great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Maria:

The video “Breath” relates to Endgame as the video shows a very similar setting to Endgame. The video begins with clips of random objects, almost garbage looking and there is light shining only to the middle of the setting. This is similar to the video of Endgame in which the setting was empty and light was illuminated on the characters. Endgame and “Breath” share a common theme of nihilism; the feeling of life being meaningless and there is nothing people can do to change that. The video “Breath” seems to be almost meaningless as there is no clear explanation of the images and music. The music behind the video “Breath” also has a very dark and expresses pain as does Endgame; specifically the suffering and loneliness that the characters in Endgame feel.

Nicole:

Maria, great analysis on the breath. I also liked the way you compared the end game and breath to come up with the theme of nihilism. I also realized the similarity in colors of the two films. As you pointed out, both endgame and breath were similar in setting. Both of these films kept a very dull and empty background and focused brightness/color on important things. The poem can relate to the end game by comparing the swan to clov. In the poem the swan seems helpless. This is also a very obvious way to describe clov. He takes many demands and seems to be unsure of how to care for himself. “Magnificent but hopelessly struggling to resist / for never having snug of a land in which to exist.” What is the meaning to their life? They are both helpless and unsure of their next move.

Tara:

Nicole I liked your comparison of the swan to Clov, I also interpreted the swan as being helpless which is similar to Clov’s attitude. Clov appeared to always feel unsure of himself and have a deeper sadness within him even when standing up to Hamm. The story “The Chestnut Tree” relates to the theme of nihilism or a life without meaning in Endgame. Clov and Hamm both experience a life of emptiness which consists of bickering and the same routine. They both often question why the other stays and doesn’t leave the other to die. This relates to the Story in that Roquentin discovers the meaning of human existence which he describes as “ We were a heap of existences, uncomfortable, embarrassed at ourselves, we hadn’t the slightest reason to be there. none of us, each one confused, vaguely alarmed, felt superfluous in relation to the others”. Roquentin is describing human existence as something that does not have an influence on anything, and in essence doesn’t exist at all. Similar to Clov and Hamm questioning their loyalty to one another emphasizing that although they do have each other, human existence does not exist in an empty world.  

Nicole:

The part of the play we chose was at 41:00 when Clov is talking to Hamm and Hamm asks Clov if he’s tired of doing what he’s been doing and Clov says he is. They agree that if Clov leaves he will set an alarm clock to go off so he know he will no longer return. The whole play takes place in the living room. The movie makes it feel a lot more lonely, empty and cold whereas the book describes what it looks like but doesn’t emphasize it as much. In the film, we notice the clothes the characters are dressed in which makes it seem like they’re in a cold dark room. (Jacket, gloves, hat) In the movie, Clov appears to be more enthusiastic to explain what he will do when he leaves Hamm. He seems excited to have come up with the alarm clock idea and eventually leave Hamm although the book kind of shows us that Clov very much cares for Hamm.

Maria:

When reading the story I imagined the setting to be more complete than how it is depicted in the movie. In the movie, the characters are wearing dark clothing and presented in a dark room with light shining only on the actors as the camera is directed at them. The acting in the movie allows the read to visualize the text in a better way as it shines light on the expressions that the characters have in the story. On page 783, Hamm tells Clov, “To hell with the universe… Think of something.” and Clov responds “Wait! Yes… Yes! I have it! I set the alarm.” and although the text states the actions of Clov, the movie shows animated expressions of his face and his reaction to thinking of an idea. Although Hamm is unable to see Clov’s expressions, in the movie, Clov acts with very distinctive expressions. When Clov rings the alarm clock, he is grinning, showing how proud he is of his idea and Hamm is looking concerningly as he is unsure and unimpressed of Clov’s idea. This allows the reader to paint a better picture in their mind of the relationship Hamm and Clov have.

1. What is the significance of family situation in Kafka’s Metamorphosis? How do family ties in the story help illustrate the meaning of the metamorphosis?
2. How can Bartleby be portrayed as a hero in Bartleby the Scrivener? Were his actions heroic and did he successfully accomplish what he set out to do?

Nicole:

This semester in our English course has been helpful in several different ways. This class has personally benefited me by helping me understand to look deeper than the surface. I’ve realized that not everything is meant to be read so literal. As a direct person I have a habit of reading things for what they are and not for what they really could mean or symbolize. I feel that my strength is participating in the oral discussions and being able to correlate others perceptions with the reading. Another strength I realized I have is my free writing. I’m good at developing different ideas and different meanings to the readings. I do feel I could have done better on the essay if I was to pay closer attention to tiny details throughout my essay. So far I am keeping up with the posts and the reading so I am expecting and hoping for a  good grade.

Maria:

Being a Finance major, this English course definitely allows me to channel my creative and free thinking side. The stories we read for this course allow me to think critically and find the deeper meaning of the text. One strength I developed is writing clear and concise paragraphs. The structure that the professor has us write in, has definitely helped me articulate my thought in a way that the reader will understand. The group work is another component of the class that I enjoy as it motivates the group to work well as a team and support one another through responses and understanding texts. I hope to continue to strengthen my written communication skills as that is one skill I believe I need to work on. The quizzes, exams and posts definitely motivate me to not only do the readings but read and simultaneously analyze the meaning of the text. I am looking forward to the oral essay as it is definitely more creative and different from all of the speeches and presentations I have made for my other Finance courses.

Tara:

This semester I have found this English course to be productive in many aspects. Free writing during class has been helpful in remembering all ideas brought up in class. I have also learned to better construct a clear paragraph in order to make my point clearer to the reader. Lastly I’ve worked on reading things and trying to understand the underlying meaning within it. Prior to this course I never would analyze readings so thoroughly and try to understand multiple perspectives. I have found this enjoyable because I often hear thoughts that I never noticed during the reading. I think because of reading quizzes and posts every week; I have kept up with the readings which was very helpful for the exam and essay. I think I can work on my communication skills during large group discussions. As a corporate communications major I am not used to abstract thinking, however I think doing so can be helpful in my career and i’d like to improve on that.

NICOLE: How is the narrator in life of a sensuous woman different from Bartleby when dealing with the satisfaction of others? Is one of these characters more worried of the perception of others than the other?

TARA: Compare Monkey’s journey in Journey to the West, to the Woman’s journey in From life of a Sensuous Woman. Did they both achieve enlightenment at the end of their journey?

MARIA: Compare and contrast Monkey, the Sensuous Woman and Bartleby in the role of a traditional hero, anti-hero or satanic hero. What makes them one of the three types of heroes if any?

Tara:

In Herman Melville’s Bartleby, The Scrivener. I believe Bartleby is a hero. Bartleby discovers something he dislikes and uses his silence or lack of words to voice this. Bartleby initially was an excellent worker for the lawyer. He worked through the night and the lawyer was always pleased with the work he provided. Yet, with all of the hard work Bartleby did he could not afford a place to live. The lawyer was aware that Bartleby was staying in the office overnight and on sundays, yet it never occurred to him that he was not being paid enough to find an affordable place to live. Although the lawyer often times felt pity for Bartleby when he found him there over night yet again his only response was “ What earthy right have you to stay here? Do you pay any rent? Do you pay my taxes? Or is this property yours?”(314). The lawyer suggested everything but the fact that Bartleby was not making enough money to sleep elsewhere. In my opinion Bartleby stopped working and talking for the most part because he didn’t like the way he was being treated. Working on Wall Street requires a lot of work and many hours in an office, however people accept these conditions when they are properly compensated for it. Bartleby made very little money for the hard work and countless hours he put into the lawyer’s business. Thus, Bartleby is a hero because he noticed the unfair conditions that were taking place in the Lawyer’s office, and acted on it by going against everything the lawyer asked of him.

Maria:
In Bartleby The Scrivener, Herman Melville describes the story of Bartleby, the scrivener at a law office on Wall Street who suddenly decides to rebel  and says “I prefer not to” when asked to do tasks at the law office. The story does not explicitly explain the reason to why Bartleby decided to refuse to do the tasks, but the story gives us hints as to why he might have. I believe Bartleby is a Satanic Hero as he sees the truth when others cannot and acts upon it in a socially inappropriate way. Bartleby works at a law firm on Wall Street; an epitome of capitalism, structure and hierarchy. By replying “I prefer not to” Bartleby is doing something unacceptable at a very structured firm. Bartleby works very hard at his job in the hope of some sort of benefit but got tired of seeing the greed the Wall Street employees participate in. He rebelled in  a passive aggressive approach by not directly saying “No” but simply avoiding the task. The narrator states, “At first, Bartleby did an extraordinary quantity of writing. As is long famishing for something to copy, he seemed to gorge himself on documents. There was no pause for digestion. He ran a day and night line, copying by sun-light and by candle-light”. This quote represents the tremendous amount of work Bartleby put in the law firm in the hope of recognition and higher pay. But, after a certain point he realized that the employees at the law firm as well as the narrators were simply money hungry and using him as cheap labor. This sparked an interest in him going on a silent strike against the narrator/ Wall Street.  The story ends with “Ah Bartleby, Sh Humanity”, this is a reference to how Bartleby was unable to connect with anyone, both before and after he started replying “I prefer not to.” Bartleby felt so strongly about the message he was trying to get across that he went to join and even died at the end, fighting for justice in what he believed in and the change he wanted implemented. Unfortunately, no one was able to be there for him and really understand the message he was conveying so deeply.

“Ten”

A major theme that is emerging in poem “Ten” in the Tao collection is balance. The author is discussing whether it is possible to find a perfect balance between two opposing entities. For example, within the first sentence “Carrying body and soul and embracing the one” the author is questioning if the physical body and spiritual soul can be joined together and work in harmony. The sentence “Giving birth and nourishing, Bearing yet not possessing” is another example as to how there is an attempt to reach a balance. This sentence is talking about nurturing and embracing children but at the same time understanding that children are separate beings from you. The final sentence “This is the Primal Virtue” is placing emphasis on the need for balance within an individual. The word primal means first and the word virtue refers to a standard to which something is set. The meaning behind the common quote “Patience is a virtue” is referring to being able to wait for something to happen (patiently) without getting stressed out. If one is patient, then there will be a notion of reward in the self. The poem “Ten”, is placing importance on being in balance with one’s self and noting that, if one reaches balance they will feel rewarded in the end and express attributes of a good person.