Louise Erdrich’s writing gives readers a glimpse into the Native American world. Erdrich utilizes the traditions and history of her people to portray Native American life on a reservation. Her insider perspective adds authenticity, but it is her unique writing style that illustrates more detail to the reader. Her writing style is influenced by her heritage, and in this way sets her apart from other writers both in subject and in her entire approach to conveying her stories.
In the article “Introduction to American Indian Literatures,” A. Lavonne Brown Ruoff discusses the difference between Native American and typical Western style writing and story telling. Ruoff explains, “breath, speech and verbal art are so closely linked to each other that in many oral cultures they are often signified by the same word (185).” Erdrich writes her stories as if they are being spoken out loud to the reader, in a dialect that seems familiar. When the reader is introduced to Lipsha Morrissey, we learn of his special talents. “I know the tricks of mind and body inside out without ever having trained for it, because I got the touch. It’s a thing you got to be born with. I got secrets in my hands that nobody ever knew to ask. (231)” The grammar she uses here is incorrect, yet she uses it as a tool to make Lipsha seem more authentic. Lipsha is a character that never to school outside the reservation, therefore his language skills are evident of his lack of formal education. His tone also seems as if he is talking right to the reader, almost whispering a story in their ear, rather than having a story written about a fictional character.
Erdrich uses the art of the written word as a canvas to share her culture. Whereas in Native American culture, oral tradition is a big part of their history; modern America has devalued oral tradition and placed more emphasis on the written word. In order to transition over, Erdrich writes in the same cryptic style, as an elder Native American would tell a story to younger generations. She uses metaphors, and conflicting points of view to influence writing with her background. When the character Lyman Lamartine begins to tell his story, she utilizes her unique style to introduce him. He tells, “We owned it together until his boots filled with water on a windy night and he bought out my share. Now Henry owns the whole car, and his younger brother Lyman (that’s myself), Lyman walks everywhere he goes. (181)” Erdrich’s story telling ability is enhanced by her ability to become a character, instead of just writing about one.
Another Native American author, Simon Ortiz Acoma elaborates on the Native American oral tradition. He explains, “The oral tradition is not just speaking and listening, because what it means to me and other people who have grown up in that tradition is that whole process…of that society in terms of its history, its culture, its language, its values, and subsequently its literature. (184)” Louise Erdrich is a skilled author, who delivers beautiful prose to readers, illustrating the unfamiliar world of Native Americans.
Word count: 524
Works cited:
Ruoff, A. Lavonne Brown. “Introduction to American Indian Literatures.”
Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. New York: Harper Collins. 1984.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Breath, Eyes, Memory
In “Breath, Eyes, Memory” Edwidge Danticat gives the reader a glimpse into the horrors that have been happening in Haiti for over 200 years. After a slave rebellion in 1804, Haiti became the first independent state in Latin America. But independence did not lead to better times for the Haitian people. Haiti suffered under a wide range of violent dictators, enduring poverty, coups, and random acts of violence. In the book, there are a few scenes in which Danticat illustrates the fear and horror of life in Haiti.
On the day that Sophie is supposed to fly to America, there is a riot going on near the airport. Students were throwing rocks at soldiers, and “They scurried to avoid the tear gas and the round of bullets that the soldiers shot back at them. (34)” One of the students ran down the hill and grabbed a soldier, he “raised his pistol and pounded it on top of her head. She fell to the ground, her face covered in her own blood. (34)” This awful scene, witnessed by young Sophie, was not uncommon for Haiti. They have been through over 30 government coups, and some of the most brutal dictatorships in history. This violence against civilians, and the rioting of the students were spurned by the government instability, and the dire economic status of the country.
When Sophie goes back to Haiti to visit her grandmother, she accompanies her to the market. Here, they encounter Tonton-Macoutes, or national security volunteers, a semi militia set up by Francis Duvalier to protect himself from a military overthrow. These Macoutes carried weapons and would inflict violence on innocent people for any reason. In the market, one macoute yells to a vendor, “My foot, you see, you stepped on it! (118)” He then “rammed the back of his machine gun into the coal vendor’s ribs. (118)” Eventually the coal vendor was killed when more macoutes joined in. This passage is an example of the constant fear the people lived in of being killed or injured for any reason, or no reason at all.
One of the worst problems brought on by the political turmoil and the creation of the Tonton-Macoutes was the random rapes of women. Sophie tells the reader that regular criminals disguise themselves in the night, “But the macoutes, they did not hide. When they entered a house, they asked to be fed, demanded the woman of the house, and forced her into her own bedroom. (139)” Sophie and her family were directly affected by this, as her own mother was raped, most likely by a macoute. The rape shattered her mother. She attempted to kill herself multiple times during pregnancy and right after, and eventually leading to her suicide later in life.
In “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” Danticat doesn’t focus the main story on the horrors of living in Haiti, yet all of her characters are definitely scarred and affected for their entire lives. Today, there is still conflict going on in Haiti, and many Haitians come to the U.S. just as Sophie and her mother did, to escape all of the violence, poverty, and uncertainty of living in an unstable country.
Sources:
“Haiti.” Flashpoints: Guide to World Conflict.
Rourke, John T. “Continued Violence and Conflict in Haiti: The link between poverty and security” McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2005.
word count: 529
On the day that Sophie is supposed to fly to America, there is a riot going on near the airport. Students were throwing rocks at soldiers, and “They scurried to avoid the tear gas and the round of bullets that the soldiers shot back at them. (34)” One of the students ran down the hill and grabbed a soldier, he “raised his pistol and pounded it on top of her head. She fell to the ground, her face covered in her own blood. (34)” This awful scene, witnessed by young Sophie, was not uncommon for Haiti. They have been through over 30 government coups, and some of the most brutal dictatorships in history. This violence against civilians, and the rioting of the students were spurned by the government instability, and the dire economic status of the country.
When Sophie goes back to Haiti to visit her grandmother, she accompanies her to the market. Here, they encounter Tonton-Macoutes, or national security volunteers, a semi militia set up by Francis Duvalier to protect himself from a military overthrow. These Macoutes carried weapons and would inflict violence on innocent people for any reason. In the market, one macoute yells to a vendor, “My foot, you see, you stepped on it! (118)” He then “rammed the back of his machine gun into the coal vendor’s ribs. (118)” Eventually the coal vendor was killed when more macoutes joined in. This passage is an example of the constant fear the people lived in of being killed or injured for any reason, or no reason at all.
One of the worst problems brought on by the political turmoil and the creation of the Tonton-Macoutes was the random rapes of women. Sophie tells the reader that regular criminals disguise themselves in the night, “But the macoutes, they did not hide. When they entered a house, they asked to be fed, demanded the woman of the house, and forced her into her own bedroom. (139)” Sophie and her family were directly affected by this, as her own mother was raped, most likely by a macoute. The rape shattered her mother. She attempted to kill herself multiple times during pregnancy and right after, and eventually leading to her suicide later in life.
In “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” Danticat doesn’t focus the main story on the horrors of living in Haiti, yet all of her characters are definitely scarred and affected for their entire lives. Today, there is still conflict going on in Haiti, and many Haitians come to the U.S. just as Sophie and her mother did, to escape all of the violence, poverty, and uncertainty of living in an unstable country.
Sources:
“Haiti.” Flashpoints: Guide to World Conflict.
Rourke, John T. “Continued Violence and Conflict in Haiti: The link between poverty and security” McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2005.
word count: 529
Friday, October 30, 2009
Poisonwood Bible
Multiple narration is a tedious way for an author to write a novel, but in the end provides a rewarding result. It is tedious work simply because, the author must pretend to take on the thoughts, feelings, and idiosyncrasies of multiple people. To be able to do novel using multiple narration justice, the author must hone in on exactly how they want each character to be read and thought of by the reader. In “The Poisonwood Bible,” Barbara Kingsolver uses five narrators, a tremendous task, to tell the tale of the Price family in Africa.
If writing a story is compared to painting a picture for the reader, then multiple narration is similar to an authors ability to add whole new shades of color or detail to the picture. In an interview with Harper Collins publishing, Kingsolver discusses her use of five narrators. She said that she chose five narrators “because it was necessary to the theme of this novel.” She explains that “the four sisters and Orleanna represent five different philosophical positions.” To be able to do justice to the story for the reader, she might have felt that no one narrator could portray the spectrum of emotions and viewpoints she wanted to represent.
One example of Kingsolver using her narrators was when the village was run through by ants. All four daughters have a short narration describing their experience in the event. Leah describes the horror she felt, “I stared hard at the ballooning pink reflection, believing this might be the last thing I would look upon before my eyes were chewed out of my skull. Though I didn’t deserve it, I wanted to rise to heaven remembering something of beauty from the Congo. (300)” Rachel says, “I thought I had died and gone to hell. But it’s worse than that- I’m alive in hell. While everybody was running from the house, I cast around in a frenzy trying to think of what to save. (301)” Even the differences in these two sister’s narratives are visible. Leah wanted to remember the Congo fondly when she thought she would die, whereas Rachel was contemplating which material item she should save from her house. Ruth May thinks of advice she received about dying. “Nelson says to think of a good place to go, so when it comes time to die I won’t, I’ll disappear and go to that place. (303)” Even though she is young, Ruth May still thinks about dying. Adah was left behind by her mother, who chose to carry Ruth May. Adah looks back on that night and says, “That night marks my life’s dark center, the moment when growing up ended and the long slope toward death began. (306)” All four girls went through the same traumatic event, and each of their thoughts can be picked out from one another.
Multiple narration is an interesting tool in writing. When five characters share the spotlight in an authors work, the author must work to make each narrator authentic and unique. Barbara Kingsolver’s final word on her choice of five narrators was that “this novel is asking, basically, “What did we do to Africa and how do we feel about it?” It’s a huge question, and I’d be insulting my readers to offer only one answer.”
Sources:
“Author Interview: Barbara Kingsolver.” Poisonwood Bible: Fall 2008 Reading Group. Library Thing. 17 Sep. 2008.
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
word count: 574
If writing a story is compared to painting a picture for the reader, then multiple narration is similar to an authors ability to add whole new shades of color or detail to the picture. In an interview with Harper Collins publishing, Kingsolver discusses her use of five narrators. She said that she chose five narrators “because it was necessary to the theme of this novel.” She explains that “the four sisters and Orleanna represent five different philosophical positions.” To be able to do justice to the story for the reader, she might have felt that no one narrator could portray the spectrum of emotions and viewpoints she wanted to represent.
One example of Kingsolver using her narrators was when the village was run through by ants. All four daughters have a short narration describing their experience in the event. Leah describes the horror she felt, “I stared hard at the ballooning pink reflection, believing this might be the last thing I would look upon before my eyes were chewed out of my skull. Though I didn’t deserve it, I wanted to rise to heaven remembering something of beauty from the Congo. (300)” Rachel says, “I thought I had died and gone to hell. But it’s worse than that- I’m alive in hell. While everybody was running from the house, I cast around in a frenzy trying to think of what to save. (301)” Even the differences in these two sister’s narratives are visible. Leah wanted to remember the Congo fondly when she thought she would die, whereas Rachel was contemplating which material item she should save from her house. Ruth May thinks of advice she received about dying. “Nelson says to think of a good place to go, so when it comes time to die I won’t, I’ll disappear and go to that place. (303)” Even though she is young, Ruth May still thinks about dying. Adah was left behind by her mother, who chose to carry Ruth May. Adah looks back on that night and says, “That night marks my life’s dark center, the moment when growing up ended and the long slope toward death began. (306)” All four girls went through the same traumatic event, and each of their thoughts can be picked out from one another.
Multiple narration is an interesting tool in writing. When five characters share the spotlight in an authors work, the author must work to make each narrator authentic and unique. Barbara Kingsolver’s final word on her choice of five narrators was that “this novel is asking, basically, “What did we do to Africa and how do we feel about it?” It’s a huge question, and I’d be insulting my readers to offer only one answer.”
Sources:
“Author Interview: Barbara Kingsolver.” Poisonwood Bible: Fall 2008 Reading Group. Library Thing. 17 Sep. 2008.
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
word count: 574
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Color Purple - Epistolary Form
In 1982, author Alice Walker wrote what would become her best-known work, “The Color Purple.” The novel was a critical and commercial success due to the inspiring story of the narrator, and her unique writing style. In “The Color Purple,” Walker utilizes “epistolary form,” or her narrator told her story through letters to God. This style has an effect on the point of view and bias of the story told, but also on the connection that the reader develops with the characters.
The style is writing is called “epistolary form” because letters to God in a religious context are called “epistles.” The epistles that Walker’s main character, Celie, writes are a narration of her life. Writing letters to God is a very personal process, and in this way the reader can feel a deep connection to Celie. We learn her innermost thoughts; ones that she wouldn’t or felt she couldn’t share with anyone else.
The reader discovers that Celie has been mistreated and abused for most of her life. This abuse led to low or no self-confidence, and the feeling that she had no one to turn to. Her letters to God are the only outlet she has to tell her story in. Whether or not God responds to her letters, God is always there to listen to her. Although later in the story she finds Shug, and also her sister Nettie, God is the first “friend” she has to turn to.
There are advantages to using epistolary form in a novel. In this case, we have both Celie’s feelings about people, and her narration of the events going on around her. The point of view puts the reader into direct context of everything happening in her life. We can see from her writing that she is uneducated, and the reader can also clearly see the difference in her confidence levels and thoughts about life from the beginning to the end. Her letters make the story feel authentic to the reader. Her writing “almost feels entirely removed of any direct story telling, (Rufle)” and feels “almost voyeuristic from a readers standpoint. (Rufle)” The reader also feels intimate in the characters life and relationships.
I personally don’t see any disadvantages to using this style. Walker’s use of such an intimate style was especially effective in the telling of an African American woman’s story. Celie’s story would not have been revealed in any other way. If she had used an omniscient narrator, the reader would not have had any real insight into Celie’s thoughts, especially because for about the first half she doesn’t speak much to any other characters.
“The Color Purple” is an extraordinary work of fiction. I think it is a very effective inspirational tool for both women and African American women. The use of the epistolary style elevated the book to a higher status, for the incredible insight and involvement it brings to the reader. Although most readers probably have not been through experiences as awful as Celie, she is still an icon of a strong woman. Her letters to God bared her soul, ensuring a deep connection to her story.
Sources:
Lavender, Catherine. "The Color Purple." Women's History and Feminist Theory. The City University of New York. 29 May 1998.
Rufle, Lisa. "An Overview of Epistolary Novels." Suite101.com. 18 Sep. 2008.
The style is writing is called “epistolary form” because letters to God in a religious context are called “epistles.” The epistles that Walker’s main character, Celie, writes are a narration of her life. Writing letters to God is a very personal process, and in this way the reader can feel a deep connection to Celie. We learn her innermost thoughts; ones that she wouldn’t or felt she couldn’t share with anyone else.
The reader discovers that Celie has been mistreated and abused for most of her life. This abuse led to low or no self-confidence, and the feeling that she had no one to turn to. Her letters to God are the only outlet she has to tell her story in. Whether or not God responds to her letters, God is always there to listen to her. Although later in the story she finds Shug, and also her sister Nettie, God is the first “friend” she has to turn to.
There are advantages to using epistolary form in a novel. In this case, we have both Celie’s feelings about people, and her narration of the events going on around her. The point of view puts the reader into direct context of everything happening in her life. We can see from her writing that she is uneducated, and the reader can also clearly see the difference in her confidence levels and thoughts about life from the beginning to the end. Her letters make the story feel authentic to the reader. Her writing “almost feels entirely removed of any direct story telling, (Rufle)” and feels “almost voyeuristic from a readers standpoint. (Rufle)” The reader also feels intimate in the characters life and relationships.
I personally don’t see any disadvantages to using this style. Walker’s use of such an intimate style was especially effective in the telling of an African American woman’s story. Celie’s story would not have been revealed in any other way. If she had used an omniscient narrator, the reader would not have had any real insight into Celie’s thoughts, especially because for about the first half she doesn’t speak much to any other characters.
“The Color Purple” is an extraordinary work of fiction. I think it is a very effective inspirational tool for both women and African American women. The use of the epistolary style elevated the book to a higher status, for the incredible insight and involvement it brings to the reader. Although most readers probably have not been through experiences as awful as Celie, she is still an icon of a strong woman. Her letters to God bared her soul, ensuring a deep connection to her story.
Sources:
Lavender, Catherine. "The Color Purple." Women's History and Feminist Theory. The City University of New York. 29 May 1998.
Rufle, Lisa. "An Overview of Epistolary Novels." Suite101.com. 18 Sep. 2008.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Howl- The Beat Generation
The Beat Generation, like many other movements, started out as a handful of friends and became an influential force for a generation. Although their works were very original, mostly due to their profanity and controversial subjects, their ideas were being felt around the nation. There were many important historical events happening at the time, and the original “beatniks” became the leaders of the young generation.
Those recognized today as being part of the core group included Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and a few others. They met and first started to collaborate at Columbia University in the mid 1940’s. During the next decade America became a country of conformists, fearful of the wrath of McCarthyism. The Beats wanted to create a counter cultural movement, one that experimented with drugs, pushed social boundaries, and broke away from the past.
From the time that these men first met until the mid 1950’s, all of them struggled to be published. Kerouac and Burroughs wrote novels, while Ginsberg developed his own unique style of poetry, although it was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman. The turning point in the movement came after they had migrated from New York to San Francisco, becoming friends with the people associated with the San Francisco Renaissance.
Allen Ginsberg had all but given up hope of ever being published. He finally decided to write “Howl” as a personal expression of the antics of he and his friends. His reading of “Howl” at The Six Gallery on December 13th, 1955 was wildly popular and spring boarded all of the Beats’ careers. After the positive reception he received, Ginsberg got “Howl” published. The book’s main success came when the second edition was being released, “Howl” was put on trial for its “obscene nature” in 1957. The book was cleared of all charges and helped fuel the Beat Movement across the country.
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac was released four weeks before the obscenity trial. Written in 1951, it took years for Kerouac to find a publisher because of what they deemed his experimental writing style, and details of homosexual relations. When it was finally published, he was hailed as the voice of a generation, and a major American writer. This time period was successful for the Beats critically, commercially, and in spreading their message of counter culture.
After this first wave of Beat Generation writers became famous, a second wave followed, adding the important element of diversity to the mix. This diversity helped to spread their message farther, as the core group of original Beats was composed of middle aged white men. It also added new ideas and talent to the movement.
Ginsberg was quoted as saying, “Nobody knows whether we were catalysts or invented something, or just the froth riding on a wave of its own. We were all three I suppose.” (Parkins) The original beatniks led a generation of young people who wanted to rebel, and the victories in the obscenity trials helped to bring liberation to what could be published all over the U.S. They also worked for the evolution of jazz, blues, and rock into a higher art form, inspiring artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan along the way. America was ready for a change, and the Beats and their legacy were there to deliver.
Sources:
Asher, Levi. "The Beat Generation." Literary Kicks. 25 July 1994.
Parkins, Keith. "The Beat Generation." Mar. 2005.
Those recognized today as being part of the core group included Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and a few others. They met and first started to collaborate at Columbia University in the mid 1940’s. During the next decade America became a country of conformists, fearful of the wrath of McCarthyism. The Beats wanted to create a counter cultural movement, one that experimented with drugs, pushed social boundaries, and broke away from the past.
From the time that these men first met until the mid 1950’s, all of them struggled to be published. Kerouac and Burroughs wrote novels, while Ginsberg developed his own unique style of poetry, although it was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman. The turning point in the movement came after they had migrated from New York to San Francisco, becoming friends with the people associated with the San Francisco Renaissance.
Allen Ginsberg had all but given up hope of ever being published. He finally decided to write “Howl” as a personal expression of the antics of he and his friends. His reading of “Howl” at The Six Gallery on December 13th, 1955 was wildly popular and spring boarded all of the Beats’ careers. After the positive reception he received, Ginsberg got “Howl” published. The book’s main success came when the second edition was being released, “Howl” was put on trial for its “obscene nature” in 1957. The book was cleared of all charges and helped fuel the Beat Movement across the country.
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac was released four weeks before the obscenity trial. Written in 1951, it took years for Kerouac to find a publisher because of what they deemed his experimental writing style, and details of homosexual relations. When it was finally published, he was hailed as the voice of a generation, and a major American writer. This time period was successful for the Beats critically, commercially, and in spreading their message of counter culture.
After this first wave of Beat Generation writers became famous, a second wave followed, adding the important element of diversity to the mix. This diversity helped to spread their message farther, as the core group of original Beats was composed of middle aged white men. It also added new ideas and talent to the movement.
Ginsberg was quoted as saying, “Nobody knows whether we were catalysts or invented something, or just the froth riding on a wave of its own. We were all three I suppose.” (Parkins) The original beatniks led a generation of young people who wanted to rebel, and the victories in the obscenity trials helped to bring liberation to what could be published all over the U.S. They also worked for the evolution of jazz, blues, and rock into a higher art form, inspiring artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan along the way. America was ready for a change, and the Beats and their legacy were there to deliver.
Sources:
Asher, Levi. "The Beat Generation." Literary Kicks. 25 July 1994.
Parkins, Keith. "The Beat Generation." Mar. 2005.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
I posted this blog last week when it was due, but my firefox crashed that day also. I guess when it crashed it didn't post the blog entry, so when I just went on to post for Howl I saw that it didn't work. I'll repost it now, I hope that's ok!
Throughout “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Janie’s character goes through many periods of personal growth, and changes completely. The book is a tale of self- actualization, and Janie goes through noticeable changes in the stages of her life.
In the beginning of her story, she is a young girl living with her grandmother. The reader is shown her maturation into a young woman. After gazing at a pear tree, Janie realizes she wants to see the world. “She was 16. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her. (Page 11)”
When her grandmother marries her off to Logan Killicks, she has a naïve idea that she will fall in love with him. Her grandmother only envisioned financial security, and Janie realized on her own that love wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t meant to be. “Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman. (Page 25)”
When Janie meets Jody she begins to think more for herself. “A feeling of sudden newness and change came over her… Even if Jody was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good. (Page 32)” She realizes that she has to take some control over her life.
Over the years living with Jody, he has basically beat her spirit down until there was nothing left. She began to hide inside of herself, only showing an obedient wife to the public. She finally stands up for herself to Joe, once in the store, and finally on his deathbed. She lectures him saying, “Naw, you gointuh listen tuh me one time befo’ you die. (Page 86)” She found her voice to stand up for herself.
The biggest character change we see is during her time with Tea Cake. Janie is finally happy with herself, and feels both independent, and needed. She realizes how much her life has changed and “Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself. (Page 134)” Her life with Tea Cake is the first time she has been able to be her own person.
The evidence of her maturation over the story comes full circle at the end of the book. She has finished telling Phoebe the history of her love life, and there is an apparent change in her attitude, visible to the reader, Phoebe, and most of all, herself. Her most recent love affair was the one she had been searching for since she was a girl, and she finally realized that she was the only one who could make the right choices for herself. She has come to trust her own opinion, and not live by the feelings and judgments of those around her. Basically, Janie has finally become her own person. She summarizes to Phoebe her own thoughts on the whole experience. “So Ah done been tuh de horizon and back now and now Ah kin set heah in my house and live by comparisons. Dis house ain’t so absent of things lak it used tuh be befo’ Tea Cake came along. Its full uh thoughts… (Page 191)”
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. J.B. Lippincott, Inc., 1937.
Throughout “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” Janie’s character goes through many periods of personal growth, and changes completely. The book is a tale of self- actualization, and Janie goes through noticeable changes in the stages of her life.
In the beginning of her story, she is a young girl living with her grandmother. The reader is shown her maturation into a young woman. After gazing at a pear tree, Janie realizes she wants to see the world. “She was 16. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her. (Page 11)”
When her grandmother marries her off to Logan Killicks, she has a naïve idea that she will fall in love with him. Her grandmother only envisioned financial security, and Janie realized on her own that love wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t meant to be. “Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman. (Page 25)”
When Janie meets Jody she begins to think more for herself. “A feeling of sudden newness and change came over her… Even if Jody was not there waiting for her, the change was bound to do her good. (Page 32)” She realizes that she has to take some control over her life.
Over the years living with Jody, he has basically beat her spirit down until there was nothing left. She began to hide inside of herself, only showing an obedient wife to the public. She finally stands up for herself to Joe, once in the store, and finally on his deathbed. She lectures him saying, “Naw, you gointuh listen tuh me one time befo’ you die. (Page 86)” She found her voice to stand up for herself.
The biggest character change we see is during her time with Tea Cake. Janie is finally happy with herself, and feels both independent, and needed. She realizes how much her life has changed and “Sometimes Janie would think of the old days in the big white house and the store and laugh to herself. (Page 134)” Her life with Tea Cake is the first time she has been able to be her own person.
The evidence of her maturation over the story comes full circle at the end of the book. She has finished telling Phoebe the history of her love life, and there is an apparent change in her attitude, visible to the reader, Phoebe, and most of all, herself. Her most recent love affair was the one she had been searching for since she was a girl, and she finally realized that she was the only one who could make the right choices for herself. She has come to trust her own opinion, and not live by the feelings and judgments of those around her. Basically, Janie has finally become her own person. She summarizes to Phoebe her own thoughts on the whole experience. “So Ah done been tuh de horizon and back now and now Ah kin set heah in my house and live by comparisons. Dis house ain’t so absent of things lak it used tuh be befo’ Tea Cake came along. Its full uh thoughts… (Page 191)”
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. J.B. Lippincott, Inc., 1937.
Friday, September 18, 2009
"O, Pioneers!," A Classic American Love Story
"O, Pioneers!" may seem like an outdated story of a time most people can't relate to; but it is in fact a classic American love story that still holds true today. It isn't a typical love story, of a man and a woman romantically falling in love, but of the American people falling in love with, well, America. Willa Cather illustrates to her readers the American frontier, casting the land as a main character in her dramatic novel spanning over twenty years. Most people are more connected to their cell phones and computers than they are to the trees outside their window, Cather personalizes the land in a way that could make any urban American want to visit her beloved Nebraska. She also discusses many gender issues that we still deliberate today. In these ways, Cather brings the old West into our homes, still relevant nearly a century later.
In Cather's work "O, Pioneers!," she writes about the land of Nebraska as one of the most complex characters. Her writing is simple, and easy to digest, making the West as accessible as an old friend. Although Cather didn't use many literary devices in her writing, the personification of the land itself helps the reader to wrap their head around this foreign place. Many of her readers today live in a fast paced world, whereas Cather brings a slowed down version of life, illustrating why the land was so important. One day she and her brother stopped at a river, where "under the overhanging willows of the opposite bank there was an inlet where the water was deeper and flowed so slowly that it seemed to sleep in the sun. (Page 112)" The characters had no TV shows to get back to, no cell phones interrupting nature's sounds; they had only the land and each other to rely on. Sometimes the pioneers would be subjected to the land's stubborn wishes. "It was still a wild thing that had its ugly moods, and no one knew when they were likely to come, or why. (Page 14)" I'm sure many readers know a person in their life that this quote describes. Willa Cather used her simple writing style and personification of the land to make a foreign era in time relatable to any reader today.
Another big issue in the book was the history long struggle over the roles of men and women. Back then; a woman at the head of the house was an tolerated but not always respected. Today, we still have problems with gender issues in the workplace. When the head of a household realizes his daughter is more intelligent and technologically savvy than his sons, he thinks to himself that "He would much rather, of course, have seen this likeness (to his grandfather's smarts) in one of his sons, but it was not a questions of choice. (Page 16)" Cather's character Alexandra is relatable today because women can identify with her strong will and success as a protagonist, but we can also relate to the hierarchy of the genders in the issues of money, inheritance, and work. When Alexandra wants to marry a man who has no property of his own, her brothers remark, "This is what comes of letting a woman meddle in business. (Page 92)" Although her brothers and the reader are well aware of the successes Alexandra had in farming, they disregard her at a moments notice.
For most people today, working the land to stay alive doesn’t mean anything. Willa Cather manages to bring this way of life to us while still touching on important issues dividing us today. Cather writes, “The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman, (Page 38)” and even today a love for this country can be found by reading about the pioneers of old.
Cather, Willa. O, Pioneers!. New York: Fine Creative Media, Inc, 2003.
In Cather's work "O, Pioneers!," she writes about the land of Nebraska as one of the most complex characters. Her writing is simple, and easy to digest, making the West as accessible as an old friend. Although Cather didn't use many literary devices in her writing, the personification of the land itself helps the reader to wrap their head around this foreign place. Many of her readers today live in a fast paced world, whereas Cather brings a slowed down version of life, illustrating why the land was so important. One day she and her brother stopped at a river, where "under the overhanging willows of the opposite bank there was an inlet where the water was deeper and flowed so slowly that it seemed to sleep in the sun. (Page 112)" The characters had no TV shows to get back to, no cell phones interrupting nature's sounds; they had only the land and each other to rely on. Sometimes the pioneers would be subjected to the land's stubborn wishes. "It was still a wild thing that had its ugly moods, and no one knew when they were likely to come, or why. (Page 14)" I'm sure many readers know a person in their life that this quote describes. Willa Cather used her simple writing style and personification of the land to make a foreign era in time relatable to any reader today.
Another big issue in the book was the history long struggle over the roles of men and women. Back then; a woman at the head of the house was an tolerated but not always respected. Today, we still have problems with gender issues in the workplace. When the head of a household realizes his daughter is more intelligent and technologically savvy than his sons, he thinks to himself that "He would much rather, of course, have seen this likeness (to his grandfather's smarts) in one of his sons, but it was not a questions of choice. (Page 16)" Cather's character Alexandra is relatable today because women can identify with her strong will and success as a protagonist, but we can also relate to the hierarchy of the genders in the issues of money, inheritance, and work. When Alexandra wants to marry a man who has no property of his own, her brothers remark, "This is what comes of letting a woman meddle in business. (Page 92)" Although her brothers and the reader are well aware of the successes Alexandra had in farming, they disregard her at a moments notice.
For most people today, working the land to stay alive doesn’t mean anything. Willa Cather manages to bring this way of life to us while still touching on important issues dividing us today. Cather writes, “The history of every country begins in the heart of a man or a woman, (Page 38)” and even today a love for this country can be found by reading about the pioneers of old.
Cather, Willa. O, Pioneers!. New York: Fine Creative Media, Inc, 2003.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Scarlet Letter, question 1
Edwin Percy Whipple’s review of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” for Graham’s Magazine is mostly focused on praising the work of the author. His first descriptions describe the novel as a “beautiful and touching romance.” He goes one to explain that “The Scarlet Letter” is the longest work of Hawthorne thus far, and basically complements his genius. His next section is devoted to outlining “The Custom House,” the introduction given before the story itself begins. Whipple is impressed with Hawthorne’s ability to entertain the reader here, in a comical sense, in a sharp contrast to the seriousness of the novel that follows. He states that “The Custom House” “show(s) how rich and exhaustless a fountain of mirth Hawthorne has at his command.” Obviously, he was quite smitten with the author’s work.
He next delves into the actual work of “The Scarlet Letter.” Whipple says that while the reader may be ready for a great work, they “will hardly be prepared for a novel of so much tragic interest and tragic power.” He believes that Hawthorne’s work pierced through any trivial matters, right “to the core of things.” Whipple also comments on the fact that Hawthorne must have been feeling great pain as well, to be able to transfer it to his characters so powerfully. In the only negative comment I could find in the article, he believes that “the general impression left by it (Hawthorne’s pain) is not satisfying to the artistic sense.”
Whipple then comments on how powerful the novel is, even going so far as to say that “the most abandoned libertine could not read the volume without being thrilled into something like virtuous resolution.” He describes further the power of the work, telling the reader that Hawthorne more deeply understands the subjects of adultery and seduction, and that his work is “more powerful even than those of Sue, Dumas, and George Sand.” He ends the paragraph by discussing the objectivity of the novel. Whipple writes that the ending was crafted through Hawthorne’s understanding of spiritual laws, and that “there is hardly a novel in English Literature more purely objective.”
At the close of Whipple’s review, he says that he will give the reader a simple plot synopsis, although all he really does is to introduce the four main characters, and complement the descriptive quality of Hawthorne’s writing. He also states that if “The Scarlet Letter” was the result of Hawthorne being fired from the Custom House, that he should be kept unemployed in order to write more genius works.
In my opinion, Whipple is a bit contradictory in parts of his review. He states that Hawthorne’s personal connection, his own pain, makes the novel less artistically satisfying, whereas I think the opposite. He also believes that the novel was objective, yet earlier had stated that Hawthorne had a personal stake in the pain of the characters. I viewed the book as more of a critique on Puritan society, where Whipple believed it to be more of a beautiful work describing the society. I agree with much of Whipple’s praise, but I think he gave too much attention to the details of the Custom House, and not enough to the character development and moral dilemmas Hawthorne creates in his work. I most agree with his thoughts on the impact of the novel. In the 19th century when “The Scarlet Letter” and this review were both written, the novel definitely influenced the reader’s moral views. Today, society is very different, but I think that even today Hawthorne’s characters, as Whipple puts it, “pierce…to the core of things.”
Whipple, Edwin Percy. "Ninteenth Century Reviews of The Scarlet Letter, from Graham's Magazine." The Scarlet Letter, and Other Writings. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 239-241.
He next delves into the actual work of “The Scarlet Letter.” Whipple says that while the reader may be ready for a great work, they “will hardly be prepared for a novel of so much tragic interest and tragic power.” He believes that Hawthorne’s work pierced through any trivial matters, right “to the core of things.” Whipple also comments on the fact that Hawthorne must have been feeling great pain as well, to be able to transfer it to his characters so powerfully. In the only negative comment I could find in the article, he believes that “the general impression left by it (Hawthorne’s pain) is not satisfying to the artistic sense.”
Whipple then comments on how powerful the novel is, even going so far as to say that “the most abandoned libertine could not read the volume without being thrilled into something like virtuous resolution.” He describes further the power of the work, telling the reader that Hawthorne more deeply understands the subjects of adultery and seduction, and that his work is “more powerful even than those of Sue, Dumas, and George Sand.” He ends the paragraph by discussing the objectivity of the novel. Whipple writes that the ending was crafted through Hawthorne’s understanding of spiritual laws, and that “there is hardly a novel in English Literature more purely objective.”
At the close of Whipple’s review, he says that he will give the reader a simple plot synopsis, although all he really does is to introduce the four main characters, and complement the descriptive quality of Hawthorne’s writing. He also states that if “The Scarlet Letter” was the result of Hawthorne being fired from the Custom House, that he should be kept unemployed in order to write more genius works.
In my opinion, Whipple is a bit contradictory in parts of his review. He states that Hawthorne’s personal connection, his own pain, makes the novel less artistically satisfying, whereas I think the opposite. He also believes that the novel was objective, yet earlier had stated that Hawthorne had a personal stake in the pain of the characters. I viewed the book as more of a critique on Puritan society, where Whipple believed it to be more of a beautiful work describing the society. I agree with much of Whipple’s praise, but I think he gave too much attention to the details of the Custom House, and not enough to the character development and moral dilemmas Hawthorne creates in his work. I most agree with his thoughts on the impact of the novel. In the 19th century when “The Scarlet Letter” and this review were both written, the novel definitely influenced the reader’s moral views. Today, society is very different, but I think that even today Hawthorne’s characters, as Whipple puts it, “pierce…to the core of things.”
Whipple, Edwin Percy. "Ninteenth Century Reviews of The Scarlet Letter, from Graham's Magazine." The Scarlet Letter, and Other Writings. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. 239-241.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)