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

Daphne Young:

Page 835-836

I move a few steps so that the light from the candles won’t blind me. The girl keeps her eyes closed, her hands at her side. She won’t look at me at first, then little by little she opens her eyes as if she were afraid of the light. Finally I can see that those eyes are sea green and that they surge, break to foam, grow calm again, then surge again like a wave. I look into them and tell myself it isn’t true, because they’re beautiful green eyes just like all the beautiful green eyes I’ve ever known. But I can’t deceive myself; those eyes do surge, do change, as if offering me a landscape that only I can see and desire.

He moves a few steps so that the light from the candles won’t blind him. The girls keeps her eyes closed, her hands at her sides. She won’t look at him at first, then little by little she opens her eyes as if she were afraid of the light. Finally he can see that those eyes are sea green and that they surge, break to foam, grow calm again, then surge again like a wave. He looks into them and tells himself that it isn’t true, because they’re beautiful green eyes just like all the beautiful eyes he’s ever known. But he can’t deceive himself; those eyes do surge, do change, as if offering him a landscape that only he can see and desire.

I didn’t find it particularly difficult or have any problems going from second person to first or third person. In fact, in doing so, I was able to understand how each gives off a different perspective to the story. In first person, it puts me in the shoes of the main character. In second person, it is like someone is telling me what I am doing and I have no control of what I am doing or have the freedom to choose how I am feeling. In third person, I don’t feel connected to the text like in first and second person.

Susanna Domosi:

There is a huge difference in effect of the perspective being first person point of view and third person point of view. When in first person, the reader’s attention is grabbed much more than in the third. It is natural human instinct to pay attention when someone is calling on you, which is why Fuentes is successful in having his readers absorb the story as if they were experiencing it first-hand. A particular part that stuck out to me in Daphne’s translation was:  “He looks into them and tells himself that it isn’t true, because they’re beautiful green eyes just like all the beautiful eyes he’s ever known” and “I look into them and tell myself it isn’t true, because they’re beautiful green eyes just like all the beautiful green eyes I’ve ever known.” Just reading this one sentence in the two separate points of view invoke extremely different emotions. When one reads “I look into them…” you are prompted by the words to imagine a time when you were mesmerized by the eyes of someone, but when you read “He looks into them…” the words do not transform into as vivid of an image in one’s mind.

Jiwoo Han:

        I completely agree with Susanna when she stated that there is a huge difference between the first person’s perspective and the second person’s perspective. I also believe that there is a big difference between the original and the translation from the viewpoint of the third person. Especially, I found the big difference between this two parts, “Finally you can see that those eyes are sea green and that they surge, break to foam, grow calm again, then surge again like a wave” and “Finally he can see that those eyes are sea green and that they surge break to foam, grow calm again, then surge again like a wave”. When I read the first one, I naturally visualized Aura as it stated. On the other hand, when I read the second one, I came up with Montero visualizing Aura. I think that this is the most different thing between the two.

1. Is there similarities and differences between Bartleby in “Bartleby the Scrivener” and Georg in “the Judgement”? By using Campbell’s Heroic Journey (Traditional Hero, Anti-Hero, and Satanic Hero), compare the two main characters.
2. Does Gregor’s family in the “Metamorphosis” merely hate Gregor’s physical appearance? Is there anything the family does not see or does not want to see like the prisoners who do not see the outside world in the “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave“?

Daphne Young:

I think my group has created a great system for group assignments, we do everything on Google Docs and whoever does their assignment last will submit everyone’s responses onto Blogs at Baruch. This method helps keep me on top of assignments since I know my group is depending on me to do it on time. One thing I need to work on is participation in class, other than being asked to share my thoughts during large discussions I have not raised my hand to participate. For written assignments, I think I am doing well with homework assignments however I did submit my first essay late. For the future I need to pace myself when writing my papers so I have enough time to get everything done.

Jiwoo Han:

            I completely agree with Daphne. Our group does not have a problem with online group assignment. We always did all the assignments on time so far. But, regarding my assignments, I certainly need to work on everything to improve my grade. For essay assignment, I just got my essay back in last class and I have to make every possible effort on the last essay to raise my grade. Also, what I have to do is participation in class. I have to take part in the discussion frequently. For free-writing and class exercises, these are a little tough for me to do. I think I need more time than other students when doing something in class. I think I need to go to Writing Center to get some help with this. Finally, I also need to work on the writing for the final exam. With the format we used for midterm exam, I think I can practice enough to raise my grade.

Daphne Young:

Looking at the Heroic Journey model by Joseph Campbell, how is Monkey’s journey to enlightenment (from Journey to the West) similar to the narrator’s journey from Life of a Sensuous Woman?

Susanna Domosi:

How does Melville, the author of Bartleby the Scrivener and Saikaku, the author of The Life of a Sensuous Woman use their main characters to comment on society? How is this commentary on society similar and how is it different?

Jiwoo Han:

          Compare the main characters, Monkey and Bartleby, from “Journey to the West” and “Bartleby the Scrivener”. How do their character traits help Monkey’s journey to enlightenment and Bartleby’s heroic journey respectively?

Susanna Domosi:

Monkey’s character fits into the Heroic Journey Model of Joseph Campbell. In chapter one, he experiences the first four stages of first being in a safe world where something isn’t working, and finishing the chapter when he enters a new world by being given a new name. Throughout the following chapters, Monkey has entered into a special world; a journey to attain scriptures with Tripitaka. WIthin this world, he is experiencing trials and new challenges. These trials are a part of the sixth stage of the heroic journey model.

Monkey is faced with a trail when robbers attack him and Tripitaka. Monkey wants to protect Tripitaka but resorts to violence: “One has no right to kill robbers, however violent or wicked they may be” (Wu Ch’eng-En, 21). Monkey resorted to his ways from when before he was a priest. His trial is to grow from his violent ways from the past.

Throughout their journey to India, Monkey comes across creatures that stand in their way and challenge their route. Time and time again, Monkey attempts to fight these creatures with force, but then is reminded that these obstacles were actually put in place to help their journey:

Monkey is fonder of showing off his own powers than mentioning his connection with other people…But in future if anyone questions him, he must be sure to say that he is seeking scriptures. Then there will be no trouble (Wu Ch’eng-En ,9)

The obstacles that Monkey experiences are symbolic of the sixth stage of the heroic journey model: Challenges in life are actually lessons that can be overcome and be turned into one’s strength as long as one can remember their original purpose in life. Monkey having to remember that his purpose is to attain scriptures and that his duty is to communicate this to anyone they encounter is a direct parallel with this life lesson.

Daphne Young:

Monkey indeed faces many new challenges throughout the journey that test him to see whether he is still on the right path. As Susanna said, Monkey attempts to face these challenges with force sometimes but is reminded that he must not be swayed as these obstacles were put in place to help him grow throughout the journey.

Like Monkey, I also believe that Tripitaka’s character fits into the Heroic Journey Model. As the story progresses, we see that Tripitaka’s “pack” grows and grows with the help of Bodhisattva Kuan-yin. Tripitaka receives a lot of help on his journey which relates to the seventh stage of the model. Every hero needs help, heroes cannot do things alone and great heroes are only as great as the support they get. From the very beginning we see that Tripitaka receives tremendous help from Bodhisattva Kuan-yin, who aids and finds Tripitaka his disciples. “Pigsy…and Monkey…are both Tripitaka’s disciples and both were converted by the Bodhisattva.” (41) Although many forget about the horse, the Third Son of the Dragon King is also a disciple of Tripitaka and was converted by Bodhisattva Kuan-yin. Lastly we see that the “pack” grows by one more with the addition of Sandy, who is asked to put himself at Tripitaka’s disposal and become his disciple by the Bodhisattva Kuan-yin. Together these “three disciples, each of whom is adept in quelling dragons and subduing tigers, removing monsters and making away with bogeys,” (42) help Tripitaka on his scripture seeking journey.

Jiwoo Han:

As my partners stated, both Monkey and Tripitaka fit into the Heroic Journey Model of Joseph Campbell with their appropriate quotes. I want to more focus on Monkey. The Monkey king and all other monkeys are satisfied with their current life. They do not need to care about the other animals and people. All the monkeys can do whatever they want without thinking about others in the inside land of the waterfall. In chapter 1, the Monkey king suddenly reaches to the first step of HJ Model. “Yama, King of Death, is secretly waiting to destroy me. Is there no way by which, instead of being born again on earth, I might live forever among the people of the sky?”(Wu Ch’eng-En). He starts to fear his death and tries to change his current life by looking for the Immortals to learn how to live young forever. These are steps 2 and 3. After 500 years’ penance for making troubles in the Halls of Heaven, Monkey meet Tripitaka and lays down his everything and leave for India with Tripitaka. These are Threshold and Special World. During the journey to India, Monkey and Tripitaka faces some monsters and meet some helpers such as Pigsy and Sandy. In the last chapter, finally Monkey knows that every moments of the journey are under Buddha. “It acted under orders from Buddha himself” (Wu Ch’eng-En). At the very last moment, he comes to know that all the experiences throughout the journey are Buddha’s plan to train him and he realizes the way he pursue his ultimate life with training himself.