just my opinion

Final Blog

2010-05-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

First of all-I thought everyone had some interesting ideas to present to the class and while I was very distracted by the deliciousness of chocolate cupcakes I still felt I benefited from every ones proposals. So good job to those of us that are finishing out the semester and not withdrawing. Seriously, what's up with that?

Amy-I really was impressed with how you presented the new/old ideas of women's rights. The "assertion to self/heroin ism" and "quest for self/naturalistic" points you brought up will really illustrate just how severe the "oppression of men" was during the 19th century. I think your paper will kick ass. I think you picked out appropriate texts as well. Good luck!

Meredith-I think your paper surrounding "Man Thinking" will be interesting. The local color and transcendental genres you are piecing together will make a strong argument. I especially like that you are pulling in Hart's work to show what Emerson was saying is NOT "Man Thinking." Good topic.

Michael-You had so much going on in your paper that I didn't take enough notes but I think you had some brilliant ideas and if you can fit them all in then way to go! I really enjoyed how you proposed discussing the "reactions to rigidness" and I'll be interested to see what you come up with regarding that topic. Good luck with all the comparing/contrasting and have fun with all the dark literature we got to read this semester. That was definitely my favorite genre we studied!

Janel-Your claims of man looking inward equating inherent evil is really interesting as is the idea that man looking outwards will essentially create/invent new ideas. Very cool discussion points. I think you have a really interesting argument and with the texts you have chosen I'm sure you can support it. Best of luck!

Deb-I love how passionate you were about the texts you've chosen to write on. I definitely can see that there was a certain shift in writing due to the influence of the civil war. I think with your passion and obvious research and preparation you've done you will have a valid argument and you will strongly being able to support your ideas. You made texts that I disregarded as the more boring ones seem much more important. Happy writing!

Caitlyn-It was interesting to me that there were quite a few people in class that are using Fuller as the basis for their proposals. But every one's topics are different. I like that you are going to use her to compare different genres as well as tie in the differences between British/American literature. Way to go with the Feminist Movement!

Sara-I'm really interested to see what you have going on for tying in the Gothic genre to naturalistic/regional texts. I think they definitely share some similarities and I'm sure you can construct some interesting support to point out the elements these writing styles have in common.

Seriously, everyone...best of luck with papers and finals. I know this semester has kicked all of us in the junk but we are almost done!

The Truth about All Art: It's Quite Useless

2010-04-23T00:47:00.000-07:00

I don't really believe that art is useless. Don't get me wrong, Wilde is a badass but sometimes he's a bit wordy and I think he likes to come up with catchy phrases just to create conversation and have them repeated. Which is fine by me.

I'm going to begin with two quotes, one from Norris and one from Zola and then begin my rambling.

"For the novel is the great expression of modern life. Each form of art has had its turn at reflecting and expressing its contemporaneous thought." -Norris-

"There is neither nobility, nor dignity, nor beauty, nor morality in not knowing, in lying, in pretending that you are greater according as you advance in error and confusion. The only great and moral works are those of truth." -Zola-

Honestly I don't really know what genre Wilde's text really fits in but I'm going to force it into a Naturalistic ideal because it fits the mold. There is an extremely pessimistic view of morality, detachment, determination and a plot twist in the end. If we apply Zola's principles of reading as an observer we can certainly see the "truth" that is so incredibly important to both Norris and Zola. Wilde tells a story about what could happen if someone was giving the opportunity to do whatever they desired. Wilde clearly writes Dorian Gray into his grave due to his own vanity and obsession with the corruption of his soul.

Referring back to the two mentioned quotes: Beginning with Zola's...Wilde writes the truly pessimistic side of humanity. People are sinful and corrupt at times and he puts us in a position as spectator to see the true nature and evil that exists in humanity. With Norris's statement it leaves us left to observe and "reflect" at what exactly we are to do with the truth of the potentially gross nature of human existence.

When I first read this back in the day I caught myself reflecting on my own existence and not that I'm a bad person by any means but I'm a totally vain person and some of my favorite things fit into the seven deadly sins category, primarily sloth and gluttony. Dorian thinks to himself "But the picture? What was he to say of that? It held the secret of his life, and told his story. It had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it teach him to loathe his own soul? would he ever look at it again?" (89) Honestly, if I had a straight view into my soul I'm not sure I would want to look into it. Scary.

To briefly summarize: we as readers, and as human beings, need to properly "observe" the "truth" and then figure out what we can do with it. Hopefully we won't end up like Dorian, that would be sad.

Proposal Numero Dos

2010-04-23T00:24:00.000-07:00

Alright, I've been working on cleaning up my proposal/final paper and I think I'm getting closer to a better finished product. I've changed the texts I'm using just slightly and I'm concentrating on a little bit of a different angle. So here are the texts I'm going to use for my paper.

The Picture of Dorian Gray-Wilde
Young Goodman Brown-Hawthorne
Edgar Huntly-Brown
Berenice-A Tale-Poe

I'm going to concentrate primarily on Wilde's text as it has the most support for my argument. So here it goes.

Throughout Wilde's work in TPODG there is a very clear example of influence and impressionism within the text. First, Dorian is influenced by Lord Henry then Dorian himself is able to influence others. Lord Henry acts as the foil to Dorian Gray which spirals the once "pure" adolescent into a corrupt and immoral being. The results of this contamination are visibly seen in the portrait of Gray and the protagonist becomes increasingly obsessed with the visible results of his sins and evil behavior which ultimately is the result for his demise.

The other texts will act primarily as further support that poor/evil influences and/or foils within the mentioned works lead to obsession which leads to an unhappy ending for the protagonists. For example:

In Edgar Huntly, Huntly himself becomes obsessed with avenging his friends death while being completely influence by Clithero's intense guilt. The obsession and influence nearly causes Huntly himself to lose his life but instead he is left feeling just as guilty as Clithero.

In Young Goodman Brown the protagonist is led astray from his path by the stranger in the woods causing Brown to begin to feel obsessively suspicious about his community and his wife leaving him to lead a miserable existence.

In Berenice, Poe's protagonist is influenced by opiates which causes him to brutally murder his love interest which leaves him left guilty and alone.

I know these are still really vague but I'm exhausted. Basically what I'm trying to argue is that the Foils, or variable influences to the protagonists, all are responsible for the constant/protagonists to become obsessed and or guilty and each is left which a negative result. Don't worry, I still plan on discussing the homoeroticism since Wilde's work is drenched in it, but really, you can kind of see it in all of the texts. Feel free to discuss with me how I can support that. Here are some outside sources that I have found.

"Poe and the Theme of Forbidden Knowledge" Jules Zanger
"Carnivalesque Freedom in Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown" S. Selina Jamil
"[Un]consciousness Itself Is the Malady": "Edgar Huntly" and the Discourse of the Other" Leonard Cassuto
"Come See About Me:Enchantment of the Double in "The Picture of Dorian Gray" Christopher Craft
"Aestheticism, Homoeroticism, and Christian Guilt in The Picture of Dorian Gray" Joseph Carroll
"The Strange Interest in Trivial Things: Seduction in Derrida and Dorian Gray" Forbes Morlock
"On the Discrimination of Influences" Andrew Elfenbein

I've really got all sorts of cool things to support my thesis, I just can't think of them right now because 2010 has been a crummy year (terrible excuse).

Final Paper Proposal

2010-04-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Alright fellow students...I have a vague idea of what I'm going to write about and I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm kinda looking forward to my research. The writing part I'm not super keen on, mostly because I'm a poor writer, but the content will be at least somewhat rewarding to me. I'm going to concentrate on the following texts.
Byron's "The Giaour"
CBB's Edgar Huntly
Hawthornes "Young Goodman Brown"
Wilde's Dorian Gray
I may have to restrict this to only two of the four, but I would like to use all of them as they were some of my favorite readings from this semester.

Here's what I plan on doing:
I will argue that the following literary works all display a certain feeling of Christian Guilt throughout the texts that is illustrated by a loathsome self-image of the central characters in which self-destructive and immoral behavior is prominent throughout the progression of the stories. I plan to support my claim with specific examples which I will desperately attempt to support. I will touch on the fact that each of the protagonists are partnered with a central figure throughout the text that acts as an outside influence ie:Lord Henry to Dorian, the staffed man to Goodman Brown. These secondary characters represent the fight between moral and immoral desires in the characters struggles.

I know this is a grossly vague description of what I'm writing about but I've already found several interesting articles that will help me prove that I'm somewhat accurate in my claims. Also, as per usual there will be some discussion on homoeroticism and other sexual desires throughout some of the texts. I can't help it, sex is fun to write about. Sorry Julie!

If anyone has any suggestions or, more accurately, concerns feel free to leave me some feedback, I'd really like to write a good paper this semester and I tend to drop the ball when it comes to structured essays. Happy research and writing class!

Daisy is actually a Dandelion...

2010-04-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

I gotta say that Henry James is hit and miss with me. I've expressed my undying devotion to The Turn of the Screw on several occasions but I have a really tough time with his female characters. I was unable to complete Portrait of a Lady due to extreme boredom and throughout Daisy Miller I found myself continually rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of Daisy. Yet there is some sort of genius in the progression of his female protagonists.

In the supplemental article we read for this blog assignment there is a really interesting analogy, or comparison, as to how James depicts his female characters. The author writes "Those who complain that he has not drawn the portrait of a noble and superior woman should remember that an artist may sometimes justly prefer to paint a dandelion rather than a rose." I love this statement. It helps me get over the so-called boredom. James writes and "every woman" type character which when I take a step back a realize this I find it easier to identify with.

Daisy is a somewhat boring character. There really is nothing that separates her from any other girl. She's not completely retarded, but she certainly isn't a genius either. She hits middle class, mediocre and medium in pretty much every aspect. And of course she's "pretty." The thing that sets her apart in this novella is she is the American "foreigner" so it's easy for her to capture the attention of her two suitors as they would find her more aggressive demeanor intriguing.

Really Daisy is no different than any other female and she encapsulates a sort of timeless feel. She could be someone who exists today that is just "playing the field." I hate to speak poorly of my own sex but some of us living ladies are a little overly flirtatious and speaking plainly are just kinda skanky. It's ridiculous to me that any one would string along two people simultaneously but people do that, they did it back in the day, and they do it now. I have to give James mad props for being so skilled at creating a generic female lead while he himself remains to be male. (I suppose that where some of the gay rumors stem from).

So there was one line in Daisy's many conversations that totally made me like her, a little. When having a conversation with Winterbourne he says to her "I beg your pardon if I say it wrong. The main point is to give you an idea of my meaning.' The young girl looked at him more gravely, but with eyes that were prettier than ever. 'I have never allowed a gentleman to dictate to me, or to interfere with anything I do." (40) I like that. Why should anyone let anyone interfere with their choices? Now after saying that I'm going to have to point out that Daisy made some foolish choices, but as she pointed out they were always her decisions. So good on her. I just wish she hadn't been killed off. I feel like this was completely parallel with The Coquette. I've already discussed this with Heather and I'm sure the other 371 students were made aware of the similarities but really it is disheartening that women are killed off for making their own decisions. It really defines woman as irrational and incapable of survival without the help of a man. So pathetic.

Anyway, as per usual our dear professor has given us some thought provoking material and even though I will probably never read this again I'm still looking forward to hearing what everyone has to say. So thank you teacher and thank you Mr. James.

ps-the above photo was taken with my hipstamatic again. I love having an iPhone!

Fenton vs. the Hipstamatic

2010-03-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

After reading this article I have to say that our generation is beyond spoiled. Rather than fully devote all of my time to this blog assignment I've been distracted by my awesome iPhone which happens to take way cooler pictures than poor Fenton would ever have been able to accomplish. He certainly didn't have the latest application that I've obtained: the Hipstamatic. And it's not that he didn't have the necessary skills or talent, he merely was without the amenities that are available to us now. With that being said I have to point out how fortunate we are that we even have any sort of pictorial documentation of past events no matter how poor the quality.

It is only because of the recent exposure to Tennyson and his "Light Brigade" work that I'm even familiar to the disastrous events that took place. It's fascinating to partner up the history with the art work and photographs that are available. It makes everything seem more real, even though a lot of the pieces are staged. The Houston article we read states:
"The Crimean war is today less compelling,and the generic conventions
Fenton used to naturalize the scenes of war seem contrived or empty.
The very conventions that make these photographs difficult for us to
read were,however,what made them appealing to a Victorian audience
that desired to possess history."
I have to say that I agree, contrived could certainly be used to describe some of the photographs, but empty...no way. There's something beautiful in the staging of the works. Both the photographer and the subjects new that they were documenting history and for them to have taken the time to create the picturesque representation of the events is pretty profound and overwhelmingly important. Through these photos we don't get a play by play of the Crimean War but we do get to see who was involved.
Check out these proud subjects for instance:

I think these photos capture what Houston meant when she claimed "Victorian audiences understood it[photograph] as primarily truthful and documentary" and photos began to take the role of "souvenirs" which hasn't changed much. We take photos today to keep as souvenirs and documentation only now technology makes things much more accessible. I must mention that as morbid as it would be to see pictures of dead people I think it should have been included in Fenton's paid work. It would help people understand the impact of the Crimean War plus it would appease my naturally perverse sense of curiosity.

Check out my hipstamatic photos, they certainly aren't as important as war documentation but they are pretty sweet regardless of their lack of historical content. I like to think of these as souvenirs from my day today, it sounds nice.

Whitman is my Homeboy

2010-03-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

I'm apologizing before hand: I'm still not feeling well plus I'm sleep deprived. Regardless of my illness, I still went and saw the midnight showing of Alice in Wonderland. Hopefully I can write something creative and pertinent...

I hate advertising therefore I watch no TV and never listen to the radio. I'm more of the free streaming online type for my necessary shows and my mix CD's and satellite radio keep me company in my vehicle. I find product placement, billboards, magazine spreads and all other types of media advertising a waste of my time simply because if I'm in a store and the product jumps out at me, then and only then will I purchase it. And it definitely has nothing to do with Oprah's suggestions. Last time I took her advise I read an "autobiography" that ended up being entirely fabricated. That Million Little Pieces guy is an asshole.

As far as whether or not I agree with "McCracken’s claim that advertisers now play the cultural roles that poets played in earlier eras" I have to admit that I somewhat agree with him. Because of advertisers our generation will forever be familiar with "Where's the Beef?", "Got Milk?", and "Leggo my Eggo." And seriously "I've fallen...and I can't get up" still kills me, and I'm pretty sure I was in 2nd grade when that geriatric alarm system came out. Advertisers certainly have skills of creativity and persuasion but again, I hate advertising. I think it's hard to contrast the previously mentioned catchphrases with the insanely awesome Walt Whitman. That "America" commercial is genius. Whitman is a genius and the corporate execs at Levi are geniuses and I actually felt inspired to go buy some jeans. I didn't though, I bought some Van's for my little bro's b-day instead.

So back to McCracken's claim: it's hard to disagree with him because, although to me, there is nothing poetic about commercials, these messages that are sent to the public reach out to us and speak to us as a whole community and try to meet the needs of the generic and mass population. Whether the product is necessary or not, the masses are educated about them and even though I never owned a 'ShamWow' I always wanted one and I was really sad when Billy Mays died. Hopefully I'm making my point a little bit. Advertising along with current movies, music, television, the arts and literature encapsulate our current world and it's trends.

Now with the Levi's ads, I honestly thought they were beautiful. The "America" one in particular was insane. The shots, the people represented, the feel and Whitman's voice heard over the scratchy recording was a stunning collaboration. But what was different is that it felt as though it wasn't advertising jeans. It felt like it was advertising people. I felt as though it was utilizing Whitman's words to celebrate all types of people, which works well because Levi has all types of jeans and other finely crafted products.

I think that even Whitman himself would be pleased with their efforts. He tended to be a little on the pursuasive side when it came to his work. In his "Preface to Leaves of Grass" he writes "The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem." He's advertising the diversity and the beauty of the country. If Whitman were still alive he would be one of the biggest advertising execs in the world. Just look at some of his sayings that would be killer slogans for different companies,

"The fruition of beauty is no chance of hit or miss...it is inevitable as life."
"Nothing is better than simplicity..."
"Great is the faith of the flush of the knowledge and of the investigation of the depths of qualties and things."
"Whatever satisfies the sould is truth."
"Faith is the antiseptic of the soul."
"The known universe has one complete lover and that is the greatest poet."

All in all, I dig Whitman and I give Levi a valiant A for knowing their shit. They encapsulate a great American to rejoice in the greatness of the American people, all while they are fashionably attired.

Just for funsies...some commercials I do like.

2010-02-19T19:12:00.000-08:00

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cell.

Does anyone remember Anne of Green Gables (movie, not book)? Well, it's irrelevant but Anne Shirley quotes this first line of Keats' "Ode to Autumn" to Diana and that's what came to mind when I saw this portrait. I picked Thomas Moran's Under Trees (The Autumnal Woods) because the colors are absolutely phenomenal. Fall is my favorite time of year. The short, crisp days are colored in gold, red, orange and yellow. The landscape looks like it's on fire. Which I guess would ultimately be a bad thing, but pretty nonetheless.

Another element I really liked is the feeling that the one human subject in the painting is completely engulfed in these flame-like surroundings. He seems to be wrapped in this autumnal cocoon and he doesn't look apt to abandon it anytime soon. He is content to simply enjoy his surroundings and think, and just be. He is revelling in the beauty of nature and is unattended with outside stresses. This goes along with what Ruskin says in an excerpt from Modern Painters that "if a person receiving even the noblest ideas of simple beauty be asked why he likes the object exciting them, he will not be able to give any distinct reason, nor to trace in his mind any formed thought." The subject couldn't care less as to why he is content in the safe haven nature has formed for him and honestly, I don't blame him.

This portrait epitomizes the peaceful relationship between an uncultivated natural surrounding and an appreciating patron that finds awe within the colors and setting which goes along with the whole idea of romanticism and the wonder that can be found in nature. Thomas Moran's work shows not only a harmonious relationship with nature but also the safety one can feel when enveloped in all it's splendor. (Sorry-totally cheesy and cliche, but still relevant) Ruskin also writes "But although everything in nature is more or less beautiful, every species of object has its own kind and degree of beauty; some being in their own nature more beautiful than others, and few, if any, individuals possessing the utmost degree of beauty of which the species is capable. This utmost degree of specific beauty, necessarily coexistent with the utmost perfection of the object in other respects, is the ideal of the object." I can't imagine any other place as peaceful and beautiful as where this lucky guy is and this would be my "ideal" destination.

My dogs are the cutest...

2010-02-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Aren't they?

Hawthorne should have been an Aquarius

2010-02-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

I have no clue as to what is wrong with me but I really dig all of these morbid and dark readings. Maybe it has something to do with the decade and a half of consecutive Bible classes I was exposed to and I just don't want to read about salvation anymore. I hope that doesn't make me evil...

Here's what you get when you go to google images and type in 'The Mister's Black Veil." Spooky.
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The definition that the ever helpful resource wikipedia has given me for Dark Romanticism refers to the pessimistic side of nature. This aspect of this genre jumps out in Hawthorne's short story 'The Minister's Black Veil' several times but there is a direct connection between the dark elements of nature and the Minister himself. I found a specific relationship to the minister and the horizon, the sky and its activity or I guess more specifically the element of air. (From here on out this blog will be me reading whatever the hell I want to into Hawthorne's work, because we as readers are allowed to do that and I'm taking advantage of it.)

Upon first introduction to the Minister's new attire his congregation is quite clearly very uncomfortable and "more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meeting-house." I kept picking up on allusions to the minister being compared to wind. Hawthorne writes "There was nothing terrible in what Mr. Hooper said; at least, no violence; and yet, with every tremor of his melancholy voice, the hearers quaked." With this, I found myself envisioning a gust of wind passing through an area congested with trees and the leavings shaking in response. Shortly after the previous passage NH writes "So sensible were the audience of some unwonted attribute in their minister, that they longed for a breath of wind to blow aside the veil, almost believing that a stranger's visage would be discovered, through the form, gesture, and voice were those of Mr. Hooper." Again, with that 'breath of wind' the element of air is brought up.

It's made clear that Minister Hooper was not one to indulge his congregation with outbursts of visible emotion, even at weddings we learn that not much more that a "sympathetic smile" was seen. While officiating the young couple's wedding Mr. Hooper shows up again with "the same horrible black veil" and "such was its immediate effect on the guests, that a cloud seemed to have rolled duskily from beneath the black crape, and dimmed the light of the candles." Here nature again is personified through Mr. Hooper and the effect on the spectators of the wedding. Just as a cloud blocks the sun, Mr. Hooper's veil dampens the high spirits of the congregation.

Another reference to the sky is when Elizabeth is trying to convince Hooper to removing the veil and he replies "Know, then, this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn. This dismal shade must separate me from the world; even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it!" The idea of light and dark references sunrise and sunset, night and day and then "the dismal shade" is a type of eclipse, in his case the veil is causing him to receive negative judgement.

These airy characteristics mentioned throughout the 'black veil' were intriguing to me. Just as you can't see the wind itself only the outcome, the audience was unable to see the minister's emotions since he was shielded with the veil, only the church's emotional response to his bizarre costume were seen. One of my ridiculous zodiac books says "The element of air masks an intensely emotional nature." It was kind of interesting to read that after discovering the airy nature of the minister who does in fact wear a 'mask.'

Can we just keep reading stuff like this the rest of the semester?

360 degrees represents "Infinity and Beyond!"

2010-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

This above video is my epigraph. Upon reading Emerson's work I kept thinking back to learning about fractals in my AP Trigonometry class back in the day when I was still a size 4. Many years, and many pounds later I can still recall the fascination of the continuity of shapes, especially the circle and how they really are represented everywhere. For example, clouds, brocolli, snowflakes and shells are all fractals and all a part of nature. Now on to the important stuff:

"Nature centres into balls,

And her proud ephemerals,

Fast to surface and outside,

Scan the profile of the sphere;

Knew they what that signified,

A new genesis were here."

Emerson's epigraph was purposely placed at the beginning of "Circles" not to simply impress the reader, which no doubt he has, but to set the tone and introduce the concept that there is an infinite number of sphere's represented in everything, especially in nature. This "primary figure" is more than a geometric shape. It is an idea. A circle, just as an idea, has no end, just a new beginning.

The idea of inifity has always perplexed me because I really don't think a human is supposed to think in those terms. We are born, we live, we die...the end. Emerson has proved this is not the case. Everything lasts forever, and it is through nature that we can see this. So go back to the being born, the living and then the dying: one person may cease to exist but there is always something left in their place such as offspring. For instance, my mom and dad did some procreating, had three kiddos, now one of them has a bun in the oven. For my sake I'm going to claim that my family is going to live forever, but if that weren't the case then I would go on to say that someday my parents will no longer be here, leaving their offspring, who would then leave their offspring, who would then leave their offspring, etc etc etc. It's an endless cycle.

The circle that represents man is "a self-evolving circle, which, from a ring imperceptibly small, rushes on all sides outwards to new and larger cirlces, and that without end." I like this. I am thinking of it as in terms of the "ripple effect." Throw a stone into a pond and see the continuity of the small waves as they move farther and farther from the point of impact the circles become larger and slightly evolved. Think of the point of origin as an idea, the idea grows and reaches greater distances. These ripples, similarily to nature, are new, different and "In nature every moment is new; the past is always swallowed and forgotten; the coming only is sacred."

Emerson also states that "conversation is a game of circles." A tree's lifespan can be determined by how many rings, or cirlces, in its trunk. The more rings it has the older and larger it is and the more shade it casts. Conversation can be measured in similar fashion. The maturity of the topic and the more understanding of "love, faith, truth of character, the aspiration of man" the more it will be able to influence.

Let me conclude by saying that God and nature are unending. The circle's that make up everything are everywhere whether they are prominently seen or conceptual. Emerson writes St. Augustine's idea of the "nature of God as a circle whose centre was everywhere, and its circumference nowhere." This is still a little complex for me, but it makes the idea of God a little more relatable. He goes on to say that "we learn that God is that he is in me; and that all things are shadows of him." So as one who is a mere shadow of nature and God I leave you with a fun video clip from 24 Hour Party People that shows one "circle" of having an idea, acting upon it, seeing God which then leads to new ideas. Just a warning: there is strong language and marijuana usage represented which of course I'm not an advocate of either.

No one is an island...

2010-01-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

First off, this is highly unimportant but I must mention it: Platoon came out in 1986 and Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. I was wrong. Sorry guys.

Now for the assignment:
I'm going to begin with a beautiful quote...
“No man or woman is an island. To exist just for yourself is meaningless. You can achieve the most satisfaction when you feel related to some greater purpose in life, something greater than yourself.”Denis Waitley

This is what I thought of after reading Wordsworth's "Floating Island." I'm going to be honest, I typically stay away from poetry and for one specific reason. I'm terrified of feeling those pesky things called emotions. As one who refuses to hug or say "I love you" to even my own family I do my best to steer clear of things that might invoke vulnerabilities. Yeah, I'm pathetic I realize but seriously if I let my guard down I cry, and NO ONE is supposed to see that. Now on the other hand one thing I really appreciate about poetry is that the author's write in a way that leaves interpretation wide open. I'm sure they all had specific idea's of what their works were meant for but we as readers can read into them however we like. And again back to the quote mentioned previously, that is where my brain went after I finished "Floating Island" and I interpreted it as parallel to the quote.

Now to explain why my head went in that direction...
The very first Stanza tells me right away that nature is not a jumbled accident, it is "harmonious powers" that are the reason that nature exists. With the upbringing I have had I'm immediately one to assume that the author is referring to God, but I'm also aware that the idea of nature as it's own living breathing entity could also be considered a higher power as later in the piece nature is referred to as a "she." Regardless, the spirituality of nature is represented instantly and within the first stanza I feel clearly that whether "sunshine" or a "storm" is taking place, neither of these events is an accident and they are a part of a unified structure.

The next few stanza's introduce us to the island. The island is functioning on it's own as it is separated from the earth, yet it still obeys the wind as it glides on the lake. I'm still working on what this means but the poet tells us that there is life on the island. Flowers and insects make this island their home and while there are surviving beings it's only a matter of time before the island has "passed away" because she[nature] has ceased "to give."

"Perchance when you are wandering forth
Upon some vacant sunny day
Without an object, hope, or fear,
Thither your eyes may turn -- the Isle is passed away."

I like the possibility that perhaps what Wordsworth is referring to here is the idea that a person, or even all of humanity is the island. We, at least I, tend to get so detached from the beauty of nature and it's only a matter of time before we, or I, are punished for ignoring the "sublimity of nature." This brings me back to the above quote. No one can be an island. To exist completely self-absorbed would be a pitiful existence. So we must function along with nature, become a part of it, worship it and appreciate it or nature will give as a giant spanking and re-use our remains to make someone better.

BTW-I'm really disappointed with myself for not being prepared for class yesterday because The Giaour was truly epic and awesome and there really was a Vampire! It should be a movie.

Details are distracting...

2010-01-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember the movie The Cell with J Lo, Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio? I hate to admit it because I loathe Jennifer Lopez but I found that movie interesting. The idea of someone getting to witness and even be a part of my dreams captivated me and perhaps Science will get us there someday. One thing in particular that got me thinking was how specific and detailed the crazy killer bad guy's dreams were. I don't know about everyone else but while I'm dreaming the minute details really don't exist in my subconscious. I might be able to recall certain colors, items, people and places that are involved in my nightly stream of consciousness but if it came down to painting an accurate portrait of all my surroundings there would be absolutely no way for me to do it. However, what does remain extremely vivid, whilst dreaming and even when I awake, is what took place and how these dreams made me feel. That's how I felt throughout the entirety of Edgar Huntly.

In class someone brought up the idea that they felt that it was "dark" throughout the whole text. I on the other hand never visualized anything. I vaguely recall thinking of trees, rivers and caves but what stood out to me more was the emotions that Edgar relates through his narrative, and even in repeating Clithero's narrative. Since this text involves not one, but two sleep walkers the dream-like writing style really worked for me. This allowed me to concentrate on what I felt like was really pertinent to C.B.B.'s novel. Even though we don't get a play by play of his fight with the Natives we know he fought and killed them while getting pretty bloodied himself. I kept thinking about how paralyzingly terrifying it would be to have to quietly sit in an unfamiliar environment while cautiously planning out some form of attack. Don't breath too loud, don't step there, stay low, etc all to avoid detection. When a bullet grazes Edgar's cheek it's easy to imagine the sensation of the stinging, the blood dripping and the sheer panic at being shot at but I was more concerned with him escaping.

Page 191 begins with Edgar having left the young captive girl with the group of beat up men, including her father and he sets out to find the remaining Native that he had not yet killed along with his companions.

"My eye was now caught by movements which appeared like those of a beast. In different circumstances, I should have instantly supposed it to be a wolf, or panther, or bear. Now my suspicions were alive on a different account, and my startled fancy figured to itself nothing but an human adversary.

A thicket was on either side of the road. That opposite to my station was discontinued at a small distance by the cultivated field. The road continued along this filed, bounded by the thicket on the one side, and the open space on the other. To this space the being who was now descried was cautiously approaching.

He moved upon all fours, and presently came near enough to be distinguished. His disfigured limbs, pendants from his ears and nose, and his shorn locks, were indubitable indications of a savage. Occasionally he reared himself above the bushes, and scanned, with suspicious vigilance, the cottage and the space surrounding it. Then he stooped, and crept alone as before."

I really like these three paragraphs for several reasons. One being that the nature surrounding Edgar creates a tunnel vision type feeling. Being surrounded by foliage on either side creates this feeling of claustrophobia which only enhances the fear of the danger that he is in. The brief mention of the field and the cottage left me as the reader disregarding them completely and concentrating on the animalistic qualities that Edgar uses to describe the dangerous human. In the first paragraph he even mentions that had he not already been aware of his assailant he would assume it would be some form of preying animal but since he is attuned to the existence of the "savage" he is prepared to deal with him. The way he describes the Indian's stooping, rearing and scanning creates this idea that his enemy is brutal and his animal-like characteristics give you a sense that Edgar is being stalked.

Rather than distract the reader with unnecessary details of what kind of shrubbery, what kind of fields, the exact floor plan of the cottage etc we know the necessities. Edgar could die and that would be bad.

Another much longer passage I would like to point out is pages 214-216ish. There is a very long excerpt regarding Edgar's relationship with water. He mentions that he "reached without difficulty the opposite bank" then thinks again about recrossing the water. Thinks maybe it would be a good idea to remove his clothing then decides he better not be running around the wilderness naked (for obvious safety reasons) and then comes to the conclusion that the river saves him from traveling by road. What I find really interesting in these pages is that this is a fairly beefy passage that shows us that although he struggles with exhaustion from swimming and he's uncomfortable, wet and most likely cold Edgar still embraces the advantages of utilizing the river. In his case he is saved by water while on the final page of the text (285) in one very brief sentence Clithero's fate is made known and his death was caused by forcing "himself beneath the surface, and was seen no more." To summarize water saved Edgar but water killed Clithero. This seems substantial as we've established that Clithero is Edgar's "alter-ego." If anyone has any thoughts on this matter send them my way.

Here's one of the dream scenes from The Cell. Enjoy!

Practice and Retaliation

2010-01-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

I'm just trying to figure out how to properly post videos and I wanted to clarify why "Freaks" is in fact terrifying. Can you imagine being attacked by all of these carnies?! I think it fits the bill:)

Thanks for the help on this one Tanner.

Terror v. Horror According to Me

2010-01-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

Beginning with terror I am going to go into fuller detail regarding James' The Turn of the Screw. This book absolutely terrified me after reading it for the first time. As it was already discussed in class the governess comes to care for two children who's temperaments and physical attributes are constantly referred to as "angelic." The governess finds herself completely captivated by Miles and Flora. As she gets more comfortable in her unfamiliar settings by becoming better acquainted with the staff and the children she begins to see a strange man watching her and the young boy. These occurrences are then followed by a woman about her own age being present when the governess is with Flora. She asks the housekeeper, her only friend, about these strange guests and it is hinted that these two beings could be the ghosts of the former overseer of the house and the previous governess, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. The governess continues to see these apparitions, if that is indeed what they are, but no one else seems to. The governess begins questioning the intentions of the children and wonders if they are possibly possessed by these two ghosts.

I'm not going to go too much further into the plot because as Heather was kind enough to point out, I've written two papers on this text and I'm kind of over it. But I will explain why it terrorized me. The ambiguity of the text and the constant questioning of what the hell was going on really kept me on edge. At first I read it superficially and took it as a ghost tale and for some reason while I read it every single horrifying image I had ever seen came rushing back into my memory all at once. Try falling asleep to that when you're already someone who doesn't sleep. Now that I've reread James' TTOTS a few times I've come to the conclusion that the governess was completely insane for several reasons, bad home life, sexual repression (I can thoroughly back that up) and cabin fever (think Jack Nicholson). After psychoanalyzing her character my mind was put at ease but the initial reading of the text was definitely my idea of "terror."

A couple other examples of terror, at least my idea of terror, are Tod Browning's 1932 film Freaks and Roman Polanski's 1968 film Rosemary's Baby. Neither of these I would consider scary but both have that suspenseful feeling of inevitable doom. While both films do display images that could be defined as horrible or shocking, it is the anxiety you feel while watching these movies that separates them from the more traditional horror genre. Also, The Innocents and The Others, both based off of TTOTS are worth watching. If you're a Lynch fan then The Innocents in particular may be some kind of wonderful.

In the line of Horror, I'm not so much a fan. Blood and guts does nothing for me so my exposure is limited. I do find that the Jeff Lindsay 'Dexter' series is probably the only literature that I've chosen to both read and remember that fit within the horror genre. I find the books highly enjoyable and the television series might be one of my all time favorites and I would definitely make out with Michael C. Hall but both the literature and the television series are absolutely disgusting. The content really is beyond gory and entirely shocking. There is a plethora of blood and guts that normally I would avoid but because of the extreme wit and entertaining character that I've maintained an unhealthy sympathy for that Lindsay and Showtime have created I can't get enough of this serial killer. I'm not going to go into too much detail here but a woman rotting in a bathtub filled with her own blood (TV series example) and poor unfortunate former Special Ops tough guys having extremities removed and being turned into "yodeling potatoes" meets my idea of horror.

Another film that horrified me was The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I know I am totally lame but there's a story behind this. First of all, Emily Rose becomes a contortionist while being possessed by Satan or one of his minions. A person's body should not move that way. Her body movements, creepy staring moments and that voice she talks in gave me goosebumps throughout the entire film. Now normally I would be a big girl and get over the initial fright and shock of seeing a movie like this but here's what happened following my viewing:

According to the film, Satan comes out to play around 3:00 AM because that is supposed to be the opposite time that Christ died on the cross. Now normally I would consider this to be simply part of the movie and get over it but when I watched it I was very ill and very medicated and most likely more delusional than normal. I'm already an insomniac and when I have frightening images floating around my little brain it makes it that much harder for me to calm down. Well, around 2:58 AM I decided enough is enough, I need to chill out and perhaps getting some fresh air will do the trick. I decided to sit out on my patio with my dogs and try to relax. By the time I get appropriate outside attire on it is seconds away from 3:00 AM and Satan could get me at any time. (I can't really explain my floorplan so I apologize if this next part makes no sense). As I leave my room I see a light at the far end of my house on so I head in that direction. It is coming from my laundry room which includes a door to the garage. It happened to be that my asshole brother (whom I own a home with) had left the garage light on and the door wide open. I go to take care of these issues so I turn off the light and close the door and now I'm left alone in the dark. It is precisely at this moment that I hear my two dogs growling at something that is just outside of the laundry room where I am left all by myself. Obviously it was Satan that the dogs were growling at and I'm standing alone and terrified ready to give up and be assaulted by Lucifer himself. All at once, my two doggies change from growling to barking and I can hear that they are chasing the intruder towards me. Needless to say, it was not Satan in my house but in his place it was a lost kitty cat that had entered our house via the opened garage door and my dogs wanted to eat it. It still scared the shit out of me and I didn't sleep a wink that night. (Sorry for the long tangent.)

I'm going to end this blog post by sharing one more example of horror. How in the world is Leno justifying taking back the Tonight Show? WTF!!!! That guy is a douche and if someone wants to incapacitate him, I would fully support it. Team Conan!

Introductions

2010-01-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is the second time I'll be utilizing this blog for academic purposes. Last semester was a lot of fun so I'm anticipating another enjoyable term with our dear capricornian professor. The reading material looks to be interesting and I'm excited to see some familiar faces, and to be honest, some absent ones too. I think Stephanie will be greatly missed though. If you see her convince her to drop econ or whatever it is that is taking up her valuable time.

So about me: I seldom talk in class. This is mostly because I tend to stick my foot, or entire leg, in my mouth and as I already stated, I would rather look dumb and stupid then actually say something dumb and stupid and remove all doubt. Outside of class I'm an avid reader, movie buff and karaoke-er. I relate every thing I read and experience to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode and am the proud owner of a lifesize cardboard cutout of Edward Cullen. I have a filthy mouth that tends to make me seem much too inappropriate but whatevs, sometimes strong language needs to be inserted into conversations. I play the piano and dress up my two dogs much more than they care for. (Pictures at the end of this post)

I'm also a terrible Seventh-Day Adventist who enjoys wine and after two suspensions was finally expelled from Upper Columbia Academy, a boarding school, my senior year of high school. I was re-enrolled second semester, suspended once more, then graduated with honors. Not too bad for the rowdy Adventist that I am. I come across as callous and aloof but I really do care. I'm just terrible at showing it. I am a realtor so if anyone needs housing advice, come see me.

I'm beyond thrilled to be taking more classes with Heather, I really hope that I can start to see the glass half full and believe that love does in fact "conquer all." We'll see.

PS-Halloween is my favorite holiday.

The Abstract and The Avalanche!

2009-12-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the sloppy abstract but I have an upset tummy (too much lactose intake) and I just purchase HP and the Half Blood Prince on DVD so I'm a little distracted. Here is a brief idea of what my final paper will consist of starting with a fairly unpolished thesis and just a couple of my arguing points. Due to the uncomfortable topic I'm dealing with I will save the really juicy stuff for our dear professor eyes only. Sorry guys.

My main argument will focus on Ralph of The Mimic Men and Rochester in Wide Sargasso Sea and the alienation they feel. I am claiming that the negative affects of colonization and imperialism directly impacts their sexual relationships and behaviors.

In relation to the lust based sexual relationship between Rochester and Antoinette, his dialogue makes it very clear that he does not love her, he is just “thirsty” for her. He finds her alienating and renames her Bertha to prove his mastery over her. This renaming Kimmey states “renders explicit the imperialis impulses involved in the politics of naming. Similarly Spivak argues “that so intimate a thing as personal and human identity might be determined by the politics of imperialism. The character of Rochester remains unnamed and is never given a physical description. Instead, Rhys uses actions, such as his sexual exploitations of female servants and his disdain for his own wife, to show that he fit’s into Raiskin’s idea that there is a “displacement Jean Rhys’s characters experience under British cultural and political domination” and that “her work adds the crucial variable of gender to the relationship of colonialism, capitalism, etc.” The unnamed character proves his capitalist superiority by sexually manipulating women he has obvious distastes for.

Ralph, according to Hemenway, fits Naipauls writing style as one who “consistently laments the mental, physical, and economic destruction imposed on the Third World by colonialism.” He goes on to say that “In Naipauls world the sexual contract-the bond which symbolizes the social contract-brings no mutual benefit. There are no successful love affairs, no successful marriages in all his work. Women appear repulsive, and sex becomes either boring, violent, or abhorrent.” This can be seen in Ralphs sexual relationships with woman such as his wife and the prostitute he is unable to perform with. In The Mimic Men Ralph Singh says “Intimacy; the word holds the horror.”

In conclusion, both of these authors link political associations to sexual behaviors be it control, confusion or impotence. Sexual relations illustrate political positions.

Now for the fun stuff...and hopefully the extra credit points are still applicable. Amy, Heather, Stephanie and I (along with two of my dearest) tackled the nine lbs of chocolate brownie, cookies, ice cream and massive amounts of whipped cream, caramel syrup and peanuts. Pretty effing fabulous if you ask me.

I'm writing about Sex, can I get a "Hells Yay?!"

2009-12-04T21:37:00.000-08:00

For all of you over-achievers in class that are pulling together insanely awesome project/paper ideas, thanks a lot. I was feeling beyond insecure regarding my topic already and couldn't come up with a polished argument and then I made the mistake of perusing some blogs to get some inspiration and I felt like I got punched in the face. Video projects, Nietzche, and Fried Chicken are seriously brilliant ideas and I really don't want to post this blog, hence the massive delay. But here goes:

I'm writing about Sex! Yay! It is a common theme throughout every text we've studied, except the required readings in Ha Jin which I have yet to finish. As a wise instructor once said "Sex sells." Perhaps this topic will be enough to hold my own with all of the brainiacs in class. We'll see.

I'm planning on arguing that the sexual relationships between some of the characters is a small scale representation/metaphor for the outcome of a post-colonial world and the negative effects it has on the sub-missives. I was going to concentrate with our Caribbean texts and discuss my thoughts regarding Rochester/Antoinette and Ralph/Chubby nameless prostitute.

And that's what I'm writing about.

My final works cited list is probably going to be a little ridiculous and much too long. As of now I have no books that link sex with post-colonialism (feel free to suggest anything) but for now I've found interesting literature regarding globalization and since my little brain is just getting to understand the whole concept I figured I could use all the supplemental publications that I could find to help support my argument.

Moisi, Domique. Geopolitics of Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World. New York. Doubleday, 2009
Moisi's argues that the emotional impact of globalization is just as important as geopolitics and that hope is the best response to the challenges we face in our world. Chapters 2-4 will be particularly helpful in my argument as they discuss the cultures of hope, humiliation, and fear.

Stiglitz, Joseph. Making Globalization Work. New York. Norton, 2006
Stiglitz states that in a continuing developing world we need to change the way we think. He examines the "change that has occurred" and "makes a compelling case that treating developing countries more fairly is not only morally right but is ultimately to the advantage of the developed world too." Several segments of this book will contribute to my conclusion.

Mailer, Norman & John Buffalo. The Big Empty: Dialogues on Politics, Sex, God, Boxing, Morality, Myth, Poker and Bad Conscience in America. New York. Nation Books, 2006
I admit that this book might be a little self-indulgent but I'm sure that the dialogues and "meditations on history, culture and politics" will definitely be pertinent to my topic. The segment on Courage, Morality, and Sexual Pleasure will be found as intriguing and helpful.

James is all alone and I need something happy to read.

2009-11-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

With the first two short stories of Joyce I had a lot of trouble not just in relating to the characters of Joyce's "Araby" and "Eveline" but it was near impossible for me to comprehend what I was reading. I found the notes far from helpful and more distracting and interuptive to the stories. I still have no idea what I read and I'm pretty sure I read it while I was sober and awake. I could be wrong though.

When I started reading "A Painful Case" I decided to ignore the notes and just read the story and do my best to understand what was taking place. It must have made a huge difference because I finally began to somewhat enjoy Joyce's work. "The Dead" was interesting too but I mostly want to talk about Mr. James Duffy. This guy was so terribly alone and I found it heart breaking. For a seemingly financially stable man he really was one of the poorest creatures we've read about this semester. I say poor in the sense that he was a man of routine and nothing else. He had very little emotion and I'm pretty sure he kept himself alienated from even his family, unless there was a holiday or someone died. I was thrilled to see him develop a relationship with Emily, even if they had inappropriately gotten down he would have finally connected to someone. Let me make one thing clear, I am not an advocate for infidelity! But I do think if you have absolutely no emotion please by all means do something to make yourself more human.

Emily and James' connection reminded me of ScarJo and Bill Murray in Lost in Translation. They had a completely sexless affair and managed to connect in a foreign setting where the feeling of isolation was what essentially brought them together. I feel that Emily and James were also victims of isolation but they were strangers in their natural habitats. Joyce goes into great detail describing the setting and layout of James' home. I found it interesting that the first two pages of this story describes James' home and illustrating his reading habits then moves on to his facial descriptions and then in just one line states that "He had neither companions nor friends, church nor creed." Aaah, so depressing!

When Emily is introduced I didn't even care that she threw in the fact that she was married and obviously had children, I just wanted this lonely man to connect with something living. Of course they go about their new friendship in a sketchy manner by being secretive and hanging out in really bizarre places so that in itself foreshadowed the horribly "painful" death of Emily in the end. I was left feeling really distraught with the ending of this because when James realizes that he is alone and Emily is gone I feel that he too died and what little bit of humanity she brought to him was gone.

If anyone can recommend some ridiculously light and HAPPY reading for me to engulf myself in over Christmas please by all means send me some suggestions. Four literature classes and absolutely no happy books can certainly do some damage to a reader.

Lahiri the Interpreter

2009-11-06T00:51:00.000-08:00

Lahiri writes in such a way that any reader with even the slightest human emotions can engulf themselves in her writing and relate in some way. Someone brought up the fact that Lahiri’s shorts stories are global scenarios. I responded to the short answer question in class in the same way. Feelings are universal. Certainly each environment and culture will differ with each scenario in their own way but it is easy to take out specifics such as background and location and apply them to our own lives. Love, heartache, loneliness and joy are felt throughout our world and Lahiri breaks through cultural confinements. Matt says in his blog that “The topics in the chapters are things that might actually happen in really life. A man struggling to identify with his wife, a woman unable to find love, all of these things most likely happen on a daily basis.” I concur.

Erin goes on to say “Lahiri has characters and situations that are relatable. “ I agree wholeheartedly. I have never lost a child, nor have I been married and desperate to learn who my husband is, and I certainly am not afflicted with Epilepsy but I am sympathetic to these characters that the author has created for us. As Heather was so kind to point out in class, I did have an opinion regarding Mrs. Croft in “The Third and Final Continent.” Perhaps she was senile and a little controlling but all it took was one awkward situation and one small giggle from Mala reacting to this bizarre, foreign woman and her husbands dynamic for our Narrator to realize that his wife was a “perfect lady!”

Marriage is a specific global event that all cultures seem to have adapted in some form over the centuries and this union is represented in all of the stories we have been discussing. Alex begins her blog by saying “I for one think it is very interesting that Lahiri's collection of short stories that we have read thus far all seem to revolve around the idea of marriage, the sanctity of marriage, the art of getting married, and, briefly, the consequences of not getting/being married.” Lahiri captures the intensity and the uniqueness of marriage. I especially felt the disconnection between Shoba and Shukumar in “A Temporary Matter.” It was interesting that when the lights were out only then could they really communicate. It’s easy to identify with that. We are a spoiled generation. We have a plethora of communication outlets; email, cellular phones and text messaging, facebook, twitter, the media, etc. are all important parts of our culture. Even with all of these benefits and the technology we are gifted with people still struggle to communicate. Maybe we should all take Lahiri’s advice and turn off the lights and just listen.

PS-Has anyone seen The Namesake? I only saw bits and pieces but I found it off-putting. Kumar belongs in White Castle, not in serious character roles created by an exceptional writer.

PPS-Professor Julie, did you happen to relate “A Temporary Matter” to the BtVS episode “Hush,” or was that just me and my massive Joss Whedon obsession?

Halloween and Cowboy Chicken

2009-10-30T02:14:00.002-07:00

This blog post is kicking my ass and I have yet to begun writing anything substantial. In my defense: I’m sleep deprived, I just received some big family news and I have a massive Halloween party that begins in a mere 19 hours so Ha Jin is not really on my list of priorities. But don’t get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed the required readings and plan to read the entire collection when time allows.

So as for problems relating to writing in Chinese for the Chinese vs. writing in English the biggest issue Ha Jin seemed to run into is the censoring in China. After a little time spent with Google I came across a few articles in which Ha Jin describes working with Chinese publishers and separate departments that concentrate on monitoring artistic works. He never seemed to have much luck getting his work out to the Chinese audiences he was focused on. In an online article I stumbled upon he discusses the difficulty within the Chinese film industry:

“In the West, contemporary Chinese movies are quite popular, but not many of us know that the movies we can see are not always available to the Chinese. The list of banned movies is long: To Live, The Blue Kite, Farewell to My Concubine, Bitter Love, Devils on the Doorstep. Even Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain is classified as unsuitable for the general audience in China. His new film, Lust, Caution, has been criticized by some officials, but thanks to Ang Lee’s international reputation, few of them have condemned him publicly. Instead, Tang Wei, the leading actress in the movie, has been prohibited from making public appearances and from joining the casts of new movies. For filmmakers, a banned movie means a huge business loss and more difficulties in finding sponsorship for their next project. It would be suicidal to make two banned movies in a row, so filmmakers have to toe the line. This is the main reason most Chinese movies lack depth and complexity—they’re hamstrung at the outset by directors and producers having to worry about whether the final product will pass the censors.” (the entire article can be found at http://www.theamericanscholar.org/the-censor-in-the-mirror/)

He then goes on to stay that “the authorities are more subtle in controlling book publishing.” He illustrates with an example of the banning of Yan Lianke’s Serve the People! “The authorities criticized the novella as “vilifying Chairman Mao, the People’s Liberation Army, and the revolution through excessive sexual descriptions,” so “it confuses people’s minds and disseminates Western ideas.”

After these speed bumps in Ha Jin’s writing career in China it would only make sense that he would use the Western world as an outlet to get his works out there. Quite fortunately for us English speakers, we are introduced to his ways of thinking and expressing. I couldn’t help but notice the way his characters hit fairly close to home. The Tiger Fighter to me seemed like any of our reality tv stars that will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. The employees of Cowboy Chicken weren’t too different from many over here, they wanted compensation for work they weren’t doing.

I feel that if both Conrad and Ha Jin had written in their native languages we wouldn’t have been exposed to them at all. At least not the way they were originally meant to have been presented. Take the Bible for instance, so much has been lost in translation that everyone has their own interpretation. But since Joseph Conrad and Ha Jin so kindly wrote for an English speaking audience we get a faint glimpse of the world they knew and those that take advantage of this privilege are all the wiser for it.

Now for some self indulgent advertising: Halloween Party/Charity Event takes place on October 30th at approximately 9:00 PM. Prizes for best costumes: male, female, duo and group. Loads of food and beverages all in the name of Charity. (Trick or Treat for UNICEF program) Should be fun. If anyone has interest in attending feel free to email me @ kristinadawn27@gmail.com

Halloween and Cowboy Chicken

2009-10-30T02:14:00.000-07:00

My sympathy towards Rochester, the animal.

2009-10-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Perhaps it’s the masochist in me, but I find the withholding assholes in literature quite fascinating. The unnamed male narrator/Rochester in Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea is no exception. I agree wholeheartedly that he is in fact a “douche” as we discussed in class. But at the same time, I kind of want to get to know him. The last time I was this intrigued with a male character written by a female author was Howard Roark in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, also a bit withholding and opportunistic.

Spivak suggests that “Bertha’s function in Jane Eyre is to render indeterminate the boundary between human and animal.” (WSS 241) I actually find both Rochester and Roark’s characters balancing between the idea of man and animal in these two pieces of fiction. Spivak states that “Critics have remarked that Wide Sargasso Sea treats the Rochester character with understanding and sympathy.” (WSS 243) Perhaps it’s due to the animal personification that these critics, as well as myself, find their actions to be excusable.

I have been exposed to a fascinating article written by Donald Pizer entitled ‘Frank Norris’s McTeague: Naturalism as Popular Myth.” He discusses Norris’s portrayal of his protagonist, McTeague, as a human beast and explains that it was a folk-based “fear of the presence of the animal in man” (Pizer) that led to Naturalistic literature. He touches on four main principles imbedded in naturalistic writings: “the fear of the animal in man because of its destructive force, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships, the fear of greed because its mix of animality and sexuality results in uncontrollable obsessions, and the fear of the outsider that leads the animal to protect its turf.” (Pizer) Not all of these principles can be applied to Roark, but I feel that Rochester’s behavior throughout WSS can be linked to all four.

I’ll begin with the idea of the fear of animal in man because of its destructive force. Rochester is opportunistic and he’s on survival mode. He has the idea that marrying a woman with wealth will increase his comforts, not dissimilar to nesting before hibernation. This marriage was also a way to separate himself from, pardon this terrible metaphor, the pack. Obviously, this was not a healthy relationship for Rochester or Antoinette, and I feel comfortable defining it as “destructive.”

Next, the fear of sex in its uncontrollable and unselective animalistic form because it drives individuals into harmful relationships is certainly present.

“’You are safe,’ I’d say. She’d liked that-to be told ’you are safe.” Or I’d touch her face gently and touch tears. Tears-nothing! Words-less than nothing. As for the happiness I gave her, that was worse than nothing. I did not love her. I was thirsty for her, but that is not love. I felt very little tenderness for her, she was a stranger to me, a stranger who did not think or feel as I did.” (WSS 55)

This is a perfect example of a harmful sexual relationship. Later on, Rochester’s physical relationship with Amelie is nothing but animalistic. He refers to her as “another complication” and even displays some thoughts of his disgust (and racism if you ask me) when he says “her skin was darker, her lips thicker than I had thought.” (WSS 84)

The fear of greed and the fear of the outsider are both prominent. Rochester can’t divorce his wife, regardless of her mental state, because it would damage his reputation and he wants her family money. He also fears the islands and the inhabitants. He doesn’t understand his current surroundings and constantly is ready to fight for what he feels is rightfully his. Spivaks reference to Christophine’s interaction with Rochester describes it as an “analysis..powerful enough for the white man to be afraid: “I no longer felt dazed, tired, half hypnotized, but alert and war, ready to defend myself” (WSS 95, 245).

Maybe I’m working too hard to disregard the cruelty in Rochester because of my slight crush on him, but regardless, the naturalistic elements stood out to me so I thought I’d write about them.

Zombies in the Caribbean

2009-10-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

Another free-for-all blog means I’m going to exploit this opportunity and make it as much fun for me as I can. While reading Wide Sargasso Sea I was extra intrigued with the idea of Annette being characterized as a zombie. With Halloween right around the corner and with my extreme love of the holiday as well as that of the supernatural, I’ve decided to research some of the ideas of voodoo, black magic and zombies.

Voodoo was a religion that was brought to the Caribbean around the 16th century by West African slaves. Not able to openly practice their beliefs due to the French Catholic inhabitants of the islands, Haiti in particular, made it necessary for the slaves to hide their religion. To this day, voodoo is considered to be a dark and mysterious practice that concentrates on spirits of ancestors and animal worship. Although the white settlers of the islands tried to suppress the Africans ceremonies and traditions, the slaves relied on them heavily to deal with the terrible transition into slavery. The religion has been greatly diluted due to the adaptation of other religions and beliefs such as Catholicism, Christianity and Native American traditions.

The exact date of origin is unknown but Voodoo is considered to be one of the oldest religions. The word voodoo comes from the African word “vodun” meaning “spirit.” Despite the negative connotations that are associated with voodoo, it’s actually a religion concentrated on healing, be it the one who practices, their relationships, their family members or even their relationship with God.

The concentration of evil and spirits was most likely brought on by the stresses of slavery. The idea of zombies is directly related to that of slavery. Zombies were considered to be soulless creatures that could be controlled by the sorcerer that created the zombie. Not dissimilar to being controlled by the slave master.

Real zombies were actual products of practicing sorcerers through medicinal and chemical potions and poisons that created extreme brain damage. This brings us back to Annette and her disturbing and destructive behavior. It really makes sense of her madness.

“Here endeth the lesson.” (Another Buffy reference for you Teacher)

PS-I heard some Billy Ocean today, it felt appropriate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkXV5O5GfJ8

2009-09-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

The discussions we've had during the study of the two literary works we've had in class have been quite pleasant for me. I've really enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts and perceptions and find class time quite insighful and enjoy the supplemental ideas and observations. With that in mind, let me just say that going into Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart I found myself to be quite guarded simply because of my views on Achebe himself. The guy appears to be an arrogant ass when it comes to his opinion of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. I was skeptical as I started to read TFA and was sure I would find hostility layered throughout the text. I was wrong.

TFA was a beautifully written story and I found it easy to sympathize with Okonkwo. I don't know why I was so surprised that I would enjoy this text. I know Achebe isn't the first person to come across as grumpy yet still produce amazing art. For instance, I'm sure everyone is familiar with Ludwig Van Beethoven. Known for his temper and being difficult, yet he still was able to compose tear enducing work. His Symphony #7 in A can get me a little weepy.
For your listening enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdfNTO_o-3k

Another artist that I've been told was a grumpy was author Norman Maclean. I had a professor at Walla Walla University tell me he met one of Macleans son and was told that he was just plain mean sometimes. And yet his opening paragraph to A River Runs Through It is one of the most incredible openings to any book I've every read. I can't tell you why I like it so much, I've reread it numerous times and I still don't understand half of it but I recognize that it's significant and important.

Chapter 1
Paragraph 1
In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John, the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman.

I don't know, maybe it's just Brad Pitt in my subconcious, but I'm pretty sure it is the language that touches me.

A passage in TFA really stood out to me. It wasn't because of its purpose or significance to the text, it was just the fluid use of Achebe's words and the imagery. I'm going to sound beyond pretentious and cliche here, but I felt as if I was there, within the tribe.

Chapter 13
Paragraph 1
Go-di-di-go-go-di-go. Di-go-go-di-go. It was the ekwe talking to the clan. One of the things everyman learned was the language of the hollowed-out wooden instrument. Diim! Diim! Diim! boomed the cannon at intervals.
The first cock had not crowed, and Umuofia was still swallowed up in sleep and silence when the ekwe began to talk, and the cannon shattered the silence. Men stirred on their bamboo beds and listened anxiously. Somebody was dead. The cannon seemed to rend the sky. Di-go-go-di-go-di-di-go-go floated in the message-laden night air. The faint and distant wailing of women settled like a sediment of sorrow on the earth.

The last line is one of the prettiest assemblage of words in literature that I have ever read. The use of alliteration and personification adds a poetic feel to it. With Achebe describing Okonkwo's villiage and people in that way, it's easy for me to see why he was willing to fight for his land, family and traditions.

Here are some closing thoughts for my Free-for-All blog post. I couldn't help but think of the lyrics to Leonard Cohens song "Hallelujah". Maybe the Biblical references are a bit of a stretch, but I felt the songs message was parallel to Okonkwo's quest to preserve everything he knew. In the end, maybe his death was his final "hallelujah". God, I'm cheesy.

Here's some Jeff Buckley covering Mr. Cohen. I think of all the variations this song has had, this is the best interpretation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ
"Hallelujah"
Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like thisThe fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied youTo a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Baby I have been here beforeI know this room,
I've walked this floorI used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah
There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of lightIn every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Blog Post #2: What's the deal with Heart of Darkness?

2009-09-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start out with throwing my own personal opinion out there as to whether or not we should read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Anything that provokes multiple discussions, critical essays and entire classes based off of one man's work, must be deemed worthy of reading. I've heard multiple references to this text, and now I can hold my own in a conversation because I know what the hell people are talking about. This book can be broken down not only for it's literary structure, such as the themes, metaphors, symbols, character development, etc. but for the feelings it invokes in those that read it. This book is not necessarily something I would want to read again, but I feel that in the discussions we've had in class, it's enough to prove that this piece of literature is worth the arguments and analysis that have been thrown around for the last 100 + years.

I'm going to bring up Chinua Achebe, clearly this guy is not a fan of Conrad's. His use of the term "racist" while referring to HoD show's one man's opinion of the issues brought up within the text. In his critical essay 'An Image of Africa' he claims that "Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as "the other world," the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man's vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality." (338)Not necessarily the opinion I share, but it is an opinion. His own literary work, Things Fall Apart, shows a more personal approach to the life the Africans lived and we are introduced to some traditions and means of survival within African tribes rather than learning of their culture through brief refrences of the savagery and bare feet.

J. Hillis Miller brings up an interesting point in his essay 'Should we read "Heart of Darkness?"' when he states "There are certainly ways to read "Heart of Darkness" that might do harm".(474) It is easy to pick out certain examples from the text that could make it easy for people to call Conrad racist, misogynistic, ignorant or whatever else you want to blame him for. But he does go on to say that it is up to the reader as to whether or not we should read it.

Back to my opinion, why wouldn't you want to read it even if only to get into an interesting/heated discussion? Everything that this book entails can be scrutinized many different ways. For example, I don't think Marlow is all that great. To me, he is a simple man that becomes corrupt due to his obsession with Kurtz. He appears to be all noble, yet I see very little emotion in him. In Francis Ford Coppola's Apocolypse Now, Martin Sheen really captures Marlow the way that I read him. The opening scene shows him going obsolutely insane and then as soon as he's given a job, he has something to focus on. As I read this, I kept thinking of Johnny Depp's character in The Ninth Gate. Depp plays Dean Corso, a book dealer that specializes in rare editions and prints. The guy really doesn't have much to offer other than his expertise in book dealing but is given a task to locate books to have been written by the Devil himself. He becomes obsessed with his task just as Conrad does and people die in his search.

I'm getting off topic now, but this is just my illustration of how there are many ways to interpret this work. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer makes reference's to Conrad's work. In season 4, episode 22 entitled 'Restless', Xander makes a suggestion that the gang watch Apocolypse Now and Willow replies "Can't we watch something a little less Heart of Darkness-y?" Xander then has a dream that is straight out of the film and you get to see Armin Shimmerman (Quark from Deep Space Nine) recapture his role as Principle Snyder playing Marlon Brando's Col. Kurtz. If you happen to be a giant nerd like me, I suggest you watch it. Pretty funny.

That concludes this weeks blog assignment. I think people should read Heart of Darkness then talk about it. It won't be a boring discussion.

My desperate attempt to write about Wallace and Conrad

2009-09-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Wallace concludes his invigorating and captivating (sorry for the sarcasm, it's late and I'm bored) article 'Are Humans One Race or Many?' that "we are fully entitled to maintain the common origin of all mankind." (224) Throughout the piece he uses the typical examples of natural selection and survival of the fittest to support his theory that at one time, humankind may have been made up of "several distinct races of man" (223) but that the development of the brain, language and feelings led to an "homogeneous race." (223) He states that natural selection becomes less of the deciding factor to human preservation and logic, emotions, and intellect has taken over for survival. With that said, I'm going to start rambling on about my opinions of racial issues in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness."

I'm torn as to whether I believe that Conrad thought that the natives to the Congo were a separate race or not. He was certainly a man of his time and found the African's to be simple and less advanced. He refer's to them as savages and describes them the way I would describe an alien or something else completely foreign. Scientifically speaking, humans are the same, yet culturally there are many demographics, colors of skin, and behaviors that are unique to each continent. Perhaps that is how he viewed them. With their dark skin, crude weapons and bare feet he could have seen them simply as a less civilized group rather than a inferior race. I can't really conclude my opinion of Conrad's writing on this issue, maybe if I read it a few more times...

Meet my blog...

2009-08-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here's my first post on my new blog. I'm truly looking forward to having my opinions made readily available to the internet public. Not so much because I have a plethora of profound thoughts running through my head, but because I think this will be loads of fun. I'm thrilled to be reading different works from all over the world. Throughout the years I've been a fairly steady reader, but I'm definitely somewhat dogmatic in the works that I choose. I generally shy away from the modern day "Bestsellers" just to stay away from anything too mainstream. I admit, I did hop on the Harry Potter and Twilight bandwagon. I'm sure the material covered in our class will be beneficial, and at worst, will expand my library.