Sunday, March 29, 2009
Opinions on blogging
To my surprise, I found blogging to be a really great experience overall. I'd never done anything like it before and I think it's an easy and productive way to submit assignments. It's great for all of us to be able to share our writing because we get to hear different opinions on the literature that we read and we are able to see things from different perspectives. I also think that having your own blog makes your writing a lot more personal and original. I feel that it's a unique type of community. I hope we can continue to do this throughout the rest of the year.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
F. Scott Fitzgerald Quotes
Throughout his lifetime, F. Scott Fitzgerald made many interesting and original quotes. Many of these quotes relate to his novel, The Great Gatsby, and many of his views about life are expressed through the characters in his novel.
"That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton…I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works."
I believe that this quote is represented in the novel through the narrator Nick. Although Nick is not poor by any means, his affluence pales in comparison to those living around him, especially Gatsby. In West Egg, Nick is just a man trying to get by selling bonds. West Egg is the "poorer" of the two islands, and Nick always seems to be watching the luxurious lives of the inhabitants of East Egg from the outside looking in.
“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.”
I think that in this quote Fitzgerald is trying to say that all success in life comes from taking a chance, even if that chance could potentially lead to danger. He expresses this belief through his character Gatsby. What Gatsby does for a living is illegal, and he knows that he could get caught. He takes this risk because he wants to be successful and he believes in the American dream that anyone can gain fame and fortune if they work hard enough. In Gatsby's opinion, the riches outweigh the danger.
“A great social success is a pretty girl who plays her cards as carefully as if she were plain.”
In this quote, Fitzgerald instructing his daughter about a quality that he believes women should have. He is saying that a woman who knows she's beautiful shouldn't act like she knows she's beautiful. This quality is best displayed through the character Daisy. Daisy knows she is a pretty woman and she is aware that men are attracted to her, but she never flat out speaks of her beauty and never comes across as too wise. She knows that there is a certain way that women of her social class are expected to behave.
"That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton…I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works."
I believe that this quote is represented in the novel through the narrator Nick. Although Nick is not poor by any means, his affluence pales in comparison to those living around him, especially Gatsby. In West Egg, Nick is just a man trying to get by selling bonds. West Egg is the "poorer" of the two islands, and Nick always seems to be watching the luxurious lives of the inhabitants of East Egg from the outside looking in.
“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.”
I think that in this quote Fitzgerald is trying to say that all success in life comes from taking a chance, even if that chance could potentially lead to danger. He expresses this belief through his character Gatsby. What Gatsby does for a living is illegal, and he knows that he could get caught. He takes this risk because he wants to be successful and he believes in the American dream that anyone can gain fame and fortune if they work hard enough. In Gatsby's opinion, the riches outweigh the danger.
“A great social success is a pretty girl who plays her cards as carefully as if she were plain.”
In this quote, Fitzgerald instructing his daughter about a quality that he believes women should have. He is saying that a woman who knows she's beautiful shouldn't act like she knows she's beautiful. This quality is best displayed through the character Daisy. Daisy knows she is a pretty woman and she is aware that men are attracted to her, but she never flat out speaks of her beauty and never comes across as too wise. She knows that there is a certain way that women of her social class are expected to behave.
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Great Gatsby Journal
In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates some very interesting characters. Quotes from these characters often reveal a lot about their personalities and the roles that they play in the book.
"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." -Nick Carraway
I believe that Nick's assessment of himself is accurate to an extent. For the most part, he is indeed honest. He's a very good narrator because he doesn't twist the details of the story to try to make himself or anyone else seem like something they are not. He simply states the things that he observes, the events that he witnesses, and the emotions that he feels. However, the flaw in Nick's statement is shown exactly at the time when he makes it. He has a relationship with a girl back home, whom he is no longer interested in, and is afraid to break it off. This makes the reader wonder just how honest he really is. Is he actually a coward for not being up front about the issue?
"So I turned my head away and wept and said 'All right, I'm glad it's a girl and I hope she'll be a fool'--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy
This quote raises a few issues. First, it seems to suggest that even in the 1920s, when the United States was becoming more modern, it was still seen as "better" or "more honorable" to have a boy. However, to make such a statement is a little overly dramatic, as is Daisy's character. It seems as if she's telling this to Nick because she wants him to feel sorry for her, but I don't believe that she has anything to feel sorry about. Many people would be happy to have a healthy baby girl. Daisy tries to make her life seem more tragic and difficult than it really is.
"This idea is that were Nordics...and we've produced all the things that go to make civilization, science and art and all that."- Tom Buchanan
Tom is definately the most stereotypical character that Fitzgerald creates. He is a proud, arrogant man who gets most of his pride from his great physical strength. Like many men of his time, he believes in white superiority, so much that he reads books about it. I found this a little strange because Tom does not seem like the kind of person who really reads much at all. Any educated person knows that his statement is untrue, science and art come from all over the world. It makes a reader wonder why fitgerald chose to put this type of character in his story and what he will represent later.
Link to my wordle http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/657726/Untitled
"I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known." -Nick Carraway
I believe that Nick's assessment of himself is accurate to an extent. For the most part, he is indeed honest. He's a very good narrator because he doesn't twist the details of the story to try to make himself or anyone else seem like something they are not. He simply states the things that he observes, the events that he witnesses, and the emotions that he feels. However, the flaw in Nick's statement is shown exactly at the time when he makes it. He has a relationship with a girl back home, whom he is no longer interested in, and is afraid to break it off. This makes the reader wonder just how honest he really is. Is he actually a coward for not being up front about the issue?
"So I turned my head away and wept and said 'All right, I'm glad it's a girl and I hope she'll be a fool'--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."- Daisy
This quote raises a few issues. First, it seems to suggest that even in the 1920s, when the United States was becoming more modern, it was still seen as "better" or "more honorable" to have a boy. However, to make such a statement is a little overly dramatic, as is Daisy's character. It seems as if she's telling this to Nick because she wants him to feel sorry for her, but I don't believe that she has anything to feel sorry about. Many people would be happy to have a healthy baby girl. Daisy tries to make her life seem more tragic and difficult than it really is.
"This idea is that were Nordics...and we've produced all the things that go to make civilization, science and art and all that."- Tom Buchanan
Tom is definately the most stereotypical character that Fitzgerald creates. He is a proud, arrogant man who gets most of his pride from his great physical strength. Like many men of his time, he believes in white superiority, so much that he reads books about it. I found this a little strange because Tom does not seem like the kind of person who really reads much at all. Any educated person knows that his statement is untrue, science and art come from all over the world. It makes a reader wonder why fitgerald chose to put this type of character in his story and what he will represent later.
Link to my wordle http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/657726/Untitled
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Julia Ward Howe
A Wild Night
http://books.google.com/books?id=Af4EAAAAYAAJ&dq=later%2Blyrics%2Bhowe&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=a4FCdWRefT&sig=JI8C5IkIq2yCDb-ToO3e0YFGTIQ#PPA256,M1
1. Julia Ward Howe was a writer, activist, and abolitionist. She was born in 1819 and died in 1910. She composed many of her writings during the time of abolition and the Civil War. In her poem A Wild Night, Howe creates a battle scene not with guns and cannons, but with the forces of nature. It seems as if the land itself is being affected by the war, as the sea, sky, wind, and clouds are all in a state of chaos. I think that Howe chose to write her poem this way to show how the war influences everyone, not just the soldiers who are fighting on the front.
2. The rhythm and rhyme of the poem help to make it more powerful. Howe uses a lot of imagery and makes the reader feel like the are experiencing the scene themselves. The feeling that I believe the reader feels the most is despair. In the poem, God is just looking down at all of the dark events that are happening and seems to be almost powerless to stop any of it. The speaker prays for protection, but is not certain that their prayer will be heard.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_Proclamation
Howe's Mothers Day Proclamation was a speech against violence, especially the two wars which had recently occurred, the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Howe believed that women had an obligation to society to maintain peace. She says that women should not praise men who love war or glorify their actions. Her message is very different from those who view soldiers as brave and heroic. As a reader, I found this viewpoint very interesting and unique.
4. Julia Ward Howe's works are very American because they strongly reflect the social and political issues of her time. Abolition, pacifism, and equal rights for women were very common themes in the period when most of Howe's works were written. The imagery she uses is also very American because it describes the land of the nation.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Af4EAAAAYAAJ&dq=later%2Blyrics%2Bhowe&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=a4FCdWRefT&sig=JI8C5IkIq2yCDb-ToO3e0YFGTIQ#PPA256,M1
1. Julia Ward Howe was a writer, activist, and abolitionist. She was born in 1819 and died in 1910. She composed many of her writings during the time of abolition and the Civil War. In her poem A Wild Night, Howe creates a battle scene not with guns and cannons, but with the forces of nature. It seems as if the land itself is being affected by the war, as the sea, sky, wind, and clouds are all in a state of chaos. I think that Howe chose to write her poem this way to show how the war influences everyone, not just the soldiers who are fighting on the front.
2. The rhythm and rhyme of the poem help to make it more powerful. Howe uses a lot of imagery and makes the reader feel like the are experiencing the scene themselves. The feeling that I believe the reader feels the most is despair. In the poem, God is just looking down at all of the dark events that are happening and seems to be almost powerless to stop any of it. The speaker prays for protection, but is not certain that their prayer will be heard.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_Proclamation
Howe's Mothers Day Proclamation was a speech against violence, especially the two wars which had recently occurred, the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War. Howe believed that women had an obligation to society to maintain peace. She says that women should not praise men who love war or glorify their actions. Her message is very different from those who view soldiers as brave and heroic. As a reader, I found this viewpoint very interesting and unique.
4. Julia Ward Howe's works are very American because they strongly reflect the social and political issues of her time. Abolition, pacifism, and equal rights for women were very common themes in the period when most of Howe's works were written. The imagery she uses is also very American because it describes the land of the nation.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kate Chopin and American Realsism
The author who I chose to read about for this assignment is Kate Chopin. Chopin's writings came about in a very pivotal time in American literature. Romanticism was ending and Realism was beginning. While the Romantics created almost fantasy-like worlds in which they could slip away from reality, Realists used writing to expose the cruelties and injustices of the world for what they were. As I read Kate Chopin's works, I saw that she used elements from both of these styles of writing.
In A Pair of Silk Stockings, a woman suddenly finds herself in what is practically a fairy tale. She has enough money to buy what she needs and also things that she simply desires. As she gives in to each temptation, she falls more and more into a dream-like state that she wishes would never end. The feeling that the story gives readers is similar to that of the stories of the Romantics. However, there is a fundamental difference. The woman in the story is not really wealthy. She is not really one of the women who can regularly indulge in the luxuries she has been allowed to experience for one day. This is where the reality sets in. Chopin describes the world that every woman of her time longed to live in, and then shows just how few got to actually experience it.
Lilacs, another short story by Chopin, is an example of the harsh ways in which the women of her time were judged. The main character, Adrienne, almost has two identities. One is the kind, respectable woman that she is seen as by everyone at the convent she visits every year. The other is the eccentric mistress she is viewed as by her servant Sophie. Adrienne does not tell Sophie why she leaves every year, most likely because she knows the nuns would never approve of her seeing a man who is not her husband. When they discover her secret, she is forbidden to return to the convent. Some may say that she was living a life of sin, but I believe that she was simply a woman living in a society with a very strict moral code. Chopin shows the harsh punishments given to whoever broke that code. This was the reality of the world in which she lived.
In A Pair of Silk Stockings, a woman suddenly finds herself in what is practically a fairy tale. She has enough money to buy what she needs and also things that she simply desires. As she gives in to each temptation, she falls more and more into a dream-like state that she wishes would never end. The feeling that the story gives readers is similar to that of the stories of the Romantics. However, there is a fundamental difference. The woman in the story is not really wealthy. She is not really one of the women who can regularly indulge in the luxuries she has been allowed to experience for one day. This is where the reality sets in. Chopin describes the world that every woman of her time longed to live in, and then shows just how few got to actually experience it.
Lilacs, another short story by Chopin, is an example of the harsh ways in which the women of her time were judged. The main character, Adrienne, almost has two identities. One is the kind, respectable woman that she is seen as by everyone at the convent she visits every year. The other is the eccentric mistress she is viewed as by her servant Sophie. Adrienne does not tell Sophie why she leaves every year, most likely because she knows the nuns would never approve of her seeing a man who is not her husband. When they discover her secret, she is forbidden to return to the convent. Some may say that she was living a life of sin, but I believe that she was simply a woman living in a society with a very strict moral code. Chopin shows the harsh punishments given to whoever broke that code. This was the reality of the world in which she lived.
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