Weblog Entry 11

          Throughout “The Things they Carried”, there were numerous mentions of the weight or burden of the intangible. By experiences of the soldiers during the war, effectively expressed how the intangible things are often heavier and harder to deal with than objects. I think the main factors that proved this point were love and imagination.

           Love of a burden for Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, who was the main character. This negative aspect of love was not present in the start but Lieutenant Cross was able to realize this by the end of the story. His love for Martha had always been a fantasy. He was aware of the fact that his love wasn’t returned but he still worried about her relationships with her men and her virginity. He regretted about the things he had done in the past and wished to change them for the better. His constant obsession for her and his knowing of the truth that his obsession will not have a positive outcome proves that his love is a burden. Also, when one of his men died, he realizes that he had been neglecting his role as a leader because of his “love life”. This was not only a burden for him but also his men. In the text it says “and now Ted Lavender was dead because he loved her so much and could not stop thinking about her.” This shows his guilt or the heavy weight in his heart for his lack of responsibility. By the very end, he thinks to himself, “He would dispense with love; it was not now a factor.”

            Anyone imagines about their fate in war, and it can really change the way people think and see things. In the story it describes that “Imagination was a killer.” When Strunk was chosen for the tunnel duty, the rest of his “buddies” had to just sit and wait, half expecting a scream, but hoping for him to come back with all four limbs. As they waited for him, all sorts of thoughts went through their heads about possibilities and different situations. They were scared and worried and their imaginations added to the effect. It can really control you. Like the situation in the story, if the imaginations were unpleasant, it can really come to pressure and burden people since there is always something at the back of people’s minds that makes them uncomfortable and worry until they break down emotionally.

Weblog Entry 10

In Gryphon, describe three ways Baxter intertwines the conventional and unconventional and for what purpose this interplay is used.
From reading "Gryphon", in class we came to a conclusion that Mr.Hibbler represented normalcy and Ms. Ferenczi represents the unusual. The first time the concentional and unconventional clash is when Ms. Ferenzci is about to start her lesson as a substitute teacher. On of the students stop her and tell her that "Mr. Hibbler always starts the day with the Pledge of Allegiance." However, Ms. Ferenzci responds, "No, no allegiance-pledging on the premises today, by my reckoning." She avoids the usual classroom atmosphere to fit her own. This is the first account of the children being steered away from their habitual schedule in school.

The second accout of the clash is when the children are learing arithmetic. When one of her students make a mistake by saying that six times six is sixty-eight, Ms. Ferenzci doesn't stop to correct him. When the children point it out, she replies by saying, "But, and I know some people will not entirely agree with me, at some times it is sixty-eight." This totally confuses the children as it is not what they had been taught by Mr.Hibbler. The children are taught the "substitute fact" that six times six is sixty-eight. I think Ms. Ferenzci wanted the children to think outside of the box and be open minded to learn and try things new to them. The children are facinated by the new fact.

The last example is when Ms. Ferenzci shares her view on death to her chidlren. Before she starts arithmetic, she tells the children, "There is no death," and that the students "must never be afraid. never. That which is, cannot die. It will change into different earthly and unearthyly elements," Afterwards, the children "absentmindedly" did their arithmetic problems. What she had told them was completely different to their beliefs. When she comes back in december, she tells the fortune of a student called Wayne. When Wayne finds out that he is destined to die soon, Ms. Ferenzci breaks the news to him in an unusual matter. She says, "But do not fear" and "It is not really daeth. Just change". Her reactions to his destiny is very different to what the ideal reaction would've been and it not only takes Wayne off guard but probably the rest of the class. Their idea about death was not the same as the Ms. Ferenczi's.

I think Baxter's main purpose of this interplay was the show the effects of what new ideas or imaginations can do to order in one's mind. Everytime Ms. Ferenczi had an input of her mind and ideas in the class, the children first opposed to the idea but came to partially agree with it, which causes them to become creative. It sets them out of the cage of normalcy that Mr.Hibbler and other teacher in their past have locked them in.

Weblog Entry 9

In a story about the Das Family and their taxi driver while on vacation, do you believe Jhumpa Lahiri constructed a hopeful story? Or otherwise?

Although there is no wrong or right answer to this response, I think Lahiri has constructed a story that is the opposite of being hopeful. Since Mrs. Das was the main cause of the important problems stated in the story I think she is responsible for the unhopeful story and its negative ending. Firstly, Mrs. Das’s dark intention of befriending Mr. Kapasi and her true personality is relieved. Before Mrs. Das requests Mr. Kapasi for a remedy to her malady, she acts in a friendly manner towards him, and all along, I think she was interested in Mr. Kapasi for her own benefit. When Mr. Kapasi finally gives his words of wisdom, “She opened her mouth to say something but as she glared at Mr. Kapasi sine certain knowledge seemed to pass before her eyes, and she stopped.”. At this point, it shows that Mrs. Das is showing her disappointment to his remedy because it is an answer that she did not want. This indicates that she has not learned her lesson yet because she is unwilling to accept the truth but wants to be comforted about her actions, which does not deserve it. When the Das family becomes aware that Bobby has gone missing, no one but Mrs. Das seems to care. Mr. Das says and asks “I don’t know. Ronny, where’s Bobby?”. This line tells me that Mr. Das doesn’t care about where his son may be and passes on the responsibility to his young Ronny. Mrs. Das states “God, let’s get out of here,” and “This place gives me the creeps.” It indicates the place never set a good impression on her. Lastly, when it says “Mr. Kapasi’s address on it fluttered away in the wind. No one but Mr. Kapasi noticed.” It resembles the relationship between Mr. Kapasi and Mrs. Das. Mr. Kapasi was just a piece of paper that could be disposed anytime for Mrs. Das except for the times when he was useful to her. Overall, I think the story shows an example of a family that is held together by something other than love, such as guilt in the case of Mrs. Das or obligation in the case of Mr. Das as it seems like he thinks it’s necessary to place the role of a father, not have the heart of one.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

How does Jhumpa Lahiri use the minor action and subtle details to express the unmet needs of the characters?

I think this story has a lot to do with symbolism and depictions. There are various minor actions and subtle details that express the unmet needs of the characters. Tina’s way of handling her doll shows that Tina lacks the opportunity to show her emotions and speak out her mind. In the story, we are able to find out that the doll’s hair was cut short, just like Mrs. Das. I think Tina lacks the love that she needs from her mother therefore she replaces her mother with the doll. The overall impatient and snobby attitude and actions of Mrs. Das tells the reader what is going on in her life. Mrs. Das’s life lacks the adventure and youthfulness that she wants so she shows her discontent through her actions, which eventually became her personality. I think she is quite young to be tied down by her kids therefore she needs occasional freedom. At the beginning of the story, it says that Mrs. Das was wearing her sunglasses. However, when she started talking to Mr. Kapasi, she takes her sunglasses off. This shows that Mrs. Das has a need of attention. By her taking off her sunglasses, it shows that she feels the necessity of opening up to others to get the attention she needs as herself. Not as a mother or the wife of Mr. Das. Lastly, Mr. Kapasi’s unconscious action of staring at the naked bodies in the temple show that he has unmet needs within his personal relationships. I assumed that it wasn’t the first time for Mr. Kapasi to be seeing the naked bodies or to be thinking of the unaffectionate relationship he has for his wife. He needs love and attention, but that need is unmet. 

Weblog Entry 7

Why are writers driven to write, according to Tobias Wolff? Also, what does Wolff say should be our motivation in reading short stories?

Tobias Wolff gives evidence throught different parts of the text to identify the reason to why writers are driven to write. Firstly, he states one of his own opinions saying "Seldom have I been more hungry for a sign of favor." This shows that as a writer, even a little favor from his readers encourages him to write and gain confidence, soon looking for more favor. Also, Wolff writes "It's a gracious moment when you meet one." when he talks about finding a reader that has equal passion as the writer about the book. In my opinion, authors in general look foward to sharing emotions with her audience through their words. near the beginning of the text, the author describes writing as "the social act of a solitary man.". This shows how powerful words can be, since even a solitary man would use it to convey his emotions and opinions. It's almost like another langauge that the author can be fluent at.

There are various motivations for us in erading short stories. I think they are mostly linked to emotional connections. Firstly, Wolff mentions "that sense of kinship is what makes stories important to us.". This explains how stories and people that appear in it can become so attached to us we will want to read more. Through short stories, we feel extreme emotions, sometimes emotions don't come across our lives very often. We can feel "outraged, exposed, in danger of heartbreak and change." and these feelings given motivate the audience to read more and get a sense of those emtional levels. It sometimes become seared to our memoires. Positive memories can change a person, who will be motivated to read more and mature as a reader.

Weblog entry after reading "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant"

Questions: Describe a time you had divided interests. How did one interest win out over the other(s)? What factors came into play?
Also, how does the author foreshadow that the protagonist will be unsuccessful at wooing Sheila Mant?

There are many times that I had divided interest due to the lack of my ability to concentrate on one thing. The most common occasion is when I’m sitting in a math classroom. For some odd reason, my other interests in my head conflict with my “interest” in math. I guess it’s wrong to say that I have an interest in math. It’s more like I’m interested in getting good grades and doing well in school. However, my constant daydreaming doesn’t seem to cope with my “mathematical interests”. Whenever an important lecture is going on about what will come out in the next big exam, the same pattern in my head repeats like any other day in math class. It all starts off with my head putting all its attention to what the teachers saying, but after a few minutes, the interest moves to what the teacher is wearing, then to what I might want to wear tomorrow, moving on to what I want to buy when I go shopping next time. The distraction goes on, and stops when I realize that I wasn’t understanding what I was hearing from the teacher and that the math exam wasn’t going to be very easy for me.

Wetherell foreshadows that the protagonist will be unsuccessful at wooing Sheila Mant through various part of his story. When the author wrote “There was a summer in my life when the only creature that seemed lovelier to me than a largemouth bass was Sheila Mant., it indicates that the summer was only the past. There was only one time when Shelia Mant seemed lovely to him. Shelia Mant’s attitude towards the author proved that she would never be too interested with him. The author’s “best tucks and dives” did not attract her attention. She is described as “approachable, but barely, and it was only in those glorious moments”, telling the reader that it was already hard for the author to even approach her. It seemed as if the author worshipped Shelia Mant who was a Goddess that never cared about it.

No News from Auschwitz

I think the writer had various reasons to why he would title the article as “No News from Auschwitz”. Firstly, I think the Rosenthal has purposely made the title ironic in order to gain attention from readers. The phrase “no new” indicates that they is nothing new or nothing new to report on about Auschwitz. However, the writer decides to write a long article about the place. The second possible implication that the writer might have had was to indicate that Brzezinka still remains to be the horrible place it was in the past. To support his title, Rosenthal describes the place throughout the whole article. He also mentions people’s reaction towards the area. Phrases such as “mass exterminations” and “suffocation dungeons” definitely add to the effect. The writers third implication is to tell the reader beforehand that he is not writing to tell them anything new. The phrase “No News” indicates that there has been some acknowledgment about the area before. Rosenthal’s purpose was to remind his readers about the horrors of Brzezinka and let them know about the people who suffered in the past. The last implication is very minor but I think it is a possibility. The phrase “No News” indirectly signifies that the place is abandoned and quiet, which was exactly the way Brzezinka seemed to be. I the article made me imagine Brzezinka as a lonely abandoned area that people didn’t want to be reminded of.

In my opinion, the article belongs in the “Opinions” section. Whether his article may be fiction or non-fiction, his writing shows the opinions the tourists had of Brzezinka. There is a big possibility that this article was written as a narrative to voice his opinions through the characters introduced in the story. I think his opinion represents the readers’ after they read the article too. He wrote “It all seemed frighteningly wrong,”, which definitely sounds like an opinion, seeing that he word “seemed” was used. It shows uncertainty from the person that is writing the article.

Memoire Wordle

Comparing "Hair" and " Theme For English B"

A topic that influenced both "Hair" by Malcolm X and "Theme For English B" is the racist society around the time that both authors lived in. Their writing was affectected by it because the theme for both is racial identity, or finding a place in society as a coloured man. However, the theme is treated differently between the two pieces. "Hair" exaplains or signifies that the author was in the state of trying to fit in society and denying his racial identity in a way. He feels that it is neccessary for him to change his appearence to get a right spot in society. On the other hand, "Theme for English B" has explained that the author acknowleges that their places in society are considered different, but knows that his appearence should not change the way that he is treated. He shows less effort to fit in. He is aware of the fact that the African Americans are still a part of Caucasian Americans.

Reflections on "Hair" by Malcolm X

1.     I think Malcolm X alters the tone of the piece at the end to make a clear distinction between his past and present thoughts. The last paragraph of the memoire was supposed to conclude his experience of getting his hair dyed. His purpose was to show that he no longer agreed with his actions in the past. The change in his tone signifies his change in thought and view in life. It’s like he was ashamed of himself for changing his hair color.

2.     Firstly, when I first read the memoire, I assumed that Malcolm X would be a strong Christian. After learning that he had established his own Muslim organization, I was surprised but this stilled proved that his beliefs were strong for his religion. I never had a pleasant opinion about Malcolm X even though I never knew him. The informal language in the memoire made that first impression worse. However, after reading about his change in belief when he was betrayed by the person he looked up to, my impression of became more positive. Reading his biography didn’t have a big change on my understanding on my story. It was hard for me to make a connection between the changes of his beliefs to his realization of the fact that black people should be happy the way they are. I can make connections between his change in opinion about dying his hair in the past and his change in opinion about NOI. It was hard to find a direct connection for me to have a better understanding in anyway.

Reflections on "By Any Other Name" by Santha Rama Rau

After reading "By Any Other Name" parts of the memoire show that names, despite your surroundings, do matter. Although one can make separate identities by their name they are entitled to, their roots will always bring them back to who they were in the beginning. Santha Rama Rau proves this points through various aspects of her memoire. Santha's sister Premila expresses that she no longer wants to be in community with her as Pamela at lunch. Nalini, also called Nancy, is an example of a person with dual personality. However, the story mentions in the end that even though Nalini was Nancy on the outside, she still missed her Indian culture. As for Premila, her roots show up when she and her Indian friends were mistreated  as cheaters. "You can bury a dog's tail for seven years and it still comes out curly, and you can take Britisher away from his home for a lifetime and he still remains insular" is a quote mentioned in the memoire. This is an insight to human nature that talks about how the origin and heart of someone cannot be changed permamentely.

I had a the same ideas as the Santha Rama Rau. I think that my surroundings will never be able to have a permanent  effect on me mentally. If I ever come across with a new culture, therefore somewhat a new name or identity, I'll most likely go along with it. Being someone else, and having dual personalities will definitely happen. However as time goes my, aspects of my real self will start to show, and as I fit in to the new culture, I'll be back to my roots once again. New surroundings can take people off guard and often insecure, but once they realize that they can be themselves again, they'll be back on track.