At first when I got the syllabus and saw the book we were suppose to read I wasn’t too excited for the class. I don’t really like reading books at all and these books didn’t seem interesting to me all. To my surprise I really liked the Sunflower and how it was wrote. I really enjoyed and the story and found myself wanting to read it and not forcing myself to read it. I think it was more the topics that interest me instead of the writing style. If I find the topic to be interesting or something I can relate to, I will enjoy those book no matter what the writing style is. I didn’t like the Secret Life of the Bees at all, mostly because I wasn’t interested in it all. The movie didn’t look interesting to me, and if I couldn’t even see myself watching the movie, I defiantly would never see myself reading the book. I really didn’t like the descriptive writing style of the Secret Life of the Bees but I think if the story was more interesting to me I would have been able to go along with the writing style.
I really didn’t hate any of the short stories or really liked any. They were just assignments I read and didn’t have to much of an opinion on. At first I really didn’t get Where is the Voice Coming From but after talking about it and class and learning the story behind it made a lot of sense to me. I probably would have to say that this was my favorite short story mostly because I like the history about it. The Man the Well was my least favorite story because I felt like the author was leaving to open to interpretation. I know some people like this and like to talk to views on the text but I would rather have an author come out and say an idea then talk about that idea. I don’t like when people will get caught up on the littlest detail in the story and think the author was trying to say something by it, but in reality the author was just a writing a story without any hidden details.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Journal Monday
Jodi Finchum
Professor McLaughlin
July 12, 2010
Journal Entry- Monday
The most interesting texts that we have read in my opinion were the Craft Narrative and the Secret Life of Bees. Although the Craft Narrative was more in depth and a harder read for me, I took valuable information and learned about myself through reading it. The Secret Life of Bees had a more personal effect on me, because I would have read this book leisurely on my own. The moral questions and the ability to put myself in the characters shoes are important to me.
The themes that I identified with as being important and meaningful in the Craft Narrative were ideas of forgiveness and religion. The ability William Craft had to write such a thoughtful story and depiction of his life was brilliant to me in itself, considering his circumstances of being oppressed as a slave and not gaining an education or the open ability to learn how to read. I am encouraged by his hard work and imagination as well. His ability to forgive is also commendable. The creativity that William and Ellen had is great. I wonder if the creativity came first, or if the inventiveness was a result of desperation. Either way, their escape was brilliant. I was also very caught off guard with the statements from the Pastor’s and Reverends at the end of the narrative. I had never thought of Christianity playing a part in slavery, let alone advocating for it. I felt that I was lacking by not understanding this dilemma at the time. After speaking with my campus minister about the topic, I’m still shaken up at the fact that fellow Christian people deemed it okay to hold people as slaves. Slavery in the bible does not compare to the slavery that we had in America with Black people. The Old Testament way of slavery was looked on as signing your life to someone pretty much, and you were not forced into it. I still cannot see how this is acceptable in God’s eyes if you are a “good master”, because even if slave owners are good to their slaves, I’m positive they would much rather be free, and just work for the “owners” as bosses.
When reading the Secret Life of Bees, I felt emotional ties to the novel, and could relate to Lily. Sue Monk Kidd did a great job with her facts of that time period, and a great job of balancing the imagery with a nice story line. The character development was great in this book. I especially loved the way each character had a spot in your heart of some sort. I felt strong feelings emotionally towards all characters, rather those be positive with Miss August or negative with T. Ray.
Journal Entry 7/12/10
Overall this class has been very enjoyable, from the texts we read to the group discussions. I particularly liked The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal and the question it posed at the end of the book. The notion of forgiveness has always seemed so black and white to me, but given the context of this scenario it became much more than a simple yes or no answer. It was very interesting hearing everyone’s personal opinion in class, and I definitely enjoyed sharing mine as well. The journal entry for that day also helped me discover a few things about myself, so all in all it was my favorite portion of the class.
Journal Entry 7-12-10
In this class I was exposed to literature that I would not have read on my own, and I love that. I love to read and to learn, and this class allowed me to do both. One of the big topics we talked about was forgiveness in class, associated mainly with the book ‘The Sunflower’, and it has opened my eyes to some of the different views on it. I like the views expressed in the book as well. Originally, I thought that it was very rude of Simon to simply walk out on the man without telling him anything. As the book went on and the situation was discussed with the men in his block, it was Josef’s testimony that really brought me around. He was introduced to us as a holy man, and I normally think of them as self-sacrificing and always forgiving. When he said that it would have been wrong for Simon to do anything other than what he had done, that Simon had no right to forgive the SS soldier on behalf of people who were wronged that were not Simon, I understood more why he did what he did. As I said in class, I tend to do the same thing the SS soldier did, in grouping together people of the same religion as family. I don’t like or agree with all Catholics, nor would I discriminate against any other person of a different religion if they asked me for help of some kind. However, I do view those that I attend Mass with to be family to me. So while I understand where the SS man was coming from, I also agree with the action of Simon, and this surprised me.
Journal #9
I honestly have never liked to read and would try to do anything I could to get out of it, so I was a little nervous to take this class. I think the main thing that I have gained from this class is a better appreciation for literature. I never used to really analyze what I was reading, I would just decide it I “liked” it or not. Through this literature class I have a better way of analyzing writing and my opinion of that writing.
I think I especially enjoyed the fact that this was a topics course that I would relate the readings to real world events and sociological tendencies. This was nice for me, because I am also taking sociology this quarter, and the two classes kind of overlapped in some aspects. So, I would have to say my biggest surprise is that I did all the readings and didn’t hate the class.
Some of the more interesting parts for me were the days we discusses the topic of forgiveness. I think this is because I have never really thought about all the facets of a seemingly simple concept. I’ve always been a very forgiving person, but it was interesting to think about why that might be, and if I thought I would ever not be able to forgive someone.
A few of the stories have also made me think about how I treat others, and especially my close friends and family. It’s nice to be able to take something away from a class, that wasn’t really the main point of the class. That kind of sounds silly, but it’s like taking the bigger picture of what was discussed and using it in real life. This has always been an issue with school and me. I had an illustration professor that once told me in order to do well on an assignment, you have to first accept it, and then internalize it. This literature class has been an extension of that ideology for me. As I have talked about before, I have also enjoyed the investigation of form and content in literature. Which also goes along with my connections to the art world, because of how important those two concepts are to the art world.
I hope to challenge myself in the future by reading out of my comfort zone and try to tackle some Faulkner. I can see how works like his could be inspiring to a designer. Maybe someday I will create a collection based upon one of his stories.
Morgan McMahan
Final Journal!
Allison Rood
Topics In Literature
7/11/2010
My favorite piece of writing so far was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Although I felt a personal tie to The Sunflower as I am Jewish and was emotionally charged by the reading, it didn’t felt like I was reading for my own reasons. The Secret Life of Bees was closest to my typical style of reading in its use of language and format. There were standard chapters, a definite plot, a villain and protagonist, and it made for a fantastic way to pass the time on a hot summer day. The story line was easy to follow, and didn’t skip around with random literary interjections of unwanted information. There was no confusing dialogue juggled between someone’s thoughts and another person’s words. It was a simple read, not over complicated yet just as easy to pick apart. Some of the complexities of the short stories were harder to follow, took more effort and multiple readings. I was almost brought to physical pain out of the anger I felt for some of the characters in these stories. Julian’s mom made me want to scream, the children from the Ira Sher readings were no better. These fictional beings made me angrier than even my own brother can, which is indeed fairly angry. The vaults of personal emotions spewed out when reading some of these works and not always in the most positive reaction. I understand some of the Authors’ intents for writing in this fashion, but as a reader it is not always enjoyable. So in conclusion, I like a nice stress-free read, and The Secret Life of Bees is just that.
Topics In Literature
7/11/2010
My favorite piece of writing so far was The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Although I felt a personal tie to The Sunflower as I am Jewish and was emotionally charged by the reading, it didn’t felt like I was reading for my own reasons. The Secret Life of Bees was closest to my typical style of reading in its use of language and format. There were standard chapters, a definite plot, a villain and protagonist, and it made for a fantastic way to pass the time on a hot summer day. The story line was easy to follow, and didn’t skip around with random literary interjections of unwanted information. There was no confusing dialogue juggled between someone’s thoughts and another person’s words. It was a simple read, not over complicated yet just as easy to pick apart. Some of the complexities of the short stories were harder to follow, took more effort and multiple readings. I was almost brought to physical pain out of the anger I felt for some of the characters in these stories. Julian’s mom made me want to scream, the children from the Ira Sher readings were no better. These fictional beings made me angrier than even my own brother can, which is indeed fairly angry. The vaults of personal emotions spewed out when reading some of these works and not always in the most positive reaction. I understand some of the Authors’ intents for writing in this fashion, but as a reader it is not always enjoyable. So in conclusion, I like a nice stress-free read, and The Secret Life of Bees is just that.
What interested me?
The works that have interested me the most have been The Sunflower, “The Man in the Well,” “Against interpretation,” “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” and “Where is the Voice Coming From?”
The Sunflower is so interesting because it raises so many intriguing questions: What is forgiveness? Whom is forgiveness for? Where do you draw the line with forgiveness? Are there certain time limits? How much can be forgiven? Where does punishment factor in? Should people want to “get even” with those who have wronged them? What if revenge is impossible? Does it mater if the perpetrator is sorry or has done penance? How bad can an act be to be forgivable? Is anything unforgiveable? Are all people potentially forgivable? Do you forgive the person or the act? Should you forget about the forgiven act? What is good/bad about forgiveness? Is it ever an obligation to forgive? Can you forgive yourself? What would I have done?
Looking at politics and ethics in the story “The Man in the Well” interested me. I found the perspectives of my classmates on good and evil to be thought provoking. Moreover, I read the story thinking that the man in the well was eventually going to be found to be criminal of some kind and did not focus on the actions of the children as being inherently wrong. However, after hearing their thoughts I can see how their actions can be considered deplorable. Another interesting question brought up was: Is there such a thing as good or evil? Additionally, I found the intergroup politics of the children to be interesting, especially when they reveal each others’ names. Lastly, guilt is a major topic that the story addresses. The children never check to know for sure if the man is dead, and never return to the well.
I thought the question that “Against interpretation” asks is fascinating: What is art? “The earliest theory of art by the Greek philosophers proposed that art was mimesis, imitation of reality.” Also, what is the value of art? Does art have to justify itself? Is the material world just an imitation of the ideal world?
“Everything that Rises Must Converge” caused me to engage in some self evaluation. Throughout the story, Julian wants to teach his mother a lesson, and at certain times it is obvious why he might be justified in wanting to do so (i.e. her racist opinions). However, even though there is definite room for positive growth for his mother, Julian seems to focus on her shortcomings too much. He does not pay enough attention to improving his own life. This only leaves Julian stuck in his state of depression.
“Where is the Voice Coming From?” interested me because of its form. The text consists of the narrator’s internal thoughts and no other points of view. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that he is proud to be a racist murderer. The combination of these factors makes this work very different from the other texts we read for class.
The Sunflower is so interesting because it raises so many intriguing questions: What is forgiveness? Whom is forgiveness for? Where do you draw the line with forgiveness? Are there certain time limits? How much can be forgiven? Where does punishment factor in? Should people want to “get even” with those who have wronged them? What if revenge is impossible? Does it mater if the perpetrator is sorry or has done penance? How bad can an act be to be forgivable? Is anything unforgiveable? Are all people potentially forgivable? Do you forgive the person or the act? Should you forget about the forgiven act? What is good/bad about forgiveness? Is it ever an obligation to forgive? Can you forgive yourself? What would I have done?
Looking at politics and ethics in the story “The Man in the Well” interested me. I found the perspectives of my classmates on good and evil to be thought provoking. Moreover, I read the story thinking that the man in the well was eventually going to be found to be criminal of some kind and did not focus on the actions of the children as being inherently wrong. However, after hearing their thoughts I can see how their actions can be considered deplorable. Another interesting question brought up was: Is there such a thing as good or evil? Additionally, I found the intergroup politics of the children to be interesting, especially when they reveal each others’ names. Lastly, guilt is a major topic that the story addresses. The children never check to know for sure if the man is dead, and never return to the well.
I thought the question that “Against interpretation” asks is fascinating: What is art? “The earliest theory of art by the Greek philosophers proposed that art was mimesis, imitation of reality.” Also, what is the value of art? Does art have to justify itself? Is the material world just an imitation of the ideal world?
“Everything that Rises Must Converge” caused me to engage in some self evaluation. Throughout the story, Julian wants to teach his mother a lesson, and at certain times it is obvious why he might be justified in wanting to do so (i.e. her racist opinions). However, even though there is definite room for positive growth for his mother, Julian seems to focus on her shortcomings too much. He does not pay enough attention to improving his own life. This only leaves Julian stuck in his state of depression.
“Where is the Voice Coming From?” interested me because of its form. The text consists of the narrator’s internal thoughts and no other points of view. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that he is proud to be a racist murderer. The combination of these factors makes this work very different from the other texts we read for class.
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