A New View of Literature

Over the last couple months we've all studied and reviewed quite a few things. In English, we have studied the sociological and philosophical approaches to analyzing literature, and even what it is that makes a piece of literature have any value to it. Sometimes I think, "Where the heck did that analysis come from and who cares!?" Why do we have to read some of these novels or poems that English teachers have us read? What does it matter to us? Over this past school year it all finally clicked.  It is true that I still find doing a math problem more entertaining than writing an essay, but thanks to this past year I can finally say that I understand why we read what we read and what value literature really contains. Now, whenever I see a poem I can pick out all of the archetypes and allusions and see the poem in an entirely new light.  When I see an analysis of a piece of literature, instead of arguing that the analyzer just made a bunch of "crazy" stuff up that sounds nice, I agree with the analysis and use it to help me continue finding much of the piece's value.  So, what is the value of literature and why are we reading and studying it? I have found that for me, above all of the points and arguments being made or beliefs given, literature is a very valuable tool in helping me to think.  Now that I am aware of it, as I think back over all my schooling years I can see that after reading and understanding any piece of literature with any value to it, I have used it as a vehicle for thought. I debate with myself about what my own opinion is on the subject being discussed and compare it to everyone else's.  I have always just thought that literature had no real purpose other than entertaining those who actually enjoyed reading it, but finally, just as I am about to leave high school, I can see that it does have a purpose. It helps us to think and ponder, to value and consider others opinions, and ultimately to become more enriched people. Thank you Mrs. Elliott! :)

Chad L.

The Perspective & South Park Strikes Again

Everyday I hear many complain, "My life is difficult", "Money is a problem", "He/She won't give me the time of day", "I got rejected", "My parents got laid off" etc etc. Now, no one's life is perfect and life can suck. That is just life. One will always have there up and downs, day in and day out. One must appreciate what they have cause it can be worse. At least you are not living in a poverty filled city. Or you don't have to worry about food, water, and shelter. Or at least there is a hospital conveniently located a short distance away. The sooner one accepts this fact, the sooner they can get over their problems. Just look at things from a different perspective and your life will be better.

Recently I watched an episode of South Park that really caught my eye (as well as my funny bone). It was on the novel Catcher and the Rye.  The boys decide to write a novel that would make it into the literary cannon. Their book's foundation laid on being vulgar and disgusting. In fact while reading the novel, one would vomit! The book became a hit. Why? Cause through the vulgarity the readers found literary merit in the novel, although the boys never intended in the reader finding anything! The point it made was that English enthusiast  may look too deeply into a novel. How do we know if an author is actually writing a book for the plot to have a deep meaning? The study we are doing on literary merit made me think about this. I have never actually seen or heard of these "literary cannon" authors saying that their novels are meant to be researched and essay worthy. Maybe the authors are just trying to make a little dough or even just trying to write for fun? I'm not saying that ALL the books we read don't have a theme that is meant to be looked at and researched, but maybe we are scratching too deep at the surface of these novels; in fact so deep that we actually desolate the author's original purpose of having their book read- for the reader to enjoy themselves and jump into another world.
-just my 2 cents, Sasan.

Sprint to the Finish

      My high school career is coming to an end in a very different way than I imagined as a freshmen. Four years ago I was still a gymnast. I spent four to five hours a day working at that sport. Many people don't know that gymnastics was terribly stressful and often brought me to the brink of giving up and taking up something else. Something less... five-hours-a-day-ish. I got through freshman year, and sophomore year was a new challenge as I had my first two AP classes coupled with my gym schedule. It was horrible. But I still came to school with the same, if not sleepy, sarcastic enthusiasm everyday. Humor was and still is a way to vent my frustrations and need to be honest, and get a few laughs out of it too. As I entered my junior year, my schedule was overwhelming. I fell asleep behind the wheel and crashed. I fell asleep in literally every class at least once... or everyday (sorry Beckler). It made me question why I was doing it all. Did I really love gymnastics that much. Or was I just doing it for my father who was also a gymnast. I was really good at convincing myself gymnastics was my sport and mine alone. But I really didn't love it. It made me strong and gave me the incredibly useful ability to back-flip at any given time which has yielded so much free stuff over the years its not even funny. In the summer before senior year I decided to tag along at the cross country summer practices. This was the first time I had really done any other sport besides gymnastics. And I loved it. I ran slower than most of the girls team at the time, but I loved it. I was still in gymnastics at the time and I would come to practice already dead tired and my coach would chew me out. But I didn't care. When money became a little tighter, with college expenses looming just around the corner and other expenses cropping up, I decided to tell my father that I thought we should stop gymnastics. At that moment, I realized that gymnastics wasn't my sport. It was my father's. I said "we should stop" for crying out loud. He took it harder than I did. I committed my time to cross country and found that I loved every minute of it. The team was much closer than my gymnastics team. I felt like part of a team for the first time. This was something I chose one my own. It was mine and no one else's. I started senior year with a renewed spirit. I still spent about four hours with sports in the form of running and weight room, but it wasn't nearly as stressful. I often relate my sports to my general thinking. I had regarded gymnastics as the most honorable and toughest sport, and that I was a bettering myself for enduring it. But what I realize is that people must find out what they love on there own, with no one else's opinion. Trust me. you'll be happier for it. The four year race is on its bell lap. This is it. I'm in the final stretch and its the most exciting part of this race. And I think I'm coming out ahead.

Some Thoughts on "The Poisonwood Bible"

Well, guys, in case you didn't notice, I like COLOR. It's my "One Little Word." Go figure. So I just had some thoughts about The Poisonwood Bible that I wanted to share...

• Anyone notice the frequent reference to blood oranges? Blood, well that's a symbol in itself. But why would Kingsolver choose blood oranges over regular oranges or tangerines or something?




Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond" (2006)


• Speaking of blood oranges, Ruth May saw lots of boxes of diamonds in Eeben Axelroot's plane. Hmmm...diamonds in Africa...blood diamonds? Makes sense, right? I haven't seen that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, but nonetheless, I do know a little about them.
• Adah and the lion: "...signs of stalking, the sign of a pounce, and a smear of fresh blood trailing into the bush." Well, I sure thought Adah was killed by the lion. I didn't expect Kingsolver to throw in "a yearling bushbuck." (Ooohhhh, high literary merit right there.) I was confused after that chapter cause I wasn't sure if Adah was dead or not. But nonetheless, why did Kingsolver choose to have Adah have a scare with a lion? Why not the snakes that are constantly mentioned?
• Summary so far...blood, blood, blood.
• Ruth May falls out of a tree and breaks her arm. No blood, no lions, no snakes. Why? Why did Kingsolver not continue the trend of blood with Ruth May's arm?

-Shelby F.

"Cheating" on Annotations?!

(Don't be mad, Mrs. Elliott. It's not what you think. Haha.)

Yeah, I somehow managed to cheat the system. I started reading The Poisonwood Bible over spring break. I only got to page fifty or so and unknowingly, I annotated everyone's chapters up to that point. Then, Mrs. Elliott told us to choose one character's chapters to annotate. I chose Leah Price's. After reading all of Genesis, I was really enjoying the novel. And I thought, "Wow. It sucks that I can't just read this book. I have to annotate while I read." Obviously, I noticed Orleanna Price only had two chapters in Genesis and The Revelation. Well, if someone chose to annotate those parts, that would be fairly easy. Though Orleanna's chapters are the most dense, there's only two. Easy. So I decided to change from annotating Leah to annotating Orleanna. Then, I was able to just read The Revelation. I was able to stay focused (because this is a novel I am actually interested in) and I enjoyed the book that much more.

So I want to know, why did you guys pick the character you did to annotate for the first part of our reading? And how are you liking The Poisonwood Bible so far?

-Shelby F.

Philosophy in Invisible Man

   In class, we have been researching different philosophies and are comparing those ideals to novels we have read in class. I read Invisible Man, and found existential beliefs to have a significant part in the meaning of the novel. Existentialism is based around the individual, and follows that a single person controls the outcome of their life. The father of existentialism, Kiekegaard, highlights the importance of the "single individual" and personal choice. These values clearly relate to the narrator in Invisible Man, who throughout his whole life was pushed around and told what to do and what to believe. He had no individuality himself; while a part of the Brotherhood, he had to preach the beliefs the Brotherhood had, without the ability to throw in any personal thoughts. He was merely their puppet. By the end of the novel, the narrator began to realize he did not know who he truly was, and therefore ended up underground with tons of lights, mentally making himself seen and stand out. It was here where he found his individuality and began to make his own choices, knowing from past mistakes of trusting the wrong people, that he was the only one he could entrust his future to. This finding of himself gave his life meaning and a purpose, therefore falling under the existentialist philosophy. 

Taylor C.

INVISIBLE MAN POEM

What defines invisible?

Can it be metaphoric or

must it be literal

To be invisible

seems like you'd be miserable

metaphoric or literal

One can still be invisible

whether it is metaphorically

or literal

the point is anyone can feel invisible

We as individuals

define what is invisible.

This is my poem on Invisible Man comparin and contrasting what defines invisible and how one can be invisible metaphorically and literally. This relates to the character in Invisible Man because he feels he is invisible and at the end of the novel his invisibility takes a turn to leave him as a permanent outcast leavin him truly invisible.

A Black Man's View

I'm reading Invisible Man, just like many of you.  A while back in the first chapter, there was a section which stood out to me and made me think. Here, the narrator speaks of his grandfather, who on his death bed told him, "I have been a traitor all my days," and when speaking about the whites said "overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction." The narrator reports that this is a huge difference from the point of view and character they believed this man had. I believe the grandfathers reasoning and intent was strange, but sound. I think that the white people of that time actually expected the blacks to act more unsophisticated, even animalistic, compared to themselves.  The grandfather did what they (the whites) proclaimed to want, which was being black and acting happy with his lot in life and acting civily.  However, the grandfather knew that deep down the whites' actual desires were different, even if they didnt know it themselves.  He beleieved they wanted the blacks to act poorly so that they could have a large group of people to look down upon (humans are selfish in nature). So, the grandfather acted how the whites proclaimed they wanted him to act, not because he was trying to be good, but because he was completely rebellious, wanting to undermine them in a new form of rebellion.

-Chad

Invisible Man Introduction (Rewrite)

Hello Everybody!

Tell me what you all think about this rewrite I wrote on Invisible Man's introduction. Thanks in advance.

"I am the struggling soul. No, I am not a sufferer like those given charity by the American Red Cross; nor am I one of your orphanage dwellers. I am a soul of pride, of success and goals, dreams and ambition- and I might even be said to work hard. I am struggling, understand, simply because I have neared the point of give up. Like the down-in-the-dumps one sees on the streets, it is as though I have been attacked by swords of negative disappointing energy. When I question myself, I ask only my inhibition, itself, or follies of my injuries- indeed everything and anything except me."

                                                       

-Sasan

Relating My "One Little Word" to "Jane Eyre"

For my one little word I wanted to pick something unique. I wanted to pick something that nobody else would pick. During my first stage of brainstorming, I started with some of my favorite words or words that make me happy. My list in my composition book looked like this...

-Sunshine
-Love
-Color
-Perfection
-Friend
-Journey
-Luck



My cousin's dogs and me in Illinois during Summer 2010.

 I had already brainstormed ideas for my top words (the ones listed in colors above). If I chose "friend," when we did an art project I would use a picture of a dog. And If I chose "luck," I would use the story of my late grandfather. However, in the end I chose the word COLOR. My table group and I agreed that it suited me well (after all I still love to color and do arts and crafts). So now it's time to connect it with Jane Eyre...

One would think that connecting Jane Eyre with the word COLOR would be a little difficult. While reading Jane Eyre tonight, I decided to take a break and comment on other teams' blogs. Then the idea just hit me. So here I am, being an overachiever and writing my blog one day early. Haha. Anyways, I only thought about my idea for about five minutes before I decided to turn it into this blog. At Lowood School, the school Jane attends and where she eventually teaches, Mr. Brocklehurst emphasizes conformity. All of the girls must look and dress the same. In addition, throughout the book Jane compares her plain clothing that she has from Lowood to the elegant "crimson velvet robes and shawl turbans of some gold-wrought Indian fabric" (Chapter 17) of the Eshton and Ingram families. However, in Jane Eyre, color is also important in the detailed descriptions of Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield Hall, and Morton. One of my favorite descriptions in the novel occurs in Chapter 9 when Jane describes the garden at Lowood during the spring. I can almost see "the borders of the little beds that were gay with pink thrift and crimson double daises." In addition, color is also important in the description of the red room at Gateshead in Chapter 2.

My word, COLOR, also had more of a connection to literature than I originally thought. I knew of color symbolism from English I and II but the concept skipped my mind when I picked my one little word. Here is a website all about color symbolism:

Color Symbolism Website (Scroll down a little to find the "Color Symbolism Chart" on the left side of the page)

For those of you reading Tess, does color symbolism play a role at all? (In class we already talked about the baptism of the baby and Tess's white nightgown). Are there any other pieces of literature you have read that use color symbolism?

-Shelby F.

Imperfection in Tess

“And it was the touch of imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity.”

-Tess Pg. 150

           

            In unknowing eyes, Tess seems perfect and innocent, embodying purity at its fullest. When Angel Clare saw Tess in this way, only speaking of her looks, I think Hardy was implying much more, expressing Clare’s lack of knowledge about Tess. Due to Alec D’Urbervilles previous defilement of Tess, she has become a whole new person, and though she looks the same, her purity is lost. When Tess tells Clare of this encounter, he claims he doesn’t love her anymore because she isn’t as real as she was before this knowledge came out, but I see it as the opposite.

            I really liked this quote because I think it portrays that nothing is truly perfect, no person, no relationship, or any idea. If something actually is perfect, it’s not real. Clare seems to think it’s possible to have such a relationship, but doesn’t realize that what he loves most about Tess is the “imperfect upon the would-be perfect”. If she were perfect, he probably wouldn’t love her the same. This portrays a man’s expectations of women in 19^th century society, how unfairly they can be treated, through Alec, and how wrongly they can be accused, even though in this situation it is the man being stubborn; Clare is unable to realize that he is in the wrong by leaving her, and by not seeing that the flaw is what makes Tess the woman he loves.

            Imperfection lets us know that we are real and living. As the quote states, it gives us our humanity.  Many qualities we have come from our imperfection, which is what attracts Clare to Tess. It is accepting those flaws that create what is real.
-Taylor C.