I have read many of Amy Tan's writings, and I must say she is a very important spokesperson for the dynamics of the Chinese-American family that has immigrated to the U.S.. The children acclimate to their new environment much easier than the elders of the family This puts a huge strain on all the family members involved. This is a recurrent theme in her writings.
The story we read this week by Amy Tan was titled Half and Half. On the surface this story is about a young woman who is going through a divorce, and her hesitancy to share with her mother for fear of reprisal. If you look deeper though, you see a story about faith, fate, and the stressed relationship between a mother and a daughter who might as well be worlds apart. Through the story within the story about the tragic death of the main characters younger brother while on an outing to the seaside we are able to clearly define the moment the mother loses her faith. She tries everything she can think of to try and bring her boy back from the ocean. She tries christian prayer, oriental mysticism, and it isn't until the inner tube she has thrown into the water is pulverized by the rocks and waves that she finally gives up and goes home. From then on, her little bible can be seen under the too short table leg which to an outsider is seen as sacrilegious and strange, but even now after all the years she still makes sure the bible is clean and free of dust. Perhaps this is a symbol of the last vestiges of hope the mother has. I think deep down somewhere the mother still has some modicum of faith, however small, that keeps her going, and this little, white bible reminds her of this fact.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Alice Walker- "Everyday Use"
Despite the fact that Alice Walker was the last of eight children, born into poverty, she surmounted the odds and became a very important voice for the rights of southern blacks, especially women. Her most famous book is probably The Color Purple which was adapted for the screen, and received critical acclaim. She even won a Pulitzer Prize for the book.
The story we read this week by Walker was called Everyday Use. The story opens with a mother dreaming of being reunited with her daughter after years of separation. She imagines being on a television show and being the kind of woman her daughter wishes she would be- articulate, light skinned, thin, and witty. In reality she is a large, husky woman well-suited for hard labor rather than intellectualism. She is a realist who sees the importance of hard work and doesn't have time for frivolity. She has two daughters. One is Dee who left long ago, and said while she may be back in the future she certainly wouldn't bring any of her friends to meet her mother and sister in there little shack of a house. She thinks she is better than they are, and when she finally does come for a visit, she is snobbish and uppity. The second daughter's name is Maggie. Maggie was caught in a fire years ago, and is now a timid little waif of a girl who shuffles around with her eyes to the ground. She is unsure of herself and doesn't interact well with other people.
The main part of the story is about Dee paying Maggie and their mother a visit with a man she may or may not be married to. They have taken on African names, and put on like they are better for it. Dee has become Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo because, she says, Dee is a name after those who oppressed her people. Anyway, Wangero and this man waltz in and start taking things from the small house. They take a butter churn and say they will use it as a centerpiece. She even wants to take some quilts made from fabric from three generations to hang up on her walls. These quilts have been promised to Maggie, but Wangero says she will just ruin them-that they aren't for everyday use. Everything in the house is quaint and kitshy to Wangero and her man-friend when, in reality, it is a very utilitarian house with very utilitarian things in it. These everyday use items are seen by Wangero as something to put into a museum, not as useful things meant for everyday use. In the end the mother grabs the quilts from Wangero and gives them back to Maggie who she knows will appreciate them and put them to the good use they were meant to have.
The story we read this week by Walker was called Everyday Use. The story opens with a mother dreaming of being reunited with her daughter after years of separation. She imagines being on a television show and being the kind of woman her daughter wishes she would be- articulate, light skinned, thin, and witty. In reality she is a large, husky woman well-suited for hard labor rather than intellectualism. She is a realist who sees the importance of hard work and doesn't have time for frivolity. She has two daughters. One is Dee who left long ago, and said while she may be back in the future she certainly wouldn't bring any of her friends to meet her mother and sister in there little shack of a house. She thinks she is better than they are, and when she finally does come for a visit, she is snobbish and uppity. The second daughter's name is Maggie. Maggie was caught in a fire years ago, and is now a timid little waif of a girl who shuffles around with her eyes to the ground. She is unsure of herself and doesn't interact well with other people.
The main part of the story is about Dee paying Maggie and their mother a visit with a man she may or may not be married to. They have taken on African names, and put on like they are better for it. Dee has become Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo because, she says, Dee is a name after those who oppressed her people. Anyway, Wangero and this man waltz in and start taking things from the small house. They take a butter churn and say they will use it as a centerpiece. She even wants to take some quilts made from fabric from three generations to hang up on her walls. These quilts have been promised to Maggie, but Wangero says she will just ruin them-that they aren't for everyday use. Everything in the house is quaint and kitshy to Wangero and her man-friend when, in reality, it is a very utilitarian house with very utilitarian things in it. These everyday use items are seen by Wangero as something to put into a museum, not as useful things meant for everyday use. In the end the mother grabs the quilts from Wangero and gives them back to Maggie who she knows will appreciate them and put them to the good use they were meant to have.
Bobbie Ann Mason- "Shiloh"
Having never read anything by Bobbie Ann Mason before this week I was pleasantly surprised by the story Shiloh. It was a story about the relationships between a husband and wife, a mother and daughter, and a son-in-law and mother-in-law. These three very different relationships each had their own dichotomies and nuances. The husband and wife (Leroy and Norma Jean) have a very strained relationship. The husband was injured in an accident when he was driving his tractor-trailor, and has been unable to work because of this. The wife is used to having lots of time to herself, and doesn't quite know how to relate to her husband now that he is always there. Norma Jean sees his presence as a hinderance and is slightly resentful towards him. Leroy feels this strain but doesn't really know what to do about it. He wishes they could be closer and that they could be able to enjoy this time together. The mother and daughter (Mabel and Norma Jean) relationship also appears to be strained, but for different reasons. It seems like a stereotypical mother-daughter interaction. Norma Jean feels like a little girl around Mabel, and Mabel still tries to control her daughter's life. She wants Norma Jean to be a better wife and daughter. She suggests that the couple take a trip together to Shiloh, Tennessee with hopes that it will straighten her daughter out and strengthen her and Leroy's relationship. Now, the relationship between Leroy and Mabel is another story altogether. They seem to be able to stand each other, but not really like one another. They have trouble interacting, but manage to be civil to each other.
The overall theme running through the story is that Shiloh will save all the relationships involved in the story. It was where Mabel went on her honeymoon, and she is confident that if the married couple take a trip there that it will solve all their problems. In the end Leroy and Norma Jean do take the trip, but with different results than expected. Once they get there Norma Jean announces that she wants to leave the marriage. She then gets up and walks off. At the very end of the story she turns around and waves her arms at Leroy, and we are left wondering what she means by this gesture.
The overall theme running through the story is that Shiloh will save all the relationships involved in the story. It was where Mabel went on her honeymoon, and she is confident that if the married couple take a trip there that it will solve all their problems. In the end Leroy and Norma Jean do take the trip, but with different results than expected. Once they get there Norma Jean announces that she wants to leave the marriage. She then gets up and walks off. At the very end of the story she turns around and waves her arms at Leroy, and we are left wondering what she means by this gesture.
Billy Collins and his poetry
I was surprised to learn of this poet named Billy Collins. He was the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 2001 and 2002, gives reading all over the globe, and often reads his poems on NPR (which I listen to all the time), but somehow I have managed to not hear of him until now. I must say I really enjoyed these few poems we read this week, and I plan on looking up more in the future.
The first poem, Winter Syntax, was about the difficulty of forming a complete thought. Collins used the images of of a cold, winter night to explore the idea of how one comes by, and is able to express, a thought. "But the traveller persists in his misery" until he is finally able to get his point across. The next poem, Books, was about how a person can get lost in a book; how what we read can transport us into another world. It is a remembrance of days gone by and the adventures had by an avid reader. The third and last poem was entitled Introduction to Poetry. It was about how silly people can be about poetry. All they want is to have a firm meaning they can grasp onto while a poem has so much more to offer. Collins implores the reader to flow with the poem-to see where it will take them. He wants us to explore the images presented and decide for ourselves what the poem means to us individualy, not look for a clean-cut, starched universal meaning. He wants us to really get lost in the words and syntax and decide for ourselves where the poem is going to take us.
The first poem, Winter Syntax, was about the difficulty of forming a complete thought. Collins used the images of of a cold, winter night to explore the idea of how one comes by, and is able to express, a thought. "But the traveller persists in his misery" until he is finally able to get his point across. The next poem, Books, was about how a person can get lost in a book; how what we read can transport us into another world. It is a remembrance of days gone by and the adventures had by an avid reader. The third and last poem was entitled Introduction to Poetry. It was about how silly people can be about poetry. All they want is to have a firm meaning they can grasp onto while a poem has so much more to offer. Collins implores the reader to flow with the poem-to see where it will take them. He wants us to explore the images presented and decide for ourselves what the poem means to us individualy, not look for a clean-cut, starched universal meaning. He wants us to really get lost in the words and syntax and decide for ourselves where the poem is going to take us.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Nikki Giovanni
After looking up a biography of Ms. Giovanni at www.nikki-giovani.com I was very intrigued to read her poetry. Born in 1943 inTennessee and raised in the suburbs of Cincinati, Ohio, Nikki Giovanni quickly became a renowned writer and activist. She won many awards for her writing and has been named Woman of the year by several magazines. She currently teaches at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
So, I finally read the poems assigned this week and am left wondering what took me so long to read them. I feel they are excellent portrayals of what it was like to be black and a woman in the 1960s and 1970s. Ms. Giovanni captured her desperation as well as her strength of character. She wrote of the misconceptions people had about someone who grew up poor and black in the poem titled Nikki-Rosa. The character wants to focus on her good memories, but nobody understands how she could even have any good memories at all. The poem also speaks of black love being equal to wealth. Just the fact that her family was together was enough. It didn't matter that they never had much in the way of money and property.
In the poem I'm Not Lonely Giovanni writes of a woman alone, but better off because the man that was there is now gone. She knows she should feel lonely, but all she really feels is relief that it is all over.
The last poem by Giovanni was my favorite. I like her play on words,and the be-boppy style in this poem. I also see this poem as a cry to her fellow citizens (especially the children) to really wake up and think about what they were doing. She was asking that they come to the realization that their situation needs to change or the future will be lost for the young ones of the day.
So, I finally read the poems assigned this week and am left wondering what took me so long to read them. I feel they are excellent portrayals of what it was like to be black and a woman in the 1960s and 1970s. Ms. Giovanni captured her desperation as well as her strength of character. She wrote of the misconceptions people had about someone who grew up poor and black in the poem titled Nikki-Rosa. The character wants to focus on her good memories, but nobody understands how she could even have any good memories at all. The poem also speaks of black love being equal to wealth. Just the fact that her family was together was enough. It didn't matter that they never had much in the way of money and property.
In the poem I'm Not Lonely Giovanni writes of a woman alone, but better off because the man that was there is now gone. She knows she should feel lonely, but all she really feels is relief that it is all over.
The last poem by Giovanni was my favorite. I like her play on words,and the be-boppy style in this poem. I also see this poem as a cry to her fellow citizens (especially the children) to really wake up and think about what they were doing. She was asking that they come to the realization that their situation needs to change or the future will be lost for the young ones of the day.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tillie Olsen
I Stand Here Ironing, by Tillie Olson was the story of a mother trying to figure out where things went wrong with her daughter. She has received a call from one of her daughter's teachers saying she (the daughter) needs help, and could she (the mother) please come in for a visit. The mother sees this as an exercise in futility as she herself has no idea how to help her daughter let alone tell someone else what to do to help her seemingly lost daughter. She keeps going back to the fact that her daughter had been such a beautiful baby, so full of promise. This thought keeps recurring as the mother goes over and over the girls awkwardness while growing up. There were years where the girl was considered homely, and it wasn't until recently that she was once again seen as a lovely, beautiful girl, but her new-found beauty is discomforting...she is not used to being a creature of beauty. Her mother talks of her daughter's uneasiness with herself now that she has grown into a young woman.
Most of the story is spent on the mother's sense of regret and remorse over the way her daughter was raised. She feels that she was a failure, and that even her best mothering was nowhere near adequate. She is constantly blaming herself for her daughter's awkwardness and dis-ease in life. She cannot get past the thought that even though she did the best she could, she is responsible for all her daughter's problems when in reality she has been a good mother, and everything she did was so her daughter would be safe and secure.
Tillie Olsen was a strong proponent of the rights of all individuals, and her stories portrayed the struggles of the underdogs and poverty stricken people of the United States. I think her writing holds so much power because she herself was forced to deal with poverty and had to work many menial jobs while trying to raise her family.
Most of the story is spent on the mother's sense of regret and remorse over the way her daughter was raised. She feels that she was a failure, and that even her best mothering was nowhere near adequate. She is constantly blaming herself for her daughter's awkwardness and dis-ease in life. She cannot get past the thought that even though she did the best she could, she is responsible for all her daughter's problems when in reality she has been a good mother, and everything she did was so her daughter would be safe and secure.
Tillie Olsen was a strong proponent of the rights of all individuals, and her stories portrayed the struggles of the underdogs and poverty stricken people of the United States. I think her writing holds so much power because she herself was forced to deal with poverty and had to work many menial jobs while trying to raise her family.
Flannery O'Connor
I liked the reading we had this week from Flannery O'Connor entitled Good Country People. The four main characters in the story are Mrs. Hopewell, her daughter Joy (who insists on being called Hulga), their tenant farmer's wife, Mrs. Freeman, and the young man impersonating a bible salesman. (I just realized how appropriate the characters names are, and applaud Ms. O'Connor for her wit and sense of irony.) We are first introduced to Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hopewell during one of their morning talks.
Mrs. Hopewell is a widow and craves these talking sessions with Mrs. Freeman. If it weren't for Mrs. Freeman, she would be left alone with her surly daughter who insists on being called Hulga (the ugliest name Joy could come up with--perhaps just to incense her mother). Mrs. Hopewell continually attests to the importance of "good country people," and insists there is no better kind. When the seemingly modest, simple young man comes to the house disguised as a bible salesman, she is instantly convinced that he must be an upstanding individual because he seems to be a good country boy with good morals and manners. In the end though we find that he is a demented con who cares about no one, and covets the crutches of the physically disabled.
I think the moral of the story is twofold; Don't judge a book by its cover, and appearances can be deceiving. While the message of the story seems a little cliched, I think Ms. O'Connor found a very creative way to get her point across. I really enjoyed this reading.
Flannery O'Connor accomplished much in her short 29 year life. Her writings were filled with ironic wit and stark realities. I saw a great deal of these traits in our reading by O'Connor this week.
Mrs. Hopewell is a widow and craves these talking sessions with Mrs. Freeman. If it weren't for Mrs. Freeman, she would be left alone with her surly daughter who insists on being called Hulga (the ugliest name Joy could come up with--perhaps just to incense her mother). Mrs. Hopewell continually attests to the importance of "good country people," and insists there is no better kind. When the seemingly modest, simple young man comes to the house disguised as a bible salesman, she is instantly convinced that he must be an upstanding individual because he seems to be a good country boy with good morals and manners. In the end though we find that he is a demented con who cares about no one, and covets the crutches of the physically disabled.
I think the moral of the story is twofold; Don't judge a book by its cover, and appearances can be deceiving. While the message of the story seems a little cliched, I think Ms. O'Connor found a very creative way to get her point across. I really enjoyed this reading.
Flannery O'Connor accomplished much in her short 29 year life. Her writings were filled with ironic wit and stark realities. I saw a great deal of these traits in our reading by O'Connor this week.
EXTRA CREDIT: Owens, Peeler, Pope
On Thursday, April 14 I had the pleasure of attending a poetry reading featuring Scott Owens, Tim Peeler, and Ted Pope. Scott Owens recieved his MFA at UNC Greensborough, and is an instructor at Catawba Valley Community College. He is very active in the local poetry scene. Tim Peeler has six published books, and won the Jim Harrison Award for his book on baseball. He is currently the poet- in-residence at Catawba Valley Community College. Ted Pope is an up-and-coming local poet, who collaborated with Mr. Peeler on a book entitled Waiting for Charlie Brown which they read from on Thursday.
The first poet to read was Scott Owens. He opened with a loud "CON-SPIC-U-OUS" followed by a short poem that I am assuming is called Conspicuous. He then proceeded to read seven poems, my favorites being Theology and Who Hasn't Contemplated Civil Disobedience While... (I couldn't get the whole title). Theology was based on questions asked by his daughter after losing her grandmother, and Who Hasn't Contemplated... was about imaging letting a bunch of chickens free from their cages on a poultry carrying truck while stuck behind one on the highway. Another poem I liked was titled (I'm not sure I have this title correct) Meanings and Poultry. This was a poem about singles night at a local grocery store. Scott is comparing women's anatomy to parts of poultry, and commenting on the ridiculousness of the situation.
Next, Tim and Ted read together from Waiting for Charlie Brown after Mr. Peeler read a poem from his own book entitled Chaos. The poems from the collaborated book concerned two brothers who lived in a trailer on a small family plot. They were both drug-addled and the brother portrayed by Ted was extremely paranoid. I really enjoyed the dichotomy between the two brothers and the way they were each brought to life by the two poets. Tim's character was slow and somewhat reserved while Ted's character was frantic and uptight.
Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the poetry slam, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the three local poets. I didn't know much about the local poetry scene before this month and plan on exploring it in much more depth now that I have an idea what it is all about.
The first poet to read was Scott Owens. He opened with a loud "CON-SPIC-U-OUS" followed by a short poem that I am assuming is called Conspicuous. He then proceeded to read seven poems, my favorites being Theology and Who Hasn't Contemplated Civil Disobedience While... (I couldn't get the whole title). Theology was based on questions asked by his daughter after losing her grandmother, and Who Hasn't Contemplated... was about imaging letting a bunch of chickens free from their cages on a poultry carrying truck while stuck behind one on the highway. Another poem I liked was titled (I'm not sure I have this title correct) Meanings and Poultry. This was a poem about singles night at a local grocery store. Scott is comparing women's anatomy to parts of poultry, and commenting on the ridiculousness of the situation.
Next, Tim and Ted read together from Waiting for Charlie Brown after Mr. Peeler read a poem from his own book entitled Chaos. The poems from the collaborated book concerned two brothers who lived in a trailer on a small family plot. They were both drug-addled and the brother portrayed by Ted was extremely paranoid. I really enjoyed the dichotomy between the two brothers and the way they were each brought to life by the two poets. Tim's character was slow and somewhat reserved while Ted's character was frantic and uptight.
Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the poetry slam, but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the three local poets. I didn't know much about the local poetry scene before this month and plan on exploring it in much more depth now that I have an idea what it is all about.
Friday, April 8, 2011
James Baldwin and "Sonny's Blues"
James Baldwin's writing was greatly influenced by the racial situation in the 1950s that continued into the 60s and 70s. He was an avid activist in the civil rights movement and his writing intelligently and accurately portrayed the struggles of the African-American during this time period. According to his biography in our textbook another common theme in Baldwin's writings was the struggle to come to terms with homosexuality and interracial relationships.
In the story Sonny's Blues we are introduced to a man who is trying to come to terms with the fact that his younger brother (Sonny) is a lost soul caught in the trap of a heroin induced lifestyle. He has lost touch with Sonny after a falling out after their mother died, and doesn't hear anything from him for some time until he reads about Sonny being arrested in the newspaper. This is a wake up call for him. He realizes just how far away he has let his brother get. He feels the distance and very badly wants to close the gap, but is having trouble reconciling himself to the fact that it may have been his fault that Sonny is where he is. So, after some time he writes to Sonny and reestablishes their connection. He doesn't really undersand how Sonny has chosen the life he has, but he realizes the importance of family and wants to have some sort of connection with his brother. Sonny tries desparately to show his brother why he lives the way he does. He reasons through his drug abuse by saying that sometimes life was just too much. There was too much agony to bear soberly. His brother tries to understand, but cannot truly relate. He cannot fathom having to use drugs to escape the heartache and suffering of life. It isn't until the end of the story when he first-hand witnesses the struggle within Sonny as he tries to find his way on the piano that the elder brother is able to understand what Sonny had been trying to tell him all along. And it isn't until Sonny finds his own voice (through the music) that he can understand his brother as well. In the end they each experience a turning point and can each see where the other is coming from, and we are left with a feeling that maybe everything will be allright after all.
In the story Sonny's Blues we are introduced to a man who is trying to come to terms with the fact that his younger brother (Sonny) is a lost soul caught in the trap of a heroin induced lifestyle. He has lost touch with Sonny after a falling out after their mother died, and doesn't hear anything from him for some time until he reads about Sonny being arrested in the newspaper. This is a wake up call for him. He realizes just how far away he has let his brother get. He feels the distance and very badly wants to close the gap, but is having trouble reconciling himself to the fact that it may have been his fault that Sonny is where he is. So, after some time he writes to Sonny and reestablishes their connection. He doesn't really undersand how Sonny has chosen the life he has, but he realizes the importance of family and wants to have some sort of connection with his brother. Sonny tries desparately to show his brother why he lives the way he does. He reasons through his drug abuse by saying that sometimes life was just too much. There was too much agony to bear soberly. His brother tries to understand, but cannot truly relate. He cannot fathom having to use drugs to escape the heartache and suffering of life. It isn't until the end of the story when he first-hand witnesses the struggle within Sonny as he tries to find his way on the piano that the elder brother is able to understand what Sonny had been trying to tell him all along. And it isn't until Sonny finds his own voice (through the music) that he can understand his brother as well. In the end they each experience a turning point and can each see where the other is coming from, and we are left with a feeling that maybe everything will be allright after all.
Sylvia Plath and her poetry
Sylvia Plath has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read The Bell Jar as a young teenager. When I read the book for the first time I felt I had finally found a voice for my own struggles with depression. While Plath's poetry was full of angst and darkness, I found it to be brilliantly written. I really liked how she was open and honest about her struggles with mental illness. Some might say that Plath was overindulgent in her representation of death and suicide, but I see it more as outlet for her feelings; it was a way for her to purge herself of all the negative emotions she was experiencing. Writing was her attempt to survive in a world in which she felt lost and alone. If more artists and writers were as honest and forthcoming as Plath was I think there would be a lot less stigma associated with mental illness.
In her poem Daddy Plath speaks of her regret at never having a chance to really get to know her father. She speaks also of her resentment towards the memories he left her with of a fascist German soldier fighting for Hitler. And then, in the end of the poem, she writes of her first suicide attempt. She blames it on her father, saying she just wanted to get back to him.
In Lady Lazarus Plath gets into the gritty details of her depression and attempts to escape the agony that was her life. She now wears the battle scars that represent her struggles, but they came at a great cost. I think she is also talking about the failings of the treatment she received for her depression. She speaks of the doctor being the enemy and how she felt stripped bare in front of the doctors and other patients in the hospital.
In her poem Daddy Plath speaks of her regret at never having a chance to really get to know her father. She speaks also of her resentment towards the memories he left her with of a fascist German soldier fighting for Hitler. And then, in the end of the poem, she writes of her first suicide attempt. She blames it on her father, saying she just wanted to get back to him.
In Lady Lazarus Plath gets into the gritty details of her depression and attempts to escape the agony that was her life. She now wears the battle scars that represent her struggles, but they came at a great cost. I think she is also talking about the failings of the treatment she received for her depression. She speaks of the doctor being the enemy and how she felt stripped bare in front of the doctors and other patients in the hospital.
Randall Jarrell and some poems
I must say I didn't care for the poetry of Randall Jarrell. Some of the poems were rife with the atrocities of war (such as Losses and The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner), and the others were convoluted and, while I was able to get the general meaning of them, I could not help feeling like I was missing something hidden between the lines. The poems just seemed too simple and obvious; even after I read them three or four times each I couldn't understand what I was missing.
I did like the imagery in A Girl In a Library. I could easily picture a young college girl, lulled to sleep by her studies, dreaming of sylphs and fairy tales and grander things than her life has to offer. She has left the world of home economics and physical education for the world of myth and grand history. She imagines herself in a place far more exciting than school has offered her. Perhaps the girl intuits the futility of the task set before her. Perhaps she is aware that home ec. and phys. ed. are but bits in the doldrums of life.
In Losses Jarrell seems to be talking about the realization that death is real and palpable came to him after he joined the army and went into combat. Before that death had seemed like something that only happened to other people. People distant from his personal sphere. He writes that it was something that happened to "aunts or pets or foreigners." These are all entities outside his insular life. After he joins the war though, he is hit with the significance of death and dying. It becomes something personal and real. And in The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Jarrell seems to be saying that death loses its edge in a state of war. When the gunner dies they simply wash his body away without a thought and without much fanfare. He was just another casualty of war.
I did like the imagery in A Girl In a Library. I could easily picture a young college girl, lulled to sleep by her studies, dreaming of sylphs and fairy tales and grander things than her life has to offer. She has left the world of home economics and physical education for the world of myth and grand history. She imagines herself in a place far more exciting than school has offered her. Perhaps the girl intuits the futility of the task set before her. Perhaps she is aware that home ec. and phys. ed. are but bits in the doldrums of life.
In Losses Jarrell seems to be talking about the realization that death is real and palpable came to him after he joined the army and went into combat. Before that death had seemed like something that only happened to other people. People distant from his personal sphere. He writes that it was something that happened to "aunts or pets or foreigners." These are all entities outside his insular life. After he joins the war though, he is hit with the significance of death and dying. It becomes something personal and real. And in The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner Jarrell seems to be saying that death loses its edge in a state of war. When the gunner dies they simply wash his body away without a thought and without much fanfare. He was just another casualty of war.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
A Raisin In the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry accomplished much in her 35 years of life. She was not only the first black writer to win the Best Play of the Year award in New York City, she was also the youngest playwrite to earn that recognition. Handbury's parents were well-off and strong advocates of complete integration of african-americans into American society. Lorraine carried these ideals into her adult life and into her writings.
Hansbury's play A Raisin in the Sun was met with great praise. It was the story of an African-American family trying to live the American dream. All the Younger family wanted was to have a nice home where they could live in peace. The story began with a typical day in the Younger household. The mother, Ruth, is getting her son, Travis, and her husband, Walter, up to go to school and work respectively. Their apartment is small and cramped-young Travis has to sleep on the sofa in the living room-and they are trying to beat the neighbors into the shared bathroom. While they are getting ready there is talk of money that is to arrive the next day. This is to be their ticket to freedom. Lena Younger (the mother of Walter) is expecting a settlement from the death of her husband, and the whole family has grand plans for the money. Walter wants to use it to start a liquor store, Beneatha (his sister) wants to go to medical school so she can become a doctor, and Ruth and Lena both want to buy a house so they can have a home to call their own.The next day the money comes and Lena goes out to find a house. Later she returns with the news that she put a down payment on a nice place in a nice neighborhood. The only problem was that it was in white neighborhood. The play progresses and a man named Karl Lindner stops by to try and persuade the family not to move. He says it would just be better for all parties if the family stuck to their own kind. This attitude was very popular among the people of Hansbury's time. Equal but separate was the social norm. I feel this was the most important message of the play. That this idea needed to be challenged and abolished was Hansbury's most prominant theme of the story.
I also watched the movie made from this play and was very happy with how the story was kept intact and not convoluted as many works are when transformed for the big screen. Sydney Poitier gave a top-notch performance as Walter, and the rest of the cast was very good as well. If any of my classmates did not watch this movie I would highly recomend that they do so because it was a very accurate portrayal of what was going on at the time of its production, and it helped me see the true nature of the story. It really gave it life.
Hansbury's play A Raisin in the Sun was met with great praise. It was the story of an African-American family trying to live the American dream. All the Younger family wanted was to have a nice home where they could live in peace. The story began with a typical day in the Younger household. The mother, Ruth, is getting her son, Travis, and her husband, Walter, up to go to school and work respectively. Their apartment is small and cramped-young Travis has to sleep on the sofa in the living room-and they are trying to beat the neighbors into the shared bathroom. While they are getting ready there is talk of money that is to arrive the next day. This is to be their ticket to freedom. Lena Younger (the mother of Walter) is expecting a settlement from the death of her husband, and the whole family has grand plans for the money. Walter wants to use it to start a liquor store, Beneatha (his sister) wants to go to medical school so she can become a doctor, and Ruth and Lena both want to buy a house so they can have a home to call their own.The next day the money comes and Lena goes out to find a house. Later she returns with the news that she put a down payment on a nice place in a nice neighborhood. The only problem was that it was in white neighborhood. The play progresses and a man named Karl Lindner stops by to try and persuade the family not to move. He says it would just be better for all parties if the family stuck to their own kind. This attitude was very popular among the people of Hansbury's time. Equal but separate was the social norm. I feel this was the most important message of the play. That this idea needed to be challenged and abolished was Hansbury's most prominant theme of the story.
I also watched the movie made from this play and was very happy with how the story was kept intact and not convoluted as many works are when transformed for the big screen. Sydney Poitier gave a top-notch performance as Walter, and the rest of the cast was very good as well. If any of my classmates did not watch this movie I would highly recomend that they do so because it was a very accurate portrayal of what was going on at the time of its production, and it helped me see the true nature of the story. It really gave it life.
EXTRA CREDIT Bowers and Byers
On April 1st I had the pleasure of attending a poetry reading by Cathy Smith Bowers and Kathryn Stripling Byers in the CCC&TI gym.
Cathy Smith Bowers is from Lancaster, SC. She studied at Winthrop University, and did her graduate work at Oxford University in England. Cathy is now the poet laureate of North Carolina. For her part of the reading, Mrs. Bowers read five poems. They were Syntax, The Napkin, Where's my Frog, The Suit Our Brother Could Have Worn, and Shadowdancing. It would be hard to decide which poem was my favorite as I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. If I had to choose though, I would probably say Syntax was my favorite because I love words and writing and messing with syntax and semantics. Along with her reading, Cathy gave the audience a couple tips about writing poetry such as begin with a visual, and recreate whole experiences with your words. She also said that you shouldn't be to afraid of rejection...just be persistent and patient if you are serious about writing.
Kathryn Stripling Byer was born in Georgia, but has lived in North Carolina since 1968. She studied at both Wesleyan University and UNC Greensborough. She was the NC poet laureate before Mrs. Bowers, and is currently the poet in residence at Western Carolina University. Kathryn read three of her poems. They were Piece of Cake, Lent, and Dulcimer. My favorite of the three was Piece of Cake because of how she played with words and free-associated from word to word. Ms. Byer's advice as far as writing poetry was begin with an image, create a story and follow it through until the end.
I really enjoyed seeing these two poets and am looking forward to the next poetry event at the school.
Cathy Smith Bowers is from Lancaster, SC. She studied at Winthrop University, and did her graduate work at Oxford University in England. Cathy is now the poet laureate of North Carolina. For her part of the reading, Mrs. Bowers read five poems. They were Syntax, The Napkin, Where's my Frog, The Suit Our Brother Could Have Worn, and Shadowdancing. It would be hard to decide which poem was my favorite as I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. If I had to choose though, I would probably say Syntax was my favorite because I love words and writing and messing with syntax and semantics. Along with her reading, Cathy gave the audience a couple tips about writing poetry such as begin with a visual, and recreate whole experiences with your words. She also said that you shouldn't be to afraid of rejection...just be persistent and patient if you are serious about writing.
Kathryn Stripling Byer was born in Georgia, but has lived in North Carolina since 1968. She studied at both Wesleyan University and UNC Greensborough. She was the NC poet laureate before Mrs. Bowers, and is currently the poet in residence at Western Carolina University. Kathryn read three of her poems. They were Piece of Cake, Lent, and Dulcimer. My favorite of the three was Piece of Cake because of how she played with words and free-associated from word to word. Ms. Byer's advice as far as writing poetry was begin with an image, create a story and follow it through until the end.
I really enjoyed seeing these two poets and am looking forward to the next poetry event at the school.
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