Category: Uncategorized

New Year’s Sacrifice

 

The aspect that appeals to me the most is the human nature of kindness versus coldness. As the story progresses I found that the interactions that Hsiang Lin’s wife faced became colder and colder. Her husband had died and she found a home with the narrators uncle’s family. Through this she became happier. However tragedy hits her and her mother in law comes and forcibly takes her and sells her off to marriage. Her life during and after this series of events just continued to go downhill. Throughout this I found that the author really showed how human nature often is at times. People often judge someone based on what they hear rather than what they know. Hsiang Lin’s wife was the object of everyone’s attention when she had something to give or share, however when everyone had already heard her story, they were not interested. I found this to be very accurate of how people often are. We tend to get tired of things very easily and therefore lose sympathy or empathy for people. I think personally, this relates to the modern example of people asking for help on the subways. Originally I had felt sympathy for those who asked for help but after continuous exposure to these people, often times I would just put in my earphones and ignore them. In the case of Hsiang Lin’s wife, I feel like she was forced into isolation by everyone. Noone wanted to hear about her hardships. I also enjoyed how the author kind of touches upon customs and traditions to emphasize how people saw Hsiang Lin’s wife. In Chinese culture, new years is a very important and a time for us to honor ancestors, traditions through sacrifices and such. The fact that the author showed how the uncle and aunt did not want Hsiang Lin’s wife near or touching any of the ancestral items, shows how they saw her. They saw her as unholy and felt like she would sully the sacrifice. I felt like the author did an extremely good job of displaying the extent to how Hsiang Lin’s wife was seen. She had originally been in charge of all ancestral preparations and now she was left with nothing to do.  Overall, I thought that this story was very sad and I felt bad for the main character. She was hit with bad luck on bad luck and even after she passed, she was seen as a nuisance.

Frankenstein

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjJ2UvZjTew

 

‘But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing. I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself. I look on the hands which executed the deed; I think on the heart in which the imagination of it was conceived and long for the moment when these hands will meet my eyes, when that imagination will haunt my thoughts no more.’

 

Frankenstein has always been known to me as a monster that was created by a mad scientist. I think that growing up, I was exposed to Frankenstein as being bad and scary. Frankenstein has always been known to me as a monster that was created by a mad scientist. Going into this great work by Mary Shelley I was kind of surprised by many things. I thought that the quote above is such a great depiction inside the head of the monster. This quote is found at the end of the story, after Dr. Frankenstein has died. The monster shows remorse and feels sorrow for the things he has done. He shows that he himself knows and sees how much of a monster he is. As he says “You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself.” I think this speaks a lot about how we view the monster. Personally, I felt throughout the story anger for the monster. I felt as though he had killed so many people and ruined so many lives. Rather than blaming Dr.Frankenstein for creating the monster in the first place. I think this quote really shows how the monster believes he is capable of being good, however everything around him as influenced him to become the monster he is. That he was set up for failure and no one hates him more than himself. The video I chose is a summary of Frankenstein. I chose this mainly because I felt that the story itself is extremely long and I would be lost throughout it. I believe that the summary video was very helpful. It allowed me to picture the story. Along with that I really enjoyed how the end left us wondering whether it was the monster or Dr.Frankenstein that was at fault. This is very similar to how the story ends as well. I was left with the idea that maybe the monster isn’t a monster after all. Reading Frankenstein really showed me a new side of the story and helped me understand more of the monster.

Oroonoko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Eid3m80D0

 

“Much more to this effect he spoke, with an air impatient enough to make me know he would not be long in bondage; and though he suffer’d only the name of a slave, and had nothing of the toil and labour of one, yet that was sufficient to render him uneasy; and he had been too long idle, who us’d to be always in action, and in arms. “

 

Oroonoko is about a man from royalty who is captured into slavery. Although from various parts of the story, you would not think that Oroonoko was in slavery. I thought that the quote, listed above, is a extremely good description of Oroonoko’s slavery. Although he may be one in name, the way he was treated and his actions as well, were not that of a slave. Compared to others, he would not be considered a slave, however Oroonoko still was one and this made him want to rebel. I think Oroonoko’s character is very hypocritical. He has no problem engaging in the selling and trading of slaves, until he himself becomes one. His life as a slave is not a big problem until it becomes one for him, when he thinks about his future with his children. The video I chose is a summary of Oroonoko. Throughout the video, the narrator does point out the key points that are apparent in the novel. I liked how the narrator gave a brief history of what was happening during the time and a little bit of the author’s background. I think knowing that also allowed me create a new point of view of the author’s words. Oroonoko is continuously described as beautiful and royal. Due to his beauty, despite being someone of color he is respected in a way for how beautiful he is. Even being described as having Roman features. Along with that, him and Imoinda (Clemene) are both extremely beautiful. Both of them are treated as royalty in slaves. The author even describes them as being treated differently and being looked up to by the other slaves because of their beauty. I don’t find myself feeling empathy for them. All in all, I don’t particularly like the plot of Oroonoko. I think it’s very hypocritical and I find myself not liking Oroonoko. I liked how the video provided a visual representation of the main characters, I felt myself being able to better imagine what Oroonoko would be like. Along with that, the video allowed to be isolate main points of the story and follow along better. Which inevitably led to my dislike of Oroonoko and feeling unhappy with the story as well as the ending.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y3izEP3o4Y

1:00 – 1:50

For Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, I chose a video from Opus Arte of a dance performance from the Royal Opera House. The video depicts Kafka’s work through dance and music. I chose this video because it was very appealing to me in terms of interpretation. The work was at first very confusing to me. My interpretation of the work was that Gregor was an overworked man who was abused and used. This pushed him over the edge and he saw himself as an insect, literally. However from the video, I saw it was depicted as much more disturbing. From 1:00 to 1:50, in the video, it shows how much the everyone wants to get into Gregor’s room. Everyone wants to be aware of him and the focus is on him. However, as they reach the room, the lighting and music, as well as the dancers change dramatically. I especially loved how the lighting made the emphasis on how Gregor’s family and boss didn’t even want to look at him. I really enjoyed how the dancer who was portraying Gregor was positioned. It was really disturbing to look at how his body was positioned and I thought that was very accurate of what Kafka was trying to show in his text. I could understand the fear and horror of what his parents saw. Along with that, the paint on his body further emphasized how he was not meant to be seen. The lighting was also very accurate as we could tell that after being discovered, he didn’t want to be seen. Gregor wanted to be in his own cave. I thought this was an extremely excellent show that the Royal Opera House did. It made it clear what was going on and could also help us understand the fear and how horrid the situation was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwiA8nC9C0w

 

1:25-1:50

 

“Nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance. If the individual so resisted be of a not inhumane temper, and the resisting one perfectly harmless in his passivity; then, in the better moods of the former, he will endeavor charitably to construe to his imagination what proves impossible to be solved by his judgment. Even so, for the most part, I regarded Bartleby and his ways”

 

This video shows a modern trailer  from a 2001 remake of Bartleby. I chose his video because it was a very interesting thing to see the work and words come onto life in a form of visual representation. The video vaguely, the beginning, reminded me of having a 1984 (by George Orwell) vibe to it. The video was dreary and the colors are very monotone, it felt similar to the uniformity in 1984. From my original interpretation of the text, before reading explanations, I believed that the story was just about a man who was defiant against a boss. The defiance was just strange. This video however, backs up the idea that maybe Bartleby is meant to be shown as a symbol of defiance against the changing times in Wall Street. I enjoy how the video shows in the beginning, just a “normal” life of the people working at the office. Initially nothing is defined and it is shown as just any office rather than that particularly of the lawyers office. The video is very humorous as well, showing hilarious things that happen throughout the office normally. Then, when Bartleby comes, the mood and music begin to change. The scenes from 0:53 through 1:25 begin to show the different personalities of the characters. I found it extremely helpful seeing the characters in action. However, I found the part from 1:25 to 1:50 to be the most interesting. It very clearly shows how Bartleby begins to affect the lawyer and put a nudge into his daily lifestyle. It emphasizes the idea that, as the author lawyer says, “nothing so aggravates an earnest person as a passive resistance.” Bartleby is an average person, if not for the fact that he doesn’t wish to do the things that are told. Due to this, his actions are seen as passive aggressive and it puts a toll on the people working in the office and the lawyer. I believe this really shows how a small defiance my lead to things going to extremely disastrous endings. This video brings comedy and humor into the text to show us the main points of Bartleby. I think it does a great job in explaining the different characters and points of the story, as well as makes me want to watch the actual movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IE17z3NvXo

14

The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night,

Ya-honk he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation,

The pert may suppose it meaningless, but I listening close,

Find its purpose and place up there toward the wintry sky.

 

The sharp-hoof’d moose of the north, the cat on the house-sill, the chickadee, the prairie-dog,

The litter of the grunting sow as they tug at her teats,

The brood of the turkey-hen and she with her half-spread wings,

I see in them and myself the same old law.

 

The press of my foot to the earth springs a hundred affections,

They scorn the best I can do to relate them.

 

I am enamour’d of growing out-doors,

Of men that live among cattle or taste of the ocean or woods,

Of the builders and steerers of ships and the wielders of axes and mauls, and the drivers of horses,

I can eat and sleep with them week in and week out.

 

What is commonest, cheapest, nearest, easiest, is Me,

Me going in for my chances, spending for vast returns,

Adorning myself to bestow myself on the first that will take me,

Not asking the sky to come down to my good will,

Scattering it freely forever.

 

From the 52 Stanzas of Song of Myself, I found the 14th one to be my favorite. From this, the video I chose is also a reading of the stanza by WhyPoetryMatters. In this section, Whitman describes the many subtle things in nature. He says that the most simple things such as walking on earth is hard to describe. My interpretation of this section was that, Whitman is telling us to enjoy the small things in life and be appreciative. I chose this video for this stanza because I enjoyed how the video was put together. The images that correspond and match with the words from the poem are very accurate to what Whitman is trying to describe to us. For example in the beginning of the video, at 0:10, the poem begins and a picture of wild gander flying through the night as a flock appears. It actually allowed me to see the feel of the gander flock flying the night. The picture allowed me to feel what I saw. I felt that the visuals was a very nice way to keep me engaged in a way. It provided me with a simple explanation or context for the words. Along with that, another thing that I found very appealing to me about this video was the fact that there was very light background music playing. Music allows the words to have feeling. When the music goes up, I know that it’s more serious and when the music is calm I know that the message being relayed is also calm. Another reason I chose this video was because, personally I am not very into poetry and I don’t read it very well. I enjoyed the way the author read it. Each pause and each slight change in tone had a meaning and allowed me to get into the mood of the words. The video was very well made and the narrator created a nice feeling for what the meaning to those words are. It allows people who aren’t interested in poetry to have someone else explain the poem through their tone, while still giving us the chance to intererate it for ourselves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0_ptatf6Lc&t=1s

The video commentary I chose for Don Quixote is a summary by The Book Tutor. I chose this particular video because I was very drawn towards the artwork. As someone who had never read Don Quixote before coming to this class, I found the animated book summary to be extremely simple to understand. The video uses simple arts to support the quick summary that the narrative gives. Although the drawings may be simple, the time and effort put into making the video and having everything come together so smoothly is very difficult. The maker of this video really shows a deep understanding of the plot and story. They are not only able to summarize the work but also provide visuals of the most important things that they found to be important to backing up what they are saying. Along with that, I enjoyed fact that along with the artwork, there were simple words to describe and point out the characters. A visual is very helpful to keeping track of who is who. Normally while reading many of these works, it becomes confusing to distinguish names to characters and through this I found it easy to understand and know who each character is. I believe that before reading the actual work, watching this simple summary will help readers keep track of the characters and better follow along with the plot. However, one negative aspect from this video is that, due to the fact that it is a summary, there are small puns and humor that can be missed from the work. As shown in the video, Don Quixote is seen as a fool who is blindly following a nonsense fantasy. However, I believe that reading the book gives a deeper understanding of the character. We do not get to create our own views and expectations of characters in the book. We are given a preset behavior and trait for the characters from what the narrator believes. For readers like myself, I still enjoy watching summaries and videos like this one to help me better understand the work. For example, at 1:17 in the video, it begins telling the scene from the inn. When reading the story however, the details vary. In the text, it says 

“While this was going on there came up to the inn a sowgelder, who, as he approached, sounded his reed pipe four or five times, and thereby completely convinced Don Quixote that he was in some famous castle, and that they were regaling him with music, and that the stockfish was trout, the bread the whitest, the wenches ladies, and the landlord the castellan of the castle; and consequently he held that his enterprise and sally had been to some purpose. But still it distressed him to think he had not been dubbed a knight, for it was plain to him he could not lawfully engage in any adventure without receiving the order of knighthood.”

From this, I perceived it as Don Quixote was sad from the fact that he had not been dubbed a knight and couldn’t even enjoy the food. This varies from the summary where it was said he was angry that he had to pay for his food because knights didn’t have to in stories he’s read. I am sure that there are many other acts from the text that vary from the summary. However, I still see this summary as extremely well put and simple to understand.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvWYn_-sE2o

 

I chose a mean girls remake of Act 3 Scene 7 of King Lear. This is a very short scene that is towards the middle of the play. It is a very gruesome part and really shows the true nature of the king’s two bad daughters. I thought that this was an interesting take of the particular scene. In short, Gloucester betrays the King’s 2 daughters and helps the king to dover. In return, Gloucester is branded a traitor and has his eyes gouged out as punishment. A servant who attempts to defend Gloucester is then branded a traitor as well and is eventually killed. I felt that the creators of the remake took this very dramatic and gruesome scene and put it in a simpler way for us to understand. They took Gloucester’s betrayal and put it in modern terms. Taking a very popular movie and using it as a basis. Gloucester helping the king escape was put as the equivalent of if a friend in your group started dating your ex boyfriend/girlfriend. Regan and Cornwall are portrayed as the mean girls who hate the girl who their ex starts dating. The servant who died trying to defend Gloucester became the equivalent of having to choose sides and being punished for choosing the friend who is dating the ex. The remake is very comedic and puts this scene from a very gory and violent scene to one where you can laugh about it. I particularly like the simple choice of using mean girls as well. The movie is an extremely popular production and many people have watched it before. Rather than doing a boring remake of the scene, it’s very refreshing to view it in a way people now can understand. Although it is far from the actual scene in the play, the creators were very good at portraying the deeper meaning of the scene. Someone betrayed the group and they were punished for it.  

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