Author Archives: SANGEY LAMA

The story “And of Clay are We Created” made me remember about an Earthquake that occurred at Nepal in 2015. I was in New York at the time and I got a call from my aunt at 4A.M and I was shocked to find out that it was one of the strongest one and the buildings near my houses were collapsed. We tried contacting our relatives and friends back in Nepal but we couldn’t reach them due to poor connections and it was terrifying to see historic monuments being collapsed and the news terrified us even more. In the story, the narrator tries her best to contact political leaders to locate the pump and makes appeal to the media, however, there’s no result. After the earthquake, there were many damages, people lost homes, jobs, relatives and the political leaders weren’t really available to provide any help. In fact, many countries had donated money and supplies for the people but the money didn’t reach innocent people who actually needed it. The role of politicians during these crisis weren’t helpful. This crisis made me connect to my own country in a very different way. I was away from home and when I saw the buildings being destroyed and heard the stories from my relatives and friends back home, it made me realize how much I missed and loved Nepal. When I went back after few years, things had changed a lot and there were still many buildings which weren’t repaired and it shows how politicians  don’t usually do anything in some countries.

What do you think Tayeb Salih’s story is ultimately saying about the relationship between tradition and modernity? 

In my opinion, ultimately Tayeb Salih’s is trying to say that the relationship between tradition and modernity is that modernity means letting go of the doum tree which has played a very significant role in their tradition. “The doum tree of Wad Hamid; and just as no one remembers how it originated and grew…” signifying that the tree has always been there in the village and represents their tradition. However, there also seems to be a a generational gap as youngsters are going to school, hospital, cinemas and the importance of tradition seems to be fading away.

1. What did you learn from this story that you did not previously know about life in Nazi concentration camps?

It made me gain more insights on everyday life of prisoners and the horrors they faced. It was interesting and horrifying to read about the events that occurred within the concentration camps.

1. Describe an example of dehumanization in the text.  What about this moment made a particularly strong impression on you? Why?

An example of dehumanization was “Several others men are carrying a small girl with only one leg. They hold her by the arms and the one leg. Tears are running down her face and she whispers faintly: “Sir, it hurts, it hurts..,” They throw her on the truck on top of corpses. She will burn alive along with them.” It shows the violence and how badly people were treated in the camp. It’s extremely sad to see how badly innocent people were treated and this text shows how these S.S guards didn’t even perceive them as humans by the way they are treating them.

1. Ultimately, what do you think Gregor’s metamorphosis means?  What does it mean to be transformed into a giant bug?

Ultimately, I think Gregor’s metamorphosis represents that even as a human being he wasn’t really considered a human but only a machine to his family. This is clarified when Gregor’s mother points out by saying “You know that boy has nothing but work in his head! It almost worries me that he never goes out on his evenings off; he’s been in the city now for the past week, but he’s spent evening at home.” (214) Gregor’ had already been isolated from life and the people around him, so his metamorphosis means dehumanization that he had already been going through. Also, his metamorphosis allows the family members to find their own purpose and responsibilities and it represents change not only to him but everyone. To be transformed into a giant bug is a reflection of isolation and loneliness Gregor was going through as a person.

2. Explain your understanding of Gregor’s death.  How/why does he ultimately die?

Gregor death represents frustration from his family because he dies by starvation and his family hatred.  “We must get rid of it,’ cried the sister again, ‘that’s the only thing for it, Father. You just have to put from your mind any thought that it’s Gregor. Our continuing to think that it was, for such a long time, therein lies the source of our misfortune. But how can it be Gregor? If it was Gregor, he would long ago have seen that it’s impossible for human beings to live together with an animal like that, and he would have left of his own free will.” Gregor’s lack of abuse and love from his family has a huge impact on his condition, his father injures him seriously after throwing an apple and seeing how he has become a burden to his family, he chooses not to eat.

In Rabindranath Tagore’s “Punishment”, the reason why Chidam accuses his own wife for the murder of Radha was because he couldn’t grasp the idea of letting Chandra have an independent life. Chandra had gone to a ghat by herself and was talking with some man after finding this out, Chidam had said “If I ever hear that you’ve been to the ghat on your own, I’ll break every bone in your body” which shows the patriarchal marriage between them. When Chidam Tagore uses the theme of power in a hierarchrial society when he says that the women would constantly quarrel and no one would pay attention. It symbolizes how little or no power these women had and made me think of a class structure in where the weaker ones were fighting among themselves to have a power each other without actually gaining anything. When Chandra had fled to her maternal uncle’s house it shows how highly she valued the idea of freedom and when she realizes that her husband accuses her instead of his brother, she is faced with a harsh reality of herself and her place in this marriage and the society. A character from another reading who faced a similar conflict was Hedda Gabler. Hedda and Radha are unable to find their individuality in the marriage and are trapped in a patriarchal society where only actions of men are valued or influenced. Rather than being satisfied with this position, they both seek escapism in death. Radha expressed “I shall give my youth to the gallows instead of to you. My final ties in this life will be with them” shows how she had sacrificed herself in order to find her own expression. Similarly, Hedda Gabler had shot herself in the temple to take control over her own destiny rather than being controlled by Judge Brack.

Leo Tolstoy’s , “Death of Ivan Ilyich” was a reflection of reality about life and death. Ivan led a very ordinary life doing what was expected of him from his career, to personal life.  Death came suddenly to Ivan which taught him something about life and himself during his most vulnerable stage. Often we are so consumed by other people’s action and rewards which make us compare ourselves to others and do whatever other people are doing assuming its the right thing to do. However, Totlstoy shows us that we shouldn’t live by other people’s validation because it can never give you a true lesson or happiness. When Ivan experiences illness and isolation, he realizes the importance of having a true and meaningful life which shows that one must have a purpose or meaning to live by which would make you feel fulfilled even in death something that is true to yourself rather than for others. It made me reflect to one of the greatest quote said by Nietzche who said, “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering” Tolstoy teaches us about the sad reality that when one fails to be live life as a true individual and also shows how painful and disturbing life and death can be. Tolstoy’s way of showing it in Ivan’s slow and painful death made me question a lot of things about life and my own meanings in life about the things that truly matter. I believe Tolstoy was also delivering a message that sometimes we find our true selves whenever we are not living in a comfort and peace, that a very tough situations can in fact shape us. Reading this novella in a time like this really made me challenge myself in a way and to actually focus on the things that truly matters to me and makes me feel fulfilled in the soul.

Compared to the play, the film didn’t focus on the minor details in terms of the ways characters spoke with each other. The play consisted of long dialogues that described the characteristics of everyone before others were introduced, it provided details about what the characters aspired to be, what they liked and disliked through conversations. The film does that so through acts and emotions instead of words. One of the things that the film missed was mentioning Eilert which was confusing in the opening scene. In the play, when Miss Tesman and George were having a conversation, Miss Tesman talks about Eilert which puts curiosity to the audience about him.   he actors in the films conveyed their emotions through their faces and their dialogue delivery about what they were feeling at the moment. The movie focused a lot more on Hedda’s character, the actress who played Hedda roamed around checking everything while Miss Tesman and George were chatting which helped the audience understand what Hedda was feeling. One of the major difference between the play and the film version is that the play takes time to tell the audience about the environment. There are details describing the furniture, walls, curtains which helps readers interpret the setting of the story exactly the way Ibsen wants. However, one of the way the film could’ve done the same thing was show the setting through the camera and non involve the characters so the viewers could get the feel of it. Instead it jumps right into the conversations which doesn’t give viewers a chance to understand the importance of the setting.

• First,  what does Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl add to our understanding of the experience of slavery? How does this narrative connect to or differ from Douglass’? (As you read Jacobs’ description of her attic hiding spot, which she refers to as a “loophole of retreat,”  keep in mind that she remained in this hiding place for seven years!

• Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl gives us as understanding of domestic violence and sexual assaults which female slaves faced from their masters and discusses how her innocence and principles were shattered at a very young age. Douglass talks about his discovery of finding himself and how his self worth through slavery. Although they were both slaves and went through difficulties, their experiences were completely different. While, Douglass went through many different masters, Jacob escaped from her master and went into a hideout which she refers to as a “loophole of retreat” where she was stuck for seven years, without being able to properly stand, and insects and rats would continuously walk all over her. Although it was extremely terrible situation, she expressed that she would rather be there than be a slave, perhaps, it was a place that gave her a sense of identity.

• Second, please address the following prompt:  Although slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865, slavery in various forms continues to be an important Human Rights issue even in our own day. Spend some time exploring the topic of contemporary slavery on the internet, and share three important things that you learn about this subject.

I believe it is very important to know that modern day slavery still exists today and we must all be educated about it so that we can abolish it by taking strong actions. In China, Uyghurs Muslims are forcefully taken into a labor camp where they been sterilizing Uyghurs women and committing a mass genocide. Although China had been claiming that it is completely untrue, recently they admitted that it’s a “re-education centers” for Uyghurs. The reason why Ugyhurs muslims have been targeted is because according to the Chinese Communist party they hold “extremist views” and are targeting innocent citizens for their religion.

“The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness. Freedom now appeared,  to disappear no more forever. It was. heard in every sound, and seen in everything. It was ever present to torment me with a sense of my wretched condition….It looked from every star, and it smiled in every calm, breathed in every wind, and moved in every storm” —

• This passage gives an insight on how knowledge about the world and literature had given Douglass a hope. By not teaching slaves how to read and write, slaveholders wanted to  restrict their minds about their situations and wanted their minds t0 be consumed with labor. It’s ironic that America was founded on the idea of freedom, however, slaves were restricted to that freedom and shows that slavery in America was  a period of time when America let go of their own principles.
• It reveals that Frederick Douglass’s perspective on the world had changed and he realized his horrifying condition about slavery. Since he had gained knowledge through reading and writing, it had become his strength and weakness. He was going through a very challenging, therefore, freedom was his only hope to  survive and fight the battle.
• In terms of Frederick Douglass’s literary style, he uses a lot of imagery to familiarize readers with the situation. When he describes how freedom was with him every situation, connecting it with the wind, and storm, it shows how important it was for him to survive. Also, his writing is very straightforward which makes readers understand every detail he is trying to convey. It feels like reading a personal diary of someone since it’s very transparent about his journey as a slave and justifies the title of his book.

The poem I chose was “London” by William Blake, the reason I selected this poem was because it questions humanity and the negative aspects of the industrial revolution which has caused hopelessness. A pair of lines that seems particularly meaningful was, “How the chimney-sweeper’s cry Every blackening Church appalls..” William was referring to the horrors of child labor and exploitation during the industrial revolution, innocent children who were supposed to be free were instead crying because they had been exploited for labor. This line conveyed the message of losing faith in humanity by referring to the smoke of chimney which was blackening the Church. It connects to the overall theme of the poem by showing sadness and pain in one of the most industrialized cities which was oppressing its own people.