On Minimalist Fiction

John Barth's "On Minimalist Fiction" was terribly difficult to interpret.

On Close Readings by Peter Rabinowitz

In Peter Rabinowitz's "On Close Readings", he argues that close reading rests on faulty assumptions about how literature is read which can lead to faulty prescriptions about how it ought to be read. Rabinowitz believes that there are variety of ways to read and the way one reads varies. I agree with him when he says, "Different authors, different genres, different periods, different cultures expect readers to approach texts in different ways". He also believes that once you give priority to close reading, you favor figurative writing over realistic writing, indirect expression over direct expression, deep meaning over surface meaning, form over content, and the elite over the popular.

On the Diffrences between Poetry and Prose

In T.E. Hulme's "On the Differences between Poetry and Prose", I agree that poetry should appeal to the senses and prose can't accomplish that as well. Hulme states, "It is a compromise for a language of intuition which would hand over sensations bodily." Hulme makes the point that poetry appeals to the senses, that it focuses on image versus abstraction. “There are in prose,” Hulme states, “certain type situations and arrangements of words, which move as automatically into certain other arrangements as do functions in algebra.” He suggests that, "prose is an old pot that lets them leak out".

Figuring Out Metaphors

John R. Searle actually help me figure out and and question metaphors.I understand how authors speak metaphorically and do not mean what they say literally. I didn't understand how I might assume that the author is speaking metaphorically, but it might be much harder to figure out what he means. I didn't know that the existence of such utterances pose a series of questions for any theory of language and communication. Such as: Why do some metaphors work and others do not?; Why do we use expressions metaphorically instead of saying exactly and literally what we mean?

Ode to a Nightingale

John Keat is in a state of numbness and drowsiness from listening to the nightingale. He envied the nightingale's carefree life. The speaker wanted to drink alcohol as a way to escape life's problems. He realized that life was painful,the young die, and the old suffer. The speaker started using his imagination to spiritually lift him up to see the moon and stars, but he was really seeing glimmering light. He feels like it wouldn't be so bad to die in the forest with the nightingale singing. I think the nightingale is immortal, because numerous kinds of generations of people have heard its' song throughout history. The speaker regains consciousness when the nightingale flies away. He was very confused; not knowing the difference between dreams and reality.

On the Words of Poetry

Dylan Thomas is the most intriguing and differing poet I've ever read about. His poem, On the Words in Poetry, explains how he began to write poetry. The way he started was very interesting. He started off young. He had a love for words. Even before he could read the words himself. He just like the sound of them. He did not care what the words meant, what they stood for, or what they symbolized.  There were quite a few similies that was used in this poem. He was comparing the words to different sounds. To him, even though the words seemed lifeless, out of them came different emotions that make our lives dangerous, great, and bearable. He felt like he needed to get to know the words better.

Introduction to Poetry by Billy Collins

     At first, I didn't understand the poem. I had to reread the poem at least 3 more times to find out what it meant. But as I read the poem, I started to realize how great and unique the poem was. I felt like the poem was trying to teach me how to read poems. I realized that the poet was trying to explain the poetry was something to be experienced. Knowing me, I just read poems and try to figure out what they mean. Billy Collins  didn't go by this method. I noticed that there were a great use of metaphors in the poem. For example,  the word "poem"  was compared to a "hive". Meaning, it might be hard to fully understand a poem but you can succeed despite the difficulties.That is like risking your safety to have  physical contact with dangerous bee hives. Billy Collins enlightened me with an important message.

Death of a Salesman



     The Death of a Salesman movie was released in 1985. I don't think anything really influenced the movie. It would be helpful to define the "American Dream". This film is based off the play "Death of a Salesman". The film was received in a positive way. The film earned 10 Emmy nominations at the 38th Primetime Emmy Award ceremony and 4 Golden Globe nominations at the 43rd Golden Globe Awards ceremony. I thought the title meant something about a salesman dying. I expected death in the film. The film started off with Willy driving home from a exhausting trip. While he was driving, he almost had an car accident. I thought that the death of whoever the salesman was suppose to happen in the beginning of the movie. The first important scene was when Biff and Happy was reminiscing about there childhood and talking about their father's mental downfall because of his conversations that were among himself. They were more like flashbacks. He flashbacks often because he was trying to see where he went wrong with the "American Dream". The second important scene was when Biff got honest and destroyed his father's dream, and when Willy finally founds out that Biff really loves him. The third important scene was when Willy committed suicide by intentionally crashing his car because he thought that Biff was going to continue his legacy. The climax of the story was when Howard told Willy that he couldn't represent the company anymore and that he was fired. The main idea of the film was how Willy used to be a good salesman but he couldn't make the money anymore because the American Dream is not what it used to be.  The film didn't have any loose ends. Willy was developed by desperately searching through his past. His purpose was to see where he went wrong down through the years. He would slip into flashbacks. Biff was developed by trying to seek the truth about himself. His purpose was to acknowledge his failure and confront it. He was trying to tell his father how he was a failure. Happy was developed by the incarnation of Willy’s worst traits. I honestly don't think he had a purpose in the film because he lived in his brother's shadow. There were motifs in the film. The first one was mythic features. Willy always compared his sons to mythic Greek figures Adonis and Hercules because he thought they were attractive and well-liked. The second motif was The West, Alaska, and The jungle in Africa. Willy’s father found success in Alaska, his brother, Ben, became rich in Africa, and the West represented Biff's potential. I think the director's purpose was to put a "twist" on the American Dream. The themes were the American Dream, abandonment, and betrayal. The  director does use symbols in the film. The seeds represent the opportunity to prove the worth of Willy's labor. The diamonds to Willy represented wealth ,and the ability to pass material goods on to one’s offspring. But the discovery diamond symbolized Willy’s failure as a salesman. The stockings symbolized betrayal and sexual infidelity. The rubber hose symbolized Willy's attempts of suicide.

Their Eyes were watching God

 

 

     "Their Eyes Were Watching God" film was released on March 16, 2005. I honestly don't think anything influenced the film. I think that we should define the relationship between men and women doing that time period. The film was based upon Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel of the same name. But the film is no where in comparison to the novel. The film actually leaves out many important concepts to help found out the central theme. The film belong to the black romance and sexuality genre. It was received in a positive and negative way. The film was somewhat based on the book but missed out many important parts. I thought the title meant that the people in the film were actually trying to watch God.  I expected the people to always try to see what God had coming up next. The film started by showing Janie walking barefooted with dirty clothes. It made me think that Janie was homeless or just got through working in a dirty place. The first important scene is when Janie returns to Eatonville and have a conversation with Pheoby. The second important scene is when her Grandmother marries her off to an older man. The third important scene is when she met TeaCake. The hurricane was the climax. Doing the hurricane, TeaCake tried to save Janie from a violent dog. He ends up getting bit and catching rabies. He eventually died because Janie killed him. The climax illustrate the main idea because Janie was trying to find true love and she found it in TeaCake because he risked his life for her. Janie’s development along the way can be charted by studying her use of language and her relationship to her own voice. TeaCake was developed through Janie by trying to help her pursue her goals. Jody is developed be being cruel, conceited, and uninterested in Janie as a person. Janie's purpose was to search for spiritual enlightenment and a sense of her identity and independence. TeaCake's purpose in the story was to help Janie with her goals and spiritual growth. Jody's purpose was to try and dominate everyone and everything around him. The motif that was repeated was the people who gossiped in the community. The gossip only occur when Janie does something that catches their attention. The purpose of the gossipers was to criticize Janie. There are messages and themes in the movie. The director used symbols in the film. Her hair symbolized unconventional identity. The hurricane symbolized natures fury.