Blood Wedding Journal #7

Personal convictions and shared beliefs, the private and public life, sometimes seem at odds in the modern world.  How did you find your chosen works touched on this conflict, and with what effect?

Both The Wild Duck and Blood Wedding seem to share a common theme in that they both contain characters that lead different public and private lives.

In The Wild Duck the character of Hjalmar when he is in public he tends to be shyer(spelling?) and less social.  When he goes home to his family he tells them how social and witty he was around the rich people.  Also, when Gregers, a rich friend, visits him in his home, Hjalmar has bread, butter, and beer brought out which he had previously stated he did not want.  In both instances, Hjalmar changes his chararcter when in public and when in private.  This creates a feeling that this character is unreliable.  The reader cannot trust what he says because they do not know if he is putting on a face for the people he is around or being his natural self.

I also see this tendency in Blood Wedding with the Bride.  When in the presence of her future husband and his mother, she is quiet, polite, everything a good wife should be.  When alone with her maid or Leonardo she becomes extremely angry and aggressive.  This can be seen again right after the marriage and she (sort of) calmly says she has a headache and would like to lie down, but once alone she runs away with Leonardo.  Again this creates a character that you can't trust, however it seems more clear cut in Blood Wedding that the Bride despises her public life.  It adds to the motif of secrets as well.

Tragedy Comments

Jarrad's Wild Duck Creative:

The first half of this is very good and definately reflects that you've been involved in the class discussions. The part about the Ekdal family being in high social status I'm not sure about though. When old Ekdal is leaving the party everyone feels awkward around him, and Hjalmar's life is essentially paid for him. I do not feel that they are in high social standing, especially since Gina was a maid for Werle. If anything I believe that the family's name has already fallen from grace and Hjalmar is trying is trying to restore it, thus the last bit about Gina trying the keep the family respected among high social classes isn't really true to the story...The rest is good though


For some reason it wouldn't post but this was written for Nikki's Oedipus Journal #2

I agree that "Ignorance is Bliss" is a common theme in Oedipus and I see it in The Wild Duck as well. Could a possible extension of this be one should not be involved with others business? While it would have been a jerk move for Oedipus to ignore his people, he would have stayed a lot happier had he kept to himself. Similarly, in the Wild Duck, if Gregers had kept to himself the Ekdal family would be much happier.

Again, my computer wouldn't let me post it for whatever reasone but this is for Emily's Wild Duck Journal #4

This is good! I like it! The only part that I am unsure about is the last line. We don't know at this point whether or not Werle is going to be disgraced (unless you do know that and you were just adding some foreshadow). To me that line makes Hjalmar sound like he personally is going to find some way to disgrace Werle, which I don't see it in Hjalmar's character/personality

The Wild Duck Journal #6

"Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech."  How far do you agree with this claim?

I believe that how applicable this quote is depends on the particular play.

For example, in Oedipus, there is minimal stage directions and most of the plot can be found in the dialogue.  While some stage directions definately accent the dialogue (for example: Jocasta's "turning sharply" during the messanger's part emphasizes her shock and her moment of realization.).  These accents however are not nearly as important as the dilogue.

In The Wild Duck this quote is much more applicable.  Much more suddle things can be found in the stage directions that assist in giving clues to the attitudes of certain characters.  For example, after an argument with Gina, the stage directions describe Hjalmar as "glum" and "listless" while working.  This assists in the reader's knowledge of how Hjalmar feels after the argument, he is truely upset about this.   The stage directions could have just as easily shown him being angry or restless, but the stage directions that contribute to the visual aspect of the play play a major role in the reader/watcher knowing how a character feels.

The Wild Duck Journal #5

A diary entry by Hjalmar

Dearest Diary,

Old Werle invited me to a dinner party tonight.  A little out of the blue, but the old man has always been so kind to me.  If not for him I would not have my photography job or my home, and I would not have met my beautiful, wonderful wife Gina.  He also gives my aging father some simple work as a copier.  Despite their quarrels in the past, Werle has become a great asset to my family and I do like him for it.

It was also good to see my old friend Gregers there.  I know we had our differences in the past, but we seem to have reconciled tonight and returned to our old roles as friends.

Coming home tonight was a great and sad thing.  It is hard to be among all of those important men who treat my father so coldly.  But I forgot to bring my dearest Hedvig a treat.  I could see how much it broke her heart, she must of thought her father forgot all about her.  It broke my heart just about as much as I'm sure it did hers.  I do love my daughter so much, she means the world to me.

And coming home to see my wife was wonderful too.  She is always so good to me.  Her and Hedvig work to please me so much.  Gregers paid a surprise visit.  I wasn't upset by it, but I felt the need to have Hedvig bring out the beer as well as the bread and butter.  I hadn't wanted it earlier, but having such wealthy company seems to implicitly demand it.  The good news about his visit was that he decided to rent the spare room! We've been needing the extra income, with so much spent on food and beer and such.  I was happy to have him here, but Gina seemed oddly against it.  It was odd, she's been wanting that room rented just as much as me.  She says she's concered it will bring the elder Werle's quarrels into the house.  I see her point, but I think she is overreacting too much.

Well, I am off to bed.  I do think I would like to help Gregers move in in the morning.
Hjalmar

The Wild Duck Journal #4

To what extent have you found it possible, in your consideration of literary works, to searate the individual from his or her public role?

In both Oedipus and The Wild Duck I have found it difficult to seperate the characters from their public roles.

In Oedipus, he probably would have been viewed very differently had he not been a king.  As the king, he has people depending on him to solve the problems plauging their city (which are being caused by Oedipus himself).  Since it is his responsibility to help these people as king, it emphasizes his self-centeredness that he denies the truth for a while as self-preservation.  Had he been a common person, his defensive reaction would probably seem more logical, he's just trying to save himself.  However, since he is in the role of helping his people then it creates a self-centered character when he tries to save himself at first.

Also, in The Wild Duck it is hard to view Werle's actions in any other manner as cut-throat and selfish when we know that he is wealthy and well known.  Especially knowing the Old Ekdal lives in shame mostly becuase of Werle emphasizes a cold-hearted aspect to him.  Also, his affair and setting up Hjalmar with the Gina (whom Werle had an affair with) to disguise the pregnancy adds to a cold character.  Had he not been wealthy it may have seemed that he was making fair business decisions and trying to patch up a mistake.  His wealth and social status though add an element of Werle being above everyone else and getting his way.  It also makes him seem like he is covering his behind by firing Ekdal for the business mistake and setting up Hjalmar with his mistress.  It makes it seem that his business, money and social status are the only things important to him, creating a cold character.

Oedipus Journal #3

Stylistic techniques (imagery, figurative language, sensory detail)

A large majority of Oedipus is simply thought process and dialouge which is rather dull.  There is hardly any imagery, figurative language or sensory detail.  However, once Oedipus discovers that he is Jocasta's son and husband and he has killed his father, the following seen becomes full of vivid, often disgusting, imagery.  It starts by describing Jocasta's agony, using many mournful and destructive words.  Then Oedipus enters and a simile is used to compare him to a maddened beast, and very "angry" words words are used.  Next when he finds his mother hanging some tender words are sprinkled in... And finally when he stabs out his eyes, some really disturbing imagery is used.  Really, I had to stop reading for a bit because it was so gross.

I believe these two pages of the book contain more imagery/figurative language/sensory details than the rest of the book combined.  It really emphasizes the climax, and the tragic nature of the play.  Regular life is ho hum, but tragic moments are vivid and often remembered with great detail.

Oedipus Journal #2

Reactions to specific situations by characters

I will be writing about Jocasta's thought process when the messenger is revealing the truth about Oedipus.


My dear husband Liaus, how I miss you so.  Cut down in your prime.  My husband Oedipus has worked himself up over trying to find your killer.  He fears it might be himself, but this is not possible for the servant told me you were killed by a band of theives.  And I know that the gods' prophecies could not be true, our only son is dead, long dead.

What's this? A messanger, he says he has good news.  Polybus... is dead? Because of sickness? Oh how wonderful! Oedipus so feared that prophecy of killing his father and sleeping with his mother.  Now it is not possible for Polybus has died simply from old age.  He is still so afraid of sleeping with his mother through, he need not worry.  The likely hood of that happening now are slim to none.  After all, he defied the first part of the prophecy.

But...wait.  The messenger, he says Oedipus was adopted? He's not the son of Polybus? Perhaps he was some slave child that Polybus took pity on...What?! He found him in the woods by Mount Cithaeron?! Calm down Jocasta, be rational.  Your baby is long dead, and many people abondon unwanted babies in the mountains.

No...no No NO! He found him with his ankles pin together?! He recieved him from one of MY servants! NO! Oh gods! Oh merciful gods, why! Oedipus, my husband, my son! He HAS killed his father and slept with me, his mother! He has fufilled your prophecies and now I will die or I will live the rest of my life in misery!!

*She runs into the palace screaming where she then hangs herself*

Oedipus Journal #1

Point of View/Characters: From whose point of view is the story told? Does this change? How reliable is the narrative voice? How well does the reader get to know the characters? How credible are they? How are they presented? How does the writer persuade us to like/sympathize with some characters and dislike others?

It is a little ambiguous on whose point of view the story is being told from.  While Oedipus is the main character and the conflict revolves around him, the reader hears all sides of the story since all of the characters openly speak their minds.  So yes it does change in that the narration is 3rd person and everyone's view is openly expressed.  The narrative is reliable in that it always openly expresses a character's emotions.  While I am not to far into Oedipus, I feel like you get to know Oedipus very well, you see that he is a fairly oblivious king, but at the same time is dedicated to his city.  Seems self-centered about it though, and quickly becomes angered and paranoid.  Again, the characters seem very credible as all emotions and thoughts are openly expressed in the dialogue.  Oedipus is presented as previously described, Creon is calm and logical, Jocasta has not been around much but she also seems to be calm and logical about situations.  Tireseus seems abrasive and somewhat tormented, but knowing his background of never being believed this makes sense.  The writer persuades us in the beginning to like Oedipus because he is presented as loyal, but he soon becomes disliked because it is revealed that he is a paranoid, self-centered ruler.  The other characters become likeable as they are calm and logical in the face of Oedipus' rage.

The Handmaid's Tale Journal #3

Topic C

Atwood's dystopian vision is fairly believable as it is still in the "transition" phase from the old free America, to this new society. Offred's constant flashbacks to how free her life used to be makes her very relatable to the reader and makes it seem as if this could happen to them as well. Had the book been set farther in the future of this society where no one remembered the past, the reader would not be able to connect the book to their daily lives, thus making it less believable that this could happen to them.

As far as hope goes, Atwood provides the Mayday resistance. The resistance actively fights the new government and assists the handmaids in escaping if necessary. The ambiguous ending suggests that the protagonist has been helped by the resistance, but it is not for sure. Through this resistance, Atwood conveys that no matter how bas the situation gets, there will always be people fighting to return to at least a normal state.

The Handmaid's Tale Journal #2

Topic B

When the society began, Offred's child and husband are taken away from her and she must become a handmaid of the Commander. Once a month she must have sex with him in hopes of getting pregnant and having a child that will be given to his wife. She is only valued for her ovaries, and if she is found to be sterile she is declared "unwoman" and sent away for hard labor. She is required to wear concealing dresses and hat that cover her face. She has basically no freedom, and there are spies constantly watching for those that are not true believers in the new society. The Wife of the Commander hates Offred and takes away some basic needs such as hand lotion. Again, she is only valued for her possible ability to bear children so the outside of her is not cared for. The suicide rate of handmaids is so high she cannot have a razor to shave or anything in her room (like a chandelier) that she could hang herself from. She is not allowed to read or write.

She can only rebel in small ways, or risk death. To take care of her skin she rubs small amounts of butter onto her hands and face. The Commander also invites her to play scrabble with him, which she cannot deny. Not only is playing this word game punishable by death, so is being alone with the commander. He also secretly loans her books and magazines to read. So she can rebel in small ways, but nothing society changing (yet). I'm 2/3 of the way through the book and I have yet to see any larger rebellions or any results from the smaller rebellions.

The Handmaid's Tale Journal #1

Topic A

"I rub the butter over my face, work it into the skin of my hands.  There's no longer any hand lotion or face cream, not for us.  Such things are considered vanities.  We are containers, it's only the insides of our bodies that are important.  The outside can become hare and wrinkled, for all they care, like the shell of a nut.  This was a decree of the Wives, this absence of hand lotion.  They don't want us to look attractive.  For them, things are bad enough as it is.
[...]
As long as we do this, butter our skin to keep it soft, we can believe that we will some day get out, that we will be touched again, in love or desire.  We have ceremonies of our own, private ones." (96-97)

First off, the fact that the handmaids are considered "containers" demonstrates the society’s dehumanization of women.  They are valued for their ability to have children and nothing more.  The handmaids are often praised for their important role to society, but they are deprived of basic comforts.  Again, they are prized solely for their wombs.  Also, while the Wives do not control of much in their lives, they can control the handmaids to some extent and seem to make it their mission to make the lives of the handmaids as miserable as possible.  Controlling the handmaids is the Wives’ only source of power in their personal lives, besides their gardens.  The Wives further the dehumanization of handmaids by deciding they are not worthy of simple things (such as lotion).  As the society is fairly new and Offred still remembers her life of freedom, she defies the Wives control in small way (like the buttering).  This is Offred’s small way of controlling her life when the entire society dictates her every move.  This simple buttering of skin is also a small way of rebelling as it expresses the hope that one day the society will collapse and normal life will resume.  This shows that while the handmaids act submissive, they are rebellious and striving toward a better life.

The Stranger Journal #9 Final Thesis

Camus uses the little robot woman as a foil to Mersault to emphasize his ability to act on a whim by ignoring society's rules, while she is a controlled product of those rules.  Through this, Camus emphasizes that one cannot have freedom of actions until society's rules are removed.

The Stranger Journal #8 Personal Response

The first read on The Stranger was incredibly boring.  I could not wait to finish the book about the creep with no emotions.  The second reading was much more interesting since I was finding more demensions to Mersault.  It was very interesting to see the exestentialist and absurdist influences in the book, and see how similar it was to the myth of Sysiphus.  However, it was still an unexciting read that I couldn't wait to be done with...To me a great work of literature is a book/novel/poem/what have you, that demonstrates an important life lesson, but is suddle about it.  It also should be an entertaining read that makes the reader want to read the book.  My favorite english book ever is The Unbearable Lightness of Being.  Excellent one liners, interesting plot, and a story that still manages to shed light on the important things in life...However, a book's entertainment value will vary from reader to reader, so it would not be a consistent rubric.  I still consider it important though.  While The Stranger does reveal some life lessons suddly, it has zero entertainment value.  It should be saved for analyzation in college level classes for those that are all gung-ho about English...

A side note about what should be considered good literature: The author needs to have purposely put the life lessons in the book...The Lord of the Flies author conducted an interview where he clearly states that there was no purpose or moral to the book, he just wrote it for the story line...And the poor sophmores have to analyze for weeks looking for lessons on true human nature...

The Stranger Journal #7 Topic, Quotes & Thesis

Topic: The little robot woman as a foil to Mersault

Quotes:

The below quotes emphasize the "robotness" of the little women when she is first introduced.  She is a preprogrammed robot of society, she come to eat lunch, performs a mundane task while waiting, eats and then leaves.  There is no freedom about her

• "Her gestures were jerky" (43)
• "...she checked off almost every program.  Since the magazine was about a dozen pages long, she meticulously contined this task throughout the meal."  (43)
• "The she stood up, put her jack bock on with the same robotlike movements, and left." (43)

There very next quote emphasizes Mersault's freedom to make his own decisions...

• "I didn't have anything to do, so I left too and followed her for a while." (43)

And then again the preprogrammed woman.  She is on track to her next destination:

• "She[...] was making her way with speed and assurance, never one swerving or looking around."

More of Mersault's freedom.  He thinks it is odd that someone would be so stiff and unwilling to move outside the routine, but he soon forgets her:

• "I eventually lost sight of her and turned back.  I thought about how peculiar she was but forgot about her a few minutes later." (43-44)

Then Mersault sees her again in the courtroom.  She is stiff as ever and watching, judging him.  She represents society's judging of him while he is on trail.

• "I recognized next to her the little woman from the restaraunt, with her jacket and her stiff and determined manner.  She was staring right at me." (86)

Then Mersault soon forgets her (society and it's judgement) because they trial starts.  He is more impartant to himself than what society is thinking about him

• "But I didn't have time to think about them, because the presiding judege started speaking" (86)

Mersault again is confronted with the women (and society's judgement) when the trial is adjourned for the first time.

• "The young reporter and the little robot woman were still there. [...] they were still watching me without saying a word." (88-89)

The woman and her representation of typical society begins to bother Mersault because society is now in control of his actions, not him.

• "I wiped away the sweat convering my face..." (89)

Well....I only have ten qoutes, I will try to pull more in class tomorrow...


Thesis:  Camus uses the little robot women to represent a "programmed" person that was created by, and represents the rules of society, which acts as a foil to Mersault's freedom that is created by his non conformity to society's rules...

Yeah...that needs some work too...

The Stranger Journal #6 Questions and Answers

1. Why does Marie laugh so much and have so little dialogue? Is it because she is a flat character or it is to perhaps emphasize her lack of thought?

2. Why does Camus describe the scenery so vividly and the characters so little?

3. Does Camus use the "little robot woman" symobolize anything?

4. Why does Camus use the motif of heat in the courtroom?

5. Does Camus use Mersault's lawyer's line of "everything is true and nothing is true!" (91) to parallel Mersault's world view of absurdism?


Comment on Kevin's blog:
“Does Camus imply that everyone judges each other?”
I don’t think that Camus is implying that everyone judges everyone, I believe that he is trying to deindividualize the people of the court room and create essentially a mob that is against Mersault. All people at the hearing are reffered to as a crowd, or spectators, not individuals. The only individuals pointed out are those close to Mersault that understand him. Camus uses the deindividualization of the crowd to represent the society as a whole that is against Mersault’s world view.

Comment on Isabel's blog:
Camus portrays women and Arabs in an unflattering way to express through the book the time periods sexist and racist views.

Comment on Nikki's blog:
Camus is expressing his existential belifs about the pointlessness of life through Mersault's carelessness for his mother.

Comment on Jarrad's blog:
Camus expresses a racist tendency when refering to the Arabs as a group, rather than as individuals.

Comment on Isabella's blog:
Camus uses the newspaper article about the Czechoslovakian to furhter reiterate Mersault's exestential/absurd view that decisions in life are pointless as the outcome is death, regardless.

The Stranger Journal #5 Part 1 vs. Part 2

I think Camus split the book into two parts in order to empasize Mersault's new view of life.  In the first part of the book, Mersault focuses on the pointlessness of physical things and decisions.  In the second part Mersault begins to focus on the pointlessness of life itself.

Some supporting quotes from Part 1:

"...he  had a habit of finishing everything he said with "and I'd even say," when really it didn't add anything to the meaning of his sentance[...]I didn't pay any more attention to this mannerism of his" (50)  Mersault points out that Masson has a habit, but then goes straight to ignoring it, emphasizing an unnecessary feeling about it.

"It was then that I realized that you could either shoot or not shoot." (56)

"To stay or go, it amounted to the same thing." (57)
Both quotes give the feeling that no matter what the decision, there is no meaning in what you decide.


Supporting quote for part 2:

"Nothing, nothing mattered[...]What did other people's deaths or a mother's love matter to me; what did his God or the lives people choose or the fate they think they elect matter to me when we're all elected to the same fate" (121)

Mersault focuses on the pointlessness of life, how no matter how we live our lives, we all die in the end...

The Stranger Journal #4 Chapter 6 Questions

1. Why does Mersault point out Masson's habit of saying "and I'd even say" and immediately disregard it?

2. Why is the color red brought up so frequently in this chapter?

3. Why does Marie laugh so much and have so little dialogue? Is it because she is a flat character or it is to perhaps emphasize her lack of thought?

4. Can the sentence "to stay or to go, it amounted to the same thing." be used to reflect or support a larger theme of futility?

5. Why does Mersault talk Raymond out of killing the Arab, when ultimately he kills him instead?

6. Why does Camus describe the scenery so vividly and the characters so little?

The Stranger Journal #3 Personal Philosophy

Realaxism

1. If you believe in God or a god, wonderful. But do not spend your entire life trying to convert others that don't want to be converted.

2. If you don't believe in a higher being, great. But don't spend your entire life berating those that do.

3. Spilled hot coffee on yourself? Tough, it's not the restaurants fault you're a klutz with your extra hot no whip soy latte.

4. Someone wish you a merry holiday that you don't believe in or celebrate? Smile and say "you too."

5. Some people consider curling, ping pong, and math sports. Leave them be, they're probably happier than you and your unfulfilled NFL dreams

6. Yes stereotypes are wrong, but they are out there and unavoidable. Get called on doing something stereotypical for you group? Laugh it off, roll your eyes, do anything but get mad. Thats usually what the jerk calling names wants. And again, remember that you are happy in your group and that is all that matters.

7. Kid got picked last for the dodgeball team? Instead of banning dodgeball or putting him in private school, realize you got picked last too once and you're still alive.

My philosophy summed up is let people live the way they want to. Don't get to worked up over a difference of opinion because there is ALWAYS going to be someone that doesn't agree with you. Why waste you time tearing them down when you could accept that they are happy with what they believe. I dunno, maybe it sounds too hippy-ish but I believe everyone needs to take a giant chill pill and get along.

The Stranger Journal #2 Translator and title

Part 1: personally I prefer Matthew Ward's translation. This could be because it is the first version I've read, but I find the other translator's style to be too choppy. While I understand that choppy was a feeling that he was trying to create, it is hard for me too read. The writing also has a more formal feeling to it. While Meursault is not necessarily a computer that you can connect with, the formality of the language puts him at more of a distance than he already is. Again, the translator could want this effect, but I don't care for it.

Part 2: I find "unconnected" to be the most fitting title for the book. While the other titles fit the book well, I think unconnected fits the best. Throughout the book, the reader has a feeling that Meursault is unconnected to any emotion, and only focus' on the present. Later in the book it could also represent his lack of connection to society's standards.

The Stranger Journal #1 Tabbing

Blue: anything that could be taken multiple ways/ambiguity
Yellow: Symobols/motifs as they arise
Purple: syntax/word choice/unusual sentence structure
Green: possible quotes to support theme
Pink: any misc thing that catches my attention

If I find anymore to be necessary I will add them...

Journal #10 Theme & Quotes

Theme: As long as you allow others to control your actions, your goals are unachievable.

This could use some clarification...but the idea is Janie knows what she wants from marriage very early in life, but by allowing her grandmother, Logan, and Jody to control her actions, she cannot achieve her goal until she meets Tea Cake who does not control her.


"She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight. So this was marriage!" (pg. 11)
[this sets up Jaine's goal]

"I wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think." (pg. 24)
[again, setting up her goal]


"Ah wants to see you married right away[...]Brother Logan Killicks. He's a good man, too." (pg. 13) [nanny is controlling Janie's actions]

"The vision of Logan Killicks was desecrating the pear tree..." (pg. 14)
[Nanny's control of Janie is destroying her goal.]

"She knew that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman" (pg. 25)
[her goal of a loving marriage is destroyed by Nanny forcing her to marry Logan...]


"Ah never married her for nothin' lak dat. She's uh woman and her place is in de home" (pg. 44)
[Jody controlling her...]

"It must have been the way Joe spoke out without giving her a chance to say anything one way or another that took the bloom off of things" (pg. 43)
[joes first time controlling her has disrupted her goal of happy marriage, but not destroyed it]

"But you ain't goin' off in all dat mess uh comminuted." (pg. 60)
"'...why don't you go on and see what Mrs. Bogle want? Whut you waitin' on?'. Janie wanted to hear the rest of the play-acting and how it ended, but she got up sullenly and went inside." (pg. 70)
"he wanted her submission and he'd keep on fighting until he felt he had it " (pg. 71)
[Jody controlling what Janie can and can't do...]

"It was her image of Jody tumbled and shattered. But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood figure of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed up to drape her dreams over.[...]She had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man, neither any glistening young fruit where the petals used to be. [...] She was saving up feelings for some man she had never seen." (pg. 72)
[Janie realizes that her goal of a happy marriage has not been reached because he insists on controlling her so. She realizes her goal will have to wait for another man.]

"He could bee the bee to her blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring."(pg. 106)
[Janie realizing that Tea Cake could finally fulfill her goal because he wants her to be herself]

"...Tea Cake ain't draggin' me nowhere Ah don't want tuh go. Ah always did want tuh git round uh whole heap, but Jody wouldnt 'low me tuh." (pg. 112)
[tea cake allows Janie to be herself and do what she wants]

"'Cause Tea Cake ain't no Jody Starks[...]dis is uh love game. Ah done lived Grandmas way, now Ah means tuh live mine." (pg. 114)
[Janies goal has been reached. She knows that she will have a happy marriage with Tea Cake because she is allowed to make her own decisions]

Journal #9 Pastiche

Abby slumped onto her bed, the muscles in her body relaxing for the first time since dawn. With some struggle she tugged off her worn boots and peeled of her wool socks. Laying down, she took a moment to enjoy the soft threadbare blankets. The washed out colors from years of use were familiar and comforting, but eyeing the small heart sewn into the corner, a familiar pain worked its way into her heart.

It was a pain that had dulled over the years, but it was pain none the less. "Miss you mama" she murmured, stroking the heart with her fingertip. The blanket was made for her by her mother when she was born, the heart a reminder that the family always loved her.

It'd been a few years now since the accident that took Mama away, but the heart always reminded her to love family above all else. Abby pulled out a paper from under her pillow. It was crinkled, but "Northeastern College for Girls" still stood bold against the white paper. Mama always wanted her to go to college, told Abby she had a gift for writing and if that's what she wanted to do, then she should go after it.

She just had to find a way to get Papa to agree. It'd be difficult, convincing him that Mattie was old enough to help him milk the cows, and feed the hogs, and plow the ground, and collect the crops and...The list went on, but she would make him see. She would be famous, she would make enough money so none of them would ever have to see a plow ever again. It would just take a few years...

The clomp of boots entered the room and she shoved the paper into pocket and she flung herself up, beginning to clean up Mattie's side of the room.

"Abby, I should tan yer hide ten times over!" the bellow came. The hulking frame came through the door and fixed it's firey gaze on her. "What? I-"

"I jest wasted the last bit o daylight herdin those heifers back inter the barn bicause you was so anxious tu git back in hur tu relax you left the barn door undone! I bust my ass the whole day and then i hav tu go and bust it some more cause uh your idiocy!"

"Pa, I didn-"

"oh, of course you didn do it! Don't lie tu me cause it don't get you no where but inta more trouble! You need tu stop thinkin so much about yirself and start thinking about your family more!"

"uhm...Papa?" Mattie's voice broke in just when he took a breath.

"What?!"

"Papa, Abby didn leave the barn door open. You left it undone cause you was gonna get some hay to throw the cows, and you tripped on dat gopher hole so you decided to go get a shovel and fill it in first. Then you went to do somethin else and the cows decided to come out cause they was hungry..."

Papa blinked a few times before flushing redder than he already was. He muttered some semblance of an apology and tramped back down the hall.

After giving her sister a quick hug of thanks, Abby hurried downstairs and into the kitchen. If dinner wasnt ready soon there was sure to be a repeat.

Once the dinner of cornbread and meat had been finished, Mattie headed up to bed and Abby set about cleaning the dishes. Papa sipped his coffee for a while before finally saying,

"Abby, I'm sorry bout earlier. I just, there's been a lot of work tu do this year nd...well I'm sorry I'll try to keep my temper in better control."

"it's ok Papa, I know you have a lot tu do and I'm the only one who can help with the big stuff for a few more years"

There was another pause of sipping coffee and scrubbing dishes.

"Well we may have some more help on the farm soon..."

Abby stopped to look at her Pa, puzzled. "Pa we don't have enough to hire on a farm hand"

"He's not lookin tu be hired..."

"He? You gunna tell me who 'he' is?"

"You know that neighbor boy?"

"Ryan? I've met him a few times, he seems like a good worker...We tradin them somethin for his help?"

"Yeah Ryan...he's been comin over n helpin me work the fields while you've been repairing the harness...And he's lookin to marry you"

It was all she had to not drop the stack of plates she was putting away.

"Marry?! But Papa! I haven't met him but a few times! And..and..I'm only sixteen! And...". She was choking on the suddenness of it all, trying to hold back tears as she saw her future self, the famous writer that wouldn't have to see a plow ever again, torn to pieces and scattered.

"I know, I'm sorry I shoulda told you earlier, but I've been strugglin with it myself. I still feel like we lost your mama yesterday, and now I feel like I'm losen you." He got up from the table and took her in his arms. "Abby, I know you didn't want this so soon, but we need this. Were bout to lose the farm, and this will save it. And us. If we lost it, we'd be on the streets starving. And I can't stand tu see my babies hungry. Abby I love you more than you can imagine, but this is something we have to do..."

He gave her one final squeeze, then left her alone to absorb the news.

For the longest time she sat and sobbed quietly in front of the fire. At first she was angry. She cursed her father for making her do this and she cursed her mother for leaving them and putting her in this position. That made her cry even harder. After some time the tears slowed and she drew the slip of paper out of her pocket and threw it in the fire. She watched stoically until all traces of it were gone. She then put out the fire and made her way up to bed.

After collapsing into her bed, she could no long see the sewn heart, but she knew it was there and she felt a wave of responsibility consume her. Tomorrow she would get up smiling, and help feed, plow and fix. It was silly to think that she could've ever gone to college. Her family needed her here, and she would play whatever role required of her as long as it helped them.



so, I'm not so good at the pastiches, but my attempted theme was: When you let go of your own wants, other's plans for you will become your own.


I used dialect to emphasize the fact that the family is a poor farming family. Hurston uses dialect throughout the entire book tp reemphasize where the characters are located...

The slip of paper for the college was a symbol of Abby's want to leave the farm and go to college, and once Abby let's go of this want her family's plan for her to take care of her family becomes her own. Hurston uses several symbols throughout the book.

I tried to create a circular feeling by starting and ending with her on her bed, but I don't think that I was that successful...Hurston creates circular feeling in her book in small chunks and in the entire book...

Journal #8

"He could be a bee to a blossom-a pear tree blossom in the spring" (pg. 106)

Janie has this thought while thinking of Tea Cake after he left her house. This motif of the bee, blossom, and tree appear constantly throughout the book. It creates a circular feeling to the beginning of the book back when all Janie wanted was a happy, balanced love. This motif used in reference to Tea Cake gives the reader a feeling that Tea Cake is the happy marriage that Janie has always wanted...(possibly a bit of foreshadowing?)


"in the cool of the afternoon the fiend from hell specifically sent to lovers arrived at Janie's ear. Doubt." (pg. 108)

This quote occurs just after Tea Cake has left Janie's house after spending the night. This personification of doubt makes it much more relatable to the reader (because when you start to doubt someone you love, it truly does feel like a fiend from hell). Also, the fact that it "arrived" at Janie's ear gives the impression that it was unexpected, that she had totally trusted Tea Cake until this very moment...


"Tea Cake and Janie gone hunting. Tea Cake and Janie gone fishing[...]Day after day and week after week." (pg. 110)

In this quote, the narrator is expressing the towns unspoken feelings about Janie and Tea Cakes outings with each other. The rhythm of the sentences is repetitive, short and rather abrupt. This rhythm creates dissaproving, almost exasperated feeling. This effectively demonstrates the towns disapproving feelings toasted the couple without having to go into any dialogue or explanation...

Journal #7 Mini Pastiche

So Katherine started to ponder envy.  Envy, that tiny spider with the knack for appearing when it was least wanted.  That sneaky thing that crept around on it's spindly legs, keeping out of sight.  Who can say that Envy has never poisened them, and who can keep him out of their hearts forever?  He crawls into your heart and manipulates your world.  Crawling so slowly with his fangs ready for the bite, waiting for a host to let him in.  Been crawling into hearts since the first man out performed another.  She was likely to see blood run green with him venom any day now.  She was upset, but compassionate as well.  Poor Annie!  The girl could not smote the passions inside her for the lad Tim.  She tried to go and talk with her, but Annie refused.  Her heart held an enormous pain, and she did not want to eye the reciever of her thoughts.  She'd rekindle the friendship soon as she had time to get over her feelings for Tim.  It would be just like old times.  That's what she told herself.  But Annie would never let go of her feelings, and Katherine knew this.  And if she hadn't, the next day she would've found out, for the icy glances from across the hall would never let her forget.  The friend that never left her side before now felt miles away.  The ice kept them seperated though they were a few feet apart.  Hate, that green snake, had begun to constrict Annie's mind.


So...not that great, but I gave it a go...

I tried to create a feeling of distance between them with the "cold" and "ice" which Hurston has done earlier in the book.  I also really tried to give the spider/envy a sense that it crawled in slowly, and that people wanted to deny it was there until it was blatantly obvious.  I'm not sure I was very successful in this though.

Journal #6 Stylistic choices in Death passage

In this passage, Hurston personifies Death, saying "He stands in his high house that over looks the world". Death is personified as a ruler (possibly even God?) that sees everything. I think this is done to show that no matter how powerful you are in your own life (Joe) you cannot defy Death because he is the ultimate decision maker.

By saying that Death lived in a "straight house like a platform without sides to it, and with out a roof", Hurston is again saying that Death does not need protection from anything, because it is all powerful and nothing can stop it

I believe Hurston uses the southern dialect to describe the doctors because it again reminds the reader that they are human and not even the best doctors can stop Death once it has made it's decision to come.

"people who would have not dared to foot the place before crept in...". The line references that the people of Eatonvilke were slaves, and Joe there master. By "creeping in" they are acknowledging that there master (Joe) has been humbled by an even larger power that they also will answer to someday...

There is a line a few pages before the passage that says "stillness is the sleeping of swords", I think that line is referanced in the passage when it says "stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back". I think the two lines together give the idea that when death us still, so is the sword that kills. However once he moves, the sword "comes alive" and the life is ended.

The fact that Jainie still calls Joe by his nickname "Jody" shows the reader that Jainie still cares very much for Joe, even though he has rejected her.

Journal #5 Thesis

Hurston uses Janie's feelings toward the store in Eatonville as a parallel to her feelings toward Joe in order to give the reader a sense that Joe's influence/presence is engrained of every aspect of Jainie's life. This enhances Joe's characteristics of being all powerful.

Journal #4 patterns

One pattern I noticed was that Hurston switches to third-person objective narration when describing some minor characters.

Example: pg. 52 "Matt realizes that they have tricked him again and the laughter makes him mad and when he gets mad he stammers".

Pg. 68 "She is parading and blushing at the same time"



Another pattern in chapters 5 & 6 was that Joe Starks is compared to a slave owner/driver by the townspeople a few times.

Example: pg 49. "You kin feel a switch in his hand when he's talkin' to yuh,".
Pg. 47. "take that house of his for instance...the rest of the town looked like servants' quarters surrounding the 'big house.'"


The last pattern I noticed was that the stage that the tree or bloom was in seemed to founded with how Janie felt about her marriage.

Pg 35 & 40 the tree is described as a "huge/big live oak tree" so the marriage is thriving
Pg 43 describes Joe degrading her for the first time as "that took the bloom off things". So this degrading of Janie as taken away some of the beauty of her marriage, but not destroyed ir
Pg 72 after Joe slaps her she describes it as "she had no more blossomy openings dusting pollen over her man". This is used to show that her perfect marriage is gone, so she has no more pollen for her bee...

Journal #3 Renaissance Figure and Dialect

Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (aka Jelly Roll Morton). His true birthdate is unknown, but he thinks he was born on September 20, 1885 in Louisiana. He grew to become a pivotal figure in jazz music, known as the first arranger of jazz music. Known for his arrogance (claimed to have invented jazz in 1902 and claimed the only piano player better than himself was his brother).



Dialect:

Pronunciation:

"th" replaced with "z"
"w" replaced with "v"
Soft "I" replaced with hard e ("ee")


Grammar:

Remove "a" & "an"
Current tense ("ing") is nonexistent
No contractions


Vocabulary:

The phrase "a lot" is eliminated, only use "many" or "much"
"djyes" instead of "yes"
Occasionally double words up "nono" instead of just "no"


At a restaurant Morton is performing in...


Nicholi: "ze playing zat you do on zees piano ees very good"
Morton: "thanks, I know I'm the best in the world"
Nicholi: "ze best een ze vorld?"
Morton: "well, besides my brother. I draw a lot of inspiration from him. But I'm the best besides him"
Nicholi: "Eet has been long time seence I have played. Do you mind eef I try?"
Morton: "be my guest"

*Nicholi proceeds to pull out Morton's most difficult piece. Morton braces himself for some terrible music, but instead he hears Nicholi playing the piece perfectly. Once he has finished, Nicholi gets up and pats Morton on the shoulder*

"zird in zee world ees not too bad eizer my friend"

Journal #2 (Analytic)

Pg. 5

"Hand me dat wash-rag on dat chair by you, honey.  Lemme scrub mah feet."  She took the cloth and rubbed vigorously.  Laughter came to her from the big road.

"Well, Ah see Mouth-Almighty is still sittin' in de same place. And Ah reckon they got me up in they mouth now."

"Yes indeed. You know if you pass some people and don't speak tuh suit 'em dey got tuh go way back in yo' life and see whut you ever done.  They know mo' 'bout yuh than you do yo' self. An envious heart makes a treacherous ear.  They done 'heard' 'bout you just what they hope done happened."

"If God don't think no mo' 'bout 'em then Ah do, they's a lost ball in de high grass."

• The line "An envious heart makes a treacherous ear." is not written in the style of the rest of the speaking.  While the rest of the speaking the written in a "southern" style, this particular line is written in straight english.  I think this is to bring attention to the line and to apply it to all people, not just the characters in the story.
• The above quote could also be foreshadowing for Tea Cake's jealous rage that ended up killing him
• "Mouth-Almighty" is a religious allusion to give the sense that the gossipers are above average people, or godly.
• The scrubbing of feet portion of the passage is to make Janie seem very human, which serves as a foil to the gossipers that are referenced as being godly
• The feet scrubbing I believe is also to set a relaxed scene between Janie and her friend by showing that even personal things are not refrained from one or the other, they are 100% open
• When Janie states that she is "up in their mouths", this is similar to the first page of the book where they say that "nations" pass through their mouths.  This sets up that Janie is "big" gossip, and that there is a story that the reader has yet to learn.
• While the earlier lines seem to humanize Janie, the final line seems to make her more "godly" since the gossipers are nothing as long as God and her don't care about them.
• Most of the passage being in the southern dialect makes the passage feel like there is no pretense, and that everything that is said is truly her thoughts.  (This could just be me though...)
• The line that "the laughter came to her" i find interesting because the author did not say that she heard the laughter.  I think this could be a way to show that Janie was not listening for the laughter or gossip, but that the gossipers wanted her to hear it so she would think of them...

Journal #1 (Reflective)

If I could tell my life story to anyone it would probably be my friend best friend Lizzy.  I would start at the transition into middle school, so sixth grade.  Elementary school is about the same old story of innocence and such, and then middle school was the first (serious) experience with social pressure which stays with you for the rest of your life.