The Essence of "Crazy"

This book has certainly claimed its place among my favorites of the semester. Although its characters and story line weren't necessarily my favorite, I was highly intrigued by the way it was composed. Pynchon's unique style of writ ting masterfully directs the readers through the series of twists and turns that compile his plot. He takes his readers out of their own atmosphere and practically places them within the head of Oedipa. I came to consider the protagonist as just slightly crazy. I read her to be forming this whole elaborate plot in her head and finding plausible excuses to support her beliefs.
Pynchon does an unbelievable job of dictating circumstances in which his readers can directly connect with his leading lady. He writes in unusually lengthy sentences that bring the reader around in a circle. Such a circular pattern can be related to the trails that Oedipa chases that inevitably lead her no where. This manner of writing adds an entirely new spin to the story and contributes a new level of greatness to the tale. Rather than simply telling or imploring the reader to believe that Oedipa is a little crazy, the author drives the reader insane themselves. As i was reading the book I was getting slightly frustrated and definitely felt a little crazy.

What's In a Name

While reading, I was intrigued my numerous parts of the story, even within the first chapter. One of the main things that caught my attention, however, were the interesting names of the characters. The reader encounters names such as Oedipa, Pierce Inverarity, Mucho Maas, and Dr. Hilarious. Initially all of these names sound odd; but, when I contemplated them even further, I feel they contribute an entirely other meaning to the story.

The protagonist possesses one of the most recognizable names, Oedipa. Oedipa is extremely similar to Oedipus. Most of us know Oedipus as the Greek character who slept with his mother and killed his father. Obviously, at least not thus far in the story, Oedipa has not displayed such extreme characteristics; however, she is searching for a sense of freedom or liberation. I relate her search for liberation to Oedipus's sense of "liberation" of gained from eventually fulfilling his lustful desires. We haven' really read far enough to say for certain, but I could easily see Oedipa's search for liberation being along the lines of sexual freedom as well.

Pierce is a very strong name. I don't really believe his name has any hidden connotation, I just feel that it contributes to the story. He is portrayed as a very savvy businessman and a name such as Pierce contributes to his look. A name like Bob or Jim just doesn't give off the presence of someone who is as business-minded as Pierce appeared to be.

Oedipa's husband, Mucho Maas, also has a very interesting name. In Spanish, "mucho" means "a lot" and "mas" (very similar to "Maas") means more. I wasn't sure if this was a signifier to how much he demanded of Oedipa or something else along those lines. I perceived his particular character as someone who lacked ambition and just continuously drained Oedipa. If my assumptions are correct, the alleged connotation of his name would correspond nicely.

Finally there is Dr. Hilarious. This name doesn't require much explaining. He comes off as a more or less a "quack" rather than a justified doctor. I'm not aware of too many doctors that attempt to persuade their patients to use LSD. "Hilarious" is a term often associated with that which is funny or comical; something that is not to be taken seriously. Dr. Hilarious was no exception and I believe Oedipa eventually came to realize that.

"There Was a Queen"

I found this to be a very intriguing story and found the obvious plot interesting. I was also under the impression that this story was set during the Reconstruction period and I found this to give an entirely new light to story as well as to the relationships between the women. I could be on the entirely wrong page, but I saw this story as a an allegory to the New South versus the Old South post Civil War. I perceived Faulkner as using "There Was a Queen" as a channel to verbalize his opinion about the post-war occurrences.
History plays a large role in my perception of the tale. Immediately following the war and the undoing of the "Old South" Lincoln began his ploy to redo the Southern states which eventually resulted in the "New South." In Faulkner's story we see a "new" force reforming the traditional ways. I saw him as presenting Elnora as the New South as he guides his readers through her trials, specifically her African American lover. The idea of a white woman taking an African American lover on her own free will was still extremely socially taboo and virtually unheard of, just as many of the reforms presented in the New South. We also eventually witness her triumph over her grandmother, whom can be seen as the Old South.
At first I read this as more of a light hearted, intriguing piece, but the more I analyzed it and tried to consider what to Blog about I took into consideration the era in which it was written. I eventually came to perceive this as more of a political piece or an attempt to make a statement about reconstruction.

"The Young Housewife"

Out of all of William's pieces that we read, "The Young Housewife" was by far my favorite. William's writing style, with a hint of mystery and scandal, drew me in and captured my attention all while leaving plenty of room for me to form my own conclusions about various situations. Peter Baker points out exactly what I am referring to in his analytical piece about "The Young Housewife." He states, "One must do a sort of double-take to figure out how the speaker could know this if she is behind the walls of a house." We see the passing doctor detailing seductive features about the young housewife, specifically her attire. As the reader, we learn that the young women is adorned in a sheer negligee; most certainly an object of sensuality.
We also witness the doctor approaching her as almost untouchable. He references her with such regard that we are initially under the impression that he feels insignificant next to her and that she is just a mere wish that he could never obtain. However, as we read farther, I stumbled upon the idea that he had already had her. He uses such detail and describes such perfect images, I came to believe that he had first hand knowledge of these things, and that he hadn't just merely observed them from behind "wood walls. Barry Ahearn accredits this situation by stating, "The encounter between the passing doctor and the young housewife is scrupulously polite and legitimate. Yet the poem hints at potential sexual contact." After completing the piece, I eventually concluded that his "scrupulously polite" descriptions were almost a game, or a fantasy, of the doctor's. I believe that he had certainly seen the housewife, and the negligee, up close.

The Wife of His Youth

In The Wife of His Youth Chesnutt addresses a theme that was often emitted in other literature of the time: racism amongst African Americans. Through his main character, Mr. Ryder, Chesnutt is able to portray the idea that even some African Americans were discriminatory against their own dark-skinned people. We come to know Mr. Ryder as a light-skinned member of the Blue Veins; one whom held a somewhat prominent spot in society. The Blue Veins was a society for African Americans who's skin tone was light enough that the blue of their veins shown through. Even through the formation of this society, it is exhibited that African Americans, those who had faced years of discrimination due to the darkness of their skin, now placed the same value on the lightness of their skin tone as their Caucasian counterparts. Only the elite, referring to those who had light skin, were permitted to join the society.
Mr. Ryder is faced with his own challenge, however, when "the wife from his youth," a homely dark skinned slave, reappears and challenges him to decide between her, and embarrassment amonst the Blue Veins or his high-end society. Ryder, whom had previously been a slave himself, even found himself questioning her acceptance. This woman who he had once loved was now so very different solely because she was not "blessed" with lighter skin coloring. Is this not the same excuse the white man had taunted African Americans with for decades? Mr. Ryder, who now just happened to be fortunate enough to be free and of high status had assumed the same arrogance that was possessed by the white men.
I see this as one of the largest ironies imaginable in all of literature. Chesnutt takes this previously enslaved man and turns him into the same type of monster that had, at one time, been responsible for his own misery. He takes his protagonist and challenges him to look deep into his soul, not only as his skin, which just happens to be light enough to where one could see the blue of his veins.

Huck Finn

One of the key elements in Twain's Huckleberry Finn is diction, and more importantly, dialect. The dialect not only reflects the southern jargin of the time but it is also used to reflect Huck's ignorance in various situations. As I read, I also began to view Huck's ignorance as mirroring American ignorance. I also believe this is exactly the thoughts Twain hoped to ignite in his audience. Through the dialect, Twain is able to portray Huck as an uninformed, relatively close-minded, individual (at least at the begining of the novel) who is not nearly educated enough about particular situations, especially slavery, to cast the harsh judgements he often tends to favor. I see this view of Huck paralleling the view Twain seems to believe is held by most southern citizens. It can be inferred by the reader that Huck's ignorance is age, and background, inflicted, while the ignorance of the southerners was more of a chosen way of life.

Dialect also holds a vital role in relation to Jim. The transpirings between Huck and Jim are of utmost importance in the novel. Through their conversations, we are able to share in Huck's epitome that Jim is as much of a human being as he is. As the reader, we are able to witness Huck's realitization that Jim laughs, loves, and hurts just as much as any individual with white skin. I also perceive this as another underlying message in Twain's text. I can practically hear him urging his readers to follow in Huck's "morally right" conclusion about slavery. Even though Huck Finn is written after the legalized end of slavery, Twain is more than aware that the desire for slaves is still very much alive in the minds of white southerners. There is no doubt that his strong and unique usage of dialect is all part of Twain's attempt to persuade his readers to open their minds to a new way of life.

In “After Great Pain, a formal feeling comes –” Dickinson is once again focusing on one of her most popular topics; war. I was very intrigued by the first stanza of the poem; because, I honestly feel that the words comprised here truly capture the after math of war. The introduction powerfully grasps the reader. “After great pain” leaves the reader wanting to know just what occurs after such immense hurt. The diction used in the following lines continues to form this vision of the horrendous affects of war. Words such as “nerves,” “tombs,” and “contentment” arouse strong feelings of uncertainty, and most importantly, uneasiness, in the reader. As I read I found myself hesitating and becoming nervous about the text I was going to read. By using such strong wording, Dickinson entrances her audience with this “formal feeling” she refers to in her title line. I see her as almost painting a picture of a baron battlefield without describing the scenery. As opposed to referencing dead bodies or bullet shells, she details “the nerves [that] sit ceremonious, like tombs –” and “the stiff heart.” As I read this poem, I formed a vision in my head of a battlefield littered with bodies and haunted by a deep fog. I could even almost smell the gun powder and hear the moans of the wounded. When a poet can portray such a vivid image without so much as describing the first visual, not emotional, scene, they have truly mastered the utmost skill of their art. I also find this amusing considering that a large majority of people consider Dickinson this emotionless hobbit that stowed away in her attic. She, in fact, was full of emotions and this is just one of her finest examples of the severity of the emotions that did consumer her.

Whitman

In opposition to his predecessors, Walt Whitman offered his audience a very unique outlook on the War. Whitman was a poet over everything else and I feel that this is evident in his writing; however, I also believe Mark Neely’s claim that Whitman viewed the war solely as an advance of the Union cause. Whitman hardly speaks of slavery as an institution in his poetry so it is often left to question just how he does feel about it. Although he was not necessarily opposed to slavery itself, the Fugitive Slave Act did infuriate him. However, it was not because of what it stated but rather how it was to be regulated. He felt that something of that manner should not be left to the states, but rather the nation as a whole. Whitman believed that if such a task were placed as the responsibility of the states then it would not receive equal enforcement. Since he was never overly vocal with his thoughts on slavery, it is left for assumption that Whitman was not excessively opposed to it. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that he didn’t perceive the Civil War as a “war of liberation” but rather a “war for the Union.” The Emancipation Proclamation was also not favored or largely discussed in Whitman’s work and I accredit this lack of discussion to the document’s relation to Northern propaganda. The Emancipation only affected slaves in states that had not remained loyal to the Union and it was also seen as a tool to hopefully enhance the Union cause in the eyes of European nations. In accordance with Neely, I was also under the impression that Whitman was not too fond of Lincoln. Lincoln made many ‘exceptions’ to the Emancipation and he was more than willing to compromise with the states. I observe Whitman to be someone who approves of a strong, steadfast character; thus, I don’t see him highly favoring Mr. Lincoln. Neely even goes as far as to say that Whitman considered him a “mystical nationalist.” This is complementary to my theory that Whitman saw Lincoln as trying to save something that didn’t need saving.
Although they shared similar subjects of their works, Timrod, Horton, and Whitman all offered very differing opinions of slavery, the war, nationalism, etc. Timrod’s works gives his readers a hint of southern nostalgia as he speaks of cotton and all of the other great aspects of the South. In my opinion, he seems to lack a certain passion possessed by the other two; at least a passion for the war. His concentration seems to be more or less focused on the South and all of the beauties he foresees getting destroyed. Horton, on the other hand, makes up for the passion that Timrod seemed to lack. An African American himself, Horton portrayed immense pain, turmoil, and brutality through his work; emotions that often evoked a variety of emotions in the reader. I could almost feel the hurt flow from his fingertips to the page and then back to me as a result of him composing with such elegance and fervor. Whitman possesses characteristics of both of his fellow poets; however, he also highly contradicts each of his counterparts as well. While he presents Timrod’s devotion to the south, he most certainly writes with Horton’s passion. I believe this is probably why Whitman is honestly one of my favorite poets, not only of his era, but of all time.
Furthermore, Whitman’s “Beat! Beat! Drums!” epitomizes his stance on the war. I see the drum-beating representing the war, or the idea of the war, itself. It tells how it spreads everywhere, and how no one is immune to its affects. The bridegroom, the farmer, the city traffic, the sleeping people, the talking people, the singers, the lawyers, and everyone from every occupation and every background is affected by this “noise.” “Burst like a ruthless force,” says Whitman in detailing the sheer strength of the sound of the drums, or what the reader could assume was the vigor of the war. He continues to use terms such as “no happiness,” “so fierce,” “mind not the timid,” to truly enlighten his audience on the plights associated with this war that he has undoubtedly deemed as unnecessary. Whitman uses this selection to share his beliefs on the lack of a proper motif for the war and how gruesome it could be. He also leads the reader to question “for what?” in regard to why such atrocities occurred.

Benito Cereno

Although I found the story interesting, what struck me most about the play is Melville's take on the human spirit. Through studying and analyzing Hawthorne, it can easily be said that he considered human nature to be this dark driving force that was the underlying evil in most individuals. Hawthorne gave off the impression that there was a little bit of evil in even the best of people. However, I see Melville as offering a new approach. In reading Benito Cereno, I see Melville as portraying the human spirit, at least the spirit in Delano, as innately good. His kind -natured protagonist has a good heart and tends to believe the best of people, almost to a point of naivety.
In several instances, Melville references how Delano dismissed thoughts or suspicion solely because he wanted to believe the best in people. For example, even when Delano first encounters Cereno, he is left baffled by his strange antics but he dismisses strange antics of the San Dominick's captain as the product of all of the troubles he had just encountered. The reader later learns that his antics were caused by his troubles but not troubles due to bad weather. Delano even goes as far to express his envy of Bano's and Cereno's relationship as he seems to forget the typical relationship between whites and Africans of the day. Despite his intuitive feelings, Delano continues to dismiss all of the odd occurrences and comes up with off-the-wall reasoning to compensate for them. In fact, the only time Delano does speak up is when he vocalizes his dislike of Cereno keeping Atufal in chains because the slave was so well mannered and polite. Once again, this demonstrates Melville's display of an innately good human spirit through Delano. I believe the supreme show of Delano's good-heartedness is when he begins to speculate that Cereno may even be planning an attack; but, ignoring his, his ship's, and his crew's safety, again dismisses it as silliness.
However, the supreme difference in Hawthorne and Melville is the fact that Melville didn't necessarily allow Delano's kind nature to get the best of him. I believe Hawthorne would have continuously referred to his nature as naive and immature and would have created a scenario where everyone suffered brutal deaths and Cereno was the epitome of evil. Melville, on the other hand, permitted some truth to Delano's belief to be somewhat accurate; Cereno was the victim, not the perpetrator.

Young Goodman Brown

This is about the third time I have read Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" and I still find Faith the most intriguing character. She represents so many aspects of the story, not only Young Goodman Brown's wife but also his "faith" as well as the "faith" of other members of the community. We even see Brown inadvertently refer to his wife as his faith. He also conceives his wife as innocent and pure and this often weighs on his conscious when he begins to partake in "unchristian" activities. Young Goodman Brown feels especially bad when he leaves to enter the woods, which can be perceived as a sign of evil; and, he even uses his wife an an excuse to his tardiness in meeting the mysterious man we later learn is the devil. Brown tells the devil that "Faith kept me back a while." This leaves plenty of room for the reader to form their own opinion of what Brown is exactly referring to by "Faith": his wife or his moral conscious. Young Goodman Brown once again uses his "Faith" as a scapegoat when he runs out of all other excuses to evade going with the devil. In this statement, Hawthorne leaves the reader to wander if Brown doesn't feel it is best to go because his wife wouldn't approve of it or because God wouldn't approve of.
However, when Brown falters in his Christian "faith," and eventually succumbs to the devil's coaching into the forest, he sees his wife about to be "baptized in blood." In this first instance, Brown comes to recognize that he had in fact put his wife on a pedestal and that she possessed an internal evil even greater than his own. This confuses and ultimately enrages Brown and he cries "My Faith is gone!" By this point in the story, I feel that it is quite obvious to the reader that he is referring to both his wife and the moral standards he had based around her. Brown even gets led to the alter himself and terrified by what he has seen and what may result if he actually partook in the communion. In turn, he yells and everything disappears and Brown is alone in the woods. When he encounters Faith when he exits the woods he shuns her because he can't ignore the evil he now associates with his wife. In this we see that when Brown had thought so highly of his wife's Christianity that he didn't give himself enough credit. He had believed that his wife was his faith when he was the one who was stronger in his own faith. This proves that even though he occasionally falters in his walk, he is ultimately the better Christian because he denies the devil, and evil, when not only Faith, but also Goody Cloyse, the minister, and Deacon Gookin fall in their own faith.

Act II,Scene iii

This one selection from the play touches on one of the ideas that I happened to find the most interesting; Warren's loathing of her own brother's patriotic ways. Throughout The Group, Mercy preaches the importance of gaining freedom and escaping British oppression. She details the Sons of Liberty and their pursuit of freedem and attempts to persuade her readers that they, in fact, are doing absolutely nothing wrong. It can easily be understood that her purpose in composing the play was to hopefully convince Britain to hault, or at least decrease, their oppressive ways. Towards the end of the selection from Act II, Scene iii, it is quite obvious that Mercy is very patriotic herself. She rages about how she is unforgiving and phrases such as, "To equal liberty, conferred on man..." easily make her cause apparent.
One of the very first things that is addressed in this portion of the play is her brother, Brutus, and his stand against the Tory cause. From previous reading, one would assume that she would not only be proud of her brother, but also support him; however, that certainly appears not to be the case. Her use of diction around these lines pushes her point even further. Warren doesn't simply say that she "disapproved," "disliked," or "did not support" her brother, she felt it best to say she "hated" Brutus." I feel as though "hate" is one of the strongest words available to show dislike or even loathing. Yet, in the next breath, she is proclaiming his stand as "noble," thus acknowledging that it was loyal and most likely the best thing to do. I got the impression that, in Mercy's eyes, it would have been the right thing to do for anyone who wasn't her brother. Due to previous knowledge, we know that "Brutus" was Mercy's brother who resisted the Tory sympathizers and was brutally beat for it. This really swayed my opinion of Mercy and almost made me believe that, although she believed in her cause, she felt best to hide behind her words and the pages of her play. She supported the fight against the Tory's, and even felt strongly enough to write about it; however, when it came down to it, she really wasn't willing to sacrifice her own, or her loved one's, well being. I honestly believe she meant well; but, then again I have to question just how much she believed in her cause if she wasn't willing to allow herself, or her brother, to take a physical stand of resistance.

"Autobiography" Part I

Upon reading Franklin's "Autobiography," I found that one centralized topic of Part I, was the creation of the "American dream." Franklin never refers to his hard work and continuous search for happiness as the "American dream;" however, he describes everything we have presently come to know as such. Throughout this section of "Autobiography," Franklin continuously informs his son of his hard work, acquired skills, sacrifices to achieve his goals, and, most importantly, self improvement. It is clear what a hardworking youth, and man, Benjamin Franklin was. He tells his son of his first jobs with his father and brother and then with other publishing companies and literary businesses. At the young age of twelve, Franklin even signed an eight year contract to work for his brother. During this time, it is also evident that he traveled around quite a bit while pursuing his dream. From Philadelphia, to London, to New York, and everywhere in between, Franklin moved in hopes of finding steady and secure employment within the literary industry.
What intrigued me most about Mr. Franklin was his undauntable nature. He experienced numerous disappointments and false information; nonetheless, he continued in the pursuit of his goal. It is mentioned how he was supposed to be able to find a job with Bradford in Philadelphia; yet, when he reaches the Pennsylvania city, there is no job available. Whereas I would have been extremely discouraged by this, Franklin simply moves on until he crosses paths with Governor Keith who initially proves to be promising. However, Keith is just another let down for Franklin when he doesn't write a letter of recommendation as he had promised. Franklin continues to push forward.
Another key element of the first part of "Autobiography" was his dedication to bettering his skill and his continued dedication to self improvement. This appears to be a theme that will continue throughout the remainder of Franklin's piece. The American dream consists of equal opportunities at work, at home, and throughout the community, and such ideals are laced with the notion that achieving such will take hard work and dedication. Franklin refuses to be deterred by any "road blocks" and the audience is led to believe that he eventually achieves the "American Dream." In the first paragraph, he tells his son that he led a good life with minimal things that he would change, and this obviously implies that he was very pleased with what he had gained.

Query 11 -- Notes on the State of Virginia

Upon reading Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia, I was most intrigued by his Query 11 regarding the Native Americans. From the beginning of this selection, he makes it quite evident that he holds Native Americans in a higher regard than others such as Byrd. Byrd doesn't necessarily speak harshly of the Indians; however, he takes it upon himself to mock them and attempt to change, or "Americanize" them. On the other hand, I was under the impression that Jefferson didn't form an opinion, at least from an author's stance, of the Natives. There are no harsh, or derogatory, words such as "heathen" within Jefferson's text; and, in his opening he even provides for the assumption of Indians being civilized individuals capable of alliances. From what I understand, it was a popular belief in Jefferson's day that Indians were solely war-faring savages. Jefferson contradicts this with his listing of various tribes and then mentioning their "amity with one another" (219). Not to be mistaken, he doesn't take a favorable tone in his writing; nonetheless, it is not commonly perceived that he begrudges the Native Americans.
When I reached page 220 I was initially confused, prior to being extremely intrigued. At this point, Jefferson refers to the warfare of tribes such as Monacans and the Powhatans. He also mentions their lack of "laws, coercive power, and any shadow of government," (220). He continued with his neutral tone, but I was left questioning this change of view. I contribute this to being part of his scheme to prove his ultimate point. "Imperfect as this species of coercion may seem, crimes are very rare among them: insomuch that were it made a question, whether no law, as among the savage Americans, or too much law, as among the civilized Europeans, submits man to the greatest evil," (220). Although this was a mere sentence in the entire Query, it spoke volumes. Jefferson possessed the gall to not only compare the Colonists to the Indians, but to go so far as to say that the Colonists faltered in light to their Native counterparts. Notes on the State of Virginia was originally written for a Frenchman inquiring about the colonies; and, I think it is a subtle, yet obvious, hint that "too much law" would do worse things to a society than a lack of law. With only this one sentence Jefferson manages to inform the Frenchman that even though they had no common language, no American mannerisms, and no laws or government, they still managed to control their peoples better than the European nations. I love Jefferson for this one point that he makes while chastising his own governing body.

Johnathon Edwards

This is actually my second time reading this particular sermon by Edwards, and, as with most second readings, I gained a lot more from it than I did the first time. One of the first things I noticed this second time around, is how Edwards, more or less, prefaces the text with a foreshadowing of what the sermon is going to be centered around. The first time I read "A Divine and Supernatural Light..." I did not connect Edwards' opening about Peter and his Godly favor with the achievement of the divine light. It all "clicked" this time around.
I am also one of high Christian faith so this was more than just an assigned reading. I am sad to say that when I first read this my Junior year of high school I made the mistake of approaching it as any text, and not a sermon that was preached. After reading it this time, I found a reading of the sermon on the internet and listened to it. It was amazing the difference it made and really opened my eyes to what a "poet" Edwards was. It is evident how intouch with his faith and with God he really was... a visionary, so to speak.
I also found Edwards "doctorine" to be effective because he speaks to his congregation as a well educated group of individuals. I percieved some of the earlier text of the period to be written by authors who seemed to consider their audience uneducated. He makes it very easy to follow, comprehend, and most importantly, adhere to, by aligning his sermon in step-by-step "instructions." Furthermore, quoting so many verses adds to the credibility of his sermon and his career. Overall, this sermon was amazing, from a Christian standpoint, as well as an educated individual's standpoint.

Hi Guys!

Hey Guys!
My name's Jennifer and I'm a Journalism / Mass Comm. major. I'm a freshman and so far I am loving it at UNC. I'm on a dance team here (Star Heels) and this will be my 16th year of dance. I'm also a part of the UNC Dance Marathon and other than that schoolwork keeps me pretty busy. I'm originally from Elizabeth City, NC, which is a small town in the (very) northeast corner of North Carolina... it's about three hours from here. I'll see all of you guys tomorrow =)