English 102 has been one of my more enjoyable classes of the spring semester. The classes were never a boring type of class where the professor just stands up at the front of the class, talking for an hour.Professor Brady teaches enthusiasm and she made every class have some type of interactive activity, whether it be a class fishbowl or partnering up. My other classes of the semester have been mostly the teacher only talking so English was fun to come to because everyone had the chance to participate.
English 102 had more work than my English 101 class but in the long run it helped me with my writing. I've learned that a specific quote or line in a story can be the difference between offering a point and proving a point. I've learned that a story has to be read before, gone over in class, and read after class for it to fully make sense. I think my writing has improved from learning how to use citations more in my essays. In English 102 they can take your essay from a 2 to a 3. and a B to an A.
I liked many aspects of English 102. I like Professor Brady's method of teaching with fishbowls, allowing everyone to contribute their ideas. Fishbowls are a more personal way of teaching and it's better than just sitting looking at the chalkboard for an hour. I liked the different opinions everyone had in class and even though I didn't agree with all of them, it's beneficial to see someone else's point of view. I liked that everyone in class was different and had their own ideas. The class would've been boring if everyone were the same and didn't have opinions about any of the class discussions.
In 5 years I'll probably still be using the idea that a point can't just be made by itself, it needs to be proven by details. If I need to write anything I'll know to look for specific supporting lines and quotes to strengthen the main idea/thesis.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Class 04/17/2012
"The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne was the last short story read for class. In class we discussed the differences between Georgiana and Alymer. Georgiana is the beautiful, good natured, devoted wife to Alymer. Alymer is obsessed, manipulative, and condescending towards his wife. Georgiana's small birthmark drives Alymer practically crazy to the point where he convinces her to let him remove it with his science. Alymer's over-reaching desire for perfection ultimately kills what makes Georgiana human and she dies a few seconds after becoming his version of "perfect". The class lecture helped me to show the allegory present in the story and the theme of science vs. nature.
Class 03/27/2012
The lecture of March 27, 2012 was on the themes and major concepts of "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri. I remember reading the story the night before class so I was practically skimming the pages. I understood the story as a whole, but not the small details. In class the story became a lot more interesting because of all the themes presented. I re-read the story after class to match up parts to themes. I saw the theme of misconception between Kapasi and Mrs. Das, the desire to feel acknowledge by Kapasi, and the feeling of failure by both. I liked reading the story after class because it was like reading a whole other book, because I was actually making connections and understanding how to connect a theme to a specific line and quote.
Class 03/22/2012
On March 22, 2012 the class lecture centered around the story "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway. The lesson involved the symbolism and theme of the story. Before coming to class and reading the story I was confused about what the girl and the man were passively arguing about. When Professor Brady explained that the argument was about abortion it cleared everything up. I was surprised that as the class re-read it in class, it was so obvious, but if you didn't know the story didn't make a lot of sense. When reading the story symbolism is show by the elephant hills represent a baby that the girl wants but the man sees it as a problem. I didn't understand what elephants had to do with a future child but the class explained that a white elephant although beautiful and rare, is a lot more work,time, and responsibility for one person. This was one of my favorite lectures of the class because I loved that the whole story is told without saying "abortion" and the argument is so passive and neither the man or woman flat out say if they want the baby or not.
" I couldn't go on believing her story and live with Stanley"
In “A Streetcar Named Desire” the quote “I couldn’t go on believing her story and live with Stanley” shows how Stella moves from reality to fantasy. She chooses to not trust and believe Blanche is telling the truth just so she can stay with Stanley after having her baby. She probably knows Blanche isn’t lying but she can’t leave Stanley. She wouldn’t be able to leave him with their child and live on her own. Stella chooses leaving reality and caring for Blanche to go to fantasy and keep living with Stanley.
Stella’s actions are from the psychological defense mechanism of denial. When a person doesn’t want to accept the truth of a problem they will flat out deny it and not believe it. Stella can’t come to terms that her husband raped her sister while she was in the hospital about to have their baby so she bluntly chooses not to believe Blanche. Stella knows if she believed the story she would leave Stanley and not have anywhere to go and on top of it have to take care of a baby. Stella in denial allows her to go on with her life with Stanley.
Stella’s actions are from the psychological defense mechanism of denial. When a person doesn’t want to accept the truth of a problem they will flat out deny it and not believe it. Stella can’t come to terms that her husband raped her sister while she was in the hospital about to have their baby so she bluntly chooses not to believe Blanche. Stella knows if she believed the story she would leave Stanley and not have anywhere to go and on top of it have to take care of a baby. Stella in denial allows her to go on with her life with Stanley.
Moral Law Vs. Civil Law
Moral law is one’s behavior and actions based on what they think from their conscious. Written law is a legal law carried out by a government. In “Antigone” Creon and Antigone are almost character foils because they have opposite beliefs on what laws they follow. Creon being the king of Thebes follows and makes the written law. Antigone defies Creon and follows her moral law.
Creon becomes king only after Eteocles and Polynices are killed so he needs written law to secure his position and keep power. He won’t let Polynices have a proper burial because he sees him as a traitor towards Thebes for seeking outside help to fight Eteocles. “Eteocles, they say he has used justly with lawful rites and hid him in the earth to have his honor among the dead men there. But the unhappy corpse of Polyneices he has proclaimed to all the citizens.” (Antigone 27-31).He thinks Polynices went against everyone so he forbids anyone from touching or moving his body in the street. After hearing that Antigone buried Polynices, Creon begins to subject her to death but instead imprisons her, saying that just because they’re family she’s not above the law.
Antigone follows her conscious instead of Creon’s law. She is very loyal to her family and knows that she would be subject to death for burying Polynices. As her sister Ismene tries to discourage her she says “He is my brother- and yours, too, though you deny him I will not prove false to him” (51-52). She thinks that although Polynices is somewhat wrong in getting outside help to go against his own brother but they’re still a family and he has as much as a right to be properly buried. She doesn’t want to be like Ismene and follow Creon’s law especially since he just became king. She chooses her family values over law.
Poetry
Poetry first originated thousands of years ago in Mesopotamia with “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, a collection of poems about the king. Since then poetry has expanded throughout the world, with different meanings and subjects. From telling great stories like “The Odyssey” in Greece to a 3 line Haiku in Japan poetry can be used with no boundaries or limits on showing personal expression. Poets W.H Auden and John Donne wrote to express their views of lost love. The gloomy tone of lost love is also shown by singer Lana Del Ray.
In [Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone] W.H. Auden has trouble adjusting to life after losing a loved one. In his poem he doesn’t want life to move on. He wants to “stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”. He can’t accept life without whoever he lost and feels lost saying “he was my North, my South, my East and West”. Auden’s poem has a depressing tone because he doesn’t see any positives in life and is stuck on missing his loved one. He doesn’t think anything in the future will be “any good”. Auden’s difficulty in dealing with the death of a loved one in [Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone] creates a gloomy tone.
Edgar Allen Poe wrote “Annabel Lee” dealing with the death of his love, Annabel. Poe has a less depressing tone than Auden because he seems to accept the death. In his poem Poe describes “a love that was more than love” he had with Annabel. He loses her by a sickness saying “the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee”. Although he misses her Poe knows their love was real and is able to mourn effectively. Edgar Allen Poe wrote “Annabel Lee” to deal with the death of his love Annabel.
Lana Del Ray sings “Dark Paradise” about missing a loved one that has died. She has mixed feelings about missing them singing “I wish I was dead” so she can be reunited with them but “I’m scared that you won’t be waiting on the other side” to show she is scared of what comes after death itself. She is stuck with missing the person and doesn’t want to move on because even though he is dead she argues” when you find true love it lives on”. The tone of the song is slow and somber showing Del Ray is having a difficult time moving on from the death. “Dark Paradise” is sung by Lana Del Ray expressing her sadness over the death of a loved one.
The poems of W.H. Auden and Edgar Allen Poe along with the song by Lana Del Ray show the mournful tones of lost love. Auden uses poetry to express his inability to continue with everyday life in [Stop the clock, cut off the telephone]. Poe expresses his belief that is love for Annabel is stronger than death in “Annabel Lee”. Lastly, Lana Del Ray sings “Dark Paradise” to show how much she misses her loved one when she knows he’s not with her.
In [Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone] W.H. Auden has trouble adjusting to life after losing a loved one. In his poem he doesn’t want life to move on. He wants to “stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone”. He can’t accept life without whoever he lost and feels lost saying “he was my North, my South, my East and West”. Auden’s poem has a depressing tone because he doesn’t see any positives in life and is stuck on missing his loved one. He doesn’t think anything in the future will be “any good”. Auden’s difficulty in dealing with the death of a loved one in [Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone] creates a gloomy tone.
Edgar Allen Poe wrote “Annabel Lee” dealing with the death of his love, Annabel. Poe has a less depressing tone than Auden because he seems to accept the death. In his poem Poe describes “a love that was more than love” he had with Annabel. He loses her by a sickness saying “the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee”. Although he misses her Poe knows their love was real and is able to mourn effectively. Edgar Allen Poe wrote “Annabel Lee” to deal with the death of his love Annabel.
Lana Del Ray sings “Dark Paradise” about missing a loved one that has died. She has mixed feelings about missing them singing “I wish I was dead” so she can be reunited with them but “I’m scared that you won’t be waiting on the other side” to show she is scared of what comes after death itself. She is stuck with missing the person and doesn’t want to move on because even though he is dead she argues” when you find true love it lives on”. The tone of the song is slow and somber showing Del Ray is having a difficult time moving on from the death. “Dark Paradise” is sung by Lana Del Ray expressing her sadness over the death of a loved one.
The poems of W.H. Auden and Edgar Allen Poe along with the song by Lana Del Ray show the mournful tones of lost love. Auden uses poetry to express his inability to continue with everyday life in [Stop the clock, cut off the telephone]. Poe expresses his belief that is love for Annabel is stronger than death in “Annabel Lee”. Lastly, Lana Del Ray sings “Dark Paradise” to show how much she misses her loved one when she knows he’s not with her.
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