Breanne's Eng121 Blog

Things Fall Apart

2005-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of this, it is different to understand the way this culture lives and how the main character Okonkwo seems to hide a lot of his feelings about things, being that he is the head of the village, but scared to show anytime of feelings. The reason he doesn't show any type of feelings, is because he feels that is a sign of weakness to show anyone one feelings. But he shows happiness when he feels the need to such as when he won the wrestling match against The Cat, by being proud to be the chief of the village, having 3 wives and one he had won. It's very confussing.

It's seems for the Okonkwo he always seems to have problems, I see the reason why the title of this book is Things Fall Apart it seems that no matter what is done Okonkwo is depressed about something throughout this novel. Regardless how much he tries to improve life something bad happens. It's different to know about other cultures, and this is a book that shows it, learned a lot from it.

This somewhat reminds me as Antigone and The Yellow Wallpaper the reason I said this is because both of the main characters in theses two readings is just about the same as Okonkwo, trying to find themselves without help and being brave for what they have to deal with, and what life to be better for them.
But the outcome of this novel is not everything comes out the way you want it too regardless how hard you try to make life better there is always faults or something that stops your future plans.

The Invisible Man

2005-04-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to say that Ellison's book is a contempory of modern day life in today's society. The reason this is said is because much of the world is catgorized in many of different groups, which ideology plays a role within this, being that this is the 20th centuries, why do we still have are own little group, based on race, gender, and class you are. The Invisible Man shows that after reading that the problems he had also still happens today, I think that is how a person is raised, being that many of today's American have isolated themselves with diversity.

The reason I say this being a young American I seen alot being in many diversity communities growning up, it a shame that not many other young Americans my age have not be any type of diversity until the go to college or until the get out into the real world and live life on their own and it's crazy that they don't see this until the grown up.

Feel that Ellison's reason for calling the character the Invisible Man is because people didn't see him as a person they saw him for what color he was and treated him with disresepect without knowing the real person that he is, and that's one major example that today many of us still do, especially since September 11, we catgorize people based on what race they are and not for the real person they can truely be. That's what Ellison why trying to show, that regardless what year or how much people change that we will always look and judge someone based on a color. And yes there is still ideology with how we think of people, and why we judge people before we know them personally.

Ideology and House of Spirits

2005-03-30T07:06:00.000-08:00

Using ideaology with the House of Spirits, the first thing that seem odd about everyday life with me and the House of Spirits is the idea of silence. This was "mystifying" because the family accepted the silence of both Clara and Alba. The family didn't think of anything wrong with it. That is both of theses women, were in a silence mood for almost a year, not talkin to anyone just writing in a journal of there thoughts as they were some type of psychic.

But in my opinion if someone in my family or a close friend has this type of mood were there is no talking to anyone I would suspect that something is wrong or something horrifing that happened to that person. Another thing that is somewhat weird is how it happened to both Clara and Alba, it's not like they are mother and daughter but it was a similar in grandmother and granddaughter. I don't know what kind of -logy this would be called, being that you can't related this to today's living, because if this situation happen the person would been admitted into some type of mental hospital.

Antigone

2005-03-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

This reading was different, but it was very interesting to read. I enjoyed this even though it was a little difficult to understand the reading, as a reader. But it showed confidence, with Antigone being such a unfearful woman to go against Kreon's law. I love reading this being that it showed alot of determination about Antigone and many of women can agree, regardless of what she thought of Kreon's orders she was going to do what she thought was right. But another thing I liked was she told Kreon to his face what he was doing wrong for the country, knowing that no man nor woman who be able to have such confidence to face Kreon to give him a reality check of what he is really doing to the country under his power. I just think the whole book I enjoyed because it showed that women can be unfearful in anything, just because they are women does not mean we cannot out speak anyone or anything about the situation.

Duplessis

2005-03-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

Why are the words in your work so complex that it confusses the reader?

"Blood Wedding"

2005-02-10T11:55:00.000-08:00

This was a somewhat hyprocrit story within it's self. The reason I say this is because in the beginning the mother was worried about her son being killed by a knife, telling him that all the men who are in this family seem to be killed by the knife. But at the end of story she give her son "permission" to kill someone else with a knife when in the beginning she takes the knife away. It seems that the story contradicts itself.

Another was while reading this it remind me about other books read in the past, such as the affair that happened with Lenardo and the bride. To express his love for her and that he was willing to kill or die for her. It seem almost like this was one of Shakespare's work such as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. The story talkin about something that these character would die or kill for something they love, thats exactly what the characters in "Blood Wedding".

One point that I enjoyed was in class how we the class got to experience the little play dance about the "Blood Wedding". It showed the reader that you can do a play without talking and a show important points of the story with dancing and music and some vocals. This play was show that there was alot of emotion in this story if the reader did not catch in just reading the play and saw it watching the play.

"The Awakening"

2005-01-27T13:17:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying wow! After finishing read this novel I was shocked! This was good to read, I honestly thought that this would be a boring reading assignement, but it was not. Chopin definely caught her readers off in a different perspective, being that the novel was somewhat boring in the beginning, but as you continue to read it just get good all the way until the end. Also, with it being that it was a romance affair novel about a women(Enda) who was not satisfy with living with her husband(Leonce), as well it seems as if she did not enjoy in being a mother. This having a weird relationship with the affairs that Enda had, she did not feel guilty about loving someone else than her husband. In this book it seems that Enda was trying to find herself as the person she wanted to be, as well as doing that she did not like the outcome of it and went through some depression with her life. I think it was Chopin's idea to think that this book would end in a happy ending with Enda being happy and finding what she wanted in life, but that was not the case, the ending took a whole 360 twist. I see why Chopin calls her piece "The Awakening".

"The Yellow Wallpaper"

2005-01-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Honestly this reading assignement was boring. The reason this was boring is because the whole reading consist of this woman who is sick and stuck in a room with this weird yellow wallpaper. She goes into too much detail about this yellow wallpaper throughout this room she is confine to. It's understandable being that she is sick and there is not much to do, but the description she gives about this ugly yellow wallpaper, which was boring to have her go into so much detail about wallpaper. I did not like reading this, it just dragged on about some wallpaper in a old victorian home. So I don't have much to say about this.

I guess that is the author's whole idea behind this story is to have the reader bored but understand why, this character is living this way. Didn't really this much about what the author was thinking until I finished, but this help relate to other aspects in the future, when reading something you don't understand, to think maybe thats the authors whole idea is to confuss you or to not understand why the author wanted to establish this kind of text..it's just leaves the reading confussed.

Douglass

2005-01-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

In my opinion Douglass' narrative was very interesting to read, the reason being is that it was his own autobiography of himself, which he wrote himself being that he was a slave, which slaves are not taught to read or write. This was very good. For Douglass to write this narrative, he definely caught my attention with going into so much detail about the terrible life he lived as a slave and what it is like from a first hand experience. Another thing that is attracts the reader is the determination that Douglass has a slave, to complete the goal he want in life. That to me seem to what got my attention to enjoy reading this narrative, also not knowing much what really happen to slaves and their autobiography, what is truely like. I would recommand anyone to read this get a better perspective about the life of a slave.
Another fact is that regardless of Douglass he did not let people discriminate what he is capable of doing and what he is not, just because he is slave that something good can come from him and he won't no one stop him from what he can do and what he wants to do. This showed that he had many future plans of what he can do. And show what he capable of doing with many people telling him he could not, but producing his own biblography for someone who taught himself everything.