Literature presentations came to a close this class period. And the first of these presentations was by Josephine Webb. Josephine presented Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. The presentation seemed very informational; Josephine clearly spent much time preparing it. The excerpt seem pretty extensive for a ten minute presentation, therefore the time allotted for discussion seemed short.
Afterwards, Colton rose up to represent Mark Twain. Hearing again about the same author (once before from Kit) highlighted what is of importance to different readers, concerning the author's life. There were similarities though. Both Kit and Colton revealed Twain's real name, his home of the Mississippi River and the pair of novels making him famous: Huck and Tom Sawyer. Colton gave a well-prepared and concise presentation.
Emily Bronte presented next...Wait, I mean Lindset Willis. I never knew Wuthering Heights was a gothic novel...It doesn't help that I have not read it. However, I have always assumed (due to the following and name) the novel is a romantic or classic novel, similar to one by Jane Austen. Using Gothic font for her Power Point added a unique touch.
Once she got the nerves out of the way, Lauren presented a very well organized presentation of The Grapes of Wrath. She really pushed the themes Steinbeck relied on throughout his story. Two of these that have stuck in my mind are the bank/money as something evil and the idea of fear of death.
KC's presentation of As I Lay Dying carried on the dark resonance Weathering Heights started. Miss Roberson made the similar connection I made between Faulkner, Hemingway, and Cormac McCarthy. I have never read this novel, however after hearing its plot, I might have to buy a copy.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Assigned 10/21
Denice talked about Their Eyes Were Watching God with enthusiasm. She gave an incredible synopsis, and like Alexandra, revealed how an author's life can really enhance their literature. It must be correlated with the author's ability to relate to the specifics of a given memory.
Dev'n then took the floor, sparking discussion of translated literature. And in light of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, most of us concluded that translated works cannot carry a reader as far as literature in its original language. Reading in English a piece intended for a spanish speaking audience forces the new English audience to enter into a very different worldview. Dr. Hurst added the thought that all of literature is an activity similar to understanding translation. She explained; every author holds a very independent worldview. Learning this new worldview as one moves through a text is part of the game and not just practiced in reading translations.
Kit gave a good explanation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And once again, I concluded that the author's life directly influenced the writings. Mark Twain grew up on the banks of the Mississippi. Naturally, his stories take us there. It seems fair to conclude that when an author writes about things common to them, the shocking uphill battle of finishing a successful piece of literature is lessened.
Natalia spoke on Mayo Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. After this brief introduction into Angelou's life of being the victim of racism, I better understand why the caged bird sings.
Jessica floored the audience as well. She presented an ancient interpretation of Harry Potter. Or should I call her presentation a modern interpretation of The Libation Bearers? The many connections between Harry and the protagonist of The Libation Bearers causes me to wonder if J.K Rowling is an Ancient Greek fan club member.
And then all of a sudden, a guy gets up and presents an amazing project! John enlightened the audience of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I'm so glad I showed up to class this past thursday. I am a visual learner and even thinker, and John seemed to be utilizing this avenue to display his information. I hope everyone understood the point of his presentation. He revealed McCarthy's use of words to reveal the setting of a passage. Every word can matter so much in literature; authors and communicators can never be too careful when choosing and placing words.
Out.
Dev'n then took the floor, sparking discussion of translated literature. And in light of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, most of us concluded that translated works cannot carry a reader as far as literature in its original language. Reading in English a piece intended for a spanish speaking audience forces the new English audience to enter into a very different worldview. Dr. Hurst added the thought that all of literature is an activity similar to understanding translation. She explained; every author holds a very independent worldview. Learning this new worldview as one moves through a text is part of the game and not just practiced in reading translations.
Kit gave a good explanation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And once again, I concluded that the author's life directly influenced the writings. Mark Twain grew up on the banks of the Mississippi. Naturally, his stories take us there. It seems fair to conclude that when an author writes about things common to them, the shocking uphill battle of finishing a successful piece of literature is lessened.
Natalia spoke on Mayo Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. After this brief introduction into Angelou's life of being the victim of racism, I better understand why the caged bird sings.
Jessica floored the audience as well. She presented an ancient interpretation of Harry Potter. Or should I call her presentation a modern interpretation of The Libation Bearers? The many connections between Harry and the protagonist of The Libation Bearers causes me to wonder if J.K Rowling is an Ancient Greek fan club member.
And then all of a sudden, a guy gets up and presents an amazing project! John enlightened the audience of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I'm so glad I showed up to class this past thursday. I am a visual learner and even thinker, and John seemed to be utilizing this avenue to display his information. I hope everyone understood the point of his presentation. He revealed McCarthy's use of words to reveal the setting of a passage. Every word can matter so much in literature; authors and communicators can never be too careful when choosing and placing words.
Out.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
#16 Assigned 10/19
Dr. Seuss caused a lot of discussion in class. Specifically, the book pushed us to reminisce our childhood dealings with familiar books. We can all remember our parents reading Dr. Seuss to us before bed, everything from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas to Green Eggs and Ham. On Tuesday, Andrea revealed the main allegory behind The Butter Battle Book. Published in 1984, this book displays in a childish way the primitive nature (slippery slope) of The Cold War.
After this, Holly revealed her interpretation of the pink ribbons with Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." Critics have long debated these pink ribbons. In the story, the ribbons belong to our protagonist's wife, Faith, who appears to be loosing her innocence. This is symbolized by her pink ribbons. The color pink itself is a combination of the colors red and white; pink is a tainted white. And white normally standing for good and innocent adds to this interpretation. Holly's presentation concluded that fiction is really left up for interpretation; we all have our opinions about literature, as long as we can support our claims.
Chris wow-ed us with his Freud and Frankenstein presentation. He seemed to be unpacking the psychoanalysis of literature, and then he disproved its usability and credibility. He concluded that in looking at a text without considering the author's life and external/internal inclinations, we are not really uncovering the author's intended message.
Shannon also did an amazing job unpacking Donne's "Death Be Not Proud." The possibility of religion replacing death throughout the poem adds for intriguing conclusions. To finish off the day, Alexandra did a great job of providing a synopsis of The Kite Runner. From this project, the class walked away with a better understanding of how an author's life can really affect their literature.
The one thing that really sticks out to me from this day in class was the responses to substituting religion in Donne's sonnet. In the middle of class a forum for religious debate opened up. All of a sudden someone exclaimed what they believed about the afterlife; specifically this person believed that obeying the ten commandments (from the Old Testament Bible and the Books of the Law within Judaism), these would save their soul. I might argue that most people, religious or not, believe this. If a person believes in the afterlife, they have to wrestle with the thought that there might be a ranking or classification segregating those who have committed good and bad actions. Well, whether or not you and I believe in this, we can both acknowledge how provoking another discussion like this could be.
Well, I could spend a whole other page discussing the extent of belief and my personal reasons for faith. But this must be all for now.
out.
After this, Holly revealed her interpretation of the pink ribbons with Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." Critics have long debated these pink ribbons. In the story, the ribbons belong to our protagonist's wife, Faith, who appears to be loosing her innocence. This is symbolized by her pink ribbons. The color pink itself is a combination of the colors red and white; pink is a tainted white. And white normally standing for good and innocent adds to this interpretation. Holly's presentation concluded that fiction is really left up for interpretation; we all have our opinions about literature, as long as we can support our claims.
Chris wow-ed us with his Freud and Frankenstein presentation. He seemed to be unpacking the psychoanalysis of literature, and then he disproved its usability and credibility. He concluded that in looking at a text without considering the author's life and external/internal inclinations, we are not really uncovering the author's intended message.
Shannon also did an amazing job unpacking Donne's "Death Be Not Proud." The possibility of religion replacing death throughout the poem adds for intriguing conclusions. To finish off the day, Alexandra did a great job of providing a synopsis of The Kite Runner. From this project, the class walked away with a better understanding of how an author's life can really affect their literature.
The one thing that really sticks out to me from this day in class was the responses to substituting religion in Donne's sonnet. In the middle of class a forum for religious debate opened up. All of a sudden someone exclaimed what they believed about the afterlife; specifically this person believed that obeying the ten commandments (from the Old Testament Bible and the Books of the Law within Judaism), these would save their soul. I might argue that most people, religious or not, believe this. If a person believes in the afterlife, they have to wrestle with the thought that there might be a ranking or classification segregating those who have committed good and bad actions. Well, whether or not you and I believe in this, we can both acknowledge how provoking another discussion like this could be.
Well, I could spend a whole other page discussing the extent of belief and my personal reasons for faith. But this must be all for now.
out.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Assigned 10/7
Today in the library, our researching skills were refreshed and refined. I learned a lot, and simultaneously applied my newly refined skills at researching for our literature presentation.
At first, I thought about simply revamping an old presentation on Faulkner's A Rose For Emily. Most of that criticism was centered on the author and the history going on at the time...this project I created a few semesters ago does not meet the same requirements as the current assignment. Also, my interests have changed. I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy this past summer and was blown away.
Just in case you've been in a closet for the past few years, let me enlighten you. "The Road" is set in post-apocolyptic times. The only two consistently present characters are the father and son...however, a few other characters arive, along with a mother figure who appears in flashbacks. Well, the only thing keeping this pair alive is their hope of reaching the coast. The father and son continue to depend on the only two life lines they have: eachother and THE ROAD.
Furthermore, I could not do the book better justice than this abstract prefacing an article by Thomas Schaub titled "SECULAR SCRIPTURE AND CORMAC MCCARTHY'S THE ROAD."
A Major Motion picture also hit theaters last year:
Out.
At first, I thought about simply revamping an old presentation on Faulkner's A Rose For Emily. Most of that criticism was centered on the author and the history going on at the time...this project I created a few semesters ago does not meet the same requirements as the current assignment. Also, my interests have changed. I read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy this past summer and was blown away.
Just in case you've been in a closet for the past few years, let me enlighten you. "The Road" is set in post-apocolyptic times. The only two consistently present characters are the father and son...however, a few other characters arive, along with a mother figure who appears in flashbacks. Well, the only thing keeping this pair alive is their hope of reaching the coast. The father and son continue to depend on the only two life lines they have: eachother and THE ROAD.
Furthermore, I could not do the book better justice than this abstract prefacing an article by Thomas Schaub titled "SECULAR SCRIPTURE AND CORMAC MCCARTHY'S THE ROAD."
The article explores the allegorical representation of spiritual survival in Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road." According to the author, the novel demonstrated the philosophical problem of belief from the inside and that it is unique in locating the basis for meaning in the love demonstrated by the father for his son. It notes the consideration of the novel as the core of all fiction for it brings the reader to any aspect of literature to the sense of fiction, as the epic of the creature, the man's interpretation of his own life as a quest.
A Major Motion picture also hit theaters last year:
Out.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
#14 Assigned 10/5
Since the expansion from traditional critical theory to "This New Critical Approach," Average Joes (like me) are given the ability to say what an artist's work means...and whether or not the author would agree with this is irrelevant. In the beginning of this New Approach, critical theory basically threw out the rulebook and clung to the subjective truths of an individual reader’s perception. The power here lies in the reader’s mind; there is no absolute truthful way to interpret a given piece...?
Post-structuralism and postmodernism are both running away from all forms of known analysis yet breeched. By the time Frye and Campbell come around, the previous theories are being thrown aside for a newer acknowledgement of the past; archetypal theories relate current and more recent pieces to their ancient, mythical, yet identifiable ancestors.
Psychoanalytic, feministic, and Marxist theories all focus on a single aspect of analysis. And by their names they can be easily understood.
Reader-Response seems the best place to start in criticizing a piece. Like in class the other day, we easily started talking when the floor was left open to our open-ended reflections of Oedipus.\
New Historicist Theory also seems like a natural place to move into when analyzing literature. It involves simply looking at the times a piece was written in to better understand the piece. At this point, it’s interesting to note how critical theory has made a full-circle back to author-focused theory. The “New Approach” was running away from an author’s Point-of-View, however, this cannot be avoided when magnifying the setting which an author worked.
Deconstruction Theory makes as much sense as “There is absolutely no such thing as absolute truth!”
Out.
Post-structuralism and postmodernism are both running away from all forms of known analysis yet breeched. By the time Frye and Campbell come around, the previous theories are being thrown aside for a newer acknowledgement of the past; archetypal theories relate current and more recent pieces to their ancient, mythical, yet identifiable ancestors.
Psychoanalytic, feministic, and Marxist theories all focus on a single aspect of analysis. And by their names they can be easily understood.
Reader-Response seems the best place to start in criticizing a piece. Like in class the other day, we easily started talking when the floor was left open to our open-ended reflections of Oedipus.\
New Historicist Theory also seems like a natural place to move into when analyzing literature. It involves simply looking at the times a piece was written in to better understand the piece. At this point, it’s interesting to note how critical theory has made a full-circle back to author-focused theory. The “New Approach” was running away from an author’s Point-of-View, however, this cannot be avoided when magnifying the setting which an author worked.
Deconstruction Theory makes as much sense as “There is absolutely no such thing as absolute truth!”
Out.
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