ENGL 121

Invisible Man

2005-04-17T19:46:00.000-07:00

This book is still good to read and and understand what those black community is facing. Even it was writing back in 1950's, things does not change that much except technology related to cell phone which would make some of those movements different for them to lead a riot. Another possible is the attitude between North and South black community to treat toward each other. It is hard to make the judgement whether it has changed a bit or none. My personal feeling, there are overlap in between North and South black community as most of them from South move up to North for jobs.

I could read and see myself somewhat related to Invisible Man. Iam one of the minority and facing some barriers to find some job, having different culture which I belong to a deaf community, and others things. As I am taking this course, I would prefer to discuss or taking some assignment through verbal instead of writing. It is because English is my second language. I am more comfortable to do this with my signing language (ASL) which I could explain more details with my true feeling and meanings. Unfortuately, ASL does not have any writing form for me to use. I had to use my second Language, English, to meet College's requirements to earn a degree.

I could imaging how Invisible Man felt when he thought he did the right thing but everything went wrong. Those people want to teach him to do something right. He still struggling between their opinions and his own which are not on the same page. All what he did is to try his best to obey them instead of following his own path. He may feel that he is a traitor like his grandfather.

Ideology - House of the Spirits

2005-04-02T18:25:00.000-08:00

It is interesting to read many different characters and their thoughts. I would like to share one interesting issue with you. It is about Esteban Trueban. He came from a struggling family to survive after bankrupt. He was fighting to get his family reputation back to power which is inportant in his culture. He worked hard to make a living as gold miner and bought poor condition farm to operate. He was fortunated enough to keep all peasants who are trapped with no place to go. Those people made him wealthy. Pedro Garica's Grandfather save Esteban's farm from the attacking ants. I caannot imagine how he still saying all peasants cannot survive on their own without him, even when he was not around for many months. It is because of Esteban's belief in authority by class and generations, not individual talents. He believe all people in their class must remain in same class without move up or down.

One unique part of the story, Esteban feel he got his rights to rape the peasants without facing the court. Many years later, he faced his punishment indirectly. The people of lower class who joined militiary raped his granddaughter, Alba. Those people will not face in the court for this action. It is reverse between those class. Another part related to sex, Esteban believe the people should only marry in their own class. He never admit that he did lust to have sex with women in lower class which is a conflict with his philosophy. Now, Pedro, a peasant who made love with Esteban's own daughter. Esteban went out of countrol and tried to kill him to stop the relationship between Pedro and Blanca. Garica is trying to control the country with what he think is right thing to do based on class. Higher class can do anything as what they want while lower class have no rights like SLAVES.

Question for Visitor

2005-03-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

How long does it take you to create a poem?

How much do you make them for living?

Does the sounds of word has any influence on your writing?

Alan

Antigone

2005-03-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

It was interesting to read Antigone even it was created in Foreign (Greek and Germany) Every other time or place or different culture, the writer or director of this story was able to adjust this story into theirs to fit their own culture. That way, the audience will feel more more connection to the story, especially Antigone.
Antigone, the martyr & righteous woman, who disobey the law to do what she think is right thing to bury his brother. Even the king or ruler ordered the citizens to not bury anyone, included the ones they loved. All other people were afraid and obey everything what the ruler said but not her. She knew something is wrong with the system which I suspected that she know her country/city is losing the war due to Kreon's greed to invade others at any cost without admitted that they made wrong move.
This story is filled with love, evil leader, rebellion, fleebie followers, brave leader to rebel but lose at the end, the prince had no choice to change king's order to punish Antigone, which lead him to die with her (Romeo & Juliet). This story is an excellent to be including in the movie.. Is there one?? Why havnet I heard of this story when I was a child?

Cortez

2005-02-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Charles Bronson, the actor who was born in Pennsylvania, would be best actor to fit in this story as George Cortez without any question! Not even Clint Eastwood. I pick him because of he looks like Mexician with his toughness and tend to work alone to fight for survival.

For me as an American who live in Eastern part of United States where there are very few Mexicians or Spanish culture around there, this story has a little impact me to feel the tension between rangers/sheriff and Mexician. I am would read and pick one side who are doing right things by following the law or ethics. In this story about Cortez, there are many different stories, songs and poems about what really happen to that time. Some stories made him REAL HERO, regular guy who defend himself against misunderstanding sheriff throughlow skilled translator or trouble maker translator, defend his troubled brother, or many different views. I would go and to be on Cortez's side at the most of the time because it described Americans who would go greed to earn money for capture him. I totally agree on that one which is one of our culture at that time which was obviously from what Mexicians look at us.

It is interesting to read and learn about the effects on readers which is vary based on their willing to open thieir mind to be in other culture's opinion to look at us. It might impact on us if it is writing in our present time. The book could use car instead of horse or army instead of rangers or borderline with guards instead of barbed wire or river. Those things might change my thought and feel more emotion toward Cortez or others..

Blood Wedding

2005-02-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

This book is writing about the wedding which turn out into everyone's nightmare. At the beginning, a mother wo was afraid of knives whish is a symbol of death. She lost her husband and son because of this weapon. As of this result, she overprotect her only family member, son by taking weapons out of his hand. Her son, bridegroom, is planning to get marry to Bride who live in an isolated area where noy many people know her very well. This give a reader a hint that there is some bad news about him to get marry her. The clues continue to give the readers to prepare for the outcome. The clues are:

Bridegroom ask mother if she know more about bride unfortunately that conversation was interrupted
Leonardo kept stalking at Bride's home as he explained that it was horse who guide him to her place.
Servant woman warned Leonardo to stay away from Bride.
Bride's father wants her daughter to marry to wealthy man to keep their family richer and security like Dynasty. (it is a possible why Leonardo and Bride split)
Leonardo lied to his wife whereabout he was.
He denied that he still have a feeling for Bride.
Leonardo raced to see Bride before his wife and child got there by wagon.
Mother was worried when she found Leonardo and his wife in the wedding.
Bride was upset and confused when she was preparing to wear the orange wreath.
Leonardo forgot that he has son when servant ask him about his son.
Leonardo kept thinking about what was exact thr reason they splitted, whose fault.
Leonardo and Bride left the party, mother encourage Groom to chase them with knife which led to his death along with Leonardo.
The title of this book "Blood Wedding" which is also a hint of death.

After reading this book, there are many different view of points on the real reason why Leonardo and Bride split, why mother decide to give him a knife to fight when she was against it, Was Leonardo the one who cause the trouble or Bride?, is it a duty for men to fight with knife as duel, why cant Groom let her go for his own safety? was he doing it for her mother's sake?, and few other puzzles for the readers to discuss. Also, what was the subjective in this story? Knife, Bride, Leonardo as unique to do what he wish instead of following the traditional, wedding, or others? It is all up to the reader to decide and interpret them like what the video clip show the director's interpretation.

Chopin - The Awakening

2005-01-30T19:11:00.000-08:00

This story is writing about Edna as a main character during the early 1900's where women does not have equal rights as men (to vote or work if they wish to do during their marriage). Women from upper class were often got into marriage by "set up" to keep their wealth instead of their true love.

Edna in this story is representative for those women who feel it is not normal to do this. The author create this story with narrator to describe her and the environment around her while Edna as a character does not know about it. The reader know more about her through narrator's description.

In the beginning of the story, the narrator describe the relationship between Edna and sea. The sea is trying to open Edna's mind to do what her instinct feeling instead of listen to the society's right and wrong. Sea is like chain to connect her soul to her body to awake and notice something is wrong around her.

Sea might be part of evil which led to her death. In other view, it is a angel to guide her to better life instead of being trapped with unhealthy marriage.

P83 - She put her arms around me and felt m shoulder blades to see if my wings were strong.... would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wing. This quote is related to the end of the story where she swam in the sea. She was strong enough to swim where many other women doesnt. She got her courage to do this although tradition and prejudice lead her to her own death.

Robert is one of "lower than High Class" because he cannot afford to buy cigars. Edna love him for who he is. Leonce is a nice man but acting like ignorant for keeing himself in distance from his wife. He is treating her like a prize for his status. The author didn't say this, even narrator. The society was describing and made me feel this way.

I would describe Edna as a potential leader for Women's right if it occur at that time. She would have choose to stay with Robert at the end of the story. She decide to help her friend, Madame Ratignolle after Robert told her to stay with him. This tells me that Edna is still independent to do what she want instead of doing what men want her to do. Unfortunately Robert didnt wait as what Edna told him to which lead her to depress and took her life.

At that time when the story was create, it was not usual for people to get divorced. This is what made her life so difficult after her marriage was set up not by her true love. If she live in our time, she would have divorced a long time ago and live with Robert who will accept her without any heistate.

ENGL 121

2005-01-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

ENGL 121

The Yellow Wallpaper

2005-01-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

The Yellow Wallpaper is complicated to read and decide on what kind of view the author is writing. Is it all about Husband/Wife, Genders, Doctors/Patient, Authorized Writer/Illicit Writer or Freedom/Prison. There is blurry to define the goal of the writer for us to read. After reading the reason why Gilman wrote this article. It gave the reader better understanding of what the story is about. It is not writing about the relationship between wife and husband. The rest of other views are possible. The writer leave those deicion for the reader to decide based on their own opinion.

The main topic of this article is about doctor and patient which Gilman suffered after ill-advised her to rest and do nothing. That type of treatment made her getting crazier. Instead of taking this advise, she decide to do on her own by keep her busy to do something else to erase her pain and it helped to cure herself. She decided to share her own treatment to other patient which actually saver some lives.

This article is different than Douglas because Gilman wrote her article with some of her experience and some fiction to support to make her story more interesting. The reader will read and puzzled whether it is true or fiction. The writer allow the reader to decide to believe it or not. Still, it does impact the reader to read and discuss the result. Not one view, different possible of views which lead interesting debate.

Fredrick Douglas

2005-01-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

Douglass explained his experience as slavery in all of his life until his freedom. With his experience, it help him to attract the readers to become part of him; his suffering, pain, challenge, confusing, determine to learn how to read, etc. The main reason why he want to learn is when his master metioned that if slave was taught how to read, he is worthless to own as slavery. This is how he learned about the powerful tools of reading and writing for survival.

He share his story through his life with some evidence what he saw: slaved was lashing until they bleed, overseer shot black people to death for being disobey like they are animals, slavery's interpret of their own happiness and sorrow by singing, etc... It is very important part of his biography by sharing with us which impact our emotion to be involved. If it is a fiction story like Mark Twain's Hucklebery Finn. The reader'a emoiton will be less impact than Douglass's story. This is what made Douglas's story famous. It is sad part which he was not that famous until after his death. Not only him, it is common for other authors.