Blog #3 Trevor Coopersmith feminism 1075

Media is the message and the messenger. I agree with this statement due to multiple reasons. Many people get their inspiration from television humor, celebrities on TV, and even begin to purchase items viewed on television. There are numerous forms of media that portrays sexist ideals, however, I believe television is one of the main influences to sexism. This reminds me of the exploitation of celebrities on television, especially certain powerful women. This comes to mind with the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget. During this roast, there were obviously many hurtful jokes aimed directly at Bob Saget. Saget was a popular icon in the show Full House starring Mary-Kate Olsen. Many of these jokes aimed at the center person being roasted, Bob Saget, also involved Mary-Kate Olsen. These jokes were very sexist and crude, putting out the message that the Olsen twins are lower in the human rankings than Bob Saget. . John Stamos: referencing Bob Saget. "His entire job consisted of saying "take a look at this." Which is what he used to say to Mary-Kate Olsen in her dressing room." Jeffrey Ross: [to Saget] "Full House" should've been called "Blackjack" 'cause you hit on the Olsens when they were eight, you didn't stop till they were 21.The media, television, is putting out the message that the Olsen twins were sexually abused and powerless thanks to Bob Saget. Regardless if these statements are true, they are dehumanizing the Olsen twins and portraying the message that they were not in control compared to Bob Saget, the male figure in Full House. This gives viewers the idea that Olsen twins were abused and that making sexually crude jokes against them is socially acceptable.

Dehumanizing women based on tradition. I agree with this in the sense that both men and women have stereotypical roles in society. My girlfriend cooks and cleans while I work and go to the gym. There is already a rise in the stereotypical gender roles in my relationship, much like the standard views of society. Many men believe it is humorous to reference girls as sex objects, often dehumanizing them. A perfect parallel to the popular stereotypical dehumanization is the video on youtube titled "Show Me Your Genitals". This video may appear silly at first, but it has reached over sixty million views. Some fairly obvious quotes that dehumanize women and portray them as symbols of sex rather than meaningful human beings include: "Women are stupid and I don't respect them, that's right, I just have sex with them." This is the opening quote and immediately brings down women as objects that are not respected in this man's view. Now this quote is very demeaning so obviously there have to be many people that disagree with it. However, only 7% of the people that chose to like or dislike the video actually disliked it. That means 93% of viewers found this video hilarious or agreed with the quotes. "You're talking to me about stuff. Why? I'd rather see your titties." "I can't have sex with your college degree and I can't put my penis in your personality." Jon Lajoie, the creator of this video, most likely had intentions to bring women down and portray men as powerful and important. This video is over five years old and is still watched today. Five years is not a long time compared to the birth of man, but women were always traditionally viewed as less powerful than men. Men still today agree and portray most women as sex symbols who talk too much. This video is obvious proof that people traditionally still find jokes against women as humorous.

Blog Post #3 Cara Dacus Eng. 201 1073

"If people knew that Cuba, China, Iraq and Afghanistan have more women in government than the United States of America, that would get some people upset" -Gavin Newson.
I realize that the number of women in government is not a competition... but c'mon! Seriously? I was definitely surprised by this fact, surprised and discouraged. To add a little salt to the wound: 67 countries in the world have had female presidents or prime ministers. With our equal rights and freedoms one would think that our government would reflect equality. Or at least more so than some of the countries mentioned that are notoriously known for repressing women's rights.
This quote reminded me of an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that I watched recently. Stewart was interviewing Fawzia Koofi, a native of Afghanistan and a candidate in Afghanistan's 2014 presidential elections. The story of her life is harrowing, and truly incredible. Born into struggle, her parents abandoned her to die shortly after she was born because she was a female. Not only surviving but thriving she grew up with high aspirations to become a doctor.  Her dream was disrupted shortly after she was accepted into medical school when the Taliban barred women from education in 1995. She then turned her focus to women's rights and human aid organizations. She has survived many attempts on her life and in 2005 she was elected the first woman Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament in the history of Afghanistan. According to her website (www.fawziakoofi.org): "Fawzia has battled male domination, imposition of men's selective religious interpretation on the rights of women and issues of power between men and women, and the old and new generations". I thought that if this women could push through all of the obstacles in her path and still live out her dream to create positive change in her country and become a leader than why not women in the United States? If things are changing for women in politics in the Middle East then I feel it's only a matter of time before they start to change here. We're just behind the curve, but we'll get there. 

“It is extremely important for women to be writing their own stories, truly crafting those stories, writing them down, directing them and giving them to people to really emotionally become impacted by” –Rosario Dawson

I definitely agree with this statement. Any population should have its members telling their own stories, if not then there is a piece of the story missing. When thinking in terms of women, that is a huge piece (about half) of the population. I believe this is important not only for different sexes but different ethnicities, cultures, etc. Everybody’s story is unique, and nobody can truly know and understand another person’s experience. The more stories that are out there the better we understand the world around us. Limiting the storytelling to a select group robs the population as a whole of an accurate reflection of itself. The more voices the better I say. 

This quote made me think of the many quotes from the famous authors throughout history in our text Literary Criticism by Charles E. Bressler. “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be. The more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure will she have for it, even any…recreation” –Robert Southey. “The woman author does not exist. She is a contradiction in terms. The role of the woman in letters is the same as in manufacturing; she is of use when genius is no longer required” –Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. Apparently many famous male authors throughout history have not thought highly of female writers. While things have changed considerably over time, the fight to hear women’s stories in equal amount to their male counterparts is still unfinished. The film Miss Representation stated that "Only 7% of film directors and 10% of writers are female". I typed in a google search of "Best movie directors" and many recognizable names appeared: Steven Speilburg, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood... but no women. Only on one list, that was discussing the top directors of 2012 did one woman's name appear, and not at the top. This was Kathryn Bigelow who was the first female to win Best Director (in 2008). While a google search is far from scientific I do think it is a somewhat accurate reflection of society in general. If asked (before this search) to name a director I could have named quite a few, but if asked to name a female director I wouldn't have been able to name one. Unfortunately I think I'm not unusual (in this sense at least), for the majority of us female directors are unknown. How am I supposed to be familiar with female directors when they make up only 7% of total directors? Like I stated earlier, this lack of the female voice in storytelling robs all of us, men and women,  of a whole different perspective and story. In this age with our advanced technology and supposedly advanced ideology there is no reason for this disparity any longer. They say variety is the spice of life, so let's spice it up a little!

Blog Assignment #3

Choose at least two statistics, statements, opinions, analytical statements, etc. from the documentary Miss Representation, which we began in class on Tuesday, 2/26 and will finish on 2/28. As I asked you to take notes and write down at least several points/record a few quotes and/or numbers, this part should be very easy. Respond to them by telling us:

a)    whether you agree or disagree and with the sentiments expressed and/or are surprised or unsurprised by any facts/numbers presented and why

b)   connect your chosen quotes/facts to a media event or text and contextualize them by linking them to media examples. In this sense, you’re looking to give texture and depth to a fact, number, or opinion that, without analysis, will remain one dimensional. You should choose one or two media examples and develop your ideas in depth rather than listing multiple shows, films, commercials, events etc. You can choose any kind of media you want with any delivery method as long as it reaches a large audience (could be a YouTube series, a television show, a comic, the way the media frames an event, whatever you want). You can accomplish this contextualization in any number of ways. Mostly, I want you to discuss/analyze some media representation of women using the examples you’ve chosen from the documentary. You don’t necessarily have to agree with the points the film makes; it may be that you find media examples that fly in the face of  the film’s messages. This said, remember that, to do any kind of feminist criticism, you need to accept the larger premises on which it rests: men and women haven’t achieved parity or equality – not economically, not sexually, not politically, not socially, not academically, etc.  and that women are skewered in a variety of ways by the media. (This doesn't mean men aren't, but that's simply not a focus at the moment.)

c)    You can also link one or more statements from the film to an incident portrayed publicly (a speech, a social faux pas (i.e, a “nipple slip”, a paparazzi photograph and the commentary that comes along with it, the Oscars,etc.)

d)   I will post one of my own. Again, no right way to do this, but if it helps you to read mine, great. 

Chris spiers Nostalgia

Nostalgia

            The poem Nostalgia by Billy Collins is a dreal comedy, a story told through what I felt to be a wise old man looking back into the past.  The speaker is asking the reader to remember back on Americas historical memory’s, enjoyed and shared by so many.  The speaker goes as far back as 1340 (well before his time), when he talks about a dance called the Catapult, and other joys of the time. The Speaker is the only character in Nastagia and his tone possesses a bittersweet longing for something else somewhere else.

            My mind was immediately sucked in to the poem Nostalgia. The last sentence of paragraph one reminded me immediately of countless occasions where a person who was older, and probably much wiser, had said to me something like, “Long ago things where better, Not like today”. In my eyes that is a wide spread experience of being alive and in your youth. So, when Billy Collins wrote “Everything was hand- lettered then, Not like today” as a reader I quickly looked for more signals of the speaker being less than content with the present.

Kelsey Anderson Blog #2, 1075

New Critical Analysis of “Capital Punishment”

            In Sherman Alexie’s 1996 poem, “Capital Punishment,” the speaker, a cook at possibly the Indian reservation prison, explains his process of the food he prepares for an Indian man about to be executed, and what he does during that execution. From the beginning of the poem, it is known that an unnamed man, whom the speaker (a participant narrator) repeatedly refers to as the “Indian man to be executed,” is considered a criminal for shoving a hand down a white man’s throat because of a bet about the size of his heart (lines 10-13), and is about to be placed in an electric chair for his wrongdoings. The speaker prepares the best of food for those about to die, so they can enjoy their last, and always keeps an additional sandwich in the back of the fridge in case the condemned survives his fate the first time. During the execution, the speaker sits alone in the kitchen with the lights off and contemplates the reasoning behind the executed man’s fate, and ultimately his own. Overall, the speaker is at conflict with not only the external world, but internally with himself as well; the most obvious paradox in the poem is the constantly repeated phrase, “I am not a witness,” which although is literally true, since he is not physically present at the execution, is also false; he is a witness at the same time because of all of the preparations and knowledge of the subject, and his sympathetic relationship with the “Indian man to be executed.” Therefore the speaker is almost forcibly denying his presence as a witness to the execution through constant repetition of the phrase, “I am not a witness,” completely ignoring his up-close involvement within the event, and ultimately through this denial is paradoxically letting himself come closer and closer to the same ultimate fate as that “Indian man to be executed” who shoved his hand down a white man’s throat to win a lousy bet.

           

Breecia Gray, The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe

Pit and the Pendulum Reader Response

Poe’s story is of a person sentenced to death by torture during the Spanish Inquisition. The story is an account of the narrator’s time from sentencing and throughout his journey during incarceration. It’s a tale of hope and despair. A story of one’s mental ability while facing an eminent death. Of this the narrator says, ‘It was hope—the hope that triumphs on the rack—that whispers to the death-condemned even in the dungeons of the Inquisition.’

Unusual for Poe, this story has a sense of unity and though still a horror story, it brings the reader a feeling of joy. He writes using a narrator with unfathomable hope and paints a picture of a person of high moral character, so much so that he finds comfort even in the face of death. The thought of sweet rest in the grave gives him a sense of calm which in turn helps him keep a cool, logical point of view. This logic and lack of fear of death, in turn helps him conquer the obstacles he faces and unlike many of his stories, this one has a heroic ending.

The story is told in first person narration. It begins with the narrator hearing of his sentencing to death. Though the Spanish Inquisition was run by religious leaders, this is not mentioned. Instead a physical description of the inquisitors is given of grotesquely thin, white, black-robbed men with a ‘stern contempt for human torture’. I find this description of them to be more demonic than godly. This presents the first noticeable gap. What is the Inquisition? Without background information of the time period, which is not mentioned by the narrator, or much knowledge of Poe himself, other than judges it is unclear who these grotesque figures are. It’s not until the final lines of the story that this gap is filled.

Another gap is apparent in the beginning. The narrator does not seem to know why is being imprisoned. The only textual information is that he is part of a revolution and facing an Inquisition.

As the hooded figures leave the room, seven candles appear. These candles at first seem to represent angels come to save him but soon are meaningless spectators. This is an early show of his hope followed by despair. When the candles are blown out, the silence and blackness surrounds him as he faints.

Upon waking in the dungeon, the narrator says, ‘I still lay quietly in an effort to exercise my reason’ and proceeds to deduce his situation. Though he has moments of what he refers to as ‘insensibility’, he remains logical and decides to examine his surroundings. He attempts to measure the room he is in only to discover, to his horror, there is a deep, circular pit in the center of it. He realizes he has to make a moral choice, to perish along the edge of the room or fall victim to the pit. Somehow he manages to find hope saying, ‘it seemed evident that mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates’.

In order to keep his sense of logic, the narrator occupies his mind with trifle thoughts like calculating the dimensions of his dungeon. In time, his second death defying encounter begins. After being drugged from a pitcher of water, he wakes to find himself strapped to a board. He can see a painted figure of what he refers to as Time, though his description is that of the more modern Grim Reaper. This representation of Death is holding directly over him, instead of a scythe, a pendulum. To the narrators fear and wonderment, the pendulum is slowly moving.

The narrator is then briefly distracted by several enormous rats after a dish of meat. He attempts with great effort to shoo them away. He looks back at the pendulum to discover it has come about a yard closer to him and has a razor sharp edge. As the pendulum swings ever closer, the narrator again finds himself feeling hope. His hope then leads to thought which gives him strength and intuitively an idea forms in his mind. Using the few remnants of food in his reach, he covers his bindings with the greasy food to lure the rats. The rats start to chew through his bindings. This is a particularly gory part of the story. The narrator describes how, ‘With more than human resolution I lay still’. His description is so in depth here I can empathetically feel the rats crawling over me. Again, in the nick of time, our narrator escapes his doom. But relief is short.

The narrator says, ‘I had escaped death in one form of agony to be delivered unto worse than death in some other’. The walls of the dungeon are now moving in and the roof is on fire. Once again the narrator faces a choice, death by fire or death by pit.

Just as despair finally reaches the narrator, hope wills out. The narrator hears the sounds of human voices and trumpets. As the walls rush back, the hand of General Lasalle reaches out and saves him.

Brad Wires-Reader Response Analysis "The Swimmer"

The short story “The Swimmer”, by American Author John William Cheever, was published in The New Yorker on July 18, 1964. Most of Cheever’s fiction is set in upper-class suburbs including the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, and old New England villages around Quincy, Massachusetts. Cheever was born in Quincy and was raised in a large Victorian house. During his childhood his father, Frederick Cheever, worked as a successful and prosperous shoe salesman. As the shoe and textile industries declined, his father lost most of his money and began drinking alcohol heavily. John Cheever also struggled with alcoholism most of his adult life. The story is told with a semi-omniscient narrator. The reader has access only to the main character’s thoughts and feelings. The main character is Neddy Merrill, an upper-class, free-spirited, older gentleman full of youthfulness. Other characters include his wife Lucinda Merrill, Donald and Helen Westerhazy, and many others that Neddy meets during his journey. The story is set at Donald and Helen Westerhazy’s house during a midsummer Sunday. Neddy and his wife are lounging by the pool when Neddy decides to swim home, 8 miles away, by the way of swimming pools located throughout the county. He names this string of swimming pools the Lucinda River, after his wife, and starts his journey full of youthful energy and optimism. He is happily greeted by the first few pool owners, but then a storm approaches and the tone changes. Neddy has trouble at the public pool, which is not as nice as the privately owned pools, but nevertheless continues on. Signals indicate a seasonal change from summer to autumn and Neddy is greeted more hostile by the next few pool owners. He begins to hear stories of money and other misfortunes that he has trouble recalling. He finally arrives at his home, where his four daughters should be, to find it empty and abandoned. The textual signals and gaps presented indicate the relationship between wealth and happiness and social classes. The story is narrated through the course of a day but signals claim a span of two seasons, from mid-summer to autumn. This contradiction is the paradox.

            At first read I filled the gaps in the text with my personal experiences about my grandma. Growing up I knew she was retired and well off financially. She owned a large farm and I remember spending my summer vacations from school with her. The beginning of the story reminded me of those hot summer days spent down at the creek swimming. My grandmother seemed to be full of energy as well. In the story, Neddy hears of financial trouble, his and people he knows, but can’t seem to remember all the details. When I was around sixteen my grandma began acting different. She wasn’t herself and had trouble remembering to pay her bills. We all knew there was something wrong with her. Over the next few years we learned she had Alzheimer’s. In the story Neddy arrives home to find his home abandoned. The text suggests he lost his home, money, and possibly his memory.  I filled this gap with the memory of my grandma losing her farm, money, and her memory. My first interpretation of the text from my personal experience, lead me to believe the story was about becoming elder and how, in hindsight, it seems to happen overnight. Further analysis of signals, gaps, irony, and diction suggests otherwise.

            In the beginning of the story the narrator indicates that everyone is happy, drinking and lounging by the pool, “We all drank too much.” It is a nice mid-summer day but the narrator implies that could change, “In the west there was a massive stand of cumulus cloud so like a city from a distance.” The narrator relates the color of the water and drinking with being wealthy and happy, “Neddy Merrill sat by the green water, one hand in it, one around a glass of gin.” This sets the tone for the first part of the story. Neddy is even compared to a summer’s day, “He might have been compared to a summer’s day, particularly the last hours of one.” The last part of this sentence reveals what is to come. Before Neddy begins his journey across the county the narrator reveals Neddy has a narcissistic side, “he was determinedly original and had a vague and modest idea of himself as a legendary figure…He had an inexplicable contempt for men who did not hurl themselves into pools.” This is important because it provides insight to Neddy’s character.

            Neddy begins his journey and his first stop is the Grahams. Diction implies the Grahams are wealthy and in the same social class as Neddy. Mrs. Graham greets him with excitement, “what a marvelous surprise…Here, let me get you a drink.”  After that it was off to the Hammers, the Lears, the Howlands, and the Crosscups. The narrator demonstrates all are wealthy through imagery of their property. Neddy’s next stop is the Bunkers. As he approaches the Bunkers he hears sounds of a party. The narrator demonstrates the peak of Neddy’s wealth, “Oh, how bonny and lush were the banks of the Lucinda River! Prosperous men and women gathered by the sapphire-colored waters while caterer’s men in white coats passed them cold gin.” Neddy is greeted enthusiastically by Enid Bunker, “Oh, look who’s here! What a marvelous surprise!” The tone is that of superiority. The narrator implies Neddy is a wealthy, respected man, “he stopped to kiss eight or ten other women and shake the hands of as many men.” Neddy is on to the Levys, who are not home, but after swimming in their pool, helps himself to a drink. The narrator reveals this is Neddy’s fourth or fifth drink and this becomes a change in the tone of the story.

Blog #2 The Pit and the Pendulum Brad Petz

The story The Pit and the Pendulum starts off quite mysteriously with a man apparently in a room alone, without much explanation. The man thinks he is locked in a tomb, which gives a grave tone to the poem that follows the whole way through. He is also confused as to why he got locked up, as opposed to the regular punishment for Inquisition victims, hanging. This does more to intensify the tone, as does his lazing around the room. He realizes that since he can still think and walk around, that this must not be a tomb. He keeps himself busy by measuring the walls, then falls asleep, and finally waking to brad and water, which he devours. While this box is scaring him, he is becoming more comfortable with this place, in terms of knowing what is where. He discovers, quite astounded while falling to the ground, there is an abyss in the middle of the room. His head is hanging over the side, which I think represents how you can see something and be aware of it while still having much to learn about it. He discovers the abyss is a very deep pit, after throwing a stone in, but then falls asleep soon after.
He awakes to more bread and water, which he devours again, but then notices something off and passes out again. He concludes, after waking up in the room to find it is now dimly lit, that the water must have been drugged. He is startled when he realizes he is tied to a board, and confused by the 'time' on the ceiling. This was represented by a pendulum, which I think in turn represents the back and forth mindset of the main character, and humans in general. He then notices rats eating his small amount of food, giving a 'final' feel to the end of the poem. He also notices upon further inspection that the pendulum is a scythe moving closer to him every second. This might represent how humans see obstacles in their life, slowly coming to pass them, but really we have plenty of time to prepare. Being optimistic, with the pendulum nearing his heart, he rubs food over the straps, which the rats chew through releasing him just in time. The pendulum retracts into the ceiling, showing that when you think you're alone, you have to think twice. With the walls now moving into him, forcing him into the pit, he gives up with inches left of ground to stand on and almost falls in, when a soldier grabs him and prevents his death. this goes to show that when all hope is lost, sometimes it's worth it to hold on those last few seconds.

Andrea Abbott, Blog 2, New Crit.- "Cathedral"

In the short story, “Cathedral,” by Raymond Carver, a blind man visits an old-time friend, whom used to work as his assistant. Over the years the couple exchanged tapes of themselves to each other, discussing vital occurrences from moving and divorces to the death of a loved one. Eventually, Robert (the blind man) comes to stay at her house where her recent husband reveals no enthusiasm and makes the situation into a dreadful one. As the plot unravels, the pre-judging and self-pitying husband realizes the actual joys of letting go of sight and listening to the heart within. Through a simple interaction, the ironic spouse develops the understanding that although Robert cannot see in a literal sense, he (the husband) remained the “blind” man.

Before the man arrived, the husband concluded the “pathetic” life he lived just because of stories he learned from his wife. After hearing about the death of Robert’s wife he “found [himself] thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led… who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one.” Then, as the narrator’s wife left to pick her friend up at the depot, he blamed the man for making him wait at home. Everything about Robert made the husband cringe, and although he expresses it as self-pity and sorrow, he seemed almost jealous because of the intimate and influential relationship shared between the two. Previously, the wife wrote a poem and shared with her husband about the blind man touching her face, and “recalled his fingers and the way they had moved around over her.” In response the narrator did not “think much about the poem.” Later on, however, the green within his face rose to surface as the friends “talked of things that had happened to them [over the] past ten years.” Robert “waited in vain to hear [his] name on [his] wife’s sweet lips… but heard nothing of the sort. [Just] more talk of Robert.” Then, the husband stood up to turn the TV on, perhaps out of boredom, but maybe also to remind himself who the superior, un-jealous one in the room is—the one who can see.

As the story goes on, and the two men focus on the TV program, Robert asks the husband to explain what a cathedral looks like. With a loss of words, the man stumbles over himself in finding just the right description. Robert tells the man to draw a picture of the building with him, and as he places his hand on top of Robert’s finally words are unnecessary—the strokes, lines and figures explain it all. Then, the blind man said “close your eyes” and as he did he thought, “It was like nothing else in my life up to now.” Although the husband pitied Robert before, he now sat there with his eyes closed longer than necessary taking in the absolute peace of experiencing the world from a deeper and wider perspective, and “felt like he was inside nothing,”—because not even  the walls of his house could control his imagination and new understanding.

Carver used a problematic and resolution plot structure with various ironies, and created the narrator’s character to help us grow as readers. The short story confronted stereotypes and misinterpretations one might conclude, and in doing so we, like the husband, may not be so blind anymore.

Disbro. Blog 2. "Shiloh"

In the short story "Shiloh" written by Bobbie Ann Mason, married couple Leroy and Norma Jean try go about their daily lives in the midst of their failing marriage in a small town in Tennessee. Their simple lives have been immensely shifted after Leroy gets into an accident while driving his big rig and subsequently injures his leg, leaving him in a passive state throughout the narrative.

After attempting a Reader Response analysis, I've concluded that the author leaves several clues throughout the text to help identify some of the couples struggles. The idea of birds arose in several locations. The first mention of birds was when Leroy was describing his big  rig parked in his back yard. He explains it as "a gigantic bird that has flown home to roost". This is particularly interesting because in all other instances when "birds" were mentioned they were engaging in some sort of movement, flying, migrating, etc. Birds acted as a symbol for people in their town who have moved on or "migrated" with change. Over the years the town got larger and farmers were forced to leave as there was no more money to continue with their small farms. Norma Jean has come to the realization that her life is missing something and she engages in all sorts of extra activities to find out her interests.

The log cabin serves as a symbol for the simple life that Leroy wants. Leroy wants to build a log cabin for Norma Jean in an effort to please her. He has always believed that she deserves her own house and as a husband it has been his dream to make that happen for her. Norma Jean would rather see Leroy get a job than look at plans for a log cabin that she doesn't want to live in. Leroy talks about the cabin in an effort to avoid talking about the real reason why their marriage is failing. When Leroy was always gone driving his big rig, Norma Jean was left to her own devices and was satisfied doing so. Since Leroy's accident, he is always at home smoking and makes no attempts to get another job.

The real problems that haunt this family are their lack of communication. Within the first year of their marriage their child died of "sudden infant death syndrome". The fact that Leroy and Norma Jean never talk about it only intensifies the damage. As the reader it is easy to tell that Leroy wants to talk to his wife but he just can't bring himself to do it. He wishes that they could have a fresh start versus talking through all of their problems. That won't, however, solve any problems. Norma Jean realizes this and ultimately says that she wants to leave Leroy.

 The short story ends with quite possibly the most unexpected ending that made no sense to me. My initial thought about such a large gap in the story was that Norma Jean physically left Leroy by jumping off the bluff. Did she commit suicide? Did she even realize that she was committing suicide, or was she just so fed up with her life so jumping off the bluff seemed like an easy, no thought solution to her problems?

I'm not quiet sure what the significance of Shiloh is. Does Norma Jean not want to go there because she knows that it will complete the cycle of her and her mothers life? Does Norma Jeans mother, Mabel, know that her daughter is looking for a way out of her life? Is that why Mabel turns down the opportunity to go with them to Shiloh? If this is the case then it seemed like Mabel was encouraging Leroy to take Norma Jean to Shiloh just because it would be an easy way out for her daughter. That idea makes my stomach churn just thinking about it. It is sad to think that a mother would want her daughter to end her life just because of her marriage. That can't possibly be the real reason.

Blog #2 Reader Response Edgar Allan Poe ( Rob Mondello)

     

      In the short story "The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe the reader is taken on a journey through the grim psychological conditions of a man being condemned and awaiting punishment and inevitable death. The narration is in first person perspective by the prisoner. Several themes are explored such as despair, delirium, grief, fear and the process of death. Throughout the tale the reader is given first person perspective, and accompanies the character throughout the ordeal. The reader is given explicit details of the ongoing mental state of the narrator,  as he is stripped away from all that is familiar to him in his experience of life until now. Poe makes excellent use of gothic imagery in his descriptions of the harrowing journey. What little hope is granted to the reader is more of a concise delusion the narrator forces on himself to be able to cope with his grim reality.
     The reader is forced to share in this twisting of perception to be able to find something acceptable within the experiences which is apparent in phrases like "the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave.". We are left with no promise of relief, and instead naturally cling to the faith that the nature of the soul would not tolerate a person to forever experience unrelenting punishment. Death seems a suitable escape to the agony, and thus becomes the key to salvation for the prisoner.
       As we witness the slow unraveling of his physical existence, we share in the same gaps of awareness that the narrator undergoes.The blackouts and deliriums are transformed into an act of mercy,  which allow the prisoner and reader to momentarily escape that which we are forced to observe. Paradoxically the nothingness brought something of infinite significance. From the description " Even in the grave all was not lost. Else there is no immortality for man. Arousing from the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some dream", we see that along with the lapse in physical sensation we are given hints of an afterlife, although the prisoner struggles with description and his attempts are at best vague. He is under the impression not everyone is capable of seeing this by going to say, " He who has never swooned is not he who finds strange palaces and wildly familiar faces in coals that glow". This gives us insight into the prisoner as being of deep imagination, and aware of the possibility that his own souls ascension may simply be a delusional subjective interpretation of his body's descent into death.Yet within those foggy recollections the prisoner experiences an underlying fixed state that he is convinced is proof of the spirits immortality. This serves to reinforce the prisoners faith, however feeble it may be, that experience in life serves a particular function. The prisoner, even in his hazy state is able to remember and identify traces of a past life in which he states "there have been brief, very brief periods when I have conjured up remembrances which the lucid reason of a later epoch assures me could have had reference only to that condition of seeming unconsciousness."
      When it seems the prisoner has finally comes to grip with his near death, and is able to mentally prepare himself, he again falls into the dark emptiness of nothing as his senses are further stripped away. He is eventually able to only to reconstitute himself to a small degree. As his disorientation slowly subsides when we realize the prisoner has not yet met his demise, something he uncertain about himself during this process of mental disintegration. He is left with the sense sight, and must utilize it to assimilate his current predicament. He must find some way to process the situation given his limited means. His memory slowly returns of events, and he is further able to deduce he has been locked in a dungeon. Further demonstrating his excellent adaptability to his circumstances he decides to measure the location with the only resource available, a string from his robe. Weakened from prior torture that was intentionally forgotten, when he collapses he discovers a massive pit within the pitch black dungeon. Many others have prior met their demise falling into this pit. With flashes of light when given bread and water he is able to determine the shape of the cell he is and is even able to see the demonic artwork on the wall. He is taken  by the inquisitors into a torture dungeon  where he see's above him a giant pendulum with an axe on the end, that slowly descends as it lowers on him. Time nearly freezes as the pendulum swings back and forth right above him. His ropes are eventually cut by the pendulum and he is able to narrowly escape. The pendulum is raises back into the ceiling and he realizes that his every move is being watched. The reader is thrust into the paranoia the prisoner is left with. The walls literally begin to close on him, which further reinforces the symbolism of paranoia. Red hot iron devices surround all sides of him as they force him ever closer into the pit. He feels the fire from the pit as he closes in on it. At the last minute as he falls towards the abyss another hand had caught his, it was that of general Lasalle. The was the french army was invading the churchs dungeons. The reader is left with a sense that the miraculous has happened.
     The story was beautifully written, and conveys deep emotions. The imagery is well used throughout to explore the archetypes of life, death, freedom, and imprisonment. The prisoner has a keen ability to cognate his surroundings even with all the disadvantages he is against. This spirit of curiosity and rebellion, is probably what made him a targeted person during the inquisition.We see a logically applied analysis and subjective description of the multitude of subtle levels of thought we usually do not acknowledge, that are at the foundation of our higher sensory faculties. This gives an air of scientific analysis to the person, further making him an opponent to the religious institute that was in the business of halting all scientific knowledge. He entertains ideas about the afterlife that are contradictory to what the catholic church held, which is a possibility for his imprisonment. The prisoner/narrator resembles an objective spectator, someone after the truth trying to understand his current phase in life, and always uses the abilities at hand to process and question what is going on, though he is constantly being further limited in his choices by outside forces. I think this very symbolic of the we all look at the world, and the limitations in which we see it. The importance theme this story conveys to me is that man's quest for truth and understanding can pit him against overpowering forces of uncompromising domination, and even during his darkest hour when all is lost, as a result of never straying from the path towards wisdom, there is still always a chance for further understanding. I'd say the morale of this story is that miracles happen, and sometimes everything turns out better than we had hoped for. Even during the last second, what seemed like dreadful certainties can turn around and change for the better.

"The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop analyzed by Alex Z

“The Fish” a poem by Elizabeth bishop shows various forms of New Criticism. 

When Elizabeth wrote “The Fish” she wrote it in a sense so the reader would be able to visualize the story being told, so that every word would have a meaning behind it.  In new criticism authors portray poems in ways so the reader can visualize exactly what is happening.

 In the poem “The Fish” the speaker says “Here and there / his brown skin hung in strips / like ancient wall paper”, this piece of text shows a form of ambiguity.  Meaning that the view of  the fishes skin looks like old wall paper, to portray an image to the reader that the fish is an older fish that has fought its hole life to stay alive  and has been battered and bruised.  The author could have written the fish was beaten up badly but the author wanted to portray a meaning full image in the mind of the reader when they read that certain passage in the poem.

When Elizabeth wrote “The Fish” she wanted to have a certain tone when righting the poem, so when the reader read the poem the reader could feel and imagine the words, and not just read them. 

Nicholas Richards "Good Girl" by Kim Addonizio

I am doing a reader response to the poem "Good Girl" by Kim Addonizio. The poem was published in 1999. 

When I look at the title, "Good Girl," the first thing that comes to my mind is exactly what the title says. When I think more about the title I start to think that the poem is about a girl who is now good but was not always that good. From personal experience of reading literary  I learned that a lot of titles are ironic and have exact opposite meanings. Due to that biased mindset, I go into the poem thinking that this girl has or had a dark side to her. This mindset will make me look at certain things that will be said in the poem and take a negative view on them to fit my interpretation of the title. 

After reading the poem, my original analysis was pretty close to being related to the actual story. The narrator in the poem is not the "good girl." By the way the narrator speaks, it leads me to believe that the narrator was once a partner with this now good girl. In the poem the narrator brings up the past to the good girl and tries to get her to go relive her old life style. 

The main symbol used for the good girl is her being a dog. From personal knowledge, a dog is usually referred to men who sleep around with a lot of women and live a very fast life style. The way the narrator speaks, it leads to me to think that is her definition of a dog as well. I say this because of this line used by the narrator, "blast naked into the streets, and leap on the first beautiful man you find." 

At the end of the poem, the narrator refers to the neighbors dogs howling for the good girl. I believe this line is referring to the slutty men of the community. 

Reader Response "Killings" #2 Jess Cantu

In the story "Killings," by Andre Dubus, a family is heartbroken because their son was murdered. The father, Matt Fowler, and his family have to deal with the horrible murder of their son, Frank Fowler. The story starts off at the funeral of Frank and the father is depressed by his untimely death. His son was shot by his lover's ex-husband, Richard Strout, in the head. The man is still free to go as he pleases. The father struggle's to contain his inner revenge to avenge his son's death.

Matt doesn't have what it takes to kill someone but Richard is the total opposite since he has no remorse for killing an innocent boy. He wanted revenge for seeing his ex-wife with another man and so he took it upon himself to make him feel better by hurting her and her new family. Matt suffers through confusion on what to do about the situation.

After Matt kills Richard he is overwhelmed by grief. He has probably caused pain for Richard's girlfriend. After he kills him, he doesn't get the satisfaction that he thought would come to avenge his son's death. He feels more alone then he ever did. He now has to live with the guilt of killing another person.

reader response For Desire By: Christian Fry

When analyzing Kim Addonizio’s poem “For Desire” with a reader response approach a few things come to my mind. First being an overwhelming sense of desire. The title of the poem definitely sets the reader up to see this theme, but I feel the way the author uses symbols such as those of fancy things that are commonly to be desired is excellent and goes far beyond the title. I get a sense of the desire for decadence in the symbols Addonizio uses such as the wine, but a sense of desire for freedom in the symbols such as the dog park and the ocean. The symbols and codes that Addonizio uses, plays with the reader’s emotions and strikes up desire in the reader. A passage that stood out to me as one that explains very well the poem’s intended effect can be found about mid way through the poem. The speaker here is explaining their disgust for the “old way of doing things.” The speaker talks about all the religious teachings they were taught as a young child and states that they wish to live in the world of today where those concerns are old news. This desire to leave the old way of thought behind for a new free way of thinking and being is what I really think the poem was intended to be about. Other symbols like the dog park set up a sense of freedom from those oppressive, controlling thoughts. I think I recognize with this passage a lot because I went through a very similar experience and have thusly brought that experience with me when reading this poem. I was raised a strict Mormon by my parents. I was taught in a similar fashion as the one mentioned in the poem. When I was a young teenager I stepped away from that religious way of life and began to have a desire for similar things and concepts discussed in the poem. I too have felt the desire to step away from those old time morals and relish the desires of here and now.  

Marissa Byzak Reader Response Analysis of "For Desire"

In my reader response analysis of Kim Addonzio's "For Desire" I find the poems paradox to be very evident and quite familiar. In the first eleven lines the speaker introduces us to their "diaspora" by outlining their sinful desires and inviting us into the "dim hallways" of their mind. However in line twelve the paradox becomes very clear when the speaker introduces their religious affiliation that appears to be restraining then from indulging themselves on the rebellious activities hinted in the first eleven lines; including gluttony, drunkenness, and lust. The speaker exclaims "to hell with the saints" which is a clear illusion to Catholicism and goes on to reference John Chapter 15 which talks about the difficult call of followers of Christianity to be "in the world but not of the world." The speaker uses wise diction in their play on words choosing contradicting phrases like "surrendering" and then "resist" that help support the poems tension. Later in the poem the biblical references continue when the speaker proclaims their desire to be among "the weedy lots of abandoned sunflowers" which could be taken as a biblical reference to Jesus's famous parable of the weeds found in Matthew chapter 13. The speaker leaves the poem open ended which invites the reader to form their own conclusion to whether they actually give into the stated desires or not. 

Blog #2 Chris Bertrand, "For Desire" Kim Addonizio

“For Desire” by Kim Addonizio is an, rather obviously, ambiguous piece where throughout the poem the speaker is presumably a woman who is speaking to someone else about, more or less, what she wants. First reading the piece, it is unclear as to what she wants exactly; she speaks of characteristics, scenarios, and feelings/emotions. Since she seems to never ask for anything specific or realistic at the same time, it’s difficult to interpret what it is the speaker is after or who she is speaking to. The speaker is both submitting to a more risqué lifestyle and wanting to remain more pure at the same time.

The speaker uses language like “Give me the lover who yanks open the door/ of his house and presses me to the wall”. In reading these two lines the reader may initially assume the speaker is asking for a rough lover or some exciting sex.  When you read the lines separately you get a full feel for the ambiguous tone expressed throughout the poem. The first line emphasizes the speaker desires some more aggressive “action” on her partner’s behalf.(Also a possible double entendre) The second line has an effect to show the speakers desire for privacy and security, attributes of her “good girl” side showing through the overall aggressive(sexual in nature) situation she is asking for.

 I think this form of irony is repeated time and time again through the piece, ultimately resolved in the end where she states “for you, yes you, to come over here/ and get on your knees and tell me/ just how fucking good I look” In so many words the speaker is saying what she really wants.

Jovana Gama Blog#2 - "Good Girl" by Kim Addonizio

In " Good Girl" by Kim Addonizio, the tone is set for the story by the speaker instantly. The tone of the speaker is much of an antagonizing tone, as if throwing these words into the woman's face to make her break. In the first line the speaker says " Look at you, sitting there being good" and right away ambiguity is present to whether this woman truly is sitting there being "good" or if sarcasm is being present it could be presented as a remark of sarcasm towards  the woman . The speaker continues to set the tone of antagonizing the woman by saying "Don't you want to run to the corner right now for a fifth of vodka and have it with cranberry juice and a nice lemon slice" Analysing the sentence, there is obviously some type of alcohol use in the past with this woman who gave it up.  In the line "Aren't you a dog anyway,
always groveling for love and begging to be petted?  The woman is obviously not a dog but with the connotative meaning, she is referred to as a dog who "grovels" for love and is "begging" for attention. The references to the emaculate kept yard and the desire to destroy it shows the double life of the woman. This paradox is shown throughout the story that she is a good woman, no longer smoking her cigarettes or drinking on the weekend but yet is fighting her old self to maintain this image. The woman herself is a paradox. She is thought of as "good" yet is battling the war within herself to maintain this image, instead of unleashing the old her and going back to her ways. The reference to " isn't it time you set them loose in slutty dresses and torn fishnets
to totter around in five-inch heels and slutty mascara?" She is being antagonized to break loose to her old ways and dress in slutty dresses and torn fishnets and where extremely high heels just like she had before. This is why she is referred to and compared to a dog, and thought low of. The resolution to this paradox would be to break free from this boring "good" life the woman is pretending to be, and instead run free and pounce on every man and be provactive and drink.