Shirly Ong
English 48B
13 March, 2008
Journal #35 Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“ She slipped a heavy gold bracelet from her wrist and held it out to the man…
‘It’s all right,’ said Hom Hing seriously, ‘pure China gold. My wife’s parent give it to her when we married.’…
‘See my jade earrings – my gold buttons – my hair pins – my comb of pearl and my rings…’ “
Summary:
Lae Choo gave the white lawyer her gold bracelet for him to go to get the paper to bring her son back. Hom Hing told the lawyer about the bracelet when Lae Choo went away to get even more jewelries.
Response:
When the white lawyer, James Clancy, offered to help the Chinese couple to get the required papers for their son from Washington, he asked for five hundred dollars. Hom Hing claims that he could not afford it because he has paid a lot to the lawyer for writing letters already. This shows Chinese in America did not have much power in legal matters at that time. They have to rely on the help from white people, who often charge them a lot. I think it is sad to see how much it cost the couple to get back their son. I think James Clancy is a self-interested white man. He shows no care to the couple once Hom Hing told him five hundred is too much. In this quote, Lae Choo is giving the lawyer all her jewelries as remuneration for his “help”. Among the jewelries, the gold bracelet should be the most precious one for her. That is the present her parents gave her when she married. In Chinese tradition, parents always give their daughters a precious gift, usually a costly jewelry, when they get married and “leave home”. Every woman would treasure this gift very much. In the story, in order to get her son back as soon as possible, Lae Choo gave the lawyer her gold bracelet without hesitation. I think she loves and misses her son so much. It is a pity that she has to sacrifice her precious gift for her son’s freedom in America.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Journal #34 Sui Sin Far
Shirly Ong
English 48B
13 March, 2008
Journal #34 Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“The little boy’s face was round and dimpled and his eyes were very bright…She fell on her knees and stretched her hungry arms toward her son. But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt.”
Summary:
This is found at the end of the story. In this quote, “she” refers to Lae Choo. This is the first sight of her son after Lae Choo was separated from him for ten months and the reaction of the kid when he saw his mother.
Response:
The ending of this story is so sorrowful. When the customs officers were going to take Hom Hing and Lae Choo’s child, they claimed that the child will be “well taken care of”. According to this quote, the child had a round face and bright eyes after being taken away from his mother for ten months. I think the child should have been well taken care of. When I was reading the story, I thought the child would be tortured. I imagined that he would be put in a room crowded with children who have similar conditions. They would be left there unattended and be starved because of the lack of nursery nurses. I am surprised that the little boy was in a very healthy condition when he was returned to his mother after ten months. Although the child is well taken care of, it does not mean the Chinese family was not harmed. When Lae Choo was going to hug his son whom she missed so much, the little boy stepped back from her. I feel so sad for Lae Choo because she has suffered so much when her boy is away. She has longed for the day when she can get back her child. I think the boy has accommodated to the living with white people. He held hands with the white woman and hide in the folds of her skirts but at the same time withdrew himself from his mother. Lae Choo must be heartbreaking. I believe this is only one of the examples of how Chinese suffered in America at that time. If the child has not been taken away from Lae Choo, their wonderful relationship illustrated at the beginning of the story would not be destroyed. Alternatively, if Hom Hing and Lae Choo had been wealthier than they were and paid for getting help in obtaining the required documentation earlier, their family would not have suffered as much.
English 48B
13 March, 2008
Journal #34 Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“The little boy’s face was round and dimpled and his eyes were very bright…She fell on her knees and stretched her hungry arms toward her son. But the Little One shrunk from her and tried to hide himself in the folds of the white woman’s skirt.”
Summary:
This is found at the end of the story. In this quote, “she” refers to Lae Choo. This is the first sight of her son after Lae Choo was separated from him for ten months and the reaction of the kid when he saw his mother.
Response:
The ending of this story is so sorrowful. When the customs officers were going to take Hom Hing and Lae Choo’s child, they claimed that the child will be “well taken care of”. According to this quote, the child had a round face and bright eyes after being taken away from his mother for ten months. I think the child should have been well taken care of. When I was reading the story, I thought the child would be tortured. I imagined that he would be put in a room crowded with children who have similar conditions. They would be left there unattended and be starved because of the lack of nursery nurses. I am surprised that the little boy was in a very healthy condition when he was returned to his mother after ten months. Although the child is well taken care of, it does not mean the Chinese family was not harmed. When Lae Choo was going to hug his son whom she missed so much, the little boy stepped back from her. I feel so sad for Lae Choo because she has suffered so much when her boy is away. She has longed for the day when she can get back her child. I think the boy has accommodated to the living with white people. He held hands with the white woman and hide in the folds of her skirts but at the same time withdrew himself from his mother. Lae Choo must be heartbreaking. I believe this is only one of the examples of how Chinese suffered in America at that time. If the child has not been taken away from Lae Choo, their wonderful relationship illustrated at the beginning of the story would not be destroyed. Alternatively, if Hom Hing and Lae Choo had been wealthier than they were and paid for getting help in obtaining the required documentation earlier, their family would not have suffered as much.
Journal #33 Sui Sin Far
Shirly Ong
English 48B
13 March, 2008
Journal #33 Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“For twenty moons my wife care for and nurse the old people, and when they die they bless her and my son, and I send for her to return to me. I had no fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son.
Summary:
In this quote, Hom Hing was telling the customs officers about his wife and his son after the officers told him they must take away his son.
Response:
When I was reading the story, I think it is weird that Hom Hing tells the officers about what Lae Choo did after giving birth to their child and how his parents blessed them. These are not related to the immigration status of his son at all. However, when I read this quote again, I think Hom Hing is actually expressing indirectly how eager he is to have his wife and his son staying with him in the United States. To have his son born in his home country China, he was separated from Lae Choo. After his son’s birth, his parents, who were in China, fell sick and Lae Choo took care of them until they die. For this expected events, Hom Hing and Lae Choo have been separated for a long period of time. I believe Hom Hing must have missed them so much. He should be very upset and disappointed to learn that his son must be taken away from him again. I feel so sorry fro Hom Hing and Lae Choo. It is sad that their family had to be separated again after they got together at the steamer shortly. It is so cruel to them. In spite of his disappointment, I think Hom Hing stayed calm and strong. He exclaimed that he had no fear of trouble. This shows his strong desire to stay with Lae Choo and his son. To me, the quote “I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son” shows that he was very proud to be a Chinese merchant and he was very proud of his son. It is a pity that the officers were not moved by Hom Hing’s words and insisted to take away his son, according to the law.
English 48B
13 March, 2008
Journal #33 Sui Sin Far
Quote:
“For twenty moons my wife care for and nurse the old people, and when they die they bless her and my son, and I send for her to return to me. I had no fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son.
Summary:
In this quote, Hom Hing was telling the customs officers about his wife and his son after the officers told him they must take away his son.
Response:
When I was reading the story, I think it is weird that Hom Hing tells the officers about what Lae Choo did after giving birth to their child and how his parents blessed them. These are not related to the immigration status of his son at all. However, when I read this quote again, I think Hom Hing is actually expressing indirectly how eager he is to have his wife and his son staying with him in the United States. To have his son born in his home country China, he was separated from Lae Choo. After his son’s birth, his parents, who were in China, fell sick and Lae Choo took care of them until they die. For this expected events, Hom Hing and Lae Choo have been separated for a long period of time. I believe Hom Hing must have missed them so much. He should be very upset and disappointed to learn that his son must be taken away from him again. I feel so sorry fro Hom Hing and Lae Choo. It is sad that their family had to be separated again after they got together at the steamer shortly. It is so cruel to them. In spite of his disappointment, I think Hom Hing stayed calm and strong. He exclaimed that he had no fear of trouble. This shows his strong desire to stay with Lae Choo and his son. To me, the quote “I was a Chinese merchant and my son was my son” shows that he was very proud to be a Chinese merchant and he was very proud of his son. It is a pity that the officers were not moved by Hom Hing’s words and insisted to take away his son, according to the law.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Journal #32 Henry James
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #32 Henry James
Quote:
“’You were right in that remark that you made last summer. I was booked to make a mistake. I have lived too long in foreign parts.’ Nevertheless, he went back to live at Geneva…he is ‘studying’ hard—an intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the end of the story “Daisy Miller: A Study”. It is a conversation between Mrs. Costello and Winterbourne. This quote also reveals the life of Winterbourne after Daisy Miler’s death.
Response:
This quote shows that Winterbourne thinks Mrs. Costello was right at the beginning of the story that he should not get along with Daisy Miller. Here, I am confused with how Winterbourne actually feel about Daisy Miller. It seemed he cared and liked her so much. He was still angry with Mr. Giovanelli for he brought Daisy Miller to the Colosseum. However, when Winterbourne met Mrs. Costello later, I think his attitude has changed. He does not care about Daisy Miller anymore. I think his life is going on as if Daisy Miller never appeared. To me, it is a big contrast to what he did earlier in the story. As he went back to Geneva, he is interested in a foreign lady, who is elder than her and is very clever. I think it infers that Winterbourne feels himself had lived in Europe for such a long time and it was a mistake for him to get along with an American innocent girl like Daisy Miller. Therefore, he is now interested in a clever foreign lady. Personally, I do not like Winterbourne. I believe he could have better treasured Daisy Miller before she dies, even though he doubts about her innocence only because he has lived in Europe for a long time.
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #32 Henry James
Quote:
“’You were right in that remark that you made last summer. I was booked to make a mistake. I have lived too long in foreign parts.’ Nevertheless, he went back to live at Geneva…he is ‘studying’ hard—an intimation that he is much interested in a very clever foreign lady.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the end of the story “Daisy Miller: A Study”. It is a conversation between Mrs. Costello and Winterbourne. This quote also reveals the life of Winterbourne after Daisy Miler’s death.
Response:
This quote shows that Winterbourne thinks Mrs. Costello was right at the beginning of the story that he should not get along with Daisy Miller. Here, I am confused with how Winterbourne actually feel about Daisy Miller. It seemed he cared and liked her so much. He was still angry with Mr. Giovanelli for he brought Daisy Miller to the Colosseum. However, when Winterbourne met Mrs. Costello later, I think his attitude has changed. He does not care about Daisy Miller anymore. I think his life is going on as if Daisy Miller never appeared. To me, it is a big contrast to what he did earlier in the story. As he went back to Geneva, he is interested in a foreign lady, who is elder than her and is very clever. I think it infers that Winterbourne feels himself had lived in Europe for such a long time and it was a mistake for him to get along with an American innocent girl like Daisy Miller. Therefore, he is now interested in a clever foreign lady. Personally, I do not like Winterbourne. I believe he could have better treasured Daisy Miller before she dies, even though he doubts about her innocence only because he has lived in Europe for a long time.
Journal #31 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #31 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“Such a story ought not to be written, he said; it was enough to drive anyone mad to read it…I was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from driven crazy, and it worked.”
Summary:
This quote appears in ‘Why I Wrote “The Yellow Wall-Paper”?’. The first part of the quote is told by a Boston physician when the story is first published. The second part of the quote is what Gilman responds to this Boston physician later.
Response:
When I am reading the story, I do not feel I am driven mad. However, I am not surprised that this story was protested when it is published because the “rest cure” was believed to be the most suitable treatment for woman’s “nervous” disorder. This therapy is used by the most famous American neurologist at that time. In the story, the woman is undergoing the “rest cure” for three months but it seems she turned worse after that. After reading this story, I have no wonder why Gilman is the leading speaker, writer, and theoretician on women’s issues of her time. I think she has such a strong stance and she would express her ideas even though the society may not accept it. Even though the idea of the story is not entirely accepted, Gilman sent a copy of her story to the physician who prescribed a “rest cure” to her. I think she is a strong and brave woman. I believe many women would not be capable of expressing their views at that time. Later, when Gilman finds out that physician actually altered his treatment after reading her story, she expressed that her intention of writing this story is to “save people from driven crazy”. Obviously, her story works. This shows how powerful her writing is. I appreciate and enjoy this story very much. This is my favorite story in this class so far.
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #31 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“Such a story ought not to be written, he said; it was enough to drive anyone mad to read it…I was not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from driven crazy, and it worked.”
Summary:
This quote appears in ‘Why I Wrote “The Yellow Wall-Paper”?’. The first part of the quote is told by a Boston physician when the story is first published. The second part of the quote is what Gilman responds to this Boston physician later.
Response:
When I am reading the story, I do not feel I am driven mad. However, I am not surprised that this story was protested when it is published because the “rest cure” was believed to be the most suitable treatment for woman’s “nervous” disorder. This therapy is used by the most famous American neurologist at that time. In the story, the woman is undergoing the “rest cure” for three months but it seems she turned worse after that. After reading this story, I have no wonder why Gilman is the leading speaker, writer, and theoretician on women’s issues of her time. I think she has such a strong stance and she would express her ideas even though the society may not accept it. Even though the idea of the story is not entirely accepted, Gilman sent a copy of her story to the physician who prescribed a “rest cure” to her. I think she is a strong and brave woman. I believe many women would not be capable of expressing their views at that time. Later, when Gilman finds out that physician actually altered his treatment after reading her story, she expressed that her intention of writing this story is to “save people from driven crazy”. Obviously, her story works. This shows how powerful her writing is. I appreciate and enjoy this story very much. This is my favorite story in this class so far.
Journal #30 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #30 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well.”
Summary:
The woman recalls what her husband, John, said to comfort her in the room.
Response:
This quote shows that John is a very loving and caring husband. He cares a lot about his wife and her illness. Before this quote, the woman also stressed that “Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick”. I think the woman believe her husband loves her so much at the beginning even though she could not understand him and get angry with him sometimes. However, I do not agree that John loves the woman so much. To me, many things in the story are strange. First of all, according to the woman, the house is strange. I wonder how John rent this great mansion with a cheap price. Does it mean there are some problems with the house? Or, is he hiding the facts about this mansion? Furthermore, if he is caring so much about his wife, he would have stayed with her every night. As a physician, he claims that he was having serious case that he needs to work overnight. To me, if he is caring so much about his wife’s illness, her case should be the most important one and he would have accompanied her more when he knows the woman wanted him to do so. I think he might have been away from the woman often because of other reasons, like having an affair with another woman. When the woman tells him that she does not like the room with yellow wallpaper and wants to move to other rooms, he insisted that is the only suitable room in the large mansion. Then, he seemed to agree to renovate the room but he asserts that they are only living there for three months, making the woman dare not to request renovation again. In this way, I think the man has had no intentions to renovate the room. He does not want the woman to leave that room. I think this is mysterious. In short, I believe John is keeping some secrets from his wife.
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #30 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well.”
Summary:
The woman recalls what her husband, John, said to comfort her in the room.
Response:
This quote shows that John is a very loving and caring husband. He cares a lot about his wife and her illness. Before this quote, the woman also stressed that “Dear John! He loves me very dearly, and hates to have me sick”. I think the woman believe her husband loves her so much at the beginning even though she could not understand him and get angry with him sometimes. However, I do not agree that John loves the woman so much. To me, many things in the story are strange. First of all, according to the woman, the house is strange. I wonder how John rent this great mansion with a cheap price. Does it mean there are some problems with the house? Or, is he hiding the facts about this mansion? Furthermore, if he is caring so much about his wife, he would have stayed with her every night. As a physician, he claims that he was having serious case that he needs to work overnight. To me, if he is caring so much about his wife’s illness, her case should be the most important one and he would have accompanied her more when he knows the woman wanted him to do so. I think he might have been away from the woman often because of other reasons, like having an affair with another woman. When the woman tells him that she does not like the room with yellow wallpaper and wants to move to other rooms, he insisted that is the only suitable room in the large mansion. Then, he seemed to agree to renovate the room but he asserts that they are only living there for three months, making the woman dare not to request renovation again. In this way, I think the man has had no intentions to renovate the room. He does not want the woman to leave that room. I think this is mysterious. In short, I believe John is keeping some secrets from his wife.
Journal #29 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #29 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again...I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the end of the story “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, when the woman finished stripping off the wallpaper.
Response:
I am surprised to read this. I think the woman is SO MAD when I learn that she actually enjoys the room, as it is bare, without wallpaper. At the beginning of the story, she hates the room because of the wallpaper. She hates its color, its condition, and its patterns. Yet, her husband, John does not let her move to another room anyhow. To “escape” from the room with the yellow wallpaper, she starts stripping off the wallpaper. I feel she is so poor to be trapped in a room that she hates for three months. If I were the woman, I would be so desperate. I would like to leave the room as soon as possible. The woman wants to leave the room sooner too. However, on the last day of the three months, she locked herself in the room and threw the key out of the room because she does not want other people to set her free before John comes. This does not make sense to me. I would definitely want to leave the room early in the morning if I could. I think the woman is so crazy that she wants to astonish her husband, who is a physician, by the bare wall. At the beginning of the story, I do not think the woman is mentally ill be cause she was so calm even though she hates the room. She simply did not understand why her husband put her in a room she does not like. As I come to the end of the story, I think she is acting so madly. If she is surely ill at the beginning, I feel her condition deteriorate after the “rest therapy”. I wonder if this is what her husband want, for he put her in a weird room.
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #29 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again...I have locked the door and thrown the key down into the front path, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till John comes. I want to astonish him.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the end of the story “The Yellow Wall-Paper”, when the woman finished stripping off the wallpaper.
Response:
I am surprised to read this. I think the woman is SO MAD when I learn that she actually enjoys the room, as it is bare, without wallpaper. At the beginning of the story, she hates the room because of the wallpaper. She hates its color, its condition, and its patterns. Yet, her husband, John does not let her move to another room anyhow. To “escape” from the room with the yellow wallpaper, she starts stripping off the wallpaper. I feel she is so poor to be trapped in a room that she hates for three months. If I were the woman, I would be so desperate. I would like to leave the room as soon as possible. The woman wants to leave the room sooner too. However, on the last day of the three months, she locked herself in the room and threw the key out of the room because she does not want other people to set her free before John comes. This does not make sense to me. I would definitely want to leave the room early in the morning if I could. I think the woman is so crazy that she wants to astonish her husband, who is a physician, by the bare wall. At the beginning of the story, I do not think the woman is mentally ill be cause she was so calm even though she hates the room. She simply did not understand why her husband put her in a room she does not like. As I come to the end of the story, I think she is acting so madly. If she is surely ill at the beginning, I feel her condition deteriorate after the “rest therapy”. I wonder if this is what her husband want, for he put her in a weird room.
Journal #28 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #28 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“The paint and paper look as if a boys' school had used it. It is stripped off--the paper--in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life.”
Summary:
The woman in the story “The Yellow Wall-Paper” thinks that the room has been used by a boys’ school as she observe the environment of the room.
Response:
Obviously, the environment of the room in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is weird. There are a fixed bed, barred windows, and some rings on the wall. The yellow wallpaper with sprawling flamboyant patterns is stripped off while the floor is scratched, gouged, and splintered. Moreover, the room has a smell, according to the woman. There can be many predictions about the previous use of the room. This quote shows that the woman believe a boys’ school has been using this room. She thinks the wallpaper and floor were damaged by the naughty boys while the windows were barred for them. She believes the boys also hated the yellow wallpaper. For me, I do not like the wallpaper neither. It would be terrible if I have wallpaper with the color of sulphur tints and with a dull lurid orange in some places.
Like many of my peers, I think the room was used to tenant people with mental problems, instead of naughty boys. This is a more reasonable explanation because it is unlikely for the kids to have such a great power to scratch and gouge the floor. Besides, it would be strange to have a fixed bed and rings in a boys’ school’s room. On the contrary, I think the damage of the room could have been done when mentally ill patients were locked and left in the room, which made them angry and violent. The woman in the story did the same thing. The rings in the room could have been used to tie patients up when they became too brutal. The windows could have been barred to prevent patients from jumping off it. The bed was fixed to prevent the patients from further damaging the room and harming themselves. These are better explanations for the queer decoration of the room.
I think this story is interesting because it is written from a perspective of a woman who is believed to be mentally ill. Thus, her idea about the previous use of the room is different from ours. Throughout the story, no definite answer about this query is given. Yet, the woman’s idea is mostly reasonable.
English 48B
7 March, 2008
Journal #28 Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Quote:
“The paint and paper look as if a boys' school had used it. It is stripped off--the paper--in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life.”
Summary:
The woman in the story “The Yellow Wall-Paper” thinks that the room has been used by a boys’ school as she observe the environment of the room.
Response:
Obviously, the environment of the room in “The Yellow Wall-Paper” is weird. There are a fixed bed, barred windows, and some rings on the wall. The yellow wallpaper with sprawling flamboyant patterns is stripped off while the floor is scratched, gouged, and splintered. Moreover, the room has a smell, according to the woman. There can be many predictions about the previous use of the room. This quote shows that the woman believe a boys’ school has been using this room. She thinks the wallpaper and floor were damaged by the naughty boys while the windows were barred for them. She believes the boys also hated the yellow wallpaper. For me, I do not like the wallpaper neither. It would be terrible if I have wallpaper with the color of sulphur tints and with a dull lurid orange in some places.
Like many of my peers, I think the room was used to tenant people with mental problems, instead of naughty boys. This is a more reasonable explanation because it is unlikely for the kids to have such a great power to scratch and gouge the floor. Besides, it would be strange to have a fixed bed and rings in a boys’ school’s room. On the contrary, I think the damage of the room could have been done when mentally ill patients were locked and left in the room, which made them angry and violent. The woman in the story did the same thing. The rings in the room could have been used to tie patients up when they became too brutal. The windows could have been barred to prevent patients from jumping off it. The bed was fixed to prevent the patients from further damaging the room and harming themselves. These are better explanations for the queer decoration of the room.
I think this story is interesting because it is written from a perspective of a woman who is believed to be mentally ill. Thus, her idea about the previous use of the room is different from ours. Throughout the story, no definite answer about this query is given. Yet, the woman’s idea is mostly reasonable.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Journal #27 Sarah Orne Jewett
Shirly Ong
English 48B
29 February, 2008
Journal #27 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“Soon it would be berry-time, and Sylvia was a great help at picking. The cow was a good milker…the hostess gossiped frankly, adding presently that she had buried four children, so Sylvia’s mother and a son (who might be dead) in California were all the children she had left.”
Summary:
In this quote, Sylvia’s Grandmother is telling the young man about her family and their daily lives.
Response:
In the first part of this quote, Sarah Orne Jewett is demonstrating how Sylvia and her grandmother supporting themselves in the farm. Of course, they do not only live on berries and milk, but this quote depicts their lives in the farm without men. Their lives contrast lives in towns. To me, life at the farm must be enjoyable because it is not as busy as life in manufacturing town, where Sylvia has spent her first eight years. Sylvia and her grandma seem enjoy their lives at the farm too.
The second part of this quote shows the family background of Sylvia and her Grandma. It is sad to know Sylvia’s Grandma has just lost four of her children and she does not even know the condition of the last son she had left. It also shows some characteristics of the society in that period. I think this family background has two functions in the story. First, it illustrates the young man’s cold-heartedness. He shows no interest to this “family sorrow” while Sylvia’s grandma is telling him her story sadly. He is only interested in the white herons, which he has been finding. I find him very cruel and selfish. To achieve his goal of collecting birds, he shows no care to the birds and people he met. I think he has a nasty character. Secondly, this quote portrays the social phenomenon at that time: most people are working in factories in the manufacturing towns, leaving the elderly and children at the farms. I think Sarah Orne Jewett does a great job in describing this characteristic of the society at her time because Sylvia was only living with her grandma, not even with her mother. This tells me that not only men were working in towns. Women did the same thing, instead of staying at home and taking care of children. It is obvious that demand for labor at that time was very high. I am a bit surprised to learn about this because women are often expected to take care of the family, instead of working, in many stories we read.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Journal #26 Kate Chopin
Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #26 Kate Chopin
Quote:
“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”
“A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.”
Summary:
The first quote appears in Chapter XXXVII. This is what Edna’s friend, Mademoiselle Reisz, said when they depart that day.
The second one appears in the last chapter of the story. Edna was walking on the beach before her suicide. The bird mentioned in this quote is the only living thing she could see.
Response:
There is a very strong connection between these two quotes.
In the first quote, I think Mademoiselle Reisz is advising and warning Edna about her acts against the traditions and social expectations. She wants to remind Edna that she must have a “strong wing” if she wants to act unexpectedly against the culture. Or else, she would be “bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”. In short, the bird that Mademoiselle Reisz mentioned refers to Edna. To me, a “strong wing” means a sturdy spirit. Wings are crucial to birds while souls are crucial to human. A sturdy soul is important to Edna because her acts could hardly be accepted by the society. She has to be strong enough to face failure and the resulting prejudice on her. Moreover, bird is a symbol for freedom. As long as birds are not caged and have wings, there are rarely limitations of places they can go. These explain why Mademoiselle Reisz uses a metaphor of bird.
The second quote illustrates bird that Edna saw at the end of the story. The bird is alone and hurt. After struggling and fluttering in the air, it fell to the water. This bird is a weakling, as described by Mademoiselle Reisz. To me, this bird serves to remind readers about Mademoiselle Reisz’s advice to Edna earlier in the story. As a whole, “bird” represents Edna, who is deeply hurt and grieved when Robert left her and when there was no way for her to return to Mr. Pontellier and her children. She was “bruised” while seeking for freedom. Finally, she ended her life in water, like what happened to the bird she saw.From these two quotes, I can see that Kate Chopin’s story is very well structured. I appreciate the metaphors of birds in the story much. I think birds have play
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #26 Kate Chopin
Quote:
“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”
“A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.”
Summary:
The first quote appears in Chapter XXXVII. This is what Edna’s friend, Mademoiselle Reisz, said when they depart that day.
The second one appears in the last chapter of the story. Edna was walking on the beach before her suicide. The bird mentioned in this quote is the only living thing she could see.
Response:
There is a very strong connection between these two quotes.
In the first quote, I think Mademoiselle Reisz is advising and warning Edna about her acts against the traditions and social expectations. She wants to remind Edna that she must have a “strong wing” if she wants to act unexpectedly against the culture. Or else, she would be “bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”. In short, the bird that Mademoiselle Reisz mentioned refers to Edna. To me, a “strong wing” means a sturdy spirit. Wings are crucial to birds while souls are crucial to human. A sturdy soul is important to Edna because her acts could hardly be accepted by the society. She has to be strong enough to face failure and the resulting prejudice on her. Moreover, bird is a symbol for freedom. As long as birds are not caged and have wings, there are rarely limitations of places they can go. These explain why Mademoiselle Reisz uses a metaphor of bird.
The second quote illustrates bird that Edna saw at the end of the story. The bird is alone and hurt. After struggling and fluttering in the air, it fell to the water. This bird is a weakling, as described by Mademoiselle Reisz. To me, this bird serves to remind readers about Mademoiselle Reisz’s advice to Edna earlier in the story. As a whole, “bird” represents Edna, who is deeply hurt and grieved when Robert left her and when there was no way for her to return to Mr. Pontellier and her children. She was “bruised” while seeking for freedom. Finally, she ended her life in water, like what happened to the bird she saw.From these two quotes, I can see that Kate Chopin’s story is very well structured. I appreciate the metaphors of birds in the story much. I think birds have play
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Journal #25 Kate Chopin
Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #25 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“Her own like experiences seemed far away, unreal, and only half remembered. She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, the heavy odor of chloroform…She began to wish she had not come…With an inward agony, with a flaming, outspoken revolt against the ways of Nature, she witnessed the scene of torture.”
Summary:
This quote illustrates the scene in which Edna witnessed her friend, Madame Adèle Ratignolle’s labor.
Response:
When Edna was accompanying Madame Ratignolle and seeing her sufferings during her labor, Edna thinks about her own experiences of giving birth to child. Yet, she found her experiences “far away, unreal, and only half remembered”. As revealed by the second sentence of this quote, this is because of the use of chloroform, which helped eliminate the vigorous pain. Chloroform even brought her an ecstasy of pain. As a result, Edna felt uneasy to witness Madame Ratignolle’s pain of giving birth to her child. She regretted going. Kate Chopin sensitively depicts Edna’s uneasiness by the use of phrases “inward agony” and “a flaming, outspoken revolt”. This plot is critical to the whole story. First, it happens on the night when Edna met Robert again. She was going to tell Robert how she “set herself free” from Mr. Pontellier while she was called to accompany Madame Ratignolle. Secondly, Madame Ratignolle’s labor and her words reminded Edna of her children. Her children would be so badly hurt if she goes away from Mr. Pontellier for Robert. Meanwhile, she found out that Robert has left, without waiting for her explanation. If Edna has not gone with Madame Ratignolle’s servant, the story could be very different. Moreover, Kate Chopin might be intentionally revealing that Edna did not experience the pain of labor. This can be linked with her incompetence as a mother. Her acts were obviously against the moral standards of a mother as expected by the society at the time. It is interesting that painless labor is common nowadays. It seems there’s no evidence showing the correlation between pain endured during labor and the competence of mothers. I believe this “clue” used by Kate Chopin may not apply to real life situations.
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #25 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“Her own like experiences seemed far away, unreal, and only half remembered. She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, the heavy odor of chloroform…She began to wish she had not come…With an inward agony, with a flaming, outspoken revolt against the ways of Nature, she witnessed the scene of torture.”
Summary:
This quote illustrates the scene in which Edna witnessed her friend, Madame Adèle Ratignolle’s labor.
Response:
When Edna was accompanying Madame Ratignolle and seeing her sufferings during her labor, Edna thinks about her own experiences of giving birth to child. Yet, she found her experiences “far away, unreal, and only half remembered”. As revealed by the second sentence of this quote, this is because of the use of chloroform, which helped eliminate the vigorous pain. Chloroform even brought her an ecstasy of pain. As a result, Edna felt uneasy to witness Madame Ratignolle’s pain of giving birth to her child. She regretted going. Kate Chopin sensitively depicts Edna’s uneasiness by the use of phrases “inward agony” and “a flaming, outspoken revolt”. This plot is critical to the whole story. First, it happens on the night when Edna met Robert again. She was going to tell Robert how she “set herself free” from Mr. Pontellier while she was called to accompany Madame Ratignolle. Secondly, Madame Ratignolle’s labor and her words reminded Edna of her children. Her children would be so badly hurt if she goes away from Mr. Pontellier for Robert. Meanwhile, she found out that Robert has left, without waiting for her explanation. If Edna has not gone with Madame Ratignolle’s servant, the story could be very different. Moreover, Kate Chopin might be intentionally revealing that Edna did not experience the pain of labor. This can be linked with her incompetence as a mother. Her acts were obviously against the moral standards of a mother as expected by the society at the time. It is interesting that painless labor is common nowadays. It seems there’s no evidence showing the correlation between pain endured during labor and the competence of mothers. I believe this “clue” used by Kate Chopin may not apply to real life situations.
Journal #24 Sarah Orne Jewett
Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #24 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman’s heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love…the young man going first and Sylvia following, fascinated, a few steps behind, with her gray eyes dark with excitement.”
Summary:
This quote depicts the little girl’s love admiration towards the young man.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Orne Jewett discloses the nine-year-old girl’s heart. To Sylvia, the young man is the most charming and delightful person she has ever seen. She has developed “love admiration”(526) towards him even though she was only nine years old. Sarah Orne Jewett explains that this is because of the woman’s heart asleep in Sylvia. In other words, Sarah Orne Jewett believes that girls are born with women’s hearts, which hold love towards men. Living in a farm with her Grandma and being accompanied by a female cow, Sylvia was living in a lonely women world. She has an unusual feeling towards the young man, who suddenly entered her life. Sarah Orne Jewett describes this feeling as “a dream of love”. As shown in the quote, Sylvia was fascinated and excited when she was following the young man in the woods silently. Even though she could not understand why he was killing the birds, she thinks he is charming and delightful. Later in the story, Sylvia searched for white herons to please him. These are all evidence of her “love admiration” towards the young man. I think Sarah Orne Jewett has well portrayed Sylvia’s acts of affection and thus proved the existence of a woman’s heart in this girl. I do believe that girls are born with women’s heart and naturally we show admirations towards men in different ways since we are young. This has been proved by many psychological studies too. I found this is one of the most interesting facts in the field of psychology.
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #24 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman’s heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love…the young man going first and Sylvia following, fascinated, a few steps behind, with her gray eyes dark with excitement.”
Summary:
This quote depicts the little girl’s love admiration towards the young man.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Orne Jewett discloses the nine-year-old girl’s heart. To Sylvia, the young man is the most charming and delightful person she has ever seen. She has developed “love admiration”(526) towards him even though she was only nine years old. Sarah Orne Jewett explains that this is because of the woman’s heart asleep in Sylvia. In other words, Sarah Orne Jewett believes that girls are born with women’s hearts, which hold love towards men. Living in a farm with her Grandma and being accompanied by a female cow, Sylvia was living in a lonely women world. She has an unusual feeling towards the young man, who suddenly entered her life. Sarah Orne Jewett describes this feeling as “a dream of love”. As shown in the quote, Sylvia was fascinated and excited when she was following the young man in the woods silently. Even though she could not understand why he was killing the birds, she thinks he is charming and delightful. Later in the story, Sylvia searched for white herons to please him. These are all evidence of her “love admiration” towards the young man. I think Sarah Orne Jewett has well portrayed Sylvia’s acts of affection and thus proved the existence of a woman’s heart in this girl. I do believe that girls are born with women’s heart and naturally we show admirations towards men in different ways since we are young. This has been proved by many psychological studies too. I found this is one of the most interesting facts in the field of psychology.
Journal #23 Sarah Orne Jewett
Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #23 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“All day long he did not once make her troubled or afraid except when he brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough. Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.”
Summary:
When Sylvia first met the young sportsman, she was afraid of him. This quote illustrates how Sylvia felt about the young man when they were walking in the woods the next day.
Response:
This quote depicts the change in Sylvia’s feelings towards the young sportsman. Sylvia found herself likes the young man, which is a contrast to her fear towards him when she met him in the woods the evening before. Sylvia also worried that he would bring her trouble if she let him go to her home. Therefore, Sarah Orne Jewett asserts that the young man did not once make Sylvia troubled or afraid. Yet, Sylvia does not like him killing the birds. In this quote, “brought down” means shooting the birds and making them fall down onto the ground. The phrase “unsuspecting singing creature” represents the birds. The word “unsuspecting” infers that the birds were neither attacking nor disturbing Sylvia and the young man. To Sylvia, they were simply innocent “singing creatures”. This demonstrates the fact that Sylvia does not understand why he was killing the birds. She thinks it’s cruel and unreasonable to do so. Thus, she would have liked the young man “vastly better” if he was not shooting the birds. To me, I do not understand why the young man hunts for birds collection netiher. I believe many people are interesting in observing birds and doing research on birds because they love birds. Therefore, they would not harm birds. Yet, the young man in Sarah Orne Jewett’s story is a cold-blooded bird collector, who aims to own bird collection. I think the young man, as a collector of birds, is showing a kind of masculine dominance. The young sportsman and his gun refer to masculinity. He seemed to like birds but he would kill birds for collection. His act of killing was a cruel way to fulfill his strong desire for collection of birds. This might be implying the masculine dominance in the past society.
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #23 Sarah Orne Jewett
Quote:
“All day long he did not once make her troubled or afraid except when he brought down some unsuspecting singing creature from its bough. Sylvia would have liked him vastly better without his gun; she could not understand why he killed the very birds he seemed to like so much.”
Summary:
When Sylvia first met the young sportsman, she was afraid of him. This quote illustrates how Sylvia felt about the young man when they were walking in the woods the next day.
Response:
This quote depicts the change in Sylvia’s feelings towards the young sportsman. Sylvia found herself likes the young man, which is a contrast to her fear towards him when she met him in the woods the evening before. Sylvia also worried that he would bring her trouble if she let him go to her home. Therefore, Sarah Orne Jewett asserts that the young man did not once make Sylvia troubled or afraid. Yet, Sylvia does not like him killing the birds. In this quote, “brought down” means shooting the birds and making them fall down onto the ground. The phrase “unsuspecting singing creature” represents the birds. The word “unsuspecting” infers that the birds were neither attacking nor disturbing Sylvia and the young man. To Sylvia, they were simply innocent “singing creatures”. This demonstrates the fact that Sylvia does not understand why he was killing the birds. She thinks it’s cruel and unreasonable to do so. Thus, she would have liked the young man “vastly better” if he was not shooting the birds. To me, I do not understand why the young man hunts for birds collection netiher. I believe many people are interesting in observing birds and doing research on birds because they love birds. Therefore, they would not harm birds. Yet, the young man in Sarah Orne Jewett’s story is a cold-blooded bird collector, who aims to own bird collection. I think the young man, as a collector of birds, is showing a kind of masculine dominance. The young sportsman and his gun refer to masculinity. He seemed to like birds but he would kill birds for collection. His act of killing was a cruel way to fulfill his strong desire for collection of birds. This might be implying the masculine dominance in the past society.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Journal #22 Stephen Crane
Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #21 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“Presently it seemed that even the captain dozed, and the correspondent thought that he was the one man afloat on all the oceans. The wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end”
Summary:
The correspondent felt he was alone in the sea when his three companions slept.
Response:
In this quote, Stephen Crane illustrates the loneliness of the correspondent. Even though he was accompanied by the captain, the oiler, and the cook, all sleeping beside him, he felt he was alone in the sea. This is because he had a great fear of being awake alone in the sea, facing the fierce waves that could kill him. This is human nature. When facing death or danger, we hope someone can accompany us. It helps soothe fear. Companion’s reactions and supports are critical to someone in fear and stress, like the correspondent. Therefore, although the captain, the oiler and the cook were sleeping beside the correspondent, he felt lonely as they do not have any reactions towards the waves striking the boat. Moreover, he was freezing on the boat. I think the correspondent has been mentally and physically tortured so much at that time. Stephen Crane spotlights his loneliness by saying the correspondent thought he was the only man floating “on all the oceans”. This triggers my imagination of the borderless oceans with the correspondent alone floating. How poor he is! Stephen Crane’s description well depicts and amplifies the fear of the correspondent. At the same time, it highlights the human nature of fear, of which Stephen Crane wants to demonstrate.
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #21 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“Presently it seemed that even the captain dozed, and the correspondent thought that he was the one man afloat on all the oceans. The wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end”
Summary:
The correspondent felt he was alone in the sea when his three companions slept.
Response:
In this quote, Stephen Crane illustrates the loneliness of the correspondent. Even though he was accompanied by the captain, the oiler, and the cook, all sleeping beside him, he felt he was alone in the sea. This is because he had a great fear of being awake alone in the sea, facing the fierce waves that could kill him. This is human nature. When facing death or danger, we hope someone can accompany us. It helps soothe fear. Companion’s reactions and supports are critical to someone in fear and stress, like the correspondent. Therefore, although the captain, the oiler and the cook were sleeping beside the correspondent, he felt lonely as they do not have any reactions towards the waves striking the boat. Moreover, he was freezing on the boat. I think the correspondent has been mentally and physically tortured so much at that time. Stephen Crane spotlights his loneliness by saying the correspondent thought he was the only man floating “on all the oceans”. This triggers my imagination of the borderless oceans with the correspondent alone floating. How poor he is! Stephen Crane’s description well depicts and amplifies the fear of the correspondent. At the same time, it highlights the human nature of fear, of which Stephen Crane wants to demonstrate.
Journal #21 Stephen Crane
Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #21 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“’I am going to drown? Can it be possible? Can it be possible? Can it be possible?’ Perhaps an individual must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature.”
Summary:
This quote is the thought of the correspondent when the story is going to end.
Response:
Similar to the previous quote, “’If I am going to be drowned…and contemplate sand and trees?’”, this quote illustrates the thoughts and feelings of the Correspondent. When he was approaching the shore, he was trapped in a small current. In this quote, he repeated “can it be possible?” three times. It shows that he could not believe that he was once again in a dangerous situation just before he reaches the shore. I think he is “trapped in his fear” as he has lost his faith. As he cannot get rid of the fear, I believe he is so terrified when he found himself in a small current even if he was approaching the shore. Then, the narrator, that is, Stephen Crane comments that perhaps everyone “must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature”. I think this quote can demonstrates Stephen Crane as a naturalist. Here, he believes that one’s fate is determined by the nature and death is our common final destiny. Thus, the nature is always indifferent to human’s fate. He believes the power of nature is so strong that we cannot make changes to our fate. Whether one’s fate is controlled by the nature has always been controversial. Some people believe that our fate is determined by Gods while some believe it is determined by the nature. Yet, some people believe they themselves are the ones who can alter their destiny. To me, a God determines our fate and we can hardly change it. However, I believe I can work for the “process” of my life. For example, I can definitely work hard in a class and get the grade I want, which is a process of my student life. I still believe God determines my destiny because I always come across expected incidents. I think these unexpected events are the key elements of altering my fate, and are controlled by God.
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #21 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“’I am going to drown? Can it be possible? Can it be possible? Can it be possible?’ Perhaps an individual must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature.”
Summary:
This quote is the thought of the correspondent when the story is going to end.
Response:
Similar to the previous quote, “’If I am going to be drowned…and contemplate sand and trees?’”, this quote illustrates the thoughts and feelings of the Correspondent. When he was approaching the shore, he was trapped in a small current. In this quote, he repeated “can it be possible?” three times. It shows that he could not believe that he was once again in a dangerous situation just before he reaches the shore. I think he is “trapped in his fear” as he has lost his faith. As he cannot get rid of the fear, I believe he is so terrified when he found himself in a small current even if he was approaching the shore. Then, the narrator, that is, Stephen Crane comments that perhaps everyone “must consider his own death to be the final phenomenon of nature”. I think this quote can demonstrates Stephen Crane as a naturalist. Here, he believes that one’s fate is determined by the nature and death is our common final destiny. Thus, the nature is always indifferent to human’s fate. He believes the power of nature is so strong that we cannot make changes to our fate. Whether one’s fate is controlled by the nature has always been controversial. Some people believe that our fate is determined by Gods while some believe it is determined by the nature. Yet, some people believe they themselves are the ones who can alter their destiny. To me, a God determines our fate and we can hardly change it. However, I believe I can work for the “process” of my life. For example, I can definitely work hard in a class and get the grade I want, which is a process of my student life. I still believe God determines my destiny because I always come across expected incidents. I think these unexpected events are the key elements of altering my fate, and are controlled by God.
Journal #20 Stephen Crane
Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #20 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“’If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?’”
Summary:
This quote is depicting the thought of the correspondent as time passes after the ship sunk.
Response:
In the story, the four characters are encountering fierce waves, which threatened to drown them for many times. By the time this quote appears, they have already survived many dangerous situations. This quote illustrates the thought of the correspondent when he was once again facing a horrible condition. He doubts why the Gods who rule the sea would let him survive so many terrible situations if he was going to drown. It seems that he was persuading himself to stay alive. He was also persuading himself that he would not be drowned. His thought was very reasonable to me. Why would the God not drown him once the ship sunk but let him survived so many dangers before drowning? Moreover, he repeated “if I am going to be drowned” three times in the quote. To me, it shows the Correspondent‘s fear. I think this quote indicate the Correspondent’s faith was diminishing. After experiencing a series of dangers, he feared that he might not be able to survive the next one. I believe that this fear is natural and common. Portraying the Correspondent’s fear, Stephen Crane aims to reveal the human psychological responses under dangers. The fierce waves, threatening the characters’ lives, also reveal the nature’s indifference to human’s fate and lives. This has been the theme of many works by Stephen Crane. I agree that the nature is indifferent to human’s lives. In real world, natural disasters have brought so much sorrow to many families. Many people lost their loved ones in natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding. Many of the victims were good fathers and mothers. Yet, they lost their lives and their children lost their parents. Nature is often cruel and indifferent to us but we have no ways to alter it. The only thing we can do is to treasure what we have before they are taken away.
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #20 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“’If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?’”
Summary:
This quote is depicting the thought of the correspondent as time passes after the ship sunk.
Response:
In the story, the four characters are encountering fierce waves, which threatened to drown them for many times. By the time this quote appears, they have already survived many dangerous situations. This quote illustrates the thought of the correspondent when he was once again facing a horrible condition. He doubts why the Gods who rule the sea would let him survive so many terrible situations if he was going to drown. It seems that he was persuading himself to stay alive. He was also persuading himself that he would not be drowned. His thought was very reasonable to me. Why would the God not drown him once the ship sunk but let him survived so many dangers before drowning? Moreover, he repeated “if I am going to be drowned” three times in the quote. To me, it shows the Correspondent‘s fear. I think this quote indicate the Correspondent’s faith was diminishing. After experiencing a series of dangers, he feared that he might not be able to survive the next one. I believe that this fear is natural and common. Portraying the Correspondent’s fear, Stephen Crane aims to reveal the human psychological responses under dangers. The fierce waves, threatening the characters’ lives, also reveal the nature’s indifference to human’s fate and lives. This has been the theme of many works by Stephen Crane. I agree that the nature is indifferent to human’s lives. In real world, natural disasters have brought so much sorrow to many families. Many people lost their loved ones in natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and flooding. Many of the victims were good fathers and mothers. Yet, they lost their lives and their children lost their parents. Nature is often cruel and indifferent to us but we have no ways to alter it. The only thing we can do is to treasure what we have before they are taken away.
Journal #19 Stephen Crane
Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #19 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the man knew the color of the sea.”
Summary:
This is quoted from the very beginning of the story “The Open Boat”. It depicts the condition and sight of the four characters in the story.
Response:
The Open Boat is an adventure story published a few days after the adventure Stephen Crane experienced when his ship sank off the coast of Florida. I am confused when I found this quote at the beginning of the story. I am not sure what Stephen Crane infers while he claims that “none of them knew the color of the sky”. Even worse, Stephen Crane goes on by illustrating the waves and reveals that the men knew the color of the sea. With no more information about the characters, I had no clues. As I go on with the story and realize the characters are all working on the ship, I had an idea that Stephen Crane is trying to bring out this important information about the four characters through this quote. Moreover, the quote might also infer that the characters only focused on the sea and observed the motions of the waves, instead of the sky. This shows how nervous they were in the sea. They only recignize the blue, gray waves. I think this interprets their desperation in the sea at that time. During the discussion in class, many peers shared their ideas on this quote. Some of them think Stephen Crane wants to illustrate how similar the colors of the sky and sea are. To me, this is possible but it does not seem to relate the later part of the story as much. Being the first sentence of the story, I supposed this quote has special reference to the remaining plots. Yet, Stephen may only be trying to visualize the scene by portray the environment at the beginning of the story: the color of the sky is blocked by the "abrupt and tall" waves. Without doubt, this is an interesting opening of an adventure story, which can trigger the readers’ imagination and thoughts about the story.
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #19 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the man knew the color of the sea.”
Summary:
This is quoted from the very beginning of the story “The Open Boat”. It depicts the condition and sight of the four characters in the story.
Response:
The Open Boat is an adventure story published a few days after the adventure Stephen Crane experienced when his ship sank off the coast of Florida. I am confused when I found this quote at the beginning of the story. I am not sure what Stephen Crane infers while he claims that “none of them knew the color of the sky”. Even worse, Stephen Crane goes on by illustrating the waves and reveals that the men knew the color of the sea. With no more information about the characters, I had no clues. As I go on with the story and realize the characters are all working on the ship, I had an idea that Stephen Crane is trying to bring out this important information about the four characters through this quote. Moreover, the quote might also infer that the characters only focused on the sea and observed the motions of the waves, instead of the sky. This shows how nervous they were in the sea. They only recignize the blue, gray waves. I think this interprets their desperation in the sea at that time. During the discussion in class, many peers shared their ideas on this quote. Some of them think Stephen Crane wants to illustrate how similar the colors of the sky and sea are. To me, this is possible but it does not seem to relate the later part of the story as much. Being the first sentence of the story, I supposed this quote has special reference to the remaining plots. Yet, Stephen may only be trying to visualize the scene by portray the environment at the beginning of the story: the color of the sky is blocked by the "abrupt and tall" waves. Without doubt, this is an interesting opening of an adventure story, which can trigger the readers’ imagination and thoughts about the story.
Journal #18 Stephen Crane
Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #18 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“The girl, Maggie, blossomed in a mud puddle. She grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl. None of the dirt of Rum Alley seemed to be in her vein.”
Summary:
This quote is taken from Stephen Crane’s first published work, Maggie, the Girl of the Streets. It is a description of Maggie.
Response:
Maggie is a girl born in the slums of New York. Due to her unfavorable family background, she was force to be a prostitute. In this quote, Stephen Crane imagines Maggie is a flower that grew in a mud puddle. This imagination is shown by the use of word “blossomed”. Moreover, “mud puddle” represents the unfavorable living environment in which Maggie born in. Crane asserts that Maggie did not get any dirt from Rum Alley. How hard it is to get rid of dirt from a mud puddle! Imagining Maggie to be a flower without dirt, Stephen Crane infers that Maggie is a decent girl. He also adds that Maggie is a pretty girl and is the most rare and wonderful one in the district. In this way, a positive and sinless image is clearly created for Maggie. Her image contrasts with that of people from the chaotic slums. This helps illustrate how environment can alter the destiny of such a nice girl, as the theme of the story. One of the important words of this quote is “vein”. This word has multiple meanings. Relating it to Crane’s imagination, vein can be the nerve of a flower. It can also stand for Maggie’s character. This is an excellent word choice.
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #18 Stephen Crane
Quote:
“The girl, Maggie, blossomed in a mud puddle. She grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl. None of the dirt of Rum Alley seemed to be in her vein.”
Summary:
This quote is taken from Stephen Crane’s first published work, Maggie, the Girl of the Streets. It is a description of Maggie.
Response:
Maggie is a girl born in the slums of New York. Due to her unfavorable family background, she was force to be a prostitute. In this quote, Stephen Crane imagines Maggie is a flower that grew in a mud puddle. This imagination is shown by the use of word “blossomed”. Moreover, “mud puddle” represents the unfavorable living environment in which Maggie born in. Crane asserts that Maggie did not get any dirt from Rum Alley. How hard it is to get rid of dirt from a mud puddle! Imagining Maggie to be a flower without dirt, Stephen Crane infers that Maggie is a decent girl. He also adds that Maggie is a pretty girl and is the most rare and wonderful one in the district. In this way, a positive and sinless image is clearly created for Maggie. Her image contrasts with that of people from the chaotic slums. This helps illustrate how environment can alter the destiny of such a nice girl, as the theme of the story. One of the important words of this quote is “vein”. This word has multiple meanings. Relating it to Crane’s imagination, vein can be the nerve of a flower. It can also stand for Maggie’s character. This is an excellent word choice.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Journal #17 Booker T. Washington
Shirly Ong
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #17 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“Until that question was asked it had never occurred to me that there was no period of my life that was devoted to play.”
Summary:
In this quote, Booker T. Washington reveals how his playtime is taken away in his boyhood.
Response:
This quote illustrates the lives of many Negro boys who were “born to be slaves”. Due to his family background, Booker T. Washington could not have any time to play because he has to work all day long even when he was very small. He had no time for studying and playing. Because of his family background, even his parents have no control over his life. He had no choice. He must work. When I was a child, I spend time only in sleeping, playing, eating, and going to school. I have no idea of what working is. My parents took care of everything for me. That was a happy time. When I read about Booker T. Washington’s childhood, I feel pity for him. I always feel sorrow when I learn about child labor. Childhood should be a time for playing. To me, those who have children as slaves are very cruel and cold-blooded. Unfortunately, there are still child labors in some parts of the world. Working is the only way for them to survive in severe poverty. How poor they are! Starting from the moment when they are born, they have to suffer. Children have always been the innocent victims of slavery system, poverty and racial discrimination.
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #17 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“Until that question was asked it had never occurred to me that there was no period of my life that was devoted to play.”
Summary:
In this quote, Booker T. Washington reveals how his playtime is taken away in his boyhood.
Response:
This quote illustrates the lives of many Negro boys who were “born to be slaves”. Due to his family background, Booker T. Washington could not have any time to play because he has to work all day long even when he was very small. He had no time for studying and playing. Because of his family background, even his parents have no control over his life. He had no choice. He must work. When I was a child, I spend time only in sleeping, playing, eating, and going to school. I have no idea of what working is. My parents took care of everything for me. That was a happy time. When I read about Booker T. Washington’s childhood, I feel pity for him. I always feel sorrow when I learn about child labor. Childhood should be a time for playing. To me, those who have children as slaves are very cruel and cold-blooded. Unfortunately, there are still child labors in some parts of the world. Working is the only way for them to survive in severe poverty. How poor they are! Starting from the moment when they are born, they have to suffer. Children have always been the innocent victims of slavery system, poverty and racial discrimination.
Journal #16 Booker T. Washington
Shirly Ong
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #16 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
Summary:
This quote is also from Up From Slavery, Chapter II. This explains why Booker T. Washington did not envy the white boys as much as he once did in the later years.
Response:
Having learnt that success is measured much by the obstacle that one has overcome before succeed, Booker T. Washington thinks that the race and family backgrounds of the Negro boys turns into advantages. I think success should be measured by the obstacles that one overcomes while striving for success instead of the position that one gets because one may get to a high position much more easily than others do if he has good family backgrounds and connections. To me, his success is not as significant as the success that a Negro strives hard for. Even though I agree with Booker T. Washington’s idea, I do not think the race and family backgrounds of the Negro boys should be considered advantages. The obstacles that one overcame are only measured when their achievements are recognized. The race and family backgrounds does not actually help them in achieving their goals. The fact is that many black people have always been discouraged by their identity as a Negro. Though their backgrounds and how people look down on them may trigger them to strive hard for success, they are still encountering great obstacles. I would rather say the Negro boy could get more from their rough paths to success. They do get “a strength, a confidence” that the whites miss because they must worker harder and perform better than the whites do.
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #16 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
Summary:
This quote is also from Up From Slavery, Chapter II. This explains why Booker T. Washington did not envy the white boys as much as he once did in the later years.
Response:
Having learnt that success is measured much by the obstacle that one has overcome before succeed, Booker T. Washington thinks that the race and family backgrounds of the Negro boys turns into advantages. I think success should be measured by the obstacles that one overcomes while striving for success instead of the position that one gets because one may get to a high position much more easily than others do if he has good family backgrounds and connections. To me, his success is not as significant as the success that a Negro strives hard for. Even though I agree with Booker T. Washington’s idea, I do not think the race and family backgrounds of the Negro boys should be considered advantages. The obstacles that one overcame are only measured when their achievements are recognized. The race and family backgrounds does not actually help them in achieving their goals. The fact is that many black people have always been discouraged by their identity as a Negro. Though their backgrounds and how people look down on them may trigger them to strive hard for success, they are still encountering great obstacles. I would rather say the Negro boy could get more from their rough paths to success. They do get “a strength, a confidence” that the whites miss because they must worker harder and perform better than the whites do.
Journal #15 Booker T. Washington
Shirly Ong
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #15 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“When a white boy undertakes a task, it is taken for granted that he will succeed. On the other hand, people are usually surprised if the Negro boy does not fail.”
Summary:
This quote is from Up From Slavery, Chapter II. Boyhood Days. In this chapter, Booker T. Washington illustrated his boyhood days and the experiences of other Negro boys.
Response:
This quote reveals how the world passes judgment upon the Negro boys. Because of their skin color and family backgrounds, the Negro boys are expected to fail when they undertake tasks. I think Booker T. Washington has well explained and proved this phenomenon with his personal boyhood experience. He points out that the Negro boys have disadvantages in succeeding when comparing to the white boys. He illustrates this by comparing the whites and the black people. Most Negro boys, like Booker T. Washington, do not have any ideas about their ancestry backgrounds. In contrast, the white boys are conscious that if he cannot overcome obstacles, discouragement, and temptations, “he will disgrace the whole family record”. It is true that the white boys’ proud family records and connection helps them to overcome obstacles while the Negro boys’ race and missing ancestry records are discouraging them from striving for success. However, this does not mean people can have presumptions against the Negro boys. The Nero boys must have suffered a lot when they are striving for knowledge and success because of the presumptions against colored people. This is very unfair to them. To me, this phenomenon has been diminishing nowadays. This might be a result of the change in culture and the cases of successful black people.
English 48B
8 February, 2008
Journal #15 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“When a white boy undertakes a task, it is taken for granted that he will succeed. On the other hand, people are usually surprised if the Negro boy does not fail.”
Summary:
This quote is from Up From Slavery, Chapter II. Boyhood Days. In this chapter, Booker T. Washington illustrated his boyhood days and the experiences of other Negro boys.
Response:
This quote reveals how the world passes judgment upon the Negro boys. Because of their skin color and family backgrounds, the Negro boys are expected to fail when they undertake tasks. I think Booker T. Washington has well explained and proved this phenomenon with his personal boyhood experience. He points out that the Negro boys have disadvantages in succeeding when comparing to the white boys. He illustrates this by comparing the whites and the black people. Most Negro boys, like Booker T. Washington, do not have any ideas about their ancestry backgrounds. In contrast, the white boys are conscious that if he cannot overcome obstacles, discouragement, and temptations, “he will disgrace the whole family record”. It is true that the white boys’ proud family records and connection helps them to overcome obstacles while the Negro boys’ race and missing ancestry records are discouraging them from striving for success. However, this does not mean people can have presumptions against the Negro boys. The Nero boys must have suffered a lot when they are striving for knowledge and success because of the presumptions against colored people. This is very unfair to them. To me, this phenomenon has been diminishing nowadays. This might be a result of the change in culture and the cases of successful black people.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Journal #14 Booker T. Washington
Shirly Ong
English 48B
7 February, 2008
Journal #14 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“When the two young masters were brought home wounded, the sympathy of the slaves was shown in many ways…this tenderness and sympathy on the part of those held in bondage was a result of their kindly and generous nature.”
Summary:
Booker T. Washington illustrates how the Negros show their sympathy toward their masters even though they are only working as slaves.
Response:
Booker T. Washington recalls how the slaves reacted when they learned that one of their young masters were killed and two were wounded during the Civil War. They were all very upset because some of them have nursed the killed master and some played with him when he was young. Book T. Washington asserts that there’s “no sham sorrow”. Some of them even begged for the privilege to take care of the wounded young master. He wants to bring out the good nature of the Negro. I am surprised to see the slaves showing such real sympathy on their masters when they are only considered goods that can be traded. I agree that this is probably a result of their kindly and generous nature. I wonder if the masters would develop a close relationship with their slaves from time to time, due to the same kindly and generous nature. To me, probably not all masters are cruel to their slaves. Having slaves might be a trend in the upper class in the society. At the same time, slaves could not choose their masters. Whether they suffer more or less solely depends on their luck. Slavery system is horrible. I feel sympathy for the slaves so much, especially for those who have kindly and generous nature.
English 48B
7 February, 2008
Journal #14 Booker T. Washington
Quote:
“When the two young masters were brought home wounded, the sympathy of the slaves was shown in many ways…this tenderness and sympathy on the part of those held in bondage was a result of their kindly and generous nature.”
Summary:
Booker T. Washington illustrates how the Negros show their sympathy toward their masters even though they are only working as slaves.
Response:
Booker T. Washington recalls how the slaves reacted when they learned that one of their young masters were killed and two were wounded during the Civil War. They were all very upset because some of them have nursed the killed master and some played with him when he was young. Book T. Washington asserts that there’s “no sham sorrow”. Some of them even begged for the privilege to take care of the wounded young master. He wants to bring out the good nature of the Negro. I am surprised to see the slaves showing such real sympathy on their masters when they are only considered goods that can be traded. I agree that this is probably a result of their kindly and generous nature. I wonder if the masters would develop a close relationship with their slaves from time to time, due to the same kindly and generous nature. To me, probably not all masters are cruel to their slaves. Having slaves might be a trend in the upper class in the society. At the same time, slaves could not choose their masters. Whether they suffer more or less solely depends on their luck. Slavery system is horrible. I feel sympathy for the slaves so much, especially for those who have kindly and generous nature.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Journal #13 Sarah Winnemucca
Shirly Ong
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #13 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“The Women know as much as the men do, and their advice is often asked…The council-tent is our Congress, and anybody can speak who has anything to say, women and all. They are always interested in what their husbands are doing and thinking about. And they take some part even in the wars.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is introducing the council-tent, where the Piutes discuss everything. She points out that women can also participate in the discussion.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Winnemucca’s main point is to tell us how the Piutes women’s statuses are equal to that of the Piutes men. The council-tent, which is the chief’s tent and the largest tent, is an important place where the Piute discuss everything. Yet, women and even children can go in and join the discussion if they wish to. As far as I know, many ancient cultures, like the Chinese culture, prohibit this. Women and children were kept away from the discussion place. Moreover, at the discussion place, the highest chiefs had the absolute right to rule and judge. By contrast, according to Sarah Winnemucca, the Piute chiefs “do not rule like tyrants”. They welcome very much for advice and opinion from their people, including those from women. Equality between men and women in the Piutes nation surprises me. To me, many women were kept at home and expected to take care of the children only in the past. They can never involve in the men’s discussion. In the Piutes nations, the couples do everything together. They take care of the family and the children together. They discuss everything together. This is a very good practice. As proved by today’s trend, inequality between men and women should be abolished.
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #13 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“The Women know as much as the men do, and their advice is often asked…The council-tent is our Congress, and anybody can speak who has anything to say, women and all. They are always interested in what their husbands are doing and thinking about. And they take some part even in the wars.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is introducing the council-tent, where the Piutes discuss everything. She points out that women can also participate in the discussion.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Winnemucca’s main point is to tell us how the Piutes women’s statuses are equal to that of the Piutes men. The council-tent, which is the chief’s tent and the largest tent, is an important place where the Piute discuss everything. Yet, women and even children can go in and join the discussion if they wish to. As far as I know, many ancient cultures, like the Chinese culture, prohibit this. Women and children were kept away from the discussion place. Moreover, at the discussion place, the highest chiefs had the absolute right to rule and judge. By contrast, according to Sarah Winnemucca, the Piute chiefs “do not rule like tyrants”. They welcome very much for advice and opinion from their people, including those from women. Equality between men and women in the Piutes nation surprises me. To me, many women were kept at home and expected to take care of the children only in the past. They can never involve in the men’s discussion. In the Piutes nations, the couples do everything together. They take care of the family and the children together. They discuss everything together. This is a very good practice. As proved by today’s trend, inequality between men and women should be abolished.
Journal #12 Sarah Winnemucca
Shirly Ong
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #12 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“Marriage is a sweet thing when people love each other.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is revealing the status of Piute women and describing how they work with their husbands under any circumstances. As a short conclusion, he uses this quote to show her view on marriage.
Response:
Sarah Winnemucca claims that the Piute women have equal status as the Piutes men. They do everything with their husbands. Taking care of the children is not only the women’s duties. They take care of their children together. They take good care of one another when they grow blind. The women even went to the wars and helped the men. According to Sarah Winnemucca, the Piute women “faithfully keep with [their husband] in all the danger they can share”. These traditions demonstrate the Piute belief in marriage. Unlike many other cultures, Piute wives and husband have the same responsibilities in their marriage. This is an evidence of how the Piute couples love on another. I agree with Sarah Winnemucca’s idea that marriage is sweet when people love each other as if the Piute couples do. Nowadays, many people find their marriage “not sweet” and decide to divorce. I think the transition from the old perception to the new perception is one of the major reasons. People used to perceive that men and women have different responsibilities in a marriage. However, women tend to fight for their rights and independence now. Unlike women in the past, women might now divorce and support themselves by working. On the other hand, many couples do not actually love one another. Marriage is not sweet to many of them. This leads to the high divorce rates, which are creating many problems in the society.
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #12 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“Marriage is a sweet thing when people love each other.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is revealing the status of Piute women and describing how they work with their husbands under any circumstances. As a short conclusion, he uses this quote to show her view on marriage.
Response:
Sarah Winnemucca claims that the Piute women have equal status as the Piutes men. They do everything with their husbands. Taking care of the children is not only the women’s duties. They take care of their children together. They take good care of one another when they grow blind. The women even went to the wars and helped the men. According to Sarah Winnemucca, the Piute women “faithfully keep with [their husband] in all the danger they can share”. These traditions demonstrate the Piute belief in marriage. Unlike many other cultures, Piute wives and husband have the same responsibilities in their marriage. This is an evidence of how the Piute couples love on another. I agree with Sarah Winnemucca’s idea that marriage is sweet when people love each other as if the Piute couples do. Nowadays, many people find their marriage “not sweet” and decide to divorce. I think the transition from the old perception to the new perception is one of the major reasons. People used to perceive that men and women have different responsibilities in a marriage. However, women tend to fight for their rights and independence now. Unlike women in the past, women might now divorce and support themselves by working. On the other hand, many couples do not actually love one another. Marriage is not sweet to many of them. This leads to the high divorce rates, which are creating many problems in the society.
Journal #11 Sarah Winnemucca
Shirly Ong
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #11 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“My people teach their children never to make fun of anyone…Be kind to all, both poor and rich, and feed all that come to your wigwam…I never in my life saw our children rude as I have seen white children and grown people in the streets.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is comparing the Piutes to the Whites. In this quote, she is comparing how they teach their children.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Winnemucca is telling her readers how the Piute educate their children. She claims that all Piutes teach their children not to make fun of other and to be kind to everyone. I think this is a very good practice. In this way, children will definitely become polite and have good manners. Winnemucca also claims that she has never seen Piute children being rude but she has seen white children and adults being rude in the streets. Ideally, if both the Whites and the Piutes, or even all humankinds have been taught to be kind to everyone, many wars and conflicts could have been avoided. Our world will probably become a perfect place to live for everyone. On the other hand, I found Sarah Winnemucca not very convincing here, again. To me, her idea is too extreme and subjective. It is my first impression on this statement. Not even one Piute child would be rude? This is incredible. Of course, this could be true if the Piutes are all very strict to their children. Moreover, as a famous Piute writer, her credibility should have been approved by scholars. Yet, I think her claim would be more convincing if she can give more solid proofs and examples.
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #11 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“My people teach their children never to make fun of anyone…Be kind to all, both poor and rich, and feed all that come to your wigwam…I never in my life saw our children rude as I have seen white children and grown people in the streets.”
Summary:
Sarah Winnemucca is comparing the Piutes to the Whites. In this quote, she is comparing how they teach their children.
Response:
In this quote, Sarah Winnemucca is telling her readers how the Piute educate their children. She claims that all Piutes teach their children not to make fun of other and to be kind to everyone. I think this is a very good practice. In this way, children will definitely become polite and have good manners. Winnemucca also claims that she has never seen Piute children being rude but she has seen white children and adults being rude in the streets. Ideally, if both the Whites and the Piutes, or even all humankinds have been taught to be kind to everyone, many wars and conflicts could have been avoided. Our world will probably become a perfect place to live for everyone. On the other hand, I found Sarah Winnemucca not very convincing here, again. To me, her idea is too extreme and subjective. It is my first impression on this statement. Not even one Piute child would be rude? This is incredible. Of course, this could be true if the Piutes are all very strict to their children. Moreover, as a famous Piute writer, her credibility should have been approved by scholars. Yet, I think her claim would be more convincing if she can give more solid proofs and examples.
Journal #10 Sarah Winnemucca
Love? Trust? Shirly Ong
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #10 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“Oh, can any one imagine my feelings buried alive, thinking every minute that I was to be unburied and eaten up by the people that my grandfather loved so much?”
Summary:
This quote appears in Sarah Winnemucca’s autobiography, From Life Among the Piute. It is her moan towards her experience of being buried alive when the Piutes were escaping from the Whites.
Response:
Starting with an exclamation “oh”, Sarah Winnemucca has clearly expressed her grieve towards her painful experience of being buried alive all day with her cousin by her mother and her aunt. The women buried their children because they could not run fast. They were fear that the Whites would catch them and eat them all up. It is very horrible that Sarah Winnemucca and her cousin were buried alive with their faces covered by sage bushes over their faces. They were left alone all day. They could not whisper or cry out because they might be discovered. Winnemucca even claims that she was “not daring to breathe”. This is unbelievable. Obviously, the Piutes were frightened by the white people. On that day, the Piutes thought the white people would definitely kill and eat them up. This is such a great contrast. They used to believe the Whites were their lost brother. Winnemucca also described them as “the people that my grandfather loved so much”. I think she felt it was ridiculous that she was buried alive because she is escaping from the people whom her was told to be their brothers. How sad was that! Brothers and sisters are expected to love one another. Yet, the Piutes dreads that their “lost brother” would kill and eat them all up. It is appalling.
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #10 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“Oh, can any one imagine my feelings buried alive, thinking every minute that I was to be unburied and eaten up by the people that my grandfather loved so much?”
Summary:
This quote appears in Sarah Winnemucca’s autobiography, From Life Among the Piute. It is her moan towards her experience of being buried alive when the Piutes were escaping from the Whites.
Response:
Starting with an exclamation “oh”, Sarah Winnemucca has clearly expressed her grieve towards her painful experience of being buried alive all day with her cousin by her mother and her aunt. The women buried their children because they could not run fast. They were fear that the Whites would catch them and eat them all up. It is very horrible that Sarah Winnemucca and her cousin were buried alive with their faces covered by sage bushes over their faces. They were left alone all day. They could not whisper or cry out because they might be discovered. Winnemucca even claims that she was “not daring to breathe”. This is unbelievable. Obviously, the Piutes were frightened by the white people. On that day, the Piutes thought the white people would definitely kill and eat them up. This is such a great contrast. They used to believe the Whites were their lost brother. Winnemucca also described them as “the people that my grandfather loved so much”. I think she felt it was ridiculous that she was buried alive because she is escaping from the people whom her was told to be their brothers. How sad was that! Brothers and sisters are expected to love one another. Yet, the Piutes dreads that their “lost brother” would kill and eat them all up. It is appalling.
Journal #9 Sarah Winnemucca
Shirly Ong
English 48B
1 February, 2008
Journal #9 Sarah Winnemucca
Quote:
“Arriving near them, he was commanded to halt in a manner that was readily understood without an interpreter. Grandpa at once made signs of friendships by throwing down his robe and throwing up his arms to show them he had no weapons; but in vain,--they kept them at a distance.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the beginning of From Life Among the Piute. It is Sarah Winnemucca’s description of her Grandfather when he and his men first met the Whites.
Response:
Sarah Winnemucca’s Grandfather, the chief of the entire Piute nation, has always believed that they have a “lost white brother” who would return one day. Therefore, when he and his men first met the Whites, he was very excited. He thought the Whites are his long-looked for white bothers and they finally return to their land. However, the Whites did not act very friendly. According to Sarah Winnemucca, the Whites commanded the Piutes to stop and kept the Piutes at a distance. The word “commanded” shows that the Whites were arrogant and impolite. They thought they are more authoritative than the Piute and commanded them as if they had power over the Piutes. Sarah Winnemucca even asserts that the Whites’ poor manner could be steadily understood without an interpreter. Yet, I think Winnemucca’s descriptions and comments might be a bit subjective as she is a Paiute. The White’s alert is understandable, as they do not know much about the Piutes. This was the best way to protect themselves from dangers and attacks. Nevertheless, it is a pity that they could not have a placid first meeting even though Winnemucca’s Grandfather has tried his best to show his friendliness and warm welcome to the Whites by showing them he had no weapons. After all, I think the Whites could have talked to the Piutes in a more peaceful way if they wanted to be friendly to the Piutes.
Quote:
“Arriving near them, he was commanded to halt in a manner that was readily understood without an interpreter. Grandpa at once made signs of friendships by throwing down his robe and throwing up his arms to show them he had no weapons; but in vain,--they kept them at a distance.”
Summary:
This quote appears at the beginning of From Life Among the Piute. It is Sarah Winnemucca’s description of her Grandfather when he and his men first met the Whites.
Response:
Sarah Winnemucca’s Grandfather, the chief of the entire Piute nation, has always believed that they have a “lost white brother” who would return one day. Therefore, when he and his men first met the Whites, he was very excited. He thought the Whites are his long-looked for white bothers and they finally return to their land. However, the Whites did not act very friendly. According to Sarah Winnemucca, the Whites commanded the Piutes to stop and kept the Piutes at a distance. The word “commanded” shows that the Whites were arrogant and impolite. They thought they are more authoritative than the Piute and commanded them as if they had power over the Piutes. Sarah Winnemucca even asserts that the Whites’ poor manner could be steadily understood without an interpreter. Yet, I think Winnemucca’s descriptions and comments might be a bit subjective as she is a Paiute. The White’s alert is understandable, as they do not know much about the Piutes. This was the best way to protect themselves from dangers and attacks. Nevertheless, it is a pity that they could not have a placid first meeting even though Winnemucca’s Grandfather has tried his best to show his friendliness and warm welcome to the Whites by showing them he had no weapons. After all, I think the Whites could have talked to the Piutes in a more peaceful way if they wanted to be friendly to the Piutes.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Journal #8 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #8 Mark Twain
Quote:
“Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry”; and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight”; and pretty soon she would say, “Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don’t you try to behave?”
Summary:
This is what Miss Watson said when she was living with Huck.
Response:
The Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson are from upper class of the society. Instead, Huck grew up without parents. He hangs out with Tom and has adventures with Tom. He did not have a proper home. He did not receive proper education neither. From this conversation, we can see that Miss Watson is trying to “sivilize” Huck. She thinks Huck should behave better. She wanted him to behave like a boy from the upper class. However, Huck did not like to act like that. When he got into his old rags, he was “free and satisfied”. In other words, he enjoys his life without a proper home. He feels he was restricted when he was living with Widow Douglas. Even though he can get new clothes and a good place to live, he dislikes this kind of life.
These quotes also reflect the significant gap between upper and lower class in the Missouri society at that time. Miss watson wanted Huck to behave because she thinks the upper class was more distinctive. They could not act like people in the lower class. Indeed, I think this phenomenon still exists in the current society. For example, rich people tends to buy clothes from famous brands. They also tend to send their children to private school so that they can be more distinguished. To me,a society will be more peaceful if the gap between the rich and the poor is smaller. Therefore, instead of starting wars or fighting on political issues, helping the poor should be the governments' first goal.
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #8 Mark Twain
Quote:
“Don’t put your feet up there, Huckleberry”; and “don’t scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight”; and pretty soon she would say, “Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don’t you try to behave?”
Summary:
This is what Miss Watson said when she was living with Huck.
Response:
The Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson are from upper class of the society. Instead, Huck grew up without parents. He hangs out with Tom and has adventures with Tom. He did not have a proper home. He did not receive proper education neither. From this conversation, we can see that Miss Watson is trying to “sivilize” Huck. She thinks Huck should behave better. She wanted him to behave like a boy from the upper class. However, Huck did not like to act like that. When he got into his old rags, he was “free and satisfied”. In other words, he enjoys his life without a proper home. He feels he was restricted when he was living with Widow Douglas. Even though he can get new clothes and a good place to live, he dislikes this kind of life.
These quotes also reflect the significant gap between upper and lower class in the Missouri society at that time. Miss watson wanted Huck to behave because she thinks the upper class was more distinctive. They could not act like people in the lower class. Indeed, I think this phenomenon still exists in the current society. For example, rich people tends to buy clothes from famous brands. They also tend to send their children to private school so that they can be more distinguished. To me,a society will be more peaceful if the gap between the rich and the poor is smaller. Therefore, instead of starting wars or fighting on political issues, helping the poor should be the governments' first goal.
Journal #7 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #7 Mark Twain
Quotes:
“Tom laid five cents on the table for pay.”
“Tom give him five cents to keep quiet.”
“There’s two hundred dollars reward on him.”
Summary:
In the first two quotes, Tom paid five cents to slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes for three candles and stop crying respectively. The third quote appears later in the story. It indicates that people can get two hundred rewards for catching an escaped slave.
Response:
These three quotes demonstrate the value money in the Missouri society at the time of Huckleberry Finn. As Tom got treasures from his adventure, he has considerable amount of money. Thus, he gave slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes five cents very generously. To slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes, five cents is not a small sum of money. At that time, they could get some food with five cents. I found this out later in the story when Huck gave another character ten cents for buying food and sharing the food with him. In contrast, catching an escaped slave could be rewarding. I could not believe that one can get two hundred dollars reward for doing so! Two hundred dollars must be a great sum of money to most people at that time. This reflects that slaves escaping from their owners were sinners. They were committing a serious crime. Freeing a slave is also a severe crime. The remarkable reward for catching an escaped slave indicates the poor status of slaves in the society. It was really pathetic to know that the king captured Jim and sell him to others for reward. Mark Twain has effectively described the evil side of humanity through “the king”.
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #7 Mark Twain
Quotes:
“Tom laid five cents on the table for pay.”
“Tom give him five cents to keep quiet.”
“There’s two hundred dollars reward on him.”
Summary:
In the first two quotes, Tom paid five cents to slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes for three candles and stop crying respectively. The third quote appears later in the story. It indicates that people can get two hundred rewards for catching an escaped slave.
Response:
These three quotes demonstrate the value money in the Missouri society at the time of Huckleberry Finn. As Tom got treasures from his adventure, he has considerable amount of money. Thus, he gave slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes five cents very generously. To slave Jim and Little Tommy Barnes, five cents is not a small sum of money. At that time, they could get some food with five cents. I found this out later in the story when Huck gave another character ten cents for buying food and sharing the food with him. In contrast, catching an escaped slave could be rewarding. I could not believe that one can get two hundred dollars reward for doing so! Two hundred dollars must be a great sum of money to most people at that time. This reflects that slaves escaping from their owners were sinners. They were committing a serious crime. Freeing a slave is also a severe crime. The remarkable reward for catching an escaped slave indicates the poor status of slaves in the society. It was really pathetic to know that the king captured Jim and sell him to others for reward. Mark Twain has effectively described the evil side of humanity through “the king”.
Journal #6 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #6 Mark Twain
Quote:
“Twain’s many travels, including lecture tours around the globe, did not erase the rich material of his Missouri boyhood, which ran deep in his memory and imagination.”
Summary:
This is a quote from the introduction of Mark Twain. (Page 102 of The Norton Anthology – American Literature)
Response:
This quote of description of Mark Twain is clearly proved by his masterpiece, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story takes place in the Mississippi Valley, Missouri. The protagonist, Huckleberry Finn and his companion Jim traveled down the Mississippi River. In their adventure, Huck and Jim have encountered different kinds of people and incidents. The stories have demonstrated society classes in Missouri at that time. It reflects Mark Twain’s childhood in Missouri. In the first place, the public order in Missouri was not very good. Robberies and murders are common. For instance, Huck and Jim met murderers and thieves in their journey. This shows that living conditions were poor and dangerous. Moreover, people generally do not have enough money to improve their livings. Robbing and murdering are one of the solutions to them. Yet, these people are not in the lowest social class. The status of slaves is the worst. They have no rights at all. They were not considered as human. Obviously, there were also higher classes in the society, which appeared in the story. For example, the Widow Douglas and her sister have a better status in the society. They can afford to adopt Huck and own a slave. She can even offer Huck new clothes. In short, Huck’s stories have painted a picture of Missouri society at the time of Mark Twain’s childhood. Also, as stated in the explanatory before the story starts, a number of dialects are used in this piece of work. Therefore, it is apparent that Mark Twain never forgets the memory of his boyhood in Missouri.
English 48B
25 January, 2008
Journal #6 Mark Twain
Quote:
“Twain’s many travels, including lecture tours around the globe, did not erase the rich material of his Missouri boyhood, which ran deep in his memory and imagination.”
Summary:
This is a quote from the introduction of Mark Twain. (Page 102 of The Norton Anthology – American Literature)
Response:
This quote of description of Mark Twain is clearly proved by his masterpiece, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story takes place in the Mississippi Valley, Missouri. The protagonist, Huckleberry Finn and his companion Jim traveled down the Mississippi River. In their adventure, Huck and Jim have encountered different kinds of people and incidents. The stories have demonstrated society classes in Missouri at that time. It reflects Mark Twain’s childhood in Missouri. In the first place, the public order in Missouri was not very good. Robberies and murders are common. For instance, Huck and Jim met murderers and thieves in their journey. This shows that living conditions were poor and dangerous. Moreover, people generally do not have enough money to improve their livings. Robbing and murdering are one of the solutions to them. Yet, these people are not in the lowest social class. The status of slaves is the worst. They have no rights at all. They were not considered as human. Obviously, there were also higher classes in the society, which appeared in the story. For example, the Widow Douglas and her sister have a better status in the society. They can afford to adopt Huck and own a slave. She can even offer Huck new clothes. In short, Huck’s stories have painted a picture of Missouri society at the time of Mark Twain’s childhood. Also, as stated in the explanatory before the story starts, a number of dialects are used in this piece of work. Therefore, it is apparent that Mark Twain never forgets the memory of his boyhood in Missouri.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Journal #5 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
24 January, 2008
Journal #5 Mark Twain
Quote”
"'All right, then, I’ll go to hell'"
Summary:
This is a famous quote from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck struggled whether he should free Miss Watson’s slave Jim. He was anxious because he believed that he would go to hell if he free a slave. This quote is what Huck said to himself when he decided.
Response:
In this story, Mark Twain demonstrates what are taught and perceived in the American society at that time. Conceptions and practices in slavery are exclusively included. Huck strongly believes that he will go to hell if he frees a slave. This shows the social perception on slavery at that time. Slaves were not considered human. They were one’s properties. They could be traded. Therefore, freeing one’s slave means stealing. In the twenty-first century, we agree that freeing slaves is a right thing. But in Mark Twain’s time, it is even the biggest sin of all and people believe they will go to hell if they free a slave! This surprises me. It is a ridiculous and horrible perception.
On the other hand, I think Huck is superstitious. Earlier in the story, for example, he believes that killing a spider brings him bad luck. He also believes tying his hair up with a thread can keep witches away. Nevertheless, this quote highlights that Huck believes he will definitely go to hell even though he decided to free Jim. I think these are actually general believes in the south at that time. Huck was taught about these. To me, Mark Twain intentionally makes Huck a superstitious boy so that he can demonstrate the old believes of the nineteenth-century society in the States.
An Astounding Picture of a Slave Auction
English 48B
24 January, 2008
Journal #5 Mark Twain
Quote”
"'All right, then, I’ll go to hell'"
Summary:
This is a famous quote from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck struggled whether he should free Miss Watson’s slave Jim. He was anxious because he believed that he would go to hell if he free a slave. This quote is what Huck said to himself when he decided.
Response:
In this story, Mark Twain demonstrates what are taught and perceived in the American society at that time. Conceptions and practices in slavery are exclusively included. Huck strongly believes that he will go to hell if he frees a slave. This shows the social perception on slavery at that time. Slaves were not considered human. They were one’s properties. They could be traded. Therefore, freeing one’s slave means stealing. In the twenty-first century, we agree that freeing slaves is a right thing. But in Mark Twain’s time, it is even the biggest sin of all and people believe they will go to hell if they free a slave! This surprises me. It is a ridiculous and horrible perception.
On the other hand, I think Huck is superstitious. Earlier in the story, for example, he believes that killing a spider brings him bad luck. He also believes tying his hair up with a thread can keep witches away. Nevertheless, this quote highlights that Huck believes he will definitely go to hell even though he decided to free Jim. I think these are actually general believes in the south at that time. Huck was taught about these. To me, Mark Twain intentionally makes Huck a superstitious boy so that he can demonstrate the old believes of the nineteenth-century society in the States.
An Astounding Picture of a Slave AuctionJournal #4 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
23 January, 2008
Journal #4 Mark Twain
Quote
“ And I about made up my mind to pray; and see if I couldn’t try to quit being the kind of a boy I was, and be better…I was letting on to give up sin, buy away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all.”
Summary:
In Chapter XXXI of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck could not decide whether he should free Miss Watson’s slave Jim, who was sold by the king for reward. This quote is about his feeling at the time he prayed for a right decision.
Response:
This quote reveals Huck’s perception in religion. Huck does not believe in God very much. When the widow tells him a Bible story, he does not like it. He finds praying useless. Yet, Huck is taught about God. He is also taught to pray. Even though Huck does not have a strong believe in God, he prays when he encounters fear and difficulties in making decisions. In this scene, Huck wanted to free Jim. Huck struggled a lot because he perceives that he is stealing Miss Watson’s property if he frees Jim. Therefore, he tried to pray, hoping he can do the right thing. On the other hand, I think Huck believe there’s God somehow, no matter who the God is. He believes he will go to hell if he frees a slave. In other words, he believes God will not let him go to heaven if he frees Jim. To me, Huck does not have a clear stance. He is profoundly affected by general conceptions in the society.
Moreover, we can see from the quote that Huck wanted to quit being “the kind of a boy” he was. He robbed. He stayed quiet when he saw injustice. Now, he wants to give up sin by praying. At the same time, Huck realizes he wants to free Jim and freeing Jim is a right thing to do indeed. However, he was taught that this is not right and this is even the biggest sin of all. Thus, he finds it hard to “give up sin” and free Jim.
English 48B
23 January, 2008
Journal #4 Mark Twain
Quote
“ And I about made up my mind to pray; and see if I couldn’t try to quit being the kind of a boy I was, and be better…I was letting on to give up sin, buy away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all.”
Summary:
In Chapter XXXI of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck could not decide whether he should free Miss Watson’s slave Jim, who was sold by the king for reward. This quote is about his feeling at the time he prayed for a right decision.
Response:
This quote reveals Huck’s perception in religion. Huck does not believe in God very much. When the widow tells him a Bible story, he does not like it. He finds praying useless. Yet, Huck is taught about God. He is also taught to pray. Even though Huck does not have a strong believe in God, he prays when he encounters fear and difficulties in making decisions. In this scene, Huck wanted to free Jim. Huck struggled a lot because he perceives that he is stealing Miss Watson’s property if he frees Jim. Therefore, he tried to pray, hoping he can do the right thing. On the other hand, I think Huck believe there’s God somehow, no matter who the God is. He believes he will go to hell if he frees a slave. In other words, he believes God will not let him go to heaven if he frees Jim. To me, Huck does not have a clear stance. He is profoundly affected by general conceptions in the society.
Moreover, we can see from the quote that Huck wanted to quit being “the kind of a boy” he was. He robbed. He stayed quiet when he saw injustice. Now, he wants to give up sin by praying. At the same time, Huck realizes he wants to free Jim and freeing Jim is a right thing to do indeed. However, he was taught that this is not right and this is even the biggest sin of all. Thus, he finds it hard to “give up sin” and free Jim.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Journal #3 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
18 January, 2008
Journal #3 Mark Twain
Quote:
“But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner.”
Summary:
This is a quote taken from “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. Simon Wheeler was telling Mark Twain about Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was addicted to gambling. He bet on everything and he was the winner most of the time. Simon Wheeler thinks Jim Smiley has uncommon luck.
Response:
Jim Smiley’s story triggers my thought on the problem of addiction in gambling and a Chinese proverb “an army puffed up with pride is bound to lose”. Obviously, Jim Smiley is addicted to gambling. He bets on everything. He even bet on the life of Parson Walker’s wife. This is so rude! I believe that he is addicted to gambling because he has been the winner in bets most of the time. He thinks he can always win. Thus, he enjoys in betting on everything, regardless of the natures of his bets. The joy of winning is the greatest reinforcement in gambling. In casinos, many people want to keep on gambling no matter they are winning or losing because they want to have another chance of winning. That’s why gambling is addictive. With his “uncommon luck”, Jim Smiley fell in to a “trap” of gambling.
Later in the story, Jim Smiley lost when he was placing a bet on his jumping frog with a stranger. The stranger cheated by filling Jim’s frog with quail shot. Jim’s frog could not jump as it usually did. To me, this proves the proverb “an army puffed up with pride is bound to lose”. Jim Smiley is proud of his frog and his uncommon luck. It turns out that he lost. Indeed, it is pretty easy to make him lose! This is very sarcastic.
English 48B
18 January, 2008
Journal #3 Mark Twain
Quote:
“But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner.”
Summary:
This is a quote taken from “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. Simon Wheeler was telling Mark Twain about Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley was addicted to gambling. He bet on everything and he was the winner most of the time. Simon Wheeler thinks Jim Smiley has uncommon luck.
Response:
Jim Smiley’s story triggers my thought on the problem of addiction in gambling and a Chinese proverb “an army puffed up with pride is bound to lose”. Obviously, Jim Smiley is addicted to gambling. He bets on everything. He even bet on the life of Parson Walker’s wife. This is so rude! I believe that he is addicted to gambling because he has been the winner in bets most of the time. He thinks he can always win. Thus, he enjoys in betting on everything, regardless of the natures of his bets. The joy of winning is the greatest reinforcement in gambling. In casinos, many people want to keep on gambling no matter they are winning or losing because they want to have another chance of winning. That’s why gambling is addictive. With his “uncommon luck”, Jim Smiley fell in to a “trap” of gambling.
Later in the story, Jim Smiley lost when he was placing a bet on his jumping frog with a stranger. The stranger cheated by filling Jim’s frog with quail shot. Jim’s frog could not jump as it usually did. To me, this proves the proverb “an army puffed up with pride is bound to lose”. Jim Smiley is proud of his frog and his uncommon luck. It turns out that he lost. Indeed, it is pretty easy to make him lose! This is very sarcastic.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Journal #2 Mark Twain
Shirly Ong
English 48B
17 January, 2008
Journal #2 Mark Twain
Quote:
“It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.”
Summary:
This is the conclusion Mark Twain made at the end of The War Prayer. He’s referring to the man who interrupted the ceremony and leaded the prayer. In his prayer, he asked God to help destroying the enemy of his own country.
Response:
In this piece of work, the war is supported by the citizens. They are proud to have a son fighting in the war. They believe that soldiers “die the noblest of noble deaths” in war. It seems Mark Twain was in favor of wars. However, this is only an illusion. To me, The War Prayer is an anti-war article.
In the stranger’s prayer, he prayed in the hope that God can help demolishing the enemies. He even described how the God could help demolishing them in details. Those are actually what happen in wars. Indeed, Mark Twain is trying to demonstrate the damage of wars through the stranger’s prayer. Written during the Philippine-American War, this piece of writing was not published at the time it was finished. Even though this article was not published until later, I think Mark Twain has made a conclusion to The War Prayer cleverly. In this quote, Twain claims that people think there was no sense in what the stranger said. By saying that the stranger who interrupted the ceremony was a lunatic, Twain indirectly points out his opinion - those who start wars are lunatics. In this way, he could not be easily accused of anti-war or anti-government even if the work was published.
On the other hand, I think Twain was also commenting on the religious belief of other people at that time through this piece of work. Some words of the strangers, which include “bearing a message from the Almighty God” and “you have heard your servant’s prayer,” represent the general religious believes. In other words, Twain thinks these make no sense. To my understanding of The War Prayer, Twain was neither in favor of war nor religion.
English 48B
17 January, 2008
Journal #2 Mark Twain
Quote:
“It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.”
Summary:
This is the conclusion Mark Twain made at the end of The War Prayer. He’s referring to the man who interrupted the ceremony and leaded the prayer. In his prayer, he asked God to help destroying the enemy of his own country.
Response:
In this piece of work, the war is supported by the citizens. They are proud to have a son fighting in the war. They believe that soldiers “die the noblest of noble deaths” in war. It seems Mark Twain was in favor of wars. However, this is only an illusion. To me, The War Prayer is an anti-war article.
In the stranger’s prayer, he prayed in the hope that God can help demolishing the enemies. He even described how the God could help demolishing them in details. Those are actually what happen in wars. Indeed, Mark Twain is trying to demonstrate the damage of wars through the stranger’s prayer. Written during the Philippine-American War, this piece of writing was not published at the time it was finished. Even though this article was not published until later, I think Mark Twain has made a conclusion to The War Prayer cleverly. In this quote, Twain claims that people think there was no sense in what the stranger said. By saying that the stranger who interrupted the ceremony was a lunatic, Twain indirectly points out his opinion - those who start wars are lunatics. In this way, he could not be easily accused of anti-war or anti-government even if the work was published.
On the other hand, I think Twain was also commenting on the religious belief of other people at that time through this piece of work. Some words of the strangers, which include “bearing a message from the Almighty God” and “you have heard your servant’s prayer,” represent the general religious believes. In other words, Twain thinks these make no sense. To my understanding of The War Prayer, Twain was neither in favor of war nor religion.
Journal #1 Ambrose Bierce
Shirly Ong
English 48B
17 January, 2008
Journal #1 Ambrose Bierce
Quote:
Optimism -- The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong…Being a blind faith, it is …an intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death. It is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious.
Summary:
This is Ambrose Bierce’s definition of optimism in this Devil’s Dictionary. It demonstrates Bierce’s philosophy.
Response:
From this quote, we can learn that Ambrose Bierce is an obvious pessimist. He disapproves optimism. He thinks optimism is “a blind faith” and “an intellectual disorder”. To me, his view on optimism is not very reasonable. His extreme pessimism distorts the true definition of optimism. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, optimism is “the tendency to be hopeful and to emphasize the good part of a situation rather than the bad part; the belief that good things will happen in the future”. Emphasizing the good part of a situation is different from believing a bad situation is good. I do not agree with Bierce that optimists believe everything is good. An optimist clearly knows the bad part of a situation when he emphasizes the good part. He does not ignore the bad part by believing it is good. Therefore, I believe optimism is not a blind faith. Instead, being optimistic is a better way of facing bad situations than being pessimistic. Being optimistic can reinforce one to work for better future while being pessimistic discourages one to do so as pessimism brings hopelessness. It is not surprise that people commit suicide when they are hopeless and helpless. In other words, pessimism can lead to death. This contradicts Bierce’s definition.
Even though Bierce’s definition of optimism is sarcastic and in fact fallacious, it is understandable because Bierce is well known of his pessimism and cynicism. The last sentence of this quote demonstrates Bierce’s sense of humor and sarcasms well. To him, optimism is evil. Thus, he believes it is fortunate that optimism is not contagious. This quote is remarkable to me.
English 48B
17 January, 2008
Journal #1 Ambrose Bierce
Quote:
Optimism -- The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong…Being a blind faith, it is …an intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death. It is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious.
Summary:
This is Ambrose Bierce’s definition of optimism in this Devil’s Dictionary. It demonstrates Bierce’s philosophy.
Response:
From this quote, we can learn that Ambrose Bierce is an obvious pessimist. He disapproves optimism. He thinks optimism is “a blind faith” and “an intellectual disorder”. To me, his view on optimism is not very reasonable. His extreme pessimism distorts the true definition of optimism. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, optimism is “the tendency to be hopeful and to emphasize the good part of a situation rather than the bad part; the belief that good things will happen in the future”. Emphasizing the good part of a situation is different from believing a bad situation is good. I do not agree with Bierce that optimists believe everything is good. An optimist clearly knows the bad part of a situation when he emphasizes the good part. He does not ignore the bad part by believing it is good. Therefore, I believe optimism is not a blind faith. Instead, being optimistic is a better way of facing bad situations than being pessimistic. Being optimistic can reinforce one to work for better future while being pessimistic discourages one to do so as pessimism brings hopelessness. It is not surprise that people commit suicide when they are hopeless and helpless. In other words, pessimism can lead to death. This contradicts Bierce’s definition.
Even though Bierce’s definition of optimism is sarcastic and in fact fallacious, it is understandable because Bierce is well known of his pessimism and cynicism. The last sentence of this quote demonstrates Bierce’s sense of humor and sarcasms well. To him, optimism is evil. Thus, he believes it is fortunate that optimism is not contagious. This quote is remarkable to me.
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