Course Material Response #6

So far, our lit class has been having a in depth discussion about Leslie Silko's novel Ceremony. I would like to say that my class has yet again taken the longest time to analyze this novel since we've just started the second section that Holmes assigned us. Which is great. But... in a sense it's not as bad as it seems since we are really able to get way down to the source of what we believe Silko is trying to show to us through his words and that's what really matters. After completing our analysis on the first section (which was roughly the first twenty pages of the novel), my class has proposed several crucial points that helped me have a greater understanding of the novel. First of all, we discussed about the importance of the colors that Silko likes to bring up numerous times throughout her writing. She also has a tendency to focus on the color of yellow, which we determined was the color that symbolizes fertility and a new beginning. Which makes sense since it's what we see is the color of pollen and that is what Tayo sprinkles on the dead deer's nose, showing that the deer has started a new spiritual life through its death. This then relates to the other idea that Holmes brought up during our discussion about the repeating theme of cycles or the symbolic circular motions that tend to occur throughout the novel. Another strange... yet true fact that kept coming up in our conversation had to do with male pregnancy. Not in a literal sense, of course. But it definitely was one of the top things that were frequently brought up. We decided that since Tayo was always throwing up or trying to contain his nausea down, this was a sign of "morning sickness" to make room for the child, or the renewed form of his spirit and self discovery that was later found in the story. All in all, there was a lot of connections to this pregnancy idea and we definitely tended to drift towards that subject. A lot. But that's about it. Those were probably the three most important ideas that we happened to dwell upon for this week.

Open Prompt #6

2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

       Oftentimes characters are composed of varying features that stray the reader from identifying their role to either be purely good or evil.  Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, takes on a role that consists of such contrasting characters which ultimately makes him a morally ambiguous character.
       Although Holden's distinctive qualities may not be viewed to the extent of evil, his unstable beliefs and irritable mood makes him a highly unlikable person to many readers. His poor temperament comes into play after he is expelled from school for the fourth time and decides to say a final farewell to Spencer, his history professor. Spencer offers him crucial advice to success and self improvement but Holden becomes annoyed at his caring nature and ignores the advice. He returns to his dorm where he is enraged again at his room mate who he has deemed to have extremely poor hygiene. Due to this fact, Holden makes his dislike for his room mate very clear which reveals his extremely judgmental nature as another one of his poor qualities. Holden abuses his power of judgement to the extent of accusing almost anybody that he encounters as a "phony" just because they contain a certain characteristic that does not live up to his taste. Although he places himself up on his high pedestal, many of Holden's own qualities identify him as a hypocrite. He begins to tell a series of lies to those around him in order to cover up his identity and hide the fact that he has failed yet another school from his parents.  Holden is ashamed of himself and his incapability to have success which makes him equally as much of a "phony" as all the rest of the people that he accuses.
         On the contrary, the qualities that identify Holden as an unlikable character can be counteracted with the kind and generous person that he can be. Throughout the novel, Holden is overly generous to  all of the people that he gets to know. While Holden is sitting in the Lavender Room at his hotel, he spots a table-ful of middle aged women and decides to join them for a drink. After he enjoys a dance with one of the ladies, Holden offers to cover all of their drinks and pays without hesitation. Holden also voluntarily gives a group of nuns that he met at a restaurant ten dollars just because they had a chat with him about Romeo and Juliet. This quality reflects Holden's appreciation to those who were willing to spend their time with him and his idea of the worth behind the money he has.
         Holden's soft side was also revealed after he goes to visit his sister Phoebe. Out of all the people that Holden has ever encountered, Phoebe was the one that he treasured the most. After avoiding his return to home for several days, Holden secretly sneaks back into his house to have a long and heartfelt conversation with Phoebe. He then reveals to her that he has been expelled from school and Phoebe is the one that reawakens him to how lost he is within himself. Because of Phoebe, Holden rediscovers himself and it is seen in the end that Holden is put close to tears for the first time in the novel because he sees the happiness of someone other than himself. This shows that Holden is not as bad as he initially comes off as and that he has a deeper side to him.
        Holden Caulfield's ambiguous morality shows that the main character of a novel does not necessarily have to be purely good or evil. Because he has such varying sides, readers are enabled to discover and decide for themselves whether or not Holden Caulfield is a character worthy to be loved.


      

     

Close Prompt #5

http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/jesse-eisenberg-high-drama/

     After starring in one of the most well known movies of 2010, Jesse Eisenberg has risen to fame through incorporating his uniquely awkward personality into the boundless amounts of roles that he takes on.The intriguing story of Eisenberg's role in the upcoming Woody Allen movie is captured through the elements of diction, imagery, and detail included in Adam Green's article, Jesse Eisenberg: High Drama.
     The article opens with a brief description of the actor containing the qualities of a "brainy made–in–New York brand of awkwardness" to remind the reader of what makes Eisenberg's characteristics so special. Green then progresses into Eisenberg's choice in characters to be "preternaturally brilliant but painfully self-conscious". This depiction is mentioned twice through describing two of Eisenberg's movies, which portrays the similar qualities that are shared between the characters that have become his trademark. Green also moves onto discussing Eisenberg's newest upcoming movie with Woody Allen and incorporates the actor's high praise for Allen, by calling him "my favorite creative person of all time". By incorporating this specific passage, Green creates a positive light on both Eisenberg and the author himself. Green's choice in using words that convey a positive message suggests his respect and interest in Eisenberg's work.
     The imagery that is incorporated into this article also contributes to the author's dedication towards the subject of his article. Green describes Eisenberg to be "slouched in a seat" during their interview to specifically enhance the reader's visual on the actor's well known awkwardness. Eisenberg also openly admits his specific choice of playing characters who "are really bright and educated but have a great lack of life experience" which can be reflected with his own personality. As the interview continues, Green wonderfully describes the setting of Eisenberg's new movie to be a "ratty, cramped apartment" to help the audience assume where the plot is heading.
     Details included throughout the article helped the audience with not only the descriptions of the interview, but also the overall plot of the new movie. Green depicts Eisenberg's character, Edgar, to be a "failed blogger" with an "aggressively confident but equally as clueless" roommate as a start." Not only does this set up the entire movie for the reader, but Green also includes details such as "exposing self-delusion, codependence, cultural imperialism, and general nastiness" to further grab the reader's attention and sparks the curiosity of how these elements relate. Green also includes a little biography of Eisenberg, summarizing his rise to success compared to the life he lives now which contributes to resolving the reader's curiosity of the results to Eisenberg's hard work.
     Jesse Eisenberg's success not only can be seen through his impressive resume, but also through his newest movie which includes one of the most famous movie makers of all time. Alan Green captures both Eisenberg's success story and his awkward stature through this article by effectively using diction, imagery, and details. 

Response to Course Materials #5

      For the past few days, our class has been focusing on creating a presentation of the different eras in literature. My group was assigned Modernism and Postmodernism, which was extremely fun to do since this era focused mostly on contemporary styles and the discovery of the objective truths of society.I also was able to learn of the many important writers of these eras which included many well known names such as Fitzgerald, Cummings, and Frost. Overall, this project tested our class' abilities to work together while also creating something informational through the unique program of Prezi (which I would like to point out was very stressful to work with, but alas, being the technically challenged person I am, it was a good experience).
      Other than that, we also finished up Death of a Salesman and the class went on to having an in depth discussion. One of the most stressed points that was argued over was surprisingly about the novel's connection to religion. Some people argued that Arthur Miller was trying to convey a message that involved his Atheist beliefs while others believed that he play did not focus as much on religion at all. One of my classmates proposed the idea that Willy had the potential of being a Jesus figure but failed and tried to pass this role onto Biff who also did not live up to his standards. This may not have been the exact case judging by the fact that I was a little lost in this point, but I stood by the idea that the play did not have the intentions of becoming religious based since I couldn't really draw the connection between the two.
      Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Sorry that I kind of lost track of how much I was typing there but this is a response to the course materials and...I hope that was good enough.