Blog #14: End of Native Speaker
I really enjoyed reading the novel, Native Speaker. I found it interesting reading about two people who were completely different. Henry was an Asian American in which all he wanted was to be assimilated into American culture. Lelia was a speech pathologist in which she worked with children and focused on language. In the first half of the novel, I did not think that Lelia’s and Henry’s marriage would last. After Mitt died, it seemed like their marriage was not going to last. Lelia moved in with Molly and focused a great deal on her career. Henry was struggling with Mitt’s death more and wanted to be with Lelia; however, she did not want to be with him at the time. At the end of the novel, I was so glad to read that Lelia moved back in with Henry. Lelia was definately more loving. It was as if she had completely changed. The quote, “Then you can work here… “I have too many kids. I need another set of hands.” Henry states, “Another mouth.” She brushes my hair, gently kissing me now. “Yeah” (337) shows how their relationship has turned around. Henry helps Lelia out at work and they seem to be more intimate with each other. Overall, Native Speaker was one of my favorite novels we have read in this class. Although it had death in it like every other novel we have read, it was a novel that was realistic in which people can relate to, especially being a person from a different ethnic background.
1 comment April 29, 2007
Blog #13: Native Speaker
This book started off to a very slow start. I was not sure if I would enjoy reading it; however, once we read more into it, I became interested and wanted to keep reading. The part that particularly caught my attention was when we found out how Henry and Lelia’s son died. As I read this section, it saddened me exactly how he died. He was only seven and died because of a tragic accident wrestling with his friends. Their son struggled with fitting in with other kids his own age because of the way he looked. I believe Henry cared so much about his son and struggled with his death because he too had struggled his whole life with becoming Americanized. Henry tried to hide his accent because I think he felt ashamed of his ethnic background. The children looked at the boy differently because of his appearance. The death of their child I feel pushed Henry and Lelia farther apart. Lelia was away for months at a time and did not want anything to do with Henry. I feel like she dealt with her son’s death differently than Henry’s grieving. I am interested to see how Henry’s and Lelia’s relationship will progess further on in the novel. I wonder if they will work on their relationship or give up on each other.
2 comments April 20, 2007
Blog #12: Ending of Sula
I did not mind reading the novel, Sula. I actually found it interesting to read. The ending of the novel seemed to be bittersweet. Sula had died; however, Nel was able to mourn the loss of her best friend even though she had such resentment towards her. Since Sulla had cheated with Nel’s husband, I did not blame Nel for feeling such anger and hatred towards Sula during those years that they did not talk. If I was Nel, I would have been extremely disappointed in not only my husband, but probably towards my best friend the most. A spouse is one thing, but to have your best friend do something like that to you is even worse. That is something friends should never do because men may come and go but a best friend is always supposed to be there for you and never let you down. Sula clearly let Nel down. I was shocked, yet happy, to read that Nel was able to mourn the loss of her best friend. I can not imagine how hard this must have been for Sula. This shows that Nel is the bigger person. I was glad to see that she had forgiven Sula for everything she had done. Nel realized she had loved Sula more than anything and I feel that she looked up to her to a certain extent, in which she refused to think about until Sula had become extremely ill. Unlike Nel who had struggled her whole life to gain social acceptance, she had realized that Sula had always refused this concept. Although I do not agree with the lifestyle Sula chose to live, she certainly did what she wanted to make herself happy. In the end, I think Toni Morrison left the novel with so many questions because she wanted, we, the readers, to think about the different situations that have occurred through out the story. It is left to us to think about why the characters acted the way they did.
3 comments April 12, 2007
Blog #11: Ending of Invisible Man
My opinion about, Invisible Man, was mixed. I enjoyed reading the novel because I wanted to see what would happen to the narrator. The suspense of finding out his name and who he really was lead me to continue reading each chapter. At the end of the novel, I must say that I was disappointed that we never found out the narrators name. I mean that was the reason I wanted to continue reading the novel. The quote in the epilogue, “I’m an invisible man and it placed me in a hole-or showed me the hole I was in, if you will and I reluctantly accepted the fact.” After I read that quote I realized that although the narrator tried very hard throughout the novel to try and make a difference, especially by joining the Brotherhood, he was never going to change his conception of himself. His life was certainly not easy; however, he felt proud during those moments that he worked to change the beliefs of others. He was very bitter with everything that has happened in his life and at first chooses to stay underground, then changes his mind. I was surprised to read that he was going to end his hibernation because he felt a social responsibility even though he felt like he had failed in society. The narrator, I must say, was a confusing person to understand. “Invisible Man” was the perfect title for this novel because the narrator struggled so much with his identity. Overall, I’m glad this novel is done with because it was pretty much drawn out and I thought it could have been a lot shorter.
2 comments April 9, 2007
Blog #10-500 word response on Invisible Man
The beginning of chapter 11 opened up with the narrator being in the hospital. He did not know where he was or how he had gotten there. As the doctors shinned the light in his eyes, he loses consciousness. When the narrator is finally able to wake up he appears to not remember anything. All he is able to focus on is the sounds of machines humming in the background and is completely confused. The doctors argue about whether or not they should keep shocking him, but the doctor in charge chooses to go on with the procedure. Of course the narrator is stereotyped; even as a sick patient, when one of the doctors makes a comment that black people really do have rhythm. Clearly as being black, the doctors viewed the narrator differently because of his race which made me angry. Once the narrator was conscious, he was not able to answer or remember any of the things the doctors asked him. Later on he is released and told that factory work is not for him. The narrator needs an easier and quieter job since he was not meant for such work.
As I read chapter 11, I realized that this chapter was a huge significance to the book. The narrator’s experience in the hospital symbolized a new start to his life. It was as though he was reborn waking up from being unconscious and having amnesia and having no recollection of his life. He was alone as he has been all of his life and had to face the doctors on his own. I think once the narrator left the hospital after his stay, his life needed a complete new start. As having lost his job, this is what I believe will turn the narrator into a new person. He left the hospital feeling stronger and no longer afraid to face society. Or so it appeared on the outside?
As the narrator walked down the streets upon leaving the hospital it was clear that he was still not well. He was very frail and weak. When he collapsed he was brought to Mary’s house. As being a Black African American she offered to care for the narrator and gave him a place to stay. I do not think a white woman would have been as kind because it was someone of a different race. Mary took the narrator into her house and told him he could stay as long as he wanted to; however, he leaves shortly after once he regains his strength back. I believe he did this because he did not want to open himself up to new people.
Chapter 13 was very interesting to read because it focused on the narrator’s obsession with the past which is a huge part of this novel. When he comes upon a street vendor selling baked yams, the narrator is reminded of the South. He buys some and walks around feeling free, as if he can enjoy something without being stereotyped, until he comes upon a crowd gathered around an eviction. He watches white men remove furniture from a black couples’s house and the narrator immediately identifies himself with the couple since they were struggling as he had too. As feeling as though the narrator has all the power in the world, he delivers a speech in front of the crowd in which they help carry the couples’s furniture back into the house because he had such an effect on the crowd.
While reading the chapters for this week, there were too many events that caught my attention during the reading to talk about. These few events are what I found to be significant in the novel. The narrator is experiencing many different encounters now that he feels stronger than how he was described in the earlier chapters. His love for public speaking is what makes him join the Brotherhood in which the narrator agrees in serving as their spokesperson. I think he believes he is doing a good thing; however, I feel that the white men are taking advantage of the narrator.
1 comment March 26, 2007
Blog #9
As I continue reading, Invisible Man, I enjoy it more and more each day. Although when I first saw the book and saw how long it was, I was shocked and did not think that I would enjoy reading something that seemed to be so long. However, when I read the Prologue I realized that this novel was going to be very interesting. The narrators first sentence of the book, I am an invisible man, lead me to want to read more because I was fascinated by what he meant by that statement. As I read further on in the book, it was shocking to see the struggles the narrator faced being black. As being part of a “pro white society” the narrator finds life as an African American very difficult. I do not think the grandfathers advice in which he basically told the narrator to do anything to please the white people was something that benefited the narrator. That is not something to teach and preach because it gives of the wrong impression. The grandfather was basically saying that in order to fit in and be accepted into society that was predominately white, black people must act like someone they are not. This includes not going against what white people believe and have to say. The different scenes such as when the narrator gives his speech and none of the white people listen to him and when he takes the reader back to his college where he got kicked out for no reason, are some examples that show how the narrator has felt like an “Invisible Man”. It will be interesting to see if the no-named narrator is finally revealed for the person he is and if he will ever be accepted in the white society.
1 comment March 25, 2007
blog #8: End of Group work
As I have finished reading the book, Passing, the whole canonical literature concept that we have been discussing in class has become more clear to me. I think the wiki project was an excellent idea. I feel as though if we were forced to make one up on our own, it would have been extremely difficult to try and get every important aspect onto the page. Working together as a group was a great way for everyone to share their thoughts and opinions and contribute to the page. It also allowed each group member to think about ideas that they may have not thought about on their own.
As my group and I worked on our page, we all thought about how our novel fit in with the canonical literature concept. We then decided that it fits both the canonical and non-canonical themes. It was interesting to figure out what themes fit into which canon. I think this made it challenging, yet interesting to analyize our novel. Some canonical themes that Passing does have are materialistic views (Clare Kendry married John Bellow who is a white man so she could acquire the wealth and easy life that the Caucasian society enjoys), obesession with the past (Clare Kendry is obsessed with her childhood friendship with Irene Redfield, who is not passing) and love outside of marriage (Brian Redfield appears to have fallen in love with Clare Kendry). These canonical themes are some of just many that we came up with. Some non-canonical themes that we discussed and came up with were, unlike most other books, we knew who the unreliable narrators are from the beginning. Irene we have determined is a reliable narrator up until the last ten pages of the book where the reader is left wondering, who is talking? Another non-canonical theme was that this is the first book that we have read where everything is left unresolved. We never find out for sure who killed Clare or if she fainted or if Brian blames Irene and if the Redfield’s marriage lasts. These questions are left up to the reader to figure out.
Passing, was a great novel to analyze. Unlike most stories we have read and discussed in class, this novel was not boring. It was less stressful and the novel actually reflected reality which at least helped me to connect with the characters and to see how difficult life was for African Americans.
1 comment March 19, 2007
Group Wiki Project
My group and I were assigned to the novel, Passing, by Nella Larson. I feel that this group project on completing a wiki on our novel has been very successful. My group members and I split several sections apart in which someone wrote a summary for re-encounter one, two, and the finale. The remaining members did close readings. I feel the class time in which we had the opportunity to work on our wiki’s was very useful. My group and I got a large portion of our wiki done in class. Alyssa was the typer in which she brought her laptop in each day and typed as we all gave her points about what was going to make our wiki stand out. I have never developed my own wiki before. I thought it was very interesting because it is not as easy as it looks. There is alot of background information that goes into it. Our novel did not have as much information on it as other books; however, we found a great deal of information about Nella Larson which was useful. I enjoyed reading this novel and working with my fellow group members in this project. I felt everyone worked together and split the work evenly so that there was not someone doing a large amount of the project. As we work on the final touches of our wiki, I feel that my group has done an excellent job on our page!
3 comments March 1, 2007
Blog #6: Done with The Sound & the Fury!
As I reflect back on, The Sound and the Fury, I have come to the conclusion that I have mixed opinions about this novel. In the beginning of the first section, if someone were to ask me if I liked this novel I would have strongly replied, NO! The first section was clearly almost impossible to understand. I thought to myself, how am I ever going to get through with this novel? Benjy’s narration was almost all over the place since he had no concept of time and jumped back to memories without giving any sense that his memories were scattered about in time. Once I went on to Quentin’s and Jason’s sections, putting together the pieces of the novel became a little less confusing. Although I did not find myself to enjoy reading this novel, I must admit that I was always curious to see what would happen next with the Compson boys. Jason, Quentin, and Benjy are all very unique you can say. Although they may not be defined as “normal” in todays society, I thought it was interesting to read and try to understand how a family could have so many problems as they did. Faulkner definately wrote this with the intentions of making his readers try to put the pieces together.
2 comments February 23, 2007
Blog Post #5-Close reading
“I held the point of the knife at her throat
It wont take but a second just a second then I can do
Mine I can do mine then
All right can you do yours by yourself
Yes the blades long enough Benjys in bed by now
Yes
It wont take but a second Ill try not to hurt
All right
Will you close your eyes
No like this youll have to push harder
Touch your hand
But she didn’t move her eyes were wide open looking past my head at the sky” (Faulkner 152).
In this passage of the novel, Quentin and Caddy are by the pond talking about Caddy’s fiancé. Quentin does not want Caddy to go ahead with the marriage because he longs to be with Caddy. Quentin has always had an obsession with time and suicide. He feels as though the only way they can be together is if he kills both of them. Also, in Quentin’s mind, suicide is much easier than living with the pain he has been forced to face in his life and the difficulties he is going through. Quentin puts a knife to Caddy’s throat and at first Caddy agrees to let Quentin go through with the killing, all while playing with Quentin’s mind. She was just leading Quentin on and Caddy really had no intentions of letting Quentin kill her.
In this passage many lines stood out to me as I read it. The line, it wont take but a second just a second then I can do, shows how Quentin has thought a lot about suicide before and wanting to kill himself. This later explains his death. Yes the blades long enough Benjys in bed by now, shows that Quentin knows that Caddy cares a great deal about Benjy because Benjy relies on Caddy to care for him. If Caddy were to die, Benjy would be lost without her. Will you close your eyes, No like this youll have to push harder is where Quentin gets the thought in his head that he has actually slept with Caddy, when his dream of it happening has really never occurred. He views what Caddy is saying as sexual in his head, when all she is doing is referring to the knife in Quentin’s hand.
This passage, I thought, caught my attention the most. As I read it the first time, I was shocked that Caddy would let Quentin kill them both when she quoted, All right. I thought that Quentin was going to be successful in ending both of their lives. However, Caddy was playing along with Quentin, which was cruel of her, but she was a smart women and was not going to let Quentin end her life. After Caddy is done playing around with Quentin, she just picks up and leaves. Quentin is upset and realizes that he and Caddy will probably never be together. Quentin’s messed up life is what causes him to commit suicide. I feel like this incident with Caddy foreshadows the ending of his life soon to come.
1 comment February 16, 2007
