Great Class!!

I must admit that I only signed up for the class because it was one of two left that I needed to take before transferring to Wright State.  But again, I love to read so I was looking forward to it.  I guess my expectations were just that I would learn more about American authors and their readings, and I did.  I am SOOOO glad I did.  I feel that these are authors and stories and poems that I should've already known about and am ashamed to say that I had only heard of a few.  I have taken other lit classes here at Sinclair but this was back when I first started and I must say, I don't retain information too well. 

I don't feel my ideas about being an American have changed too much.  I have always been proud of being an American and am still proud of this.  I am not proud of our ancestors actions towards people of different races, genders, religions, sexual orientations, etc.  But that still is around today and we are still fighting it.  Maybe not like it was, but it's still here.  I'm not sure this will ever change completely.  Hell, as a nation, we can't even agree on things.  I feel it is better that it used to be but we have a long way to go.

Now my definition of American Literature has changed!  For the better!  I was one who in the beginning felt that not all written words are literature, and I still fell that way, even more so.  But I also learned about more literature that I ever have.  Poetry is now in my vocabulary.  Good or bad, I have a new respect for it.  It still boggles my mind how some of these authors mind's work!  How do they come up with their words?  How do they put them all together so they make more sense, (somewhat)?  I always thought that maybe I could be a writer some day but I think I lack their imagination, dedication, and discipline.  Any way, I'm sure I will find my path, and when I do,

LOOK OUT!

Invisible Man

I know that Ellison stated that the story was not about race but I don't see how it could not have been about race.  His grandfather himself felt like a traitor for being meek and cowardly and not standing up for his race and what he believed in.  Then his grandfather spoke to Ellison's father on his deathbed and told him to live his life the same way.  "Live with your head in the lion's mouth.  I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open." )(1254)  In other words, give in to the white race and be at their beck and call. 

This is exactly what the people in "Ain't Afraid of Your Jails" were fighting against.  African Americans were already granted the rights to be treated equal but they couldn't eat at the same lunch counters.  They couldn't ride in the front of the buses.  They had to drink out of a different water fountain and use a different bathroom.  What about this is equal?  These people stood up for what they believed in and were punished for it.  Physically and emotionally. 

In "The Invisible Man", the narrator believes that genuine obedience will win him respect and praise. To some extent he is right, as the white men reward his obedience with a scholarship. Yet they also take advantage of him, forcing him to take part in the

"No Named Woman" comes from a collection of memoirs titled "The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts" by Maxine Hong Kingston. 


In Maxine Hong Kingston's story "No Name Woman", I feel the author does not honor her aunt by retelling the story.  The author talks about how her family never speaks her name.  "We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born." (1568)  Her aunt has disgraced her family and brought shame to them.  "Don't tell anyone you had an aunt.  Your father does not want to hear her name.  She has never been born." (1576)  The author feels that by retelling the story she is honoring her aunt in a way her family was never able to do.  But the beliefs of her family show that even today, 50 years later, they are still afraid of the spirits of their ancestors.  They want her to suffer forever, even after her death.  "The Chinese are always very frightened of the drowned one." (1577)

At first I thought that she was showing her aunt some honor by telling the story and saying that she did exist, even if her family denied her.  But after reading it again, I respect how strongly her family feels about it.  We all have "rules" or traditions handed down from generations, and maybe we don't like all of them but there are some that need to be respected.

I loved this story, how vivid it is and how imaginative Kingston gets with how she perceived her aunts last hours.  At the same time, why this?  Why now?  Why bring pain to her family again after they expressly asked her not to?  "...What happened to her could happen to you." (1570) "You wouldn't want to be forgotten as if you had never been born."  Her mother clearly tells her the story as a warning, as a way to teach her a lesson.  She just didn't want her to have sex or to get pregnant. 

Adultery is definitely looked at differently today that it was back then but she respects other aspects of her culture, why not this one?

Freedom Fighters

 At segregated lunch counters from Greensboro to Nashville, young college students face arrest to bring the injustices of segregation to light. And a small group of blacks and whites from the north calling themselves the Freedom Riders brave mob violence in their attempt to expose segregation in bus stations across the South.

I feel guilty for not knowing more about these brave people.  These people that risked their lives to take a stand for what was rightfully theirs.  Freedom.  Yes, this happened before I was born, although not too much before that.  But I still should know more about the people who fought for their right to be equal to everyone else.  Their right to sit in the front of a bus.  Their right to drink out of one drinking fountain.  Their right to enter through the same door as white people.

The actual accounts of those days were eye opening.  The cruelty they endured and yet they had such strength.

I set it up on my computer so I could read the transcript at the same time as watch the actual footage from the special on PBS.  It was moving, riveting, sad, and so many other things, all at the same time.  I will never know what it felt like to be in their shoes, and I hope I never have to.

 

While I do have more blogs to post, I just need to digress here for a moment.  Thought the presentations as a whole were awesome!!  The amount of work that the class put into them was great.  They all made me appreciate this class even more.  Like I said in my presentation, the discussions were one of the things I liked the best.  All the different opinions and different aspects, whether you liked the reading or hated it, you were still able to voice your opinion.  As Tina pointed out, the perspective is different for everyone.  That's what I love about literature and this class.

The part that bothers me is the lack of respect some of the class had for their classmates, the professor, and the class as a whole.  We are adults, and I use that term loosely for some of you, so we should all act like adults.  Your tardiness was rude.  Surfing your phones during class was rude.  Leaving class early just because the professor wasn't there was rude.  Talking while someone is presenting, or while the professor was talking was rude.  We all listened to you when you had something to say, we deserve the same respect.

As one of the older students in the class, maybe I am asking too much from you but I'm pretty sure some of the other students in the class will agree with me. Just GROW UP! Some of us actually take our higher education seriously.  That's all.

A Streetcar Named Desire

This play was very moving.  Yes, it's depressing, but also a story about love.

Stanley is a proud man even though he may show it in the wrong ways.  Stella loves her Stanley, even though he can be violent.  Blanche is a lost soul, just looking for an outlet. 

When Blanche comes to visit Stella, I first see this as a cry for help.  The reader does not know much about Stella's and Blanche's past together, just that they are sisters and Stella left Blanche behind to care for their family and their land. There is a sense that Blanche is resentful of this.  She brings it up EVERY chance she gets.  Stella had to do what she had to do.  Blanche is just sorry she didn't think of it first.  Stella's focus is now on Stanley, and the family they are about to start together.

Stanley doesn't want to share Stella.  He resents Blanche for coming and fights it the entire time.  The real problem is he doesn't want an outsider judging him.  He lives his life the way he wants and doesn;t want to have to answer to anyone.  Stella loves him for all his flaws and he knows that with her sister there, this could change.  So the real question is, who will win over Stella?  Will it be Stanley, her husband, who loves her and provides for her?  Or will it be Blanche?  Her sister, her family, her only living relative, who needs her sister, but only wants her sister, not the abusive husband too.

Well, we all know who wins, but in the end there really are no real winners.  Blanche loses because she is sent away, against her will.  Stella loses because she is still married to an abusive husband.  Stanley loses because Stella is changed.  She is not the same weak, naive woman he married.  

Oh boy, I seem to have gotten a little behind.  Here goes nothing.  I really enjoyed The Open Boat.  The story of four men forced to abandon their ship and are in a small dinghy trying to survive the ocean and get to shore safely.   Upon discussing it in class though, I found out much more about the story.  Like for instance, I missed the shark at first.   I mean, I read it and saw the word "fin", but totally passed right over it and never put it together.  Not until the correspondent mentioned it to the captain, did I realize it was there.  I had to go back and reread it again.  I think maybe I forgot to tell my group mates (that part was in our section V) but once we started to analyze it closer, it became more clear.  Another thing I didn't see at first was the death of the oiler.  I remember it but I thought maybe he didn't die, maybe he survived.  Wishful thinking, the optimist in me.  I felt bad that it was the oiler that passed.  I felt that he was the one who did most of the work.  Not unfairly or anything, I just think it was in his nature. 

The story though is one of brotherhood and comradery.  The teamwork they have between them is wonderful.  I would think that normally there would be fighting or bickering, animosity, maybe even hostility.  But the men were true companions, switching back and forth the job of oaring and sleeping when needed.  The captain was a true captain too.  I felt that he was always watching over his men.   Someone in class touched on the fact that he didn't go down with his ship but it never actually said that.  I believe that he stayed with the ship the longest and was still able to get to safety in the dinghy. 

When the author touched on death, it brought the whole story full circle.  The anger that some of the men felt when dealing with it was very raw.  "If I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned- if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?"  You really feel his desperation.  At least I did.  It made me pull for their survival even more. 

I was left screaming at the people on shore!!  How much has to happen for you to do something about the men in the boat??!!  The oiler could've survived if they had realized the severity of the situation in the first place.  At the end, you feel good though.   The men, all but one, make it to shore and are helped by many people, men and women, and you feel their relief, their gratitude.  Many emotions for me, for the reader.  That is something I like in the stories I read.  I was taken in all sorts of different directions while reading and it was a pleasant journey.  A thoughtful journey.  A peaceful sort of journey.

I thought today I would blog about the play we went to see on Sunday at Sinclair.  "Intimate Apparel" is about a young black woman, Esther,  living in New York City at the turn of the century. 

Esther Mills, a 35-year-old spinster, is sewing  as the play opens. It's 1905. A skilled seamstress who prepares exquisite corsets for brides on their wedding nights,  Esther lives and works in a New York City boarding house. Independent and feisty to a degree, she nevertheless cringes when she considers the unmarried life that lies before her. Her tightly knit support system includes Mrs. Van Buren, a childless socialite trophy wife; Mayme, a bright and artistic prostitute; Mr. Marks a Jewish factory owner who is Esther's friend and business associate,  and Mrs. Dickson, Esther's landlady. But these people can only do so much for our heroine.

 Then  one day a letter arrives, from a man named George Armstrong, a rangy Barbados native who is working on the construction of the Panama Canal. All grit and grime and grin, George describes the experience of watching "one man drop for every 20 feet of canal dug." And he speaks of coming to New York to meet Esther. The seamstress is intrigued but cannot respond because she is illiterate. So Mayme and Mrs. Van Buren  become her surrogate correspondents, and a relationship blossoms across the hemisphere.

 George at first seems like a romantic in his letters. From a distance, he marvels at the delicacy of Esther's work even before he has seen it.  Before long, the two meet and Esther is stitching her own wedding corset. There's a priceless moment featuring the new couple as contrasting images. The virginal bride, a slave's daughter who came North to sew intimate apparel and learn discretion, stands pristine in her lustrous, white satin gown on the opposite side of the bed from her scruffy, disheveled new husband, who is decked out in a misshapen tan wool suit. And although Esther assures her new man that she'd walk on his good arm,  their differences are an omen of what's to come.

Esther is blinded by her love for George and the fact that she doesn't want to spend the rest of her life alone.  George begins to show his true colors.  When he realizes that Esther has money, money that she has been saving for 18 years so she can open her own salon, he comes up with a story about buying 12 horses from a man so he can be in business for himself.  He claims to want to better their lives and provide for his wife.  Esther soon finds out that George is sleeping with Mayme.  After making Esther feel guilty, she gives George the money, knowing that she will never see it again.

I believe that even though Esther realizes she is alone again, she feels that instead of feeling sorry for herself, she moves back into the boarding house and starts over.  This time, I believe that she sees her future as being what she makes of it.  She realizes only she can secure her future and begins to do just that.

I loved the play and thoroughly enjoyed the cast.  Each one bringing so much to their roles.  I loved the way the stage was set also.  All scenes on one stage and the actors moving from room to room.  This made for seamless transitions into each persons relationship with Esther.  I truly felt the love each character had for Esther, and the love she felt for each of them.  It's a shame the run is over because I would highly recommend for everyone to go and see this play.  It really does tie in with the stories that we have been reading. 

"The Storm" seems to be on my mind alot since our last class.  We all have our own opinions on love and passion.  Much of this is mostly based on our own experiences.  But I think that at times we can also confuse passion with lust.  I think the "passion" felt between Calixta and Alcee was mostly lust.

Both of these characters aren't exactly "happy" in their relationships.  I feel they are more content than happy.  Putting them in a room together, surrounded by wind and rain and a raging storm, something was bound to happen. 

I think the reason why not too many of us were upset by the fact that there were no consequences is because we were aware that it is fiction but also because it didn't involve us personally.  We had nothing to gain or lose by this affair.  Plus, once the storm calmed and Alcee went on his way, we were kind of left with the feeling that it was about that one time.  It was over and done with and they were moving on.  At least that's how I felt. 

Plus I got the impression that the relationship between Calixta and Bobinot is a little stronger than the relationship between Alcee and Clarisse.  She has more to lose.  In the end, "the storm has passed and everyone is happy" leading us to believe that they were happy to have had the affair but I think they were more happy about the fact that neither spouse knew about it nor would they find out.

Blog number 3.  I would love to write about Gertrude Stein and all her wonderfulness, being a woman and all I'd like to think that I am somewhat of a feminist, but I must admit I did not get it.  I know that I need to delve more into her writings and learn more about her than what I learned from the headnotes but what I have read, I did not understand.  I'm hoping that in class we will get into it a little more and some of the other students, or the kind Doctor C, will shed some light on it for me.

That being said, I have decided to talk about "Babylon Revisited".  I loved this story.  I felt as if I were there, in the midst of Paris,  and even though it feels gray and dingy, I was still drawn to it.  Charlie seems to really care for his daughter, although I found it interesting that he didn't say he loved her.  He really seemed to be working out his problems and really just wants to move on with his life, with his daughter.  I believe that he has changed and that his best interest is at the core of him wanting his daughter to live with him.

Charlie is living in Prague and doing business in Prague and goes to Paris to visit his daughter Honoria, who lives with her aunt and uncle since her mother's death.  She is obviously delighted to see him as she bounds into his lap upon his arrival.  Her aunt Marion is not so delighted.  She is put off by his visit and we can tell that she and Charlie do not get along.  Lincoln is much more at ease with Charlie's visit so it is nice that Charlie has somewhat of an ally.

When Charlie runs into Duncan and Lorraine, you can sense his disdain for the couple therefore I did not like them right away.  Turns out I was correct.  They are selfish, consumed people who only care about themselves.  This is partly why I believe that Charlie really has changed and wants to do the right thing.  He wants nothing to do with them and continually tries to put them off.  When they later come to Marion and Lincoln's home and disrupt the evening, I only feel for Charlie even more.

I truly feel that Charlie deserves to have his daughter live with him and begin their new lives.  I do understand some of Marion's concern and in some way agree with her stipulations.  If it were today and he wanted to gain custody from the two people his wife trusted with their daughter, he would have a much harder time in the courts trying to get custody of her.  I feel bad at the end when he has to wait even longer than he already has.  But I do feel that in the end, he and his daughter are reunited and can finally begin to finish the rest of their lives.

"The Lost Beautifulness"

I would like to talk about "The Lost Beautifulness", written by Anzia Yezierska.  This is a beautiful story that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The way the author sets the story and presents it is so thought provoking.

It is a story of a woman named Hanneh Hayyeh, a jewish immigrant living in a New York City tenement.  She and her husband are awaiting the arrival of their son Aby, from France after two tours with the Army.  Hanneh is very proud of the hard work she has done to make her son proud.   She wants the American Dream to come through in her kitchen, or through her kitchen walls.  She scrimped and saved mere pennies for months to come up with enough to buy some paint so she can have the appearance of  a nice home. 

She cleans and does laundry for Mrs. Preston, a wealthy woman, yet someone that Hanneh considers to be a friend.  Hanneh is proud of the fact that Mrs. Preston calls her a laundry artist.  They seem to have a close relationship in the beginning of the story and they share many thoughts and dreams.

Of these dreams, Hanneh desperately wants to be seen as someone who gets what she wants.  She paints her walls and can't wait for all her neighbors to see.  It is very important for everyone to see her hard work.  She even wants the landlord to see how hard she worked to make her house look nice for her son.  Hanneh is devastated when the landlord uses her hard work and determination against her and raises her rent.  He sees that he would be able to charge someone else a higher rent because it is much nicer that most the other tenements so he threatens her and raises her rent. 

I feel as if Hanneh felt backed into a corner.  Where is the American Dream that she so desperately wants for herself and her son?  Where is this life that she deserves?  Why do some people have it and she does not?  I believe this is the breaking point for her and out of desperation comes anger and contempt. 

She even finds that her relationship with Mrs. Preston has soured because she went to her as a friend and was humiliated when Mrs. Preston offered to help her by paying the landlord. 

I hate the fact that Aby has to find her like this.  I believe this will hurt her more than anything.  But I also believe that in him finding her like this, comes great heroism and devotion.  The story that we don't see is that even though the monetary part of the American Dream may be beyond their reach for now, they have attained  much more than financial gains.  They have each others love and I believe that will sustain them for now.

My first blog is going to be on the question "What is Literature?".  Now I know that everyone has a different opinion on this question so I thought it would make a great blog.  After all, isn't this what blogging is all about?  I must admit that this is my first EVER blog so bare with me, I will be learning as I go along. 

We discussed this at some length in class and I thought some of the opinions were really great.  I know there are no wrong opinions but I do not agree with the statement that "everything is literature". We touched on the grocery list.  This is not literature.  I always thought of literature as something thought provoking, emotional, stimulating, challenging, something that stirs me.  A grocery list is just intended to remind you what you need to purchase.  I have also always felt that literature is usually published work.

I feel that what I read can sometimes be made to be relevant to my life.  If I'm feeling blue, I might read something blue.  Sometimes it puts things into perspective for me. Or I might read something to help cheer me up.  Actually, just reading for me can cheer me up.  I love to read and hate that I don't have the time to do it that I used to. 

I have read books for classes that I would never have chosen to read for pleasure and ended up loving the readings!  This is what I mean by literature.  It stirs something in me.  It makes me think.  It makes me laugh or cry, happy, sad, angry, or confused.  Even if I hate the book, it evokes emotion in me.  (although I must admit, I rarely hate a book.)

But what I really love about reading is how I put myself in the book.  I picture everything the author is describing.  I feel the emotions of the characters.  I really get into it.  I think this is one of the reasons I want to teach.  I want to impart this on our younger generations.  Maybe this is naive, but I think reading can change peoples lives.  But not reading a grocery list.  I mean reading a novel, an autobiography, a short story, a fable, a biography, a fantasy, folklore, science fiction, mysteries, love stories, etc, etc, etc!  Literature should mean something.  It should stir something in everyone.

Okay, this is funny.  I just realized that in order for anyone to be able to read this, I have to click on the "publish" button.  So by my definition, this would be literature.  Rock. Me. Hard place. 

The bottom line is that literature changes.  How we feel about it changes.  The opinions of what literature is will also continue to change.  Literature is different for everyone.  That's another reason why I love it.