do whatever it takes to help Donny. Her next attempt is scheduling a visit for him with a psychologist who then refers Donny to a tutor named Cal. Cal takes advantage of Daisy’s gullibility by demanding full control of communication with Donny’s school regarding Donny’s progress. Daisy feels completing defeated by her failed attempts to help Donny and agrees to handover all power to Cal. Daisy is scared and unsure about how to handle her son’s growing problems. She feels that she has done everything she can do to help her son and that Cal is Donny’s last hope. It is easy to criticize her for allowing Cal to take such authority, but she is desperate and Cal appears to be the only remaining answer. Also, Cal is not a random man; he is referred to her by a certified psychologist. Daisy is susceptible to the audience’s judgment because she could have intervened sooner or done something different; but, I still believe that it is not fully in her power to save someone who does not want to be saved. Even if she had the opportunity to try again, I do not know what she would have had to do to save Donny.
540 words
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Erin Malone Life of Pi
Over the summer the only English books I read were Life of Pi by Yann Martel and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin because I was occupied with my Spanish studies in Argentina. Abroad, I read Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie and a variety of short stories in Spanish. Due to the simplicity of the Spanish books, I could truly appreciate the English books and their complexity. Even though Pride and Prejudice is a known classic, I had neither read it nor seen the movie. Ancient to many, but new to me, the classic surprised me and was a remarkable read. My favorite novel that I read, Life of Pi, also astonished me because I was surprised that it is in many ways about religion. It unraveled some of my doubts about religion by craftily tricking me into think religious thoughts while not consciously knowing it.
I prefer reading books that appear to be a simple story but lying in that story is a convoluted path of deeper meaning and confusion that must be studied to be understood. I think that if five people read Life of Pi, everyone would interpret the novel in a different way. Life of Pi is an intriguing story that kept me enthralled from close to the beginning to end. While reading the novel, I felt like a skier that started down a hill slowly, but lost control and created a momentum that could not be stopped until I reached the end of the slope. Much like after an adrenaline rush a skier experiences, I was frustrated when the book was over because I desired more.
Life of Pi primarily focuses on a journey through the ocean with a Bengal tiger and an Indian boy named Pi Patel. Prior to the sea adventure, the book compares three religions (Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam) that are different, but similar in more ways than one may think. While I found some of the religious comparisons surprising, this was the part that I disregarded as “dull.” I was determined to read this section quickly before I fell asleep. In truth the boat scenes encompass the majority of the book and are indeed more attention-grabbing, but the beginning ended up being more essential to the books impact on me than I originally anticipated. In the end of the novel Pi reaches land and is saved. The tiger is also free and runs off into the wilderness. Soon after Pi’s return to civilization he is interviewed about what he has experienced since his ship sank. The interview not only gives explanation to the book, but also unlocked a door to my mind about religion. The interviewers do not believe Pi’s stories about a zebra, hyena, and tiger. To them it seems evident that these events could never take place. They enjoy his second story that involves people and seems more believable. The way the author shows the stupidity of the interviewers, pointed out my own hardheadedness. I recognize that the novel is fiction, but it may be full of truth about the nature of human beings.
The novel did not convert me into some devout Christian, but it opened my eyes to ideas I had not given much thought to before my encounter with this zesty novel. I still do not practice a faith, but now I have a new curiosity. I am anticipating taking World Religions this semester because even though I am not looking for faith, I am now more open to the possibility of it.
I prefer reading books that appear to be a simple story but lying in that story is a convoluted path of deeper meaning and confusion that must be studied to be understood. I think that if five people read Life of Pi, everyone would interpret the novel in a different way. Life of Pi is an intriguing story that kept me enthralled from close to the beginning to end. While reading the novel, I felt like a skier that started down a hill slowly, but lost control and created a momentum that could not be stopped until I reached the end of the slope. Much like after an adrenaline rush a skier experiences, I was frustrated when the book was over because I desired more.
Life of Pi primarily focuses on a journey through the ocean with a Bengal tiger and an Indian boy named Pi Patel. Prior to the sea adventure, the book compares three religions (Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam) that are different, but similar in more ways than one may think. While I found some of the religious comparisons surprising, this was the part that I disregarded as “dull.” I was determined to read this section quickly before I fell asleep. In truth the boat scenes encompass the majority of the book and are indeed more attention-grabbing, but the beginning ended up being more essential to the books impact on me than I originally anticipated. In the end of the novel Pi reaches land and is saved. The tiger is also free and runs off into the wilderness. Soon after Pi’s return to civilization he is interviewed about what he has experienced since his ship sank. The interview not only gives explanation to the book, but also unlocked a door to my mind about religion. The interviewers do not believe Pi’s stories about a zebra, hyena, and tiger. To them it seems evident that these events could never take place. They enjoy his second story that involves people and seems more believable. The way the author shows the stupidity of the interviewers, pointed out my own hardheadedness. I recognize that the novel is fiction, but it may be full of truth about the nature of human beings.
The novel did not convert me into some devout Christian, but it opened my eyes to ideas I had not given much thought to before my encounter with this zesty novel. I still do not practice a faith, but now I have a new curiosity. I am anticipating taking World Religions this semester because even though I am not looking for faith, I am now more open to the possibility of it.
589 word count
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