Eng 121

Invisible Man

2005-04-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Eng 121

IM's journey through a dramatic life in the search for a dignified identity is one that would captivate the attention of a smaller audience if placed in a more socially dynamic atmosphere such that of the twenty-first century. Extreme racial conditions such as that previewed at the violent royal rumble would certainly not be applicable in today's society. I believe this to be true in respect to our current generation who has witnessed a minimal amount of heinous racist actions against African Americans. On the contrary, our current generation of collegiate academics share a classroom with a dynamic of diverse cultures and race, indulge in the stereo-typical "black music" and socialize and applaud African American achievement. The popularity of racially intense brotherhoods are no longer the normality, while segregated schools, bathrooms, and restaurants have become non-existent. Still however, our knowledge or acceptance of African Americans remains a mild topic. I.U.P. Offers cultural awareness programs to educate students to accept or understand the diverse activities of our culturally integrated campus. A more relevant issue for our current generation would be the racial prejudice against people who practice the Islamic faith. Our knowledge of their culture is limited, which fuels ignorance toward their acceptance. If the "Invisible Man" were to be written in this century, the Islamic faith would provide a much more provocative and interesting subject.

Duplessis

2005-04-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

How much of your writing is influenced by situations if you faced in your life..??

House of Spirits

2005-03-29T10:27:00.000-08:00

Ideology is prevelant in the character Esteban. Esteban was my least favorite character in the novel due to his lack of integrity, greed, and cowardly actions. He is also a hypocrit. He has sex with women of a lower class rank, but also gives Blanca a hard time for the same thing. I think Esteban is jealous of Blanca and that is why he tries to seperate Pedro and Blanca. Esteban's character is illustrated by his construction of the big house on the corner. The outward appearnce is traditional, while the interior is anything but. The house directly portrays Esteban's personality. His appearence is of high authority while his personality lacks dignity and integrity.

Antigone

2005-03-01T16:47:00.000-08:00

A most appropiate addaptation of the modern Antigone would have to be a dramatic love story. Pheraps the most touching and dramatic love story of all time would have to be Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The play incorporates all aspects of the Anitgone plot...a young and beautiful couple widly in, love forbidden to express their true emotions due to the prejudice of two wealthy families. The prejudice between their two families is ultimatly inferior and fails to contain their feelings for one another. Adding a few twists and incorporating conditions that apply to our current generation has potential to make this a box office hit. Leading actor could be Josh Hartnett while the beautiful Juliet is played by Tara Reid.

Lorca

2005-02-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

Blood Wedding by Lorca was a good play. Lorca creates a tragedy that can be manipulated by the reader. Lorca provides all the necessary ingredients for a good story and powerful tragedy but designates the reader's imagination as the ultimate guide through the play. By leaving out the climax of the story the reader is then awarded the role of recreating the events using guidelines for the characters established by Lorca. The description of the stage and scenes adds a value of imagery necessary for the reader to attain an accurtate portrait of events described by Lorca and those that are left for the imagination of the reader.
Overall the play was pretty good. Well written and easy to follow. I would have appreciated it more if the author would of included a description of the climax; the dual between the groom and Leonardo. I also felt the play lacked alot of character and the author only gives very brief clues as to the outcome for the characters and events to follow. A bit more direction or a few answers would have made the story a better one for myself.

Chopin

2005-02-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

Chopin's sight into the life of a woman, Edna, is creatively and eloquently brought to life. Chopin is able to use and manipulate the interactions of Edna to tackle and bring to the surface a variety of different issues. Pheraps the most controversial issue brought to the attention of the reader occurs on the final two pages when Edna takes her own life by way of drowning. Questions arise concerning Edna's motives. Why did she feel it necessary to take her life?; Where her motives pre-meditated or a spur of the moment compulsion?; Why did she decide to drown at sea?
Chopin also interpets meaning through her character Edna to tackle the controversial topic of a marital affair. Edna experiences depair after the departure of a loved one from her life. Robert's departure for Mexico catipultes Edna's emotions into a whirlwind and eventually leads to her affair with another man, Arobin. Edna procedeed with the affair shortly after hearing of the return of Robert. Chopin describes Edna's marriage to Leonce as being unsatisfying determing that it was Edna's choice to proceed with a marriage which she knew would not bring her happiness. Edna forfeited hope for a happy marriage when she abandoned her feelings to find and marry a tragedian and felt compelled to conform to society.
Overall I felt the story moved rather slow and was rather uneventful. Chopin is definatly a very talented writer and has a unique abilty for personification and creative descriptions.

Gilman

2005-01-25T23:48:00.000-08:00

Gilman's narrative of "The yellow wallpaper" was intially very confusing. This is defiantly a narrative I would enjoy reading only once. Gilman does an excellent job of inviting the reader to view life through the eyes of a woman suffering from post-partum depression and pheraps even a touch of insanity. Gilman vivdly creates a hallucination fueled by the character's obsession with the wallpaper in the room which she is confined.
Without Gilman's anaylsis of the text I believe the reader is left with too many unanswered questions to fully enjoy and understand the narrative. With the anaylsis however, Gilman explains that writing, or pheraps any form of expression, could be considered a vital remedy for those, including herself, who suffer from depression. Overall I personally did not enjoy the narrative due to its lack of purpose, and would not recommend it to another reader.

Douglas

2005-01-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

Douglas's narrative of his expeirences as a slave are portrayed in an elegant and profound manner. He vivdly recreates images to the reader of the inhumane treatment of African Americans, sexual abuse of female slaves, and the physical abuse endured by himself and other slaves. Douglas's life is deprived of common luxuries that the majority of people take for granted. Luxuries such as reading, writing, and knowledge of one's own birthday are neglected and/or viewed as a threat to slaves and to their slaveowners. Douglas defines himself as an individual and an intellectual upon given the rare oppurtunity among slaves to learn to read and write by his female master. Given the basics of the english language, Douglas is intoxicated with an overwhelming desire and passion to not only learn how to read, but to also become a skilled writer.
As his conditions on a southeren plantation worsen, Douglas's thirst for knowledge provides him with the necessary ingredients for his eventual escape. Books eventually lifted the blindfold of his suppresion under the white race and was the eventual catalyst for the freedom of not only his body, but also his mind.