Last Blog!!!!

So, the Native Speaker. I think that I liked this bgook so much because it was finally about something I can relate to! I am going to be a Speech Pathologist and I finally can get something. The book as a whole, I found to be somewhat confusing. The time jumps and the story changes. The thing I really didn’t like was that the author jsut assumed that we knew what he was talking about. For example, the author starts the book by talking about his son Mitt and how he misses him blah  blah. Well, the reader is thinking why does he miss him? Is he dead? How did he die? Not to mention this narrator takes his dear sweet time telling us stuff. In a way he reminds me of Benjy (remember that guy from TSATF?!?!?) He thinks of one thing and that reminds him of something else which brings him to another story all together and then that story takes him back to when he was five and when he was five he loved ice cream and ooo speaking of vanilla, my mom used to smell like that…. GRRRRRR!!! Get to the point already. I used to think that the longer the book the more complex it was and I would completly shy away from it. Do you know what this class has taught me?!?!? Not that the thicker the boko the more complex, it taught me that the thicker the book the more bull the author is using to fill up space!!!!! Now I am sure that this is not true for every book.. Believe me, I tried to get through A Tale of Two Cities in high school and that was confusing and complex, but for goodness sakes!!!! Why the hell are all these authors so completly out of their minds?!?!?!?!?!?! Lets kill everyone and make everyones life miserable. This is the first novel we have read in this class that has had somewhat of a happy ending. I suppose, that this was my most favorite book!!! Thanks everyone for listening to me rant and rave all semester… I can honestly say that I will miss this class and everyone in it!!!!! MUAHS!!!!!!!

Native Speaker

This book was a slow start, but as Alex informed us, it does pick up. However, of course I do have a few of my own problems with this piece. First of all, I really do not like how all of these authors assume we know what they are talking about. In fact it really bothers me. Can’t they just make something simple for once. Second, how morbid, a child dying the way he did. On his birthday, playing with friends, at his house, in front of his family. Who honestly sits down and says I am going to write a novel and the kid is going to die, how about I throw a little incest in there, a little sucide, an affair or two, oh, and lets not forget to plow people over with my car and I certainly can’t forget to have a person rotting away and screaming at their wife. What else is my problem with this?? Well its a not a problem its just a weird thing that I feel like discussing. Perhaps a but hypocritical on my part. All this time we have been talking about women have been portrayed in all these novels. As inferior and just things that are tossed around and used. Well, here we finally have a book where the woman is the superior one. But as I stated in class today about how if my kid were to die, I reserve the right to fall to pieces and have my husband pick me up. I don’t know where I stand here. I mean, I guess I just expect a man to be all masculine and have a bit a machismo, but not to the extent as in the past novels. I guess these novelists need to find a happy medium. Honestly, the pansy prissy image just isn’t working for me here. We need a character that chases his wife when she leaves and does everything to stop her. Cries next to his wife when the child dies, but wipes her tears before his own. I don’t know. I suppose I am just tired of reading and just want what I want.

The End of Sula….

So, how do I feel about the ending?!?!? Needless to say I am not very surprised. At this point, arent we all expecting to have some messed up someone killed someone and then pissed on the grave ending?? The questions that are left up in the air at the end of every single novel we read, is really starting to get to me. But anywho, on to this novel…

The whole tunnel thing where practically half the village dies, is symbolic in so many ways. We find out toward the end of the novel that the white people are starting to take interest in the Bottom. Wanting to build their big houses up on the hill and whatnot. The people from the Bottom dying in something that white man built shows several things. One, that well if half the people in the Bottom are gone, that leave plenty of room for the whites to move in. So in a way it was “mother natures” way of making room for the superior race. Even during the time of the civil rights movement. Two, Its another way of mother nature taking out the weaker people. A cruel way of looking at survival of the fittest. After Sula dies, all the women start cheating again and beating their kids and so on. Well, all of them dying in the tunnel is a way of riding the world of the “monsters” that prevailed before and after Sula. And third, the white people would not let the backs help with the tunnel because the whites were better and stronger blah blah blah. Well what a kawinkie dink that something that is supposed to be so strong and superior ends up killing tons of people. Oh the irony.

I have one last thing to say……. HOW ABOUT CHANGING IT UP A BIT!!! These canonical authors are so predictible. I dare a canonical author to boggle my mind and change it up a bit. Do something that we wouldnt predict. Thank you and goodnight!

Not all that sure

I am not sure what to write about… the ending of Invisible Man or Sula?? Well since the ending of Invisible Man made me so mad I was practically foaming at the mouth. How about I chat a bit about Sula

First of all, what happened to all the warm and fuzzy books. I am by no means a “girly girl” but for goodness sakes, can we read just one book were someone doesn’t kill themselves or get set in fire, or drowned, or I dont know.. just STOP THE MADDNESS!! Anywho, the similarities between all of these books is starting to get on my nerves. Maybe I am too stressed out from the semester, but I dont think thats it. If I see one more metaphor or symbolism about fire or loving and losing or paint or affairs or invisible or impotent I swear to God I am never reading another book again!!! No offense to those of you who live for this stuff, but I just want to sit back relax and enjoy a good story, that maybe just maybe makes me want to believe in the good things. Im not going to lie, despite popular belief, every once in awhile, I am not the sarcastic funny biotch I am percieved as. I would like the crazy person who thinks his hands are whatever they are to recover from his mental problem, go home to his family be welcomed with open arms and fall madly in love with the girl next door. And what is with the imagry some of these authors choose to expand on and go into great detail on. Did Morrison tell us all about how Eva lost her leg?…. NO! She did however make it a point to describe in detail about how she put lard on her finger, stuck it up her sons butt, felt around for a little while, and then pulled it all out. SWEET!! Did Ellison ever tell us the narrators name or anything personal about him?…. NO! He did however find it necessary to go on FOREVER… about a dumb speech, in a dumb ally, about something dumb. Seriously, if this is what writing a novel takes, be on the look out for mine soon.

So, my take on Sula, I have no idea, all these people are messed up and the titles….. so misleading!!! When I hear a title like Sula, I dont think if one legged women, and whores, and sex fieneds, and fingers in butts, and lighting my kids on fire. When I hear Invisible Man, I do not think of living in a man hole, telling storied about guys who have sex with their daughters, battle royals, and hey I love you but I want to kill you. SAY IT LIKE IT IS!!!! I suppose this is a classic case of never judge a book by its cover…

So about this whole 200 page reading……

First of all, it is a miracle that I was able to read all of this… 5 straight hours at the Muddy Cup and a cup of coffee every hour. If I get an ulcer I am so going to blame this class Anywho….

I am officially uninterested in this book anymore. I don’t care about some Brotherhood that is about equality. Everybody belongs to something, do I need to read 200 pages about it?? But here is what I picked up on… I won’t bother you with a summary about the book because, we all read the same thing, I will just give you my opinion because I know you want to hear it

Chapter 11–> The idea of being alone kept rearing its ugly head. This book makes me feel alone and that’s hard to do because I am all about being independent, but seriously I am getting depressed. “I seemed to exist in some other dimension, utterly alone,” “A terrible sense of loneliness came over me.” So Ellison, I am going out on a limb here, but does the narrator feel alone?? Page 240 after he is asked who are you… that whole paragraph reminded me of the grandfather. After he became the traitor, fought in the war and whatnot.. he forgets his name, loses himself. interesting!! Ellison keeps bringing us back to white… everything is white… in this chapter we have white mist pg 241 and white overalls pg 244. On pg 243 the battle royal pops up again when he talks about how he is afraid the machine will electrocute him. On page 249 the paint is brought up again. Why does Ellison keep bringing us back to the same metaphors and symbolism? I am still not sure about the point he is trying to make.

Chapter 12–>Here we go with more white pg 251 a spoiled cream complexion (remind anyone of the grayish paint scene?) pg 253 “white as a sheet.” In this chapter the writing style shifts, just like the narrators personality, I am not sure what is up with the italics, I guess I am missing this part. On page 255 I could not help but be brought back yet again to the grandfathers speech when… “you got to lead and you got to fight” like in a war?? and “don’t get corrupted,” like a spy or a traitor might?? and again on 257 “in losing my place in Bledsoes world I had betrayed them,” definition of what a traitor does if I am not mistaken.

Chapter 13–> White again: pg 262 “whiter complexion,” pg 273 “her hands white and raw… and her gray head” and pg 294 “and like a black-face comedian shrinking from a ghost when the white pigeons shot up around me.”  We are brought back to the image of the statue on page 262 when the snowflakes are forming a veil and “stripping it aside.” On page 266 the narrator begins to become himself again. On page 273 the image of the statue is seen again with the veil that was threatened to be lifted.

chapter 14–>with the stinking white again: pg 299 “And there was also the reservoir of dark water, all covered by snow and by night, by snowfall and by nightfall, buried beneath black and white, gray mist and gray silence.” This quote is interesting because it is exactly what the paint stood for, except with water and snow. We have the image of dark water, covered with a light snow powder and then with the night still there mix them together and you get a hybrid of gray. pg 314 “her little white glove.” On page 301 the narrator shows us for the first time that he is acknowledging his invisibility in a setting, besides the prologue I think this is the first time he says it “It was as though they hadn’t seen me, as though I were here, and yet not here.” On page 315 the narrator says “white folk seemed to always expect you to know those things which they’d done everything they could think of to prevent you from knowing.” Isn’t this pretty much the same thing Bledsoe said to him??

Chapter 15–>did i mention the white thing yet: pg 318 “I saw gray marks appearing where the old skin was flaking away beneath my digging nails.” ewww  I thought this was a rather significant quote “I struck pieces of silver from the pipe, exposing the black and rusted iron.” well lets think about that, silver is close to white right?? well ever since he left the hospital and decided to join the brotherhood… isn’t he chipping away at the nod your head and smile attitude to appease white people attitude he once had and exposing the real him?? I think so

chapter 16–> you know what I am going to say white theme: pg 337 “three white men and three black men,” pg 338 “two very black Negros and two white men..” pg 343 “so now we can only see in straight white lines.” Page 335 we see a common theme found in the past books we have read, obsession with the past.  On page 353 I think we see a milestone when the narrator admits that “for I was someone new.”

Chapter 17–> so that whole white thing: pg 358 “the pink and white image of a girl..” pg 363 “white offspring of house children and the black offspring of yard children bear names..” pg 365 “white meat of roasted chicken.” OK… lets chat… on page 360 when the discipline of the brotherhood is being explained I was brought back to his college days.  The brotherhood is his substitute for college, at least I think so, the only difference, he is studying the brotherhood. Then this chapter has all the stuff about Ras who has the whole messed up attitude, that kind of peeved me off a  little bit. When I read this chapter and saw the random placement of italics I felt like he was trying to convince himself.  On page 372 the narrator consciously bring us back to the past when he talks about how he remembers the battle royal, I think this is another milestone. Want to know waht really upset me though, on page 373, on top of saying (pardon me) nigger all the time, lets throw the word cunt in there… I DON’T THINK SO ELLISON… Amanda is not pleased with this. Moving on page 376 “Nor is he a traitor for white men. Remember that: I am no black traitor to the black people for the white people.” Well if you don’t get brought back to the grandfathers speech in that statement I don’t know where you have been. Or page 381 “my grandfather had often said ‘when you’re youngun, you Saul, but let life….”

Chapter 18–> this chapter didn’t do much for me… all I have to say here is that this kid is seriousl obsessed with his grandfather. I don’t know about you, but I have never looked into someones eyes, and seen my grandfather. Well, apparently the narrator does and why would he freak out so much about it?!?!?! this book is weird… for lack of a much better word

 Chapter 19–> Yea this chapter didn’t really tickle me pink either. All I have for this one is that I think this kid should talk to someone page 415 “And I wanted both to smash her and to stay with her and knew that I should do neither.” Hey, does anyone else see the stripper thing here?!?!? All I can say is that he has some serious women issues. He is the one the slept with her!!!! I guess maybe he is upset with sinner?? I don’t know I got nothing guys. MAYBE.. he has an issue with dishonest women, the stripper well is a stripper and the women is well married and this doesn’t seem to phase either one of them.

Chapter 20–> No notes on this one… the only thing I wrote in my book was.. why is the narrator obsessed with history??

 So what do I think?? I think that this book is very messed up. Why does Ellison keep bringing us back to the same images? Why does the narrator want to hurt and love women? What is the deal with those sexual paper doll things? And why don’t they tell us his name? OH MY GOD!! I just had another epiphany, we don’t his name (either one) because he is invisible. Why would we need to know the name of someone who is a nobody? But ion the brotherhood he isn’t a nobody? So the this whole being invisible thing doesn’t make much sense either. This book is making me think to much and it is kind of upsetting. I am at the point where I just want to read a mindless book that does all the hard work for me. That’s why they are the writers and we are the readers. All I can say is, I am very very undecided about this book. It will be interesting to see how it ends, I will tell you this, if it ends up being some weird and crazy ending that makes me want to throw the book, I think I might just throw the book this time.

So this Invisible Man thing….

I really like this book because I can actually argue my points and rant what I think. Because I know all of you like to hear what I have to think So here goes…..

I am truley torn about what Ellison is trying to get us to think. In the last book, Passing, it was obvious that we were suppose to know what passing was, think it was that what Clare was doing was wrong, and then make your own conclusion about the ending. But what exactly is Ellison trying to tell us? Is what Blodsoe doing supposed to be a mean act or is he just pushing the narrator in the direction that he thinks is best? Are we supposed to think that all white men are evil and that the black man is getting the short end of the stick? Or are we supposed to think that black man is getting what they deserve because of people like Trueblood and white man is doing what they have to? Are we to conclude from Ellison that white people are trying to mold black people into what they think they should be??

I am left with all these open ended questions and I am not sure how I feel about that. I absolulty did not like the ending of Passing because you were left with the question of how did it happen and you had to decide for yourself. I have a feeling that this book might end like that, which would disappoint me because I think I might like this book. Although I have made it clear that I like a book that paints a pretty picture for me and it just tells me what to think, but this book is different. I would hate to get through this book liking it and then get to a conclusion like that.

The one thing that I don’t like about this book is the metaphors. For some reason I seem to be catching on, but honestly before this class I had no idea about this stuff. If I was reading this book a year ago, I would not have caught on to the whole white paint that was brown that had to have 10 black drops added. I would have seen that as exactly what it was, not what it was suppose to stand for. So, what about that “normal” reader, are they not supopsed to pick up this book?? I dont know how I feel about all this canonical literature stuff…. I guess I shall know by the end of the semester

End of group work

Looking at the book “Passing” and discussing other book from this assignment, the whole idea of canonical literature has become a little more clear to me. Although we have been beaten over the head with said topic, it was unclear to me, not being of the well read type. Overall, this group project was very appropriate for the assignment. Had we been given this as an individual project, yes it would have got done, however I am sure no one would have been happy about it.

What exactly did I take away from this? Well, I think it has been made abundantly clear that the difference between the canon then and the canon now is obvious. Life in both canons does not seem so glamourous, however the transition from a more male dominated world to a little less dominated male world is approaching. Not to mention that the pervious works we had read were all written by men and a lot of the books we are going to read and have just started to read are written by women.

Although many themes in both the “old and new” canon are similar such as, oh I don’t know death, loving and losing, racism, and seperation by status. I am sure it will become much more clear to us how the two canons are different. Can’t wait.

So, to read the other novels or not to read the other novels. Well, since everyone seems to think I should read the short stories, I’ll consider it. Lovecraft… not so much. I am not into the science fiction thing. Still a little fuzzy on how this one fits into the canon, but I am getting there. The more it is laid out every so bluntly (cough cough), the more I get it.  I propose a little exchange… I’ll read the Lovecraft novel, if someone from that group will read Passing, and takers?

Passing By Nella Larsen

This book is about a woman who decides as an adult that she wants to “pass.” Passing is what a black person, who skin is light enough to be considered white, leave behind everything they know and assimliate into the white community. I find the whole basis of this book to be disturbing and tragic. It is terrible that people back in the 20′s had to do this in order to get ahead in life. It  is sad that people had to do stuff like this. I suppose that this book is a sort of eye opener for those of us who knew nothing about this. For example, I had no idea that black people did stuff like this and I had no idea that it was so dangerous to do such a thing.

As a whole I did enjoy this book. In parts it was dry and nothing happened. But then it would pick up and  something inspiring or some conflict would arise. I did not however like the ending of the book. Without giving away the ending, I do not like books that are so ambigious. You had to decide for yourself who did what. You never really know what happened. That to me is incomplete, it leaves you with a sense of non closure. This book could have had a little more to it. For example, at the end of the second chapter and the beginning of the third, it is all about an internal conflict with Irene, no action, just talking to herself.

I have enjoyed working with my group very much. I think that the dynamic between us works very well and all of us are willing to take on responsibility. We are all very willing to do what needs to be done in order to be successful in this project. Not to mention that we all seem to be very driven in school work, making it much easier to assign tasks and get the job done.

End of The Sound and the Fury

What is one to think about Faulkner? I am a little undecided myself. I am not a huge fan of this book because I like book to paint pretty pictures in my head that I can imagine and see. Colors and all!!! Isn’t that the whole point of reading? To use your imagination and have your very own TV in your head? Well it is for me anyways. Faulkner is under the delusion that we as readers have to search and find and dig for a pretty picture. And they aren’t even that pretty!! Suicide, sex in the fields, castration, incest, and impotence!! Yes let me please imagine this on the TV in my head.  But lets face it, half of us had no idea that castration happened until it was pointed out to us. Is that the way anyone wants to read… I want to read a book and be hanging on the edge of my seat wanting more. Not sitting there obsessing over the same two pages trying to figure out what the hell it means!!! I don’t even want to discuss the time crap Faulkner is trying to pull with the furture and past and present and past again and hey lets forshdow but not really… UGGGG

On the other hand, I did find myself wondering waht happened to the Compson family, NOT THAT WE EVER REALLY FIND OUT!!!, which may make him a genuis. I mean the reaason people keep buying and reading all the Harry Potter books is beacuse you want to know ultimatley how it all ends. Can’t fault Faulkner for doing the same thing. After I got used to the way he wrote in a specific chapter, I was enthralled and had to finish said chapter.

So overall what I think about The Sound and the Fury, I guess my opinion is that for something like this, a literature class it is a good selection. But for everyday fun, I am going to sit under a tree and sun bathe…. no thanks… I would much rather read Patricia Cornwell or Chuck Palutnik (however you spell, the guy that wrote Fight Club).

Close Reading Dilsey Chapter

Jason told him, his sense of injury [from the Quentin chapter when he was going to kill himself and Caddy, injure oneself to punish for actions] and impotence [reoccuring theme throughout the book about the impotance of the Compson men] feeding upon its own sound [Quentin's mind essentially "fed" on itself util he was driven to suicide], so that after a time[time reoccuring in all the chapters] he forgot his hate[hates his niece for what she has put him through and its obvious that he hates her because she is like Caddy, irony that everyone loves/ed Caddy, Benjy and Quentin, and he absolutly hates her and her daughter]  in the violent cumulation of his self justification[Jason needs to be justified in all his actions; ex mad at Caddy because he didn't get the job at the bank or hitting Benjy because he was being to loud; he has a reason for everything he does] and his outrage[Compson men seem to have emotional problems, whether it be suicidal, retardation, or just plain old angry]. The sheriff watched him steadily[doesn't trust him as he shouldn't because he knows he is a thief, its quite strange that someone with a job is a thief, especially someone who wants a job at a bank so bad.. coincidence?? I think not] with his cold[refefence to having no sympathy or compassion just like Jason shows none of these for anyone else] shiny eyes. “But you don’t know they done it,” he said, “You just think so.” “Don’t know?” Jason said, “When I spent two damn days[of his vauble time that he uses as a hard working citizen that contributes to society?? Two days is a lot of time to him apaprently, again a reference to time] chasing her through alleys,[seems to have a "hero" complex; he had to chase after Quentin because she didn't know what she was doing and he was the only person who could save her] trying to keep her away from him,[controling nature of Jason rearing its ugly head again; 'her with him' again with the blame game] after I told[notice he didn't ask politely he TOLD her, men are so bossy, expecially Jason] her what I’d do to her[reference to violent nature of Jason; also to the impotence of Jason, what he would do, but never actually does it; also a reference to what men do to women: what Dalton did to Caddy or what Herbert did to Jason when he didn't give him the job] if I ever caught her with him,[shows how the author wants the women to come off as permiscuous, look at the wording 'her with him' it wasn't 'him with her' it was automatically her fault because she was a Compson woman] and you say I don’t know that little b—”[ironically Jason feels the same way about women that the boy did that Quentin tried to beat up; reoccuring theme of women being bitches and manipulators; Again shows the violent mean nature of Jason]