Invisible Man

Prologue - Chapter 2

One things that is very interesting in these chapters is the treatment the narrator gives to the white men, when they treat him so badly.  This really stood out in the part in the chapter one where he is with his grandfather, who is on his deathbed.  His grandfather is ashamed of himself for having been quiet.  This sticks with the narrator, as he too lives a quiet and meek life.  The grandfather also described the lives of black Americans as a warfare.  So when it mentions that all the white men complimented the narrator on his quiet life, it shows that they do not want to have to fight with the narrator.  They are praising him for keeping quiet about his social rights, the battle that they always want to put off.  That is the very problem we are dealing with in this book.  During those times, many white men did not want to deal with the issue of racism, and would do anything to put it off or to appease for the time being, without actually solving the issue.  They wanted to discriminate against a race, and not have any repercussions, which is impossible.  Even in the book, the narrator seems to be a calm, even headed man, however, even he reaches a limit and when it is passed, he attacks a man, almost killing him.  The problem is, that these actions only provided the ability to twist and corrupt the truth by blaming the black man, when the white man was really the cause of it.  Do you think that we will see more evidence of this later in the book?  Also, do you think the narrator's attitude will begin to shift throughout the book, will he begin to become less quiet?

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Act I

A Midsummer Night’s Dream starts out in Athens and there are a few characters that I want to mention. Egeus has a daughter named Hermia.  He has promised a man named Demetrius that Hermia will marry him, but problems arise when Hermia wants to marry a man named Lysander.  Therefore, Egeus brings his problems to Theseus, the duke of Athens, to complain about his daughter and tell her that she could be sent to a nunnery or put to death because of this.  Do you think that Egeus was just being a typical father for that day and age or do you think that he is overreacting?  I personally think that Egeus was doing what any father in Athens would do at that time.  When Egeus is explaining the problem to Theseus, Lysander steps in and points out that Demetrius did once loves Hermia’s friend, Helena but he bailed on her for Helena.  “The course of true love never did run smooth,” (I.i.134).  Do you think that Lysander has a point?  Why do you think Demetrius wants to marry Hermia if it is obvious that she dislikes him?  Already in the play I think that there is a lot of irony going on.  

*Done by Danielle Mumm*

TDS Feminist Analysis

In an analysis of "The Death of a Salesman" from a feminist view, the woman of the play are treated as less important then the men.  They are disrespected and are not held as high as the men.  One of the primary examples of this is Linda.  Throughout the play, Linda is patient, loving, and helpful, yet even these qualities are ignored by the men of the play. Her husband, Willy, treats her with complete disrespect. He constantly cuts her off and ignores her advice.  An example is when Willy says,

  “Willy: Why do you get American When I like Swiss?

  Linda: I just thought you’d like a change—

  Willy: I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I      always being contradicted?” (Page 26).

He gets angry with her when she does not do as he commands.  He treats her as if she is there to serve him, and in return he provides for her.  Yet, Linda, with love and patience, puts up with him.  These same qualities are seen in her sons, Biff and Happy. They too cut Linda off and ignore her.  Another place where the mistreatment of women occur is in Biff and Happy's relationships with women.  The two boys seen to use women to their advantage and pleasure.  They often speak lower of women and how they are tools of pleasure. An example of this is when Happy states,

  Happy: Yeah, that was my first time—I think. Boy, there was a pig! They laugh, almost crudely. You taught me everything I know about women. Don’t forget that” (Page 29).

This shows their complete disrespect and mindset towards women.  Finally, there is the passive role Linda takes against all the abuse she is dealt. Linda is taken for granted constantly, yet she never retaliates, nor does she stand up for herself. She simply takes it and moves on. She seems to accept her role and position in the family.  For example, she shows this patience when willy yells at her, 

  “Willy: Why don’t you open a window in here, for God’s sake?

  Linda, with infinite patience: They’re all open, dear” (Page 26).

She is reliant on Willy for income, and in return she takes care of the house when he is gone. She then takes care of the men when they return home, who do not appreciate her for it. Linda, is the prime example of the feminist view in "The Death of a Salesman."

Wuthering Heights Chapters 1-11

As I started reading Wuthering Heights I immediately noticed how the story was being told.  The story is initially told from the perspective of Lockwood.  Lockwood has very little contact with the actual events of the story and he also seems slightly uninterested.  The way the story is told is through the diary of Lockwood.  He recounts all that happens to him, including the story Nelly tells him.  However, based on what we know of Lockwood, there is the possibility is that he is biased.  He might not be the most reliable narrator as he is not directly involved in these events, and therefore he might not fully grasp what is going on as well as the significance of it.  This wrong understanding could then be translated in his retelling of it, creating an even less reliable recounting of it to the reader.  Do you think this could be the case?  Is Lockwood an unreliable narrator and does it affect the story?

I also wanted to discuss what happened briefly in these chapters.  We are introduced to the narrator, Lockwood, and then told of his connection to Wuthering Heights.  He has an interesting event, a meeting with the ghosts of past residents, happen at the manor and he immediately returns to his home.  Here he is told the story of Wuthering Heights and its residents.  He is told the past of the three children of the manor, and the rejection of one of them in particular, the owner’s natural son.  The owner loves his practically adopted son, Heathcliff, more, and his natural son, Hindley, is sent away.  Heathcliff and the owner’s daughter, Catherine, become very close.  Eventually the owner dies and Hindley obtains control of Wuthering Heights and makes Heathcliff a servant.  This causes Catherine to ultimately marry someone else, and Heathcliff to run away and become a gentleman.  His return spells bad news.

New Years Walk

While I was walking, my mind drifted onto the topic of being free and independent.  The woods seemed to remind me of it as I seemed to be the only person on it.  There was nobody there to define where I was going and when I should stop, it was all me.  I thought about how this topic was going to become very important in my future.  I would soon leave my family to go to college, where I would live completely free for the first time.  I would be in complete control of my life, as well as I would have to handle everything for myself.  This made me stop and think about whether I was completely prepared for this coming period of my life.  At the end I realized that you can never be completely ready for everything life has in store for me, and that living is a learning experience.  I took comfort in the fact that even though I would be completely free, there would be people and family always ready to help me if I ever needed help.

Antigone Trail Discussion

I thought the trail went well.  Each person knew what they were doing and who they were portraying.  It really took the story of "Antigony" and brought it to life for me.  It was funny to see characters from pages be transferred into actual people.  Some of the highlights for me was seeing the debates between the characters and the opposite party.  Their responses that had to be made on the fly really impressed me.  Something I took away was their are always too sides to a story.  In this case, the defenses side seems to have been stronger (sadly) but it was nice to see it go down.

1984 First Post

If I were living in Oceania, I would rather organize the rebellions.  To me, living in Oceania the way it is in the story is not a life worth living.  The restrictions on everything leaves you with no choice on what to do.  It is, like you said, a communist regime and if you look at history, it shows that those are places nobody really wants to live in.  This is the same case as Winston as he does not want to live a life controlled by Big Brother.  He defies Big brother right in the beginning of the book by starting a diary, even though he knows he will get caught.  He even looks out for people who might sympathize with him, who he thinks might be Mr. O'Brien.  At the same time he is also looking for his enemies.  one he pinpoints specifically is the dark haired girl from the fiction department.  Winston's hate for the life he lives and Big Brother can be seen every time the Two Minutes Hate plays on the television.  He sympathizes with the rebels and when Big Brother appears, he is filled with resentment.  However, he cannot help but get caught up in the powerful hate everyone professes for the rebels, and he also cannot escape the encompassing love everyone else has for Big Brother.  it sucks him in and traps him in the life he lives.  I believe that this relates to real life in that propaganda convinces people to hate something unworthy of their hate.  This also is seen countless times in history, and it has proven it effective.  People get caught up in public opinion and how they think they should feel, and that causes them to change.  There however, has always been a select group which does not get caught up, and an even smaller group which chooses to actively rebel against society and its orders.  This is exactly what I feel will be revealed later in the book.  My question for you is do you think that  propaganda is the cause of the hate in the story.  Are all the people falling into a trap set up by the government?