"Interpreter of Maladies"

“Interpreter of Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri

This short story provided an interesting perspective on American families. Mr. Kapasi noticed that the Das family looked Indian, but they dressed like foreigners. This detail provides information about American culture. America is the melting pot of the world, and it contains various nationalities. Also, Mr. Kapasi’s objective perspective on the behavior of the American family revealed insight into how American’s act.  He points out that American’s are concerned more about themselves than others. Also, he notices that they are on the go and rushing their whole life. For example, “At this Mrs. Das gave an impatient sigh, as if she had been traveling her whole life without pause,” (Lahiri, 150). On a positive note, Mr. Kapasi noticed the appreciation Americans have for hard working individuals. His job of being an interpreter is not valued in India; however, the Americans find the importance of his task because he helps save lives. The Das appeared ignorant and helpless when it came to their problems. For example, Mrs. Das took food to the second sight they went to even though Mr. Kapasi warned that food would provoke the monkeys to attack. The family was ignorant of their son being attacked by the monkeys; furthermore, not one family member rushed to help him when he was helpless and on the ground. The perspective on American families was very interesting in this short story, and it provided insight into how other cultures view America.

"Everyday Use"

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker

                In “Everyday Use,” Walker employs both direct and indirect characterization. Walker directly characterizes Maggie and Dee through their mothers’ description of them in the beginning of the story. For example, “Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eying her sister with a mixture of envy and awe,” (Walker, 173). Later in the story, Walker characterizes the two sisters through indirect characterization. Through Maggie’s interaction with Dee or Wangero and her new husband, we learn that Maggie is bashful and cherishes her home. In addition, we learn that Dee is fashion forward and longs to be modern. Moreover, Dee is accustomed to getting what she wants in terms of material items.

                When Dee comes back to visit an ironic situation arises. When Dee got married, she changed her identity by changing her name to Wangero, instead of keeping her long running family tradition of the name Dee. Wangero wanted the quilts from her mother that have been in their family for generations, but Wangero or Dee’s  mom decides not to give the quilts to her because she would not truly appreciate them. As a result, Dee spouts off about her mom not understanding heritage. “ ‘What don’t I understand?’ I wanted to know.  ‘Your heritage,’ she said,” (Walker, 181). I found it ironic that Dee or Wangero was lecturing about understanding heritage when she ended a long family tradition through names, and at the same time, she is obsessed with being modern.

"Toads"

“Toads” by Phillip Larkin

Larkin utilizes symbolism in his poem, mostly when talking about the second toad. He explicitly defines the first toad as work. For example, “Why should I let the toad work squat on my life?” The first toad he mentions represents external work and burdens one deals with every day. Larkin does not directly define the second toad. However, he supplies clues and characteristics of the second toad. “For something sufficiently toad-like squats in me too.” From this detail, we can infer that the second toad is internal. The second toad symbolizes a persons’ pride. A person does not cheat in order to get money and fame because their pride does not allow them to. Pride and work coincide with each other; one cannot work without pride. People work hard and do not take short cuts in their life because they have pride in their morals and in themselves.

"Mr. Z"

“Mr. Z” by M. Carl Holman

“Mr. Z” has a theme of losing one’s identity in order to fit in with the majority. “Taught early that his mother’s skin was the sign of error,” provides a clue into Mr. Z’s childhood and identity. Because he was taught at an early age that his mothers’ skin color, which is black, is wrong, his father must have been white. Therefore, Mr. Z is biracial. He grew up learning the “Anglo-Saxon” way of life and that he needs to reject his culture. Growing up with his fathers’ ideals caused Mr. Z to lose his cultural identity. Mr. Z’s wife also contributes to the theme of losing ones’ cultural identity. For example, “His bride had somewhere lost her Jewishness.” She lost her religion because she longed to be accepted by society. Because they lived in a society where their race and religion was not accepted, Mr. Z and his wife made an effort their entire lives to change who they are and behave in a way that society accepts.

Deferred Dream

"Deferred Dream" by Langston Hughes

Answer to Question #2

Understanding that the author was a black American narrows the "cone of meaning" in this poem. Since the author, Langston Hughes, lived from 1902 to 1967, I interpreted that the poem is about the dream of civil rights. Furthermore, the comparisons Hughes made in the similes of his poem reminded me of the struggles that African Americans had to go through in their early history. They first came into the United States as slaves. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” This part of the poem led me to think of slavery because slaves worked all day under the sun without hardly any water. “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.” This line also contributed to the reference to slavery because after working for hours and hours refer to a “heavy load” of work. Because of working all day, slaves would sag and droop from their fatigue. In addition, the poems’ similes contribute to the feelings one has when they defer their dream. A deferred dream can run away from a person or, in other words, they forget about it and move on. In addition, it can continually burden and haunt a persons’ mind. It can weigh a person down with disappointments and regrets.

Perrine Poetry Blog Entry

Perrine Poetry Blog

     An idea that struck me while reading Laurence Perrine’s piece is, “A correct interpretation, if the poem is a successful one, must be able to account satisfactorily for any detail. IF it is contradicted by any detail, it is wrong.” At a first glance, Perrine’s approach to interpretations seemed stiff in the sense that there is only one right interpretation and all other interpretations are blatantly wrong. However, when he presented this concept, I understood what he meant by saying that there are incorrect and correct readings. To find the correct interpretation, the reader needs to think of possible interpretations that will successfully touch all the details in a poem. If someone has an interpretation that does not explain all of the details, how can it be correct? Perrine’s message is that the reader needs to search and dive into the words in a poem to discover the best interpretation they can think of.  Thinking of all the possible situations the poem could entail helps one arrive at the correct interpretation. I agree with Perrine’s assessment that interpretations can be wrong because of his concept on details.

     As readers, we are responsible for putting ourselves “out there” and try to interpret what the poem means. Because we put ourselves “out there,” we have a fear of being wrong. When it comes to finding the correct interpretation, it is all right if we are incorrect because we will better understand why the poem has a different meaning than we thought. We have been taught that poems can have a variety of meanings and multiple interpretations that are correct; however, Perrine’s approach to the interpretation of poetry completely changed how I thought about interpretations. Now, I understand how interpretations to poetry can be incorrect. Poetry is open to interpretations, but only one of those interpretations can be correct. Because that is the case, we cannot get mad or discouraged if our interpretation happens to be wrong. Perrine’s revealed how some interpretations are better than others are.

Picture with book

This is a picture of me with The House of Mirth about to go on a hike in the Austrian Alps.

Look at that view!!!

Great Gatsby Entry #15

Opinion of the Work
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I found this novel much easier to read than The House of Mirth because it was not nearly as slow and the diction was not as sophisticated. Also, it was not as long of a novel. I felt like The House of Mirth dragged on during slow segments of that novel. Plus, learning about World War I in history class helped me understand the bootlegging business in the 1920s. I was very shocked and a little sad when Gatsby died. "It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete,"(Fitzgerald, 162). I thought the valley of ashes Fitzgerald created was brilliant symbolism. Towards the end of the book, I understood more about the valley of ashes and what it symbolized. It symbolized the corruption that the wealthy have inflicted upon America through their pursuit of wealth and pleasure. The Great Gatsby is a classic that reveals a powerful message about America and people in general. I found this novel to be a wonderful read.

Great Gatsby Entry #14

Blog Entry #14

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I found the novel easy to read; however, there were sections that were somewhat confusing. There is a variety of literary techniques used in the novel and what stood out to me was the symbolism and the poetry. For example,

"In the morning,

In the evening,

     Ain't we got fun-----" (Fitzgerald, 95).

I had no idea what this poem meant. I found it random and bizarre. I also do not understand why Nick stopped liking Jordan Baker all of a sudden. I thought he just reacted in the heat of the moment with learning the truth about Gatsby, but he continued to speak shortly with Jordan. Moreover, I did not understand the symbolism of the man with the huge glasses in the library. I knew it symbolized something because the scene was so bizarre, but I was not sure what it symbolized. Other than these small segments of the novel, I understood The Great Gatsby.

Great GatsbyEntry #13

Blog Entry #13

The Great Gatsby

     Daisy and Gatsby spend months in love before Gatsby leaves for war. Their love seems eternal and full of life. Gatsby must go off to war and he ends up being gone for five years. While overseas, Daisy sends him a letter telling the love of her life that she had married someone else. “The letter reached Gatsby while he was still at Oxford,” (Fitzgerald, 151). This situation reminded me of a book and motion picture called Dear John. In this work, a man and woman fall in love during the summer. Their love seems eternal, but the man has to go off to fight in a war overseas. They write to each other for a few years and then John receives an unexpected letter. The letter is from the love of his life and it says that she has married another man. He felt betrayed and helpless just like Gatsby.

Great Gatsby Entry #12

Blog Entry #12

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     Jay Gatsby is the central character to the story, and he is a round character. Gatsby grew up poor, and developed a desire to be rich and live in luxury. “But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot. The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night,” (Fitzgerald, 99). When he got older, he met Daisy, a rich and flawless girl he fell for. Their loved blossomed before the war. Gatsby was penniless and felt the urge to be able to support her. The desire and intense love Daisy and Gatsby felt for each other provoked Gatsby to want to provide for her. When he went off to war, Daisy married Tom Buchanan because she felt pressure without Gatsby at her side. Henceforth, Gatsby dedicated his life to winning Daisy back. To win back Daisy, he needed millions of dollars; so, he turned to the bootlegging business.

     In the beginning of the novel, Gatsby is depicted as a mystery because no one knows how he came to earn such a living. Moreover, Gatsby’s business affairs are mysterious because he is a bootlegger. In chapter seven, the readers’ impression of Gatsby is distant and dishonest. In chapter eight, however, Gatsby reveals his true personality to Nick. He is caring, naïve, and hurt from the love he lost.

Great Gatsby Entry #11

Blog Entry #11

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby grow to be good friends and trusting of each other. In chapter seven, however, the real Gatsby is revealed and it shows that Nick and Gatsby are opposites. The truth caused both Daisy and Nick to lose faith in Gatsby. When Nick found out the truth, he became very angry with Gatsby. “I disliked him so much by this time that I didn’t find it necessary to tell him he was wrong,” (Fitzgerald, 143). Nick is honest and values happiness and self-worth over money. He follows the rules and always does what is morally right. While Nick is quiet and reserved, Gatsby is social and confident. Gatsby is full of ambition and dreams that blind him from reality. This causes him to be dishonest with Daisy and Nick. Also, his ambition to be wealthy causes him to get involved with bootlegging. Gatsby’s wealth, ambition, and dishonesty makes him appear to be the antithesis of Nick.

Great Gatsby Entry #10

Blog Entry #10

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chapter seven is the climax of the novel. Tom discovers Gatsby’s love affair with Daisy. On the other hand, Tom found out some interesting things about Gatsby in his small investigation, “ ‘That, drug-store business was just small change,’ continued Tom slowly, ‘but you’ve got something on now that Walter’s afraid to tell me about,’ ” (Fitzgerald, 134). Tom tells Daisy, Nick, and Jordan that Gatsby is a bootlegger involved in a large business. This sudden revealing of the truth in the heat of the moment reminded me of multiple spy movies. In these classics, the spy has to reveal to his wife or girlfriend that he kills people for a living. As a result, their companion feels shocked and betrayed because they were lied to. They also feel conflicted because they love a person who commits crimes for a living. Daisy probably felt the same way when the truth was revealed about Gatsby. On the contrary, being a professional spy is much more appealing than being a bootlegger.

Great Gatsby Entry #9

Blog Entry #9

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     Gatsby sees Daisy for the first time in five years. He tries desperately to impress her by inviting her to his house party. Gatsby recalls their love for each other from five years ago. “ ‘You can’t repeat the past. ‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can,’ ” (Fitzgerald, 110). With everything that has changed in Daisy’s life and in Gatsby’s life, it is impossible to repeat the past love they had for each other. Henceforth, this scenario reminded me of a common theme, learn from the past and look to the future. Gatsby is so caught up with what happened between him and Daisy that he is blind from their possible future. He needs to learn from his past and use the most memorable moments he and Daisy had together. He can look to the future by inspiring the special moments he had with Daisy to strengthen their love for each other. Being obsessed with past events can dissipate ones’ common sense. Too many variables change in the future to repeat the past, which is why it is essential to look to the future.

Great Gatsby Entry #8

Blog Entry #8 (pgs. 81-96)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     F. Scott Fitzgerald employs a variety of writing tools to convey the novels meaning. One of the unique and intriguing tools he uses is poetry. His use of poetry is so effective because it can act as multiple literary tools. For example,

“ ‘I’m the Sheik of Arbay.

Your love belngs to me.

At night when you sleep

Into your tent I’ll creep----“ (Fitzgerald, 78).

This couplet symbolizes Jay Gatsby’s love for Daisy and it foreshadows what their feelings will transpire to. The integration of poetry into the novel displays Fitzgerald’s unique writing style. Moreover, it provokes a deeper thought process into the circumstances of the novel. Furthermore, the deep thought process Fitzgerald instigates helps convey his message across more clearly. The poetry Fitzgerald utilizes is just a small portion of the symbolism used throughout the novel. Each symbolic passage will come together in the end to portray a powerful message.

Great Gatsby Entry #7

Blog Entry #7 (pgs. 74-80)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     The deeper we go into the novel, the more we discover about Jordan Baker. When she is first introduced, she was depicted as stiff, elegant, and quiet. However, she seems to blossom the more we learn about her. She was shy in the first chapter because she did not know Nick. However, at Gatsby’s party, Nick finds her more relaxed and more outgoing. Thus far, in the novel, Jordan is portrayed as a static character. Her bubbly personality has remained constant, along with her relationship with Nick. As the plot develops, Jordan becomes a pawn in helping Gatsby renew his love with Daisy. Nick also becomes a pawn in Gatsby’s plan, which brings him closer to Jordan. For example, “Her wan, scornful mouth smiled, and so I drew her up again closer, this time to my face,” (Fitzgerald, 80). The quality that could keep Nick and Jordan apart is Jordan’s dishonesty.

Great Gatsby Entry #6

Blog Entry #6 (pgs. 61-74)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     This segment of the novel reminded me of the movie Legends of the Fall. There are rumors about Gatsby being a bootlegger, which is a logical accusation because he needs to make a great deal of money to take care of his house. “ ‘He’s a bootlegger,’ said the young ladies, moving somewhere between his cocktails and his flowers,” (Fitzgerald, 61). In Legends of the Fall, the time frame of the setting is in the 1920s. Moreover, the main character, Tristan, becomes involved in the bootlegging business. He earns a great deal of money from it, but he puts himself and his family in danger. If Gatsby is involved in the bootlegging business, he could be putting himself in danger.  In the novel, Gatsby talks briefly about his time in the war. In Legends of the Fall, Tristan and his brother go off to fight in the war. While overseas, Tristan’s brother dies on the same battlefield as him. Gatsby is very fortunate he survived, especially since he participated in a bloody battle.

Great Gatsby Entry #5

Blog Entry #5 (pgs. 50-59)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     A character in the novel tells The Great Gatsby; therefore, the novel is told in a first person point of view. Nick, the narrator, lives next door to Gatsby on West Egg in New York. Nick is also Daisy Buchanan’s cousin. His calm temper and objective judgment make Nick a great character to narrate The Great Gatsby. “I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bones,” (Fitzgerald, 1). This quote conveys Nick’s open mindedness and his ability not to pass judgment.  The narrator lets the audience interpret and judge the characters on their own because of the objective view Fitzgerald characterizes Nick. Moreover, he is quiet and a good listener, which compels people to like him and trust him. At the end of chapter three, he discovers that he is one of the only honest people he knows. His observant and honest qualities make him the most suited character to narrate the novel.

Great Gatsby Entry #4

Blog Entry #4 (pgs. 39-49)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Setting Analysis

     Nick finally meets Gatsby, and it was in a very chaotic setting. Gatsby hosts parties every Saturday in his house and people just show up without an invitation. While at the party, Nick spends time with Jordan Baker and she made a clever remark about the party, “ ‘And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy,’ “ (Fitzgerald, 49). It’s somewhat ironic how huge parties have privacy and small parties do not. Where Jordan Baker is coming from is that there are a lot less people one knows at large parties. At small parties, everyone knows each other, and it is much easier to spot how people interact with each other. At Gatsby’s huge and chaotic party, Nick could not find anyone he know at first. The clusters of people made it more difficult for him to find an acquaintance. Once he found Jordan Baker, Nick stayed with her the whole night. The chaotic and clustered setting helped glue Jordan and Nick together because it made them feel lonely and uncertain to wander alone through the house without each other. Large parties cause people to stay close with their acquaintances so they do not get lost in the chaos. The setting helps develop Nick’s relationship with Jordan Baker. They both begin to develop feelings for each other.

Great Gatsby Entry #3

Blog Entry # 3 (Ch.2 pgs. 23-38)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     The first paragraph of chapter two talks about the valley of ashes, which is the place Nick and Tom Buchanan are traveling to meet Tom’s mistress. Tom pursues wealth and his own pleasure. The ashes represent the trail he leaves behind. Moreover, the valleys of ashes symbolize the decay that men create in society through their pursuit of selfish desires. For example, “…men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air,” (Fitzgerald, 23). The ashes also represent the life of the poor. They live in the filthy ashes created by the wealthy in their pursuit of pleasure. They live in an “impenetrable cloud” where they cannot rise above the ashes to escape to a better life. In these ashes the rich are able to conceal their operations from their acquaintances. “Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track, gives out a ghastly creak, and comes to rest, and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud, which screens there obscure operations from your sight,” (Fitzgerald, 23).

Great Gatsby Entry #2

Blog Entry #2 (Ch.1 pgs. 11-22)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

     This segment of the novel mentioned rumors and gossip, which reminded me of the halls of Roncalli High School. In high school, rumors and gossip travel faster than the blink of an eye. Our generations’ obsession with social media and the internet fuel the speed of the rumors. Even in the 1920s, rumors traveled incredibly fast without the internet. Rumors seem to travel just as fast as the internet by mouth. The House of Mirth displayed how rumors and social gossip can control a persons’ life. In just the first chapter of The Great Gatsby, rumors have caused the action in Nick’s life. For example, “The fact that gossip had published the banns was one of the reasons I had come to the East. You can’t stop going with an old friend on account of rumors, and on the other hand I had no intention of being rumored into marriage,” (Fitzgerald, 19). People always seem to believe rumors without questioning it or consider asking the person of whom the rumors are about. False rumors are especially abundant in high school.

Great Gatsby Entry #1

Blog Entry #1 (Ch. 1 pgs. 1-11)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

      “ ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,’ he told me, ‘just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had,’ “(Fitzgerald, 1). This quote captured my attention in the novel because my father tells me this too. It helps me consider other people instead of just worrying about myself. Moreover, it compels me to contemplate the many blessings I have. A various amount of wonderful blessings have been bestowed upon me that most people do not have, or could even dream of having. My parents provide me with a private education and sacrifice their time into my extracurricular activities, especially basketball. Along with being thankful for ones blessings, another important message in this quote is not to be judgmental. People find themselves judging others without even intending to. When people judge others, they do not consider the daily difficulties the person has to go through. Everyone around us has struggles they go through every day and some people have more than others do. The quote initiating the novel tells us to consider the burdens and struggles of others in order to have a broader perspective on the world and to have an objective view on people.