"In addition, thought and expression have not always been free and safe. The threat of censorship and the danger of political or economic reprisal have often caused authors to express their views indirectly in the form of allegory rather than to name names and write openly, thereby risking political prosecution, accusations are based not just in the literary form but also in the reality of circumstances in our difficult world" (Roberts 152).
I think this quote applies to both chapters ten and sixteen. Both chapters state that in order to really integrate ideas into our writing, we must put a lot thought into it. Its difficult to say something without coming out and saying it directly. That can often be the beauty of literature. Its the challenge of deciphering what an author is trying to say that keeps me reading and asking questions. Keeping historical, intellectual, and cultural contexts in mind are part of that challenge in breaking down a piece of literature. Those are clues into finding the allegories and symbolism in stories. I think overall this course was helpful to developing my writing because I learned about how authors bring their ideas together. I like finding certain things in my stories, so when I write I keep that in mind. I read The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz in my last class and I thought about how boring that story would be in the author didn't include any allegories for readers to figure out. I think that the older you get and the more you read, the better you will become at discovering those hidden things authors want us to see.
This is my last portfolio for Writing About Literature. These blogs are responses to the last pieces of literature we've read.
Coverage and Timeliness:
Oats Out...Moving on In: This blog was based on my response to the play "The Bear." I thought it was a funny play and the protagonist's final words made me wonder about some things.
Nothing New.: This was written on chapter 7 in Robert's Writing About Literature Book. I thought this was slightly repetitive.
Woahhhhh, Easy Browning!: I was surprised at how far Robert Browning took his poem Porphyria's Lover.
You're An English Major? Why?: I get upset when people ask me this question. My answer is written in that blog.
The Ghost of Economic Hardship: This was my initial response to A Christmas Carol. I thought Dickens sent out several messages about the his economy at the time.
Religion and Forgiveness: This blog was about the many religious undertones I found in A Christmas Carol.
Subliminal Messages: This is the last blog regarding chapters 10 and 16 in Writing About Literature by Edgar Roberts. I explain how I feel both chapters relate to each other and what I have learned from the authors we've read and how it helped my writing.
Depth: These blogs I had a little more to say than usual.
Interaction and Discussion: I put these two together because I feel for there to be discussions there must be interactions among bloggers.
Xenoblogging: Its the end of the semester and I think I have finally figured out what this term means. Here's my attempt...
Selfishness Prevails: This blog was written by Karyssa Blair and after she read my blog she had new thoughts on A Christmas Carol. We were able to talk about both of our blogs in class because of the discussion we had through blogging.
You're an English Major? Why?: I chose this blog because not only because I originally used the possessive 'your' instead of the contraction 'you're' in my title (Thanks Dr. Jerz :-) ) but I chose this blog because I get irritated when people ask me this question and this is my answer. If anyone ever asks me again, I can refer them to my blog.
So after finishing the book I came to the conclusion that this isn't necessarily a Christmas story. I think it could of been placed in any other time of the year and functioned. However, I do find several christian messages throughout the story. The fact that spirits visit him and show him what could happen to his soul is an indicator of the after life. I grew up Catholic and I was always engrained with the idea that you need to be a good person on earth in order for my soul to go to heaven and be with God after I die. Also, I think in the last stave when he visits his nephew and the narrator describes it as
"Let him in! It is a mercy he didn't shake his arm off. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier. His niece looked just the same."
I think their reaction was really forgiving. Everyone welcomed him and was happy to see his turn around. I think many people today would question someone's intention but they didn't. The final line "God bless Us, Every One!" was referring to 'everyone' including Scrooge. I think Scrooge realized he could repent his sins, change his life and seek forgiveness. Aside from the economical issues in this story, I feel its also about forgiveness.
This is my third and final blog portfolio for American Literature. Most of my blogs contain thoughts, reactions, and questions I've had about the works of literature we've read during this portion of the course.
Coverage and Timeliness"
Same Problem, New Century: This blog was my response to an essay written by Steven Mallioux titled, "The Bad Boy Boom" regarding the reaction people had to Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Tom is a Villain: This blog was mainly about how I felt Tom was a racist villain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Fun and Games for Tom: This was my reaction to a quote from an article written by Kevin Michael Scott. It's about entering Tom Sawyers mind and trying to figure out where his character is coming from and why.
Its Complicated: The question of whether Samuel Clemens was racist or not comes up frequently for readers of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and this is my response to that question.
The Voice of Reason: I took a quote from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and talked about Jim's intentions throughout the novel.
Shame on You Huck: In this blog I felt was kind of a push over and should have been honest and spoken up more often.
Thanks but NO Thanks: This was my last blog about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By the end of the novel, I think Huck has become aware of his society.
So The Shoes Were Silver: I couldn't help but connect the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to the movie. However, I did mention some of the differences I found in the book and perhaps their connections to the outside word?
Depth: These blogs I felt I had a little more to say than usual. Whether it raised any questions, you be the judge.
"and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew."
I find it interesting that those iconic shoes were turned into red for the movie. This might be weird but I normally associate the color silver with softness and demure. Red, however is flashy and provocative. I noticed several changes from the book to movie like Glinda was good witch of the South in the book but changed to North in the movie. I wonder if any of these changes had anything to do with the society of the time. I'll be honest, I hate this movie because of all the singing and ironically I found the book boring because of the lack of glitz. I'm hard to please I suppose.
"Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough."
"Come, then," returned the nephew gaily. "What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough."
This story so far seems like a giant ghost for readers of the time to remind them of the big gaps in class levels. Neither Scrooge or his nephew can understand each other because of the differences in their economic levels. Scrooge is insensitive to his nephew and easily can be transformed into a charitable person. This novel seems like a metaphor for readers of the time who were unaware of other's hardships. So far it seems like a billboard that reads "HEY PEOPLE OF THE 1800'S, SOME PEOPLE ARE POOR.... DO SOMETHING!"
"Studying English taught us how to write and think better, and to make articulate many of the inchoate impulses and confusions of our post-adolescent minds. We began to see, as we had not before, how such books could shape and refine our thinking." -William M. Chace
That is why I study English. People who aren't english majors assume we just read all day long and summarize the text to each other. However, they are so far off. I've been able to expand my though process and how I have realized more potential in myself as a writer and a critical thinker. People assume that all you can do with a Degree in English is to teach. However my plans include law school and ultimately earning a degree in law. I think being able to write and be articulate is important in every single job. I think that the decline of english majors goes hand in hand with the decline of the quality of writing among younger generations. People don't realize how important it is to be able to not only think deeply about certain things, but also be able to put them properly onto paper. I'm double majoring in English Literature and Political Science and I feel writing courses should be required of every major. Even more extensively.
My presentation will cover how Roberts defines both terms and his advice on how to include ideas and theme in writing. Also I have an article that explains how writers have ideas but they include them very unobtrusively.
"Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;"
Okay this poem was so incredibly dramatic! I was thrown off half way through when he... oh yeah KILLS HER! At first I thought this was going to be a romantic poem and it turned out to be a really creepy and morbid one. I was weirded out by the fact that after he strangles her, he decided to play with her dead corpse. I've read other poems by Browning and this one was way out of left field.
The section in chapter 7 in Roberts where he gives suggestions on how to find ideas was nothing new. I feel I already do a pretty good job at looking at language, character reactions, feelings and the narration. I definitely felt this chapter was a bit repetitive and similar to chapter 2, Writing About a Close Reading.