English 2850: Great Works of Literature II

Hi everyone, my name is Ali Zandani. I’m a sophomore at Zicklin school of business and recently transferred from laguardia community college where I was majoring in business administration. Currently, I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing management. I’m originally from Yemen. And I know most of you don’t know where Yemen is. It’s in the Middle East. I came to the United States at the age of 11 with my whole family. And I’m really lucky that I came to the United States in 2010 because a year after I left Yemen, a revolution started and that’s when the Arab spring began. I came from a small village so New York was totally a new experience for me. I never knew what city life was like until I came to NY. And of course I came to the United States to look for a better life since the It has a lot of opportunities. I had difficulty communicating with people because of the language barrier. I went to middle school here for 2 years and another 4 years In High school. It was really fun experience as I was learning the language and adjusting my accent. It took me two to three years to learn the language and then another few years to kinda speak it fluently. Furthermore, I love listening to different types of music. I love exercising whenever I have free time because it relieves my stress and  keeps me in shape. I love communicating with different people and learn about different cultures. I also love traveling.

As of my future goals, after graduating from Baruch with a bachelor degree in business. I will be going into real estate. Doing real estate in New York is a Win Win. Also, I might be getting my masters degree in petroleum engineering. I know it is off track but I have been thinking about it. If I’m going to do petroleum engineering for my masters degree, I will try to help my country because it’s really rich in natural resources like oil and gas. 

Hiiiiiiiiiii my name is Daniel Zhavoronkin and I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in marketing management. For the formative years of my life (birth 2 first grade) I lived in a very sparsely populated town in russia known as Apsheronsk, located in the Krasnodarsky Krai right next to the black sea. Most of this time was spent on my grandparents’ farm and on the rocky beaches of the sea. When I moved to New York, I was taken aback by the myriad of cultures and the financial + artistic epicenter that is Manhattan. My town had no tourism or foreigners, so this stark contrast has served as great inspiration for me (and still does). I want to be a fashion designer, as I think couture and everyday clothing are the most understated markers of culture and history since what we wear reflects our lifestyles and the world around us. I also like cooking. My parents were very strict about keeping our roots and only eating russian food, and I got v tired of that so I taught myself how to cook over the years. Recently I’ve been venturing into Indian cuisine because their careful attention to flavors and details fascinates me. If anyone here likes tomato bisque, try making a tamatar shorba! It’s a dish that doesn’t ask for too much maintenance and i find that using cherry tomatoes alongside paprika and fenugreek creates a nice flavor contrast between tangy and smoky.

My high school experience was erratic. I worked at a sneaker store which I’d walk to almost every day after school, and after work I’d work on my school projects into the late hours of the night. Amidst all of this, I also somehow managed to cram varsity tennis, the IB diploma, and three summer internships into my schedule. I’m currently trying to take things more slowly and take the time to explore myself and the many experiences that the city has to offer.

I always enjoy conversations about art and fashion, and I’d love to talk to any fellow enthusiasts! Currently, my favorite couture show so far is Viktor and Rolf’s spring summer 2016 show “performance of sculptures”. Even if you’re not avid for fashion, it’s worth a watch!

Hello everyone! My name is Ryan. I am a junior at Zicklin and a transfer student from Fordham University. I am currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Finance. After graduating from Baruch, I am planning to go to a graduate school in New York. Unlike most of the people at Baruch, I come from outside of New York. I was originally born in Japan and lived there for eight years. My family decided to move to Shanghai after that, and I attended school there until I was sixteen. I went to all-boys Jesuit high school in Connecticut while staying with a host family. During my time in high school, I was able to pick up and adjust to American culture and made a lot of friends here. Aside from my school life, music has always been one of my biggest passions in life. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with listening to music, and I still spend most of my time of the day doing that. Realizing that just listening to music didn’t satisfy me, I started writing songs in high school and soon learned how to operate the digital audio workstation to produce/compose them. Because of my interest in music production, I got to meet a bunch of people who are either around or active in the music industry. Additionally, I was able to have the opportunities to learn from professionals. Music production has opened so many doors for me that I could’ve ever imagined. I am looking forward to pursuing a career in/related to the music industry after I graduate.

Here are just some of the artists I’ve recently been listening to on repeat: Tame Impala, Beach House, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, N.E.R.D, Amy Winehosue, etc. Feel free to come up to me and talk about music as I always enjoy those conversations!

— Discuss the theme of appearances or masks in Tartuffe? How does the issue of appearances vs. reality connect with the central concerns of the play?

— Discuss the role of Dorine, Mariane’s lady maid. What kind of servant is she? What role does she play in the action of the drama?

— How is the institution of marriage treated in Tartuffe? What are some of the models or ideals of marriage that are raised by Moliere or his characters?

— Describe the character of Orgon. Why do you think he’s so vulnerable to Tartuffe?

— Can you think of a contemporary example of the kind of religious hypocrisy exemplified in Tartuffe?

— Describe one aspect of the play that seems very modern to you and one that seems very dated or old-fashioned.

Hi everyone, my name is Abdulla Al Sudman and I am a transfer student from Brooklyn College. I was seven years old when I came here from Bangladesh (BD). That’s a long enough time that when I go back, I feel like a complete foreigner. I get very excited about the exchange rate and having bundles of money in my hands. Furthermore, experiencing the “road manners” is terrifying and sitting in traffic for hours is excruciating. But regardless of all of that I love being there, especially spending time with my family. I want to see more of BD other than the capital but there’s never enough time to do so. In actuality, there are tons of places that I want to see, but for different reasons. Every place tells a different story and all of it is interesting. There’s something unique about traveling that stops me from worrying or overthinking things and allows me to just be in the moment, which is why I really enjoy it. Also I must add that I love eating, like I don’t think I love food but I enjoy eating that food. Like I could have the same thing day in, day out without complaining. I would say I love eating more than I love going to the gym, but it’s a close match. Although, I have a weak stomach so I might love to see the world but my stomach is on a completely different wavelength. Regarding my education, last semester I would have said that I was looking forward to a career in finance in which I would start off as a financial analyst, and climb the ladder towards my investment banking career. At that time, I was looking forward to working hard and making “serious money,” but that wasn’t something that I was really interested in. On the other hand, I have always entertained the idea of having a company in which I own a bunch of properties which I rent, buy, sell, develop, etc. I thought it was something that I would get around to doing when I had enough money but that doesn’t have to be the case. So now I’m looking towards majoring in real estate, but not sure yet on where exactly I’ll go from there. When it comes to English classes though, I have always found that this subject has the best teachers but that’s important because otherwise, I really am not the biggest fan of the subject. I am not the biggest reader (I tend to just read non-fiction books on investing or other self-help books) and I dread writing essays. As a result of this, I tend to like classes which are more opinion based. But regardless of how this class will be, I hope I get to learn about some great pieces of literature and get an A while doing so.

Hi everyone! My name is Audre Wheeler and I am a sophomore here at Baruch. Currently, my major is Management in Musical Enterprises through the Weissman School but I am interested in expanding and possibly double majoring in this and Film. I’ve been at Baruch since I started college so if you ever need a hand around campus just let me know! I am a New York native, I have lived in Brooklyn all of my life and most of my family is from here as well. My grandfather on my mother’s side is originally from Barbados and some of my family still live there. Unfortunately, I only speak English but I plan to minor in French. I’ve always wanted to learn another language and since I was only able to take French in 10th grade, I thought that I’d continue now. I’ve been involved with music my entire life. In 7th and 8th grade, I was apart of my middle school’s choir and had the opportunity to tour around New York state. Ever since then music has become embedded in my goals and it’s something I have always wanted to pursue. I worked at a recording studio in my senior year and attended New York University for a summer to take a class in music business. I’ve always been a very ambitious person and I’ve tried to do as much as I possibly can to get to where I want to be. I attended 3 different high schools before graduating, including an all-girls Catholic school and all-girls public school. Though difficult at times, I think the amount of transition I went through allowed me to better develop my adaptability to different situations. During most of my high school career summers, I attended an academic camp called the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. Through this experience, I was able to attend many different college-level classes and come into contact with a lot of different environments. I believe that this had helped me adapt more easily to the college lifestyle. I don’t have much of a professional writing background aside from school assignments. Personally, though, I write constantly. I write an array of things from songs to screenplays to poetry to personal essays. I’ve always been better at writing than any of my other subjects. I was never great at math or science or any technical areas but I always seemed to succeed in more creative areas. After college, whether I work in music or film, I know that writing is going to be an essential part of my job. I would like to develop my writing skills throughout college and definitely in this class. 

Hey there, my name is Armand Jayson Caguete, and I am an aspiring data analyst.

My family and I come from the Philippines so it’s pretty much in the culture to name children with two first names. You can call me Jay for short so you don’t have to worry about picking between the two, and it’s also just one syllable so it’s probably one of the easiest names to remember. I am turning 22 this year, but have only been living in New York for almost 3 years now. This is my first semester at Baruch as a transfer student majoring in Computer Information Systems specializing in Data Analytics, and plan to attend NYU after I graduate for a Master’s degree in Information Systems. Aside from my love for all things tech, I also have a passion for photography. I still consider myself an amateur, but I do try to improve my work with every picture I take. I also consider it as a backup plan, in case my career in the ever-growing field of technology plan goes awry. Aside from that, I also love to draw using the traditional technique of pencil and paper, play the guitar, and I am a big fan of TV series. My favorites include Scorpion, Sherlock, Supernatural, Vikings, and Friends. I also like to travel, and the number one destination I want to go to but still haven’t is Europe, especially Paris and the UK. Most of the traveling I have done in the past is explore the hundreds of islands of my home country, but I have also been to other countries such as Dubai and Hong Kong. I also (learned to) love math since it’s pretty much a staple in learning how to write code and read machine language. Participating vocally in class isn’t really the sharpest tool in my shed, so I am looking forward to trying for the rest of the semester.

Hi everyone, my name is Hailey Egan and I am 21. I am originally from a small town about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia but I moved to New York last year for school. I love living here more than anything and since moving here, I can’t imagine on ever wanting to live anywhere else so I hope to one day find a good paying job here so I can stay here after all of my studies are completed. The only thing I really miss about living in Pennsylvania is being able to drive everywhere instead of having to take the train. I miss being able to sleep in because I could just drive places early in the morning, but other than that, I love everything about NYC. I’m majoring in corporate communications with a minor in marketing! After I graduate from Baruch, I hope to attend either NYU or Columbia for my masters. Some of my favorite things include photography, traveling, writing, and I’m a really big movie person. One of my favorite actors is Timothee Chalamet who I actually had the opportunity to meet twice, which is probably the most fun thing I can think of about myself. Other than the fact that I have two cats while being allergic and having really bad asthma haha. When it comes to traveling, I have only been to a few different countries but I have traveled mostly all across the states. I have an upcoming trip with my best friend to Europe soon, so I’m really excited, especially to visit Italy because all of my grandfather’s family is my Italy and I really want to get a chance to see where my family comes from.

English centered classes have always been some of my favorites because I love writing especially when its creative essays that I can express myself in. I’ve never really been a big fan of math class and sciences, but I love love love any type of english or literature class so I’m really looking forward to the rest of this semester in this class!

Hello Everyone, I’m Yanyan Chen, I am 20 this year. I’m currently a senior student majoring in Finance. I am from a dual Bachelor’s degree program with Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. So, before I transferred to Baruch, I have studied in a Chinese University for two years. After I completing my study at Baruch, I will study for my master’s degree at National University of Singapore in the Quantitative Economics program. Also, I am planning to go to a PhD program in Economics or Business. I’m passionate about economics, finance mathematics and natural science. My hobbies are yoga, traveling and decorating rooms (though sounds a little strange). I have traveled to near most parts of China including Hong Kong and Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom. I was impressed by the devout Buddhists in Tibet, China where the altitude is more than 5000 meters and is considered as the pure land. I had a great time in Taiwan where I can find some missing parts in Chinese culture since Taiwan and Mainland China was divided in the last century. I meet many interesting people in Cambridge where I had a summer school there and it was the first time I got to read and learn a little bit of Shakespeare in English. I always have an open mind to the world and I believe traveling will facilitate me to think more and is a supplement to reading alone.

English isn’t my first language so this class is very challenging to me, but I’ll try my best to learn from this class, from our professor and my classmates. I am familiar with many eastern literature works especially Chinese literature and Japanese literature. I am also a big fan of traditional classic poems and essays and I actually can recite a lot of the masterpiece. At the meantime, I also appreciate many western masterwork and I find the differences between different cultures very interesting.

It’s so nice to meet all of you and I hope I can try my best to learning in this challenging class~

Respond to one of the following questions by commenting on this post.  You may also feel free to respond to comments posted by your classmates!

-What’s the connection between the broad historical material about the Ming Dynasty that begins the story and the narrative about Du Tenth and Li Jia’s relationship that follows?

-What kind of person is Li Jia?  Does his behavior at the end of the story come as a surprise?  Why or why not?

-How are courtesans represented in the story?  Why do you think Feng Menglong chooses to depict them this way?

-Money plays a central role in the story.  What does “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” seem to be saying about the relationship between money and love?

-Feng Menglong was interested in using literature to teach morality.  What lesson is being imparted by this text?