"The Joy of Cooking"
Elaine Magarrell
This poem was, by far, the most interesting poem in this unit because of its somewhat unusual imagery and symbolism. The tone of this poem was amusing and disgusting simultaneously with its gross diction combined with exaggerations that are just funny. Obviously, the narrator did not actually cut out her sister's tongue to prepare, but she probably just has a problem with what her sisters says with her tongue. Similarly, she did not really slow cook her brother's heart--she probably just did not like his morals or what he had done with his life. This is evident in lines 15 and 16 when she wrote "Although beef heart serves six my brother's heart barely feeds two" (Magarrell, line 15-16). That part was really good because it offers her opinion of her brother's behavior and sarcastically characterizes him. She ends both stanzas with phrases that suggest she could have done more to their respective body parts, but she for some reason refrained. I think that because she included those two phrases, she does not totally hate her sister and brother, but also does not approve of their actions/words. To answer number three in the book, the speaker's personality was described a lot, although this poem was only 18 lines long. She seems very sarcastic and overly intense in her descriptions of her brother and sister. I feel that she thinks herself better than them because she is the one physically [well, figuratively] cooking her sister's tongue and her brother's heart.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Those Winter Days- Robert Hayden
"Those Winter Days"
Robert Hayden
This poem was very interesting, but also a little confusing to me because I'm not sure of the exact meaning. At first I thought that his father was just dedicated to his family and did not receive any thanks from his family for his hard work. However, a friend brought up the idea that he was abusive toward his family, which also seemed possible because of the phrase "chronic angers of that house" (Hayden, line 9). Both seem possible, so I'm a bit confused to Hayden's real meaning. I do want to focus a little on the imagery because that is very important to the poem and its unresolved (for me) themes. The first stanza explained services his father performed, seemingly selflessly, for his family like working hard and keeping the house warm with a fire. One line stuck out to me as important, and it makes me lean towards the idea of an unappreciated father figure, rather than abusive. "No one ever thanked him" (Hayden, line 5) offers the image of a hard-working man who is respected but somehow never thanked. Well, now that I think about that line more, I lean the other way, towards an abusive figure who frightened them. Also, "speaking indifferently" (Hayden, line 10) creates an image of scared children who were not emotionally involved with their father. So overall with this poem, I am unsure of its meaning and will need to get a better grasp of others' opinions tomorrow in the discussion.
Robert Hayden
This poem was very interesting, but also a little confusing to me because I'm not sure of the exact meaning. At first I thought that his father was just dedicated to his family and did not receive any thanks from his family for his hard work. However, a friend brought up the idea that he was abusive toward his family, which also seemed possible because of the phrase "chronic angers of that house" (Hayden, line 9). Both seem possible, so I'm a bit confused to Hayden's real meaning. I do want to focus a little on the imagery because that is very important to the poem and its unresolved (for me) themes. The first stanza explained services his father performed, seemingly selflessly, for his family like working hard and keeping the house warm with a fire. One line stuck out to me as important, and it makes me lean towards the idea of an unappreciated father figure, rather than abusive. "No one ever thanked him" (Hayden, line 5) offers the image of a hard-working man who is respected but somehow never thanked. Well, now that I think about that line more, I lean the other way, towards an abusive figure who frightened them. Also, "speaking indifferently" (Hayden, line 10) creates an image of scared children who were not emotionally involved with their father. So overall with this poem, I am unsure of its meaning and will need to get a better grasp of others' opinions tomorrow in the discussion.
The Drunkard- Frank O'Connor
"The Drunkard"
Frank O'Connor
This was by far my favorite piece that we read in this unit because it was the funniest and most entertaining overall. The second question from the book asks what undertones of pathos are included in the story. Larry's father has a difficult job and is not paid as much as he wishes. Like many others, he turns to drinking because he is not very pleased with what life has handed him. He begins to love funerals because they offer excuses for him to drink heavily, and I think it's hilarious that Larry recall's his father's wanting to skip out on a half day of work just to go to the funeral of someone he hardly knew. I also enjoyed the heavy irony in the story when Larry, just a child, drinks the entire pint and Father drank nothing during the night at the pub. Larry was the "drunkard" for the night, which actually caused his father to stop indulging in alcohol after he got a first-hand glance of what it did to a person. I liked when the ladies laughed at him because it further demonstrated to Father what he must look like stumbling home drunk. However, my favorite part was the irony at the very end of the story when Larry's mother tells him "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel" (O'Connor, page 351). What mother appreciates her child's getting drunk? At first, this seemed completely irrational, but then I realized that he really did stop his father from drinking more which was more definitely worth one night of drunkenness. This really stood out to me because it explained the solution to Father's drinking problem; after he saw his son drunk, he realized how terrible he must appear and promised to swear off drinking.
Frank O'Connor
This was by far my favorite piece that we read in this unit because it was the funniest and most entertaining overall. The second question from the book asks what undertones of pathos are included in the story. Larry's father has a difficult job and is not paid as much as he wishes. Like many others, he turns to drinking because he is not very pleased with what life has handed him. He begins to love funerals because they offer excuses for him to drink heavily, and I think it's hilarious that Larry recall's his father's wanting to skip out on a half day of work just to go to the funeral of someone he hardly knew. I also enjoyed the heavy irony in the story when Larry, just a child, drinks the entire pint and Father drank nothing during the night at the pub. Larry was the "drunkard" for the night, which actually caused his father to stop indulging in alcohol after he got a first-hand glance of what it did to a person. I liked when the ladies laughed at him because it further demonstrated to Father what he must look like stumbling home drunk. However, my favorite part was the irony at the very end of the story when Larry's mother tells him "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel" (O'Connor, page 351). What mother appreciates her child's getting drunk? At first, this seemed completely irrational, but then I realized that he really did stop his father from drinking more which was more definitely worth one night of drunkenness. This really stood out to me because it explained the solution to Father's drinking problem; after he saw his son drunk, he realized how terrible he must appear and promised to swear off drinking.
Once Upon a Time- Nadine Gordimer
"Once Upon a Time"
Nadine Gordimer
This story was a little strange, but slightly more interesting than the first one. I want to answer one of the questions from the book because I just liked it. Number two asks about the elements that contribute to the sense of a child's story. First, I noticed the terms "you have been warned" (Gordimer, page 233) and "happily every after," which was mentioned numerous times throughout the passage. These relate her story to all the stories we read and were told as children which included similar phrases. Gordimer also included descriptions of the characters in the story as "wise old witch" and "prince." The story also contradicts the thoughts of the original narrator, as she thought about getting security systems, and the mother and father in the story did what she wished she'd done. The title further contributes to the theme of the story because "once upon a time" is one of the most common phrases found in children's stories. Like most stories, there is also a mythical creature--in this case, a dragon. The last page of the story also contains the phrase "sleeping beauty" to describe the scene in which the son, pretending to save a girl, tries to climb across the fence. That scene was very weird and seemed to be completely out of the ordinary for this text.
Nadine Gordimer
This story was a little strange, but slightly more interesting than the first one. I want to answer one of the questions from the book because I just liked it. Number two asks about the elements that contribute to the sense of a child's story. First, I noticed the terms "you have been warned" (Gordimer, page 233) and "happily every after," which was mentioned numerous times throughout the passage. These relate her story to all the stories we read and were told as children which included similar phrases. Gordimer also included descriptions of the characters in the story as "wise old witch" and "prince." The story also contradicts the thoughts of the original narrator, as she thought about getting security systems, and the mother and father in the story did what she wished she'd done. The title further contributes to the theme of the story because "once upon a time" is one of the most common phrases found in children's stories. Like most stories, there is also a mythical creature--in this case, a dragon. The last page of the story also contains the phrase "sleeping beauty" to describe the scene in which the son, pretending to save a girl, tries to climb across the fence. That scene was very weird and seemed to be completely out of the ordinary for this text.
A Worn Path- Eudora Welty
"A Worn Path"
Eudora Welty
This poem was just kind of weird. However, I loved the diction and the descriptions Welty provided of Phoenix. On the first page, there are terrific descriptions of her and the manner in which she moves. The old woman seems a bit out of her mind when she yells at the animals and starts talking to herself. The story of her journey was amazing, really, because she could not clearly see the scarecrow that was within arm's reach. She keeps talking to herself and answering questions that no one is asking, which also contributes to her old age and loss of sense. It was also interesting that everyone Phoenix met called her "granny." I think it lends to the idea that her trip is re-occurring and the whole community knows her. I am one of the ones who believes her grandson to be dead because of the physical description of him, sitting still with his mouth constantly open. One of the nurses says "throat never heals, does it?" (Welty, page 229). To me, that definitely sounded as if he wasn't alive, and the medical staff knows that.
Eudora Welty
This poem was just kind of weird. However, I loved the diction and the descriptions Welty provided of Phoenix. On the first page, there are terrific descriptions of her and the manner in which she moves. The old woman seems a bit out of her mind when she yells at the animals and starts talking to herself. The story of her journey was amazing, really, because she could not clearly see the scarecrow that was within arm's reach. She keeps talking to herself and answering questions that no one is asking, which also contributes to her old age and loss of sense. It was also interesting that everyone Phoenix met called her "granny." I think it lends to the idea that her trip is re-occurring and the whole community knows her. I am one of the ones who believes her grandson to be dead because of the physical description of him, sitting still with his mouth constantly open. One of the nurses says "throat never heals, does it?" (Welty, page 229). To me, that definitely sounded as if he wasn't alive, and the medical staff knows that.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A Raisin in the Sun 5
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
I really enjoyed this play, but it's kind of hard for me to read a play and not being able to see it performed. The stage directions help, but it's just not the same. They did, however, allow me to visualize what was happening. I really liked some of the directions because they were pretty funny and so low-key. Several times, Hansberry used phrases like "no particular age" and "not much of a deceptive type" (Hansberry, page 99). These are really a vital rhetorical strategy, even though they are not actually dialogue in they play. I would argue that the italicized words are sometimes more important than what the characters are saying because they offer bits of the other senses which really enhance the story. The play may be very different when acted on a stage, but by reading the A Raisin in the Sun, we can visualize exactly what Hansberry wanted to write and how she wanted it to come across to the audience.
I want to wrap up this play with a comment about "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes which was at the beginning of the book. I don't know if Lorraine Hansberry originally included it as a prelude to the play or if Robert Nemiroff included it in this production, but I feel that it is very important to the plot and major themes of the play. I talks about an important dream that is deferred, and Walter's dream was indefinitely deferred in "A Raisin in the Sun." However, Mama realized her dream of living among the white people in a more upper-scale house, and I like to think that Beneatha accomplishes her dream of becoming a doctor and hopefully goes to Africa with Asagai to practice medicine.
Lorraine Hansberry
I really enjoyed this play, but it's kind of hard for me to read a play and not being able to see it performed. The stage directions help, but it's just not the same. They did, however, allow me to visualize what was happening. I really liked some of the directions because they were pretty funny and so low-key. Several times, Hansberry used phrases like "no particular age" and "not much of a deceptive type" (Hansberry, page 99). These are really a vital rhetorical strategy, even though they are not actually dialogue in they play. I would argue that the italicized words are sometimes more important than what the characters are saying because they offer bits of the other senses which really enhance the story. The play may be very different when acted on a stage, but by reading the A Raisin in the Sun, we can visualize exactly what Hansberry wanted to write and how she wanted it to come across to the audience.
I want to wrap up this play with a comment about "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes which was at the beginning of the book. I don't know if Lorraine Hansberry originally included it as a prelude to the play or if Robert Nemiroff included it in this production, but I feel that it is very important to the plot and major themes of the play. I talks about an important dream that is deferred, and Walter's dream was indefinitely deferred in "A Raisin in the Sun." However, Mama realized her dream of living among the white people in a more upper-scale house, and I like to think that Beneatha accomplishes her dream of becoming a doctor and hopefully goes to Africa with Asagai to practice medicine.
A Raisin in the Sun 4
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
Mama is one character who feels compelled to make a decision which she probably would not have taken without the pressures from members of her family. "I spec if it wasn't for you all...I would just put that money away or give it to the church or something" (Hansberry, page 69). When she found out about the $10,000 insurance check for the passing of her husband, she did not tell her family what she was thinking about doing. Ruth suggested she take a nice, long trip in Europe, but Walter had other ideas for spending the money. He wanted to invest in a liquor store, but Mama thought this to be an inappropriate profession for her well-mannered son. At last, we learn that Lena put a down payment on a nice house in an all-white neighborhood and wanted to put a portion of the check in the bank for Beneatha and her medical studies. She also gave Walter a portion to invest because he was so adamant about it and she just wanted to please her children. This seemed to great until Walter lost all of the money, except for the part that already went towards the new house. If Walter had not been so annoying and stopped asking her all the time for the money, then she would not have chosen to give him some. The money could have helped out her family and provided better for the new baby, but Walter let his dreams get the better of him. He also would have made different decisions regarding the check if he would have controlled his dreams and actually thought through the investment plan before jumping into things.
Lorraine Hansberry
Mama is one character who feels compelled to make a decision which she probably would not have taken without the pressures from members of her family. "I spec if it wasn't for you all...I would just put that money away or give it to the church or something" (Hansberry, page 69). When she found out about the $10,000 insurance check for the passing of her husband, she did not tell her family what she was thinking about doing. Ruth suggested she take a nice, long trip in Europe, but Walter had other ideas for spending the money. He wanted to invest in a liquor store, but Mama thought this to be an inappropriate profession for her well-mannered son. At last, we learn that Lena put a down payment on a nice house in an all-white neighborhood and wanted to put a portion of the check in the bank for Beneatha and her medical studies. She also gave Walter a portion to invest because he was so adamant about it and she just wanted to please her children. This seemed to great until Walter lost all of the money, except for the part that already went towards the new house. If Walter had not been so annoying and stopped asking her all the time for the money, then she would not have chosen to give him some. The money could have helped out her family and provided better for the new baby, but Walter let his dreams get the better of him. He also would have made different decisions regarding the check if he would have controlled his dreams and actually thought through the investment plan before jumping into things.
A Raisin in the Sun 3
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
Another important question from the sheet was number 8, which asked for two characters who contrast. We discussed this for a while in our small group today in class, and I think that it is vital to the plot and central themes of the play. Beneatha is most affected by Asagai and George who both pull her in opposite directions. George Murchison is the character who wants her to give up her dreams of becoming a doctor and wants her to just assimilate into the common culture of Chicago. Completely opposite, Asagai encourages Beneatha to pursue her education and to be her own person. When he asks her to marry him, he wants to bring her back to Africa with him so that they can both make a difference in others' lives. While this seems pleasing to Beneatha, she also realizes the financial toll the trip would make on her. That is the upside to George--he could offer her financial stability and a nice home. The money is particularly important because she had just learned of Walters' bogus investment, so she needs some future plans of stability. She said in desperation, "Asagai, while i was sleeping in that bed in there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me--they just went out and changed my life!" (Hansberry, page 134). This was very sad for Beneatha because she nobly wanted to enter the medical world as a black, female doctor, which was a great enough feat on its own.
Lorraine Hansberry
Another important question from the sheet was number 8, which asked for two characters who contrast. We discussed this for a while in our small group today in class, and I think that it is vital to the plot and central themes of the play. Beneatha is most affected by Asagai and George who both pull her in opposite directions. George Murchison is the character who wants her to give up her dreams of becoming a doctor and wants her to just assimilate into the common culture of Chicago. Completely opposite, Asagai encourages Beneatha to pursue her education and to be her own person. When he asks her to marry him, he wants to bring her back to Africa with him so that they can both make a difference in others' lives. While this seems pleasing to Beneatha, she also realizes the financial toll the trip would make on her. That is the upside to George--he could offer her financial stability and a nice home. The money is particularly important because she had just learned of Walters' bogus investment, so she needs some future plans of stability. She said in desperation, "Asagai, while i was sleeping in that bed in there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me--they just went out and changed my life!" (Hansberry, page 134). This was very sad for Beneatha because she nobly wanted to enter the medical world as a black, female doctor, which was a great enough feat on its own.
A Raisin in the Sun 2
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
The setting of A Raisin in the Sun plays a huge role in the actions, feelings, and thoughts of the characters. In Chicago in the 1950-60's, there were different sections of town for different races and black people still could not do everything that they wanted to. The Younger family lived all together in one small apartment and they all had jobs, yet they could not move up in the world. Beneatha is a great example of this because she wants to further her education and become a doctor to help others. Female doctors were not common at that time period, much less African American female doctors. I also think that the setting influenced the generation gap between Lena and Beneatha. Throughout the first Act, they have a few disagreements over current issues, and she doesn't understand why Beneatha does not want to marry George, who is wealthy and can offer her a better way of life. The modern woman in Beneatha wants her own career and wants to be dependent on solely herself. The setting of the play also has significant impact on Lena who just wants to provide for her family, but also to keep them on the moral track, despite what society is demonstrating. Again with the generation gap, Mama, in response to Beneatha's calling her brother "a flip," asks helplessly "What's a flip?" (Hansberry, page 49). The obvious age difference creates conflict between many of the characters because the world was just different when Lena was just thirty. Lastly, Ruth was greatly impacted by the setting of their lives when she decided to get an abortion because she feared they could not care for the child financially and possibly because Walter would not want another child.
Lorraine Hansberry
The setting of A Raisin in the Sun plays a huge role in the actions, feelings, and thoughts of the characters. In Chicago in the 1950-60's, there were different sections of town for different races and black people still could not do everything that they wanted to. The Younger family lived all together in one small apartment and they all had jobs, yet they could not move up in the world. Beneatha is a great example of this because she wants to further her education and become a doctor to help others. Female doctors were not common at that time period, much less African American female doctors. I also think that the setting influenced the generation gap between Lena and Beneatha. Throughout the first Act, they have a few disagreements over current issues, and she doesn't understand why Beneatha does not want to marry George, who is wealthy and can offer her a better way of life. The modern woman in Beneatha wants her own career and wants to be dependent on solely herself. The setting of the play also has significant impact on Lena who just wants to provide for her family, but also to keep them on the moral track, despite what society is demonstrating. Again with the generation gap, Mama, in response to Beneatha's calling her brother "a flip," asks helplessly "What's a flip?" (Hansberry, page 49). The obvious age difference creates conflict between many of the characters because the world was just different when Lena was just thirty. Lastly, Ruth was greatly impacted by the setting of their lives when she decided to get an abortion because she feared they could not care for the child financially and possibly because Walter would not want another child.
A Raisin in the Sun 1
A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry
Throughout the first Act of A Raisin in the Son, all of the main characters are searching for a better way of life, although some choose not to act on these dreams. Walter Younger, with considerably more active dreams than his mother, wife, or sister, wants to escape their life of poverty and become wealthy enough to support his family. He plans to invest in the liquor business because he thinks that it's a surefire way of getting wealthy. On page 32, Walter says "You tired, ain't you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we live--this beat-up hole--everything. Ain't you?" Throughout the first and second Acts, Walter becomes more emphatic and spirited as he tries to accomplish his dreams. On the other side, there is Ruth who does not approve of the means of attaining wealth. It seems that she is okay settling with her simple life of work and few monetary rewards, yet she still wants a little less stress. Her passiveness majorly conflicts with Walter who wants the wealthy lifestyle, regardless of the means of attaining it. Lena favors Ruth in this aspect because she doesn't approve of the liquor business, so she is a little weary of giving part of the insurance check towards that investment. She wants to spend part of the money on the new house and part on Beneatha's education. Beneatha also has a dream for a better life--becoming a doctor and helping people. While both siblings have important dreams, Beneatha desires to help the sick and make a difference and Walter just has monetary gains in mind (and I suppose his family).
Lorraine Hansberry
Throughout the first Act of A Raisin in the Son, all of the main characters are searching for a better way of life, although some choose not to act on these dreams. Walter Younger, with considerably more active dreams than his mother, wife, or sister, wants to escape their life of poverty and become wealthy enough to support his family. He plans to invest in the liquor business because he thinks that it's a surefire way of getting wealthy. On page 32, Walter says "You tired, ain't you? Tired of everything. Me, the boy, the way we live--this beat-up hole--everything. Ain't you?" Throughout the first and second Acts, Walter becomes more emphatic and spirited as he tries to accomplish his dreams. On the other side, there is Ruth who does not approve of the means of attaining wealth. It seems that she is okay settling with her simple life of work and few monetary rewards, yet she still wants a little less stress. Her passiveness majorly conflicts with Walter who wants the wealthy lifestyle, regardless of the means of attaining it. Lena favors Ruth in this aspect because she doesn't approve of the liquor business, so she is a little weary of giving part of the insurance check towards that investment. She wants to spend part of the money on the new house and part on Beneatha's education. Beneatha also has a dream for a better life--becoming a doctor and helping people. While both siblings have important dreams, Beneatha desires to help the sick and make a difference and Walter just has monetary gains in mind (and I suppose his family).
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