A little Laughter from Mark

For this last blog I debated what I was going to write because this class introduced me to a lot of ideas that I did not necessarily consider in life before this class. Then I did our reading and changed my mind because I absolutely loved the “Diary of Adam and Eve” by Mark Twain that we read for class. Not only did Twain accomplish creating a piece that was easily relatable, it was funny, easy to follow and stay intrigued by, and also a little sentimental. The first thing that hit me about this story was its relation to Genesis, and how it turned many of the ideas upside down of sorts. He did not accept the story as the ultimate truth it seemed and his interpretation made me laugh constantly. It was so funny to me because it was so true. Relating it to today, Mark Twain’s interpretation of men and women are almost entirely true, even the parts that are stereotypical are still things that we turn to, to define a person or activity. The idea of Eve always talking and the idea of Adam being so reckless with his activities is completely stereotypical but how Mark writes about these tributes completely makes the story as funny as it is. Furthermore, the way he made the ending sentimental was so important to the story as well, and I really appreciated that he was being uncharacteristic of himself. I believe he described true love and how it goes through so many changes.

One thing that interested me about the story was how confused Adam was of his child. He was unsure of what it was and seemed to feel a level of jealousy. In some ways it reminded me of some relationships today between parent and child because some parents are confused by their children and sometimes men do not always feel quite the attachment to their child because they are maybe unsure if it is theirs or because they did not get the 9 months of growth for a bonding period. I am not sure but I wonder if Mark Twain was trying to hint towards that idea in society?

Precis

Nagel, Gwen L. Critical Essays on Sarah Orne Jewett. Massachusetts: G.K. Hall & Co, 1984.
Pryse, Marjorie. “Women ‘at sea’: Feminist Realism in Sarah Orne Jewett’s “The Foreigner”’” Nagel 89 – 98.

According to Marjorie Pryse Sarah Orne Jewett is an author of the feminist’s world. She argues that Sarah Jewett’s pieces have often been overlooked in the literary world and it is not until today that her works are seen in the anthologies of American Literature. Pryse argues that this is not enough because even today one of Jewett’s best pieces, “The Foreigner” is often neglected. As Pryse makes her way through her argument she switches to a close analysis of the piece itself, citing major parts that she believes represent the greatness and realism of Sarah Jewett. In fact she claims that Jewett interpreted and translated the lives of her characters through her settings and subtle details, and occasionally through conversation. Because Jewett developed her stories this way Pryse makes the claim that she uses the “realist’s intention” (92). Pryse suggests that Jewett uses nature to not only create setting, which is a major part of this argument, but also uses nature to represent emotions. On page 91 Pryse claims, “the storm evokes fear which may appear initially unrelated to her actual story…” which relates not only to the nature of a storm but also the nature of a person fighting the storm. Towards the end of this essay, Pryse transitions to the idea of joining worlds, “and live in one but for the other” which is also a quote from “The Foreigner” (94). Pryse is arguing further, that a woman’s emotions run deep and until that woman can understand herself they cannot understand the world around them. She is also arguing that Jewett wrote this in an intentional fashion, understanding the ins-and-outs of each scene, character and idea, and this is why she is not only a feminist but also an author to be studied not singularly but as a whole. Pryse is trying to argue that critics who have disregarded Jewett and her works are overlooking a great contributor of the American literary world. To prove her point on a larger scale she has done a close analysis of “The Foreigner” assuming that critics and editors who decide what to study and what to put into anthologies have not given the proper attention to this piece.
Overall, Pryse’s argument was strong. She backed up her opinion that Sarah Orne Jewett deserves to have more of her works studied through giving a close analysis and comparing her writing to other famous writer’s like Emily Dickinson. Starting the essay with a disagreement about not studying Sarah Jewett in the literary world and then taking a piece that she believes to be overshadowed by “Country of Pointed Firs” and analyzing it, while comparing it to the great traits of other writers of the time is the strongest part of her argument. However, it would have been beneficial to have a stronger, organized line of thought. There is a loss of understanding between the author disagreeing with scholars not studying Sarah Jewett and between analyzing a piece she believes needs more attention. It would also be helpful to add in the beginning of her argument or in her thesis her belief that the title “The Foreigner” meant more to the story than just simply a title. With that in mind, Marjorie Pryse was able to bring together a piece that could be used in a larger sense, not only because it argues a position that Sarah Jewett should be studied more but it also gives a close reading of one of Sarah Orne Jewett’s pieces. That close reading could be used for multiple purposes as well, which makes the essay a significant piece of criticism. Furthermore, the analysis of the piece gives the reader of the essay an understanding of “The Foreigner” without being forced to read it which helps to seal the argument because the reader can follow the author’s reasoning.

One must consider their instincts

Jack London’s piece To Build a Fire says a lot about the fight for life and what some people will go through in order to live. This idea also pertains to animals and their instincts to survive no matter the situation, but also their loyalty to their provider through thick and thin. I wonder if, at the time London wrote this piece, if he was trying to prove a point to his countrymen that independence is not always the answer. That sometimes we all need the help of another and using our heads in a purposeful manner is what will save our lives. I ask this mainly because he depicts the young traveler as someone who has no imagination, who has no true intelligence, but when times get tough he does in some respect think intelligently. He knows that the ice will crack beneath him if he is not careful, and when the dog falls in that he must help his companion. So it makes me wonder if London was trying to make a point or if he wrote this story for the pure pleasure of writing?

Often I am used to writers using their words to make a point so I enjoy reading a piece that can go either way. This story made me feel several emotions throughout because I felt like I was a ghost watching this man on his journey. Jack London’s words and descriptions can really swallow you in. I was interested that in those multitudes of words he often chose to repeat the “it was not fifty below” and “that if it was a person should not travel alone.” Was there something the reader was supposed to get from this beyond the surface level, the man was an idiot for not listening to people or truly following some of his good instincts? I am curious as to why a person in general would go out in weather so severe however I also wonder why a person would not listen more to their instincts, and I think this piece does a great job at making the reader question their choices, especially if they put themselves in the situation of this cold traveler.

The Irish and Catholics in The Damnation of Theron Ware

The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination as it was also called brings up a lot of interesting points, but the one that interested me the most was the idea of Catholicism. As a person who has grown up in the Catholic Church I found the depictions rather interesting, especially because I did not think they were too far fetched from what people who are not active members within the church tend to believe. Often the Catholic Church is seen as a lifetime membership that even if you are not there all the time you are still welcome. However, there are also many people within the church, much like other organized religions, that expect its members to be active within the congregation and follow the “laws.” I also found it interesting how much the story portrayed a Priest that took his place in the Church more as a job then a calling, and from what I learned growing up this was definitely frowned upon if ever it was revealed, so to have a book that points out that idea in somewhat hidden language is very interesting. But I also feel like this mentality fits the time period and the fact that people feared and did not approve of people from the Catholic Church. This was often, as we even talked about, because the members had to answer to the Pope and it forced people of the nation to question their loyalty.
What was more interesting to me about this book is that I am doing my report on anti-Catholic and anti-Irish prejudices which I think were definitely representative in this book. Theron was blatant in his prejudices towards not only the Catholic ways but also anyone who is Irish. He often assumed people were Irish and made decisions about who they are based on those prejudices. I cannot wait to learn more about what the Irish and Catholic presence meant to this nation and how the prejudices developed. I do wonder however if the author believed in some of the prejudices himself?

To be a Classic or not to be a Classic...Who decides?

At first I was going to write on the readings we have done in class, but today’s discussion on what makes a classic really perked an interest in me. In fact I believe it would be a great research project for students in a high school especially but a middle school as well because it offers the students an inside look at what makes a book a classic and may give them insight to why others liked a book and it lasted through history when they did not enjoy the novel. This may also help defend reading certain texts to students because if they understand why it became such a strong fixture in the literary world then they may be more willing to explore the ideas in the novels. It can also help to teach students how to question what they are reading and research the arguments or critiques that were made on a piece.
However, I really question how much cultural ideas and society influence what becomes considered a literary classic. I also wonder who in the Norton Anthology world makes the decision to put certain pieces by one author in the volumes but they omit others. This then leads to my curiosity about what certain aspects do they look for in different pieces of writing that help to make such major decisions, especially when one book may be more stylistically valued to one person but the content is poor and another book contains both but the poorer of the two is considered a classic.
In class I liked that we delved into this topic rather deeply because I was fascinated by the wide range of opinions and ideas about what makes a classic. I believe deeming something a classic in the literary world is a very difficult task, with all the various pieces available, and admire the patients it must take to read through so many different works. However, I think it would be nice to know a little more from these people who make these decisions what influenced their choices. I am excited to learn more about this, for myself, but also for my students in the future.

The Veiled Woman

I was really interested in “The Vine Leaf” after we discussed it in class. When I first read the piece I was neither, completely excited about it nor did I hate it so I was excited when we analyzed it in class and discussed how it really developed. What interested me even more about the piece was how in depth it was. The author did a great job not only making it a mystery to the reader why the masked woman wanted to keep her identity a secret but he also is creating an almost completely different story with the surgeon whom claims he will keep secrets but ends up telling a secret in order to gain is patients trust; something has been lost in that train of thought.
More on the veiled woman, I really believe that she had not told her fiancé that she had posed nude and knew that if he did know it was she, he would not approve. So, in order to preserve her future life and her reputation she results in killing the artist and getting her birthmark removed to mask, in itself, the truth about the murder and who she is. However, no matter what I believe happened it is truly one of those great stories that allows the reader to make the decision from himself/herself; although that could drive some people crazy. I think the best situation would be if I could meet the author and ask him what he thinking when he wrote the piece and what he would say the reason was if he chose to write it into the story.
Also, I thought it was great how we discussed the different stories and how unique that really is in most writing. There are not many pieces that I am aware of that really make these types of intertwined stories of very different characters and how their paths end up crossing one another. I am interested in reading more pieces like these because they force the reader to think which I do not feel many authors successfully accomplish.

Two Different Cultures, One Similar Love

Sui Sin Far’s piece Mrs. Spring Fragrance was one of my favorite readings on Tuesday. The author did a great job at showing the importance of culture as well as learning how to adapt to a new culture. In her piece, the reader is brought into the lives of a young Chinese couple and the expectations of the culture even though they are living in America. I was fascinated by this piece because it discussed wide spread ideas such as love, but the differences they have within different cultural groups. Unlike many pieces that I have read that are similar to this one is that, Sui Sin Far does not make the differences seem awful. It does not put one idea above another and it shows a real struggle between differing cultures trying to understand one another.
More specifically I was interested in how the seemingly young Mrs. Fragrance became Americanized when her husband had not. Furthermore, I was surprised that even though she was Americanized she still believed in some very important traditions, such as honoring one’s husband through taking care of him, and asking for his permission. She was a very dynamic woman and her sense of love was crossing many boundaries. More specifically, she quotes Tennyson by saying “ ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.” This quote transcends cultures because it can be true for people of all ages, around the world and still be difficult to truly define and understand. Love means many things to many people and Sui Sin Far does a great job expressing those differences and similarities within varying circles. It makes me wonder however, if Sui Sin Far was trying to make a statement through this piece as well. If she was trying to show that even though there are several differences between people we all function under the same basic principles. I think this piece is important in how it connects two very different cultures.