Journal #12

Creon seems to be facing a huge struggle. It appears that he is trying to obtain power early on in the play. He is up against reality, but tries to create illusion to avoid it. The reality of the situation is that Creon does not want to be in power, but he became King of Thebes seemingly overnight. The illusion he creates is that he wants this false sense of strength and power.  He admits that there are other things that he enjoys more than power. This also correlates to the choice of yes and no. Creon argues that it is much easier to say no, and it is much harder to yes. Creon says "To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death" (37). This is interesting because Creon says that death is essentially the easy way out, and saying yes can highlight your strength. Creon feels like he is obligated to be King. Also, since he feels like saying yes is more powerful I think that swayed him towards taking the throne. I believe that Anouilh does this to reveal that it is better to base your decisions off of what you really want instead of what society expects. Anouilh illustrates this through Creon and how he feels hurt from the decision he makes because he does what society wants him to do instead of what he wants.

Journal #11

The Chorus shifts noticeably after this reading and therefore the role changes. In the beginning, the Chorus provides a review of the events that have occurred.  The Chorus connects to the audience because of the way it outlines what has happened. Although, in tonight's reading the Chorus focuses less on telling the events, but instead on explaining what exactly a tragedy is. Jean Anouilh now is inserting more of his beliefs into the play through the Chorus. This contrasts the start of the play where the Chorus basically tells us what has happened. In pages 20-29 he is revealing that tragedy is inevitable and flawless. Anouilh says through the Chorus that "In a tragedy, nothing is in doubt and everyone's destiny is known. That makes for tranquillity" (24). Thus, a tragedy is clean and restful. I see Anouilh's voice prominently coming through in this section because it says "I" and addresses the audience because he wants the readers and the audience to be aware that this is a tragedy, not a melodrama. The tone feels less sullen than before and is now more light. The tone repeated in the beginning of the play are colors that are associated with darkness. When the Chorus begins to talk in this section the lighting is at its brightest, which contributes to the light and real tone. Also, the Chorus speaks in a factual way that shows that death is inevitable and that shifts the tone to a less sad one.

Journal #10

List of Events:

• Oedipus dies
• Antigone is alone and decides she would rather live than die
• Haemon is talking to Ismene, despite asking to marry Antigone
• Creon's wife is Eurydice who sits and knits next to the Nurse. She knits until she dies in her room and is no help to her husband
• Oedipus' two sons, Polynices and Eteocles are to alternate being king every other year
• Eteocles, the eldest son, refused to step down after his one year of his reign
• Was a civil war
• The two brothers fought, killed each other just outside the city walls
• Creon is now King
• Creon want Eteocles to be buried with honor, but Polynices be left to rot and wants nobody to mourn him. Also, anyone that tries to give him a religious burial will be put to death

Reflection:
The play starts off surrounded by death. This was not a shocking beginning, because I just read the play Oedipus. The syntax of the Chorus when it is speaking differs. The sentence length is varied, there are many short and long sentences. The tone of the play starts off as sullen. This is shown through how death is mentioned multiples times. Sadness seems to encompass the play. Dark colors, such as dark blue and the setting is at night time,  all contribute to this dull tone that is created. Anouilh seems to be telling the story very laid back, which makes the play seem more realistic. The problems the characters face seem realistic because of the way Anouilh reveals what is happening because the sentences appear to be very matter of fact and factual. Also, since the Chorus is explaining the situation I feel like their purpose is to connect to the audience more than the other characters do.  

Topic Sentence

The Wife's decision to overlook Leonardo's visitations with the Bride shows that the truth is better to be revealed than concealed.

Journal #9

List of themes:

• The theme of choice and how it has an impact. This is shown through the Bride and how she makes herself marry the Bridegroom, when she really wants to marry Leonardo. She did not have to marry the Bridegroom but she felt like she had to or else she would let down all the guests that went to the wedding. Thus, Lorca displays that he is against forced marriage and how the choices you make shape your life.
• The theme of nature is prominent in the play. I noticed multiple references to the forest, trees, grapes, vineyards, the moon, and orange blossoms. The vineyards contribute to showing the difference between the rich and the poor because vineyards have connotations of wealth. Also, I think that the moon shows the harshness of nature and the moon talks about the consequences of isolation and loneliness.  
• The theme of how it is acceptable to push against society's norm. Lorca shows this through criticizing the Bridegroom and how Mother tells him how to control the Bride when they get married.
• The Mother is clearly the most miserable character in this play. Lorca portrays through her misery that wealth does not always equate to happiness and that forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it can be destructive, as the marriage is unlikely to work. Also, Lorca has the characters that follow the typical role during that time period get hurt by other characters in the play.

Journal #8

I noticed a big shift in the setting between Act II and Act III. This being that in Act II the setting is almost primarily all inside a house or church. In contrast, Act III begins out in the forest with three woodcutters talking. This was the most obvious setting change. Also, the tone throughout the play changes from happy to dull and sullen. In the start of Act III, in the setting is at night and in a "murky" atmosphere, which has a dark connotation. Additionally, murky means undefined and confusing, so it made me think about how the events that were happening were unclear. This uncertainty creates tension because this makes me as a reader unsure what to expect next. Also, with the setting being at nighttime, the prominence of the moon is illuminated. In Acts I and II, the minor characters serve as a way to change the mood or provide some comic. This contrasts Act III where the Woodcutters, the moon, and the Beggar Woman all seem to be aware about what is going to happen to the Bridegroom and Leonardo. Lastly, the dark tone is heightened in Act III by the death of these two men.  

Journal #7

I believe Lorca uses youth to portray multiple themes. He uses the youth as a way to contrast the ways of life between a child and an adult. For example, when Leonardo's baby is mentioned, it shows how different a child is from an adult. The baby cannot survive without the help of others and cannot make decisions for itself yet. Whereas, adults are opposites because they are expected to have full responsibility for their life. Therefore, Lorca is displaying that marriage concretes the fact that you are an adult and it officially marks the transformation from childhood to adulthood. Also, Lorca uses adulthood to show the power of choices and what you do has a profound impact on your life. I believe Lorca is against forcing marriage upon someone that does not want it because that marriage is not likely to work out. Additionally, enjoying ones childhood, up to a certain point, can be valuable because most of your life is spent being an adult. Lorca shows this through the Bride not wanting to get married to the Bridegroom. Lorca ultimately wants us to enjoy our youth while it lasts because they are some of the best years in our life.

Blood Wedding Journal #6

I found Mother to be clearly the most miserable character in the play, Blood Wedding. She ultimately has to suffer through the death of her son, the Bridegroom, at the end of the play, but also her father and and another one of her sons was killed. It was revealed that her father and one of her sons had been killed by knives in the first scene of the book so immediately the tone is dull and sullen. Throughout the entire play, Mother seems to be unhappy as she questions whether her son is making the right choice to marry the Bride. She expresses her feelings unhesitatingly as she appears to be somewhat overprotective of her son and is one of the most vocal characters in the play. She also gets easily upset when knives are brought up because of the bad connotations they bring, and she remembers the death of her two family members. I think Mother wants her son to obtain happiness as she risks her own to do this.

Blood Wedding #5

Some archetypes I found were characters were not given a specific name. Also, he shows how the society is, such as roles of women and the values that lead to a marriage. I believe the generic names are used to show the individualism of the characters. Even though most characters do not have a specific name, they still all have a distinct difference from each other. The only character with a specific name is Leonardo, and this name means lion which furthers his separation from other characters. Lorca is portraying that Leonardo has the strength to sway a woman into loving him again, which he emphasizes through giving the character the name, Leonardo. Thus, I believe Lorca sides with the fact that women are not the kind and loving person that society expects them to be. Lorca also shows that marriage can be detrimental if it is based off of one's social status, but rather marriage should be decided on whether you truly have affection and love for that person. Lorca shows this through the Bridegroom and the Bride's marriage falling apart.

Journal #4

Knives, are clearly prominent throughout the entire play. In the first scene and throughout the rest of the tragedy, the knives represent death. Mother is very afraid of them, as she thinks they are dangerous because the Bridegroom's brother and father were both killed my knives. Additionally, Lorca includes the knife many times in the first scene to foreshadow the deaths of the Bridegroom and the father, who were killed by a knife. The knife also serves as a divide between the community and also the separation between Mother and the Felix's family. The community is divided because Mother and the Bridegroom live on a farm that is a good distance from the farm that the Bride lives on. The second symbol that appeared in the first scene were the vineyards. I noticed that the knife was used to cut the grapes. Mother is scared of the vineyards because she does not want the Bridegroom to get hurt, but that she may be somewhat skeptical of the wealthy because the people that own the vineyards are typically wealthy. Also, Lorca himself said he did not like growing up into a priveleged family so I believe he put the vineyards in to show the difference between the rich and poor. Therefore, through the vineyards and knives, Lorca illuminates the divide between the wealthy and poor people.

Wild Duck #3

Ultimately, Gregers is the instigator for Hedvig shooting herself. Thus, he should take most of the blame. If Gregers had not mentioned that Gina had an affair to Hjalmar then Hedvig would still feel like Hjalmar still loved her and the suicide could have been prevented. So basically, Gregers thought he was helping, in reality, he was hurting the Ekdal family. I say Gregers is not completely at fault because if Gina had been open and told Hjalmar up front that she had an affair with Old Werle and that he might not be Hedvig's father then this situation could have been avoided. Therefore, Old Werle is part of the blame and should take more responsibility because he could have stayed loyal and not have had an affair with Gina. Lastly, Hedvig is at fault, too. I understand she felt like Hjalmar did not love her anymore and that saddened her, but she did not have to commit suicide. This problem could have been resolved, but she decided to be selfish and take her own life. Gregers, overall needed to take more of the blame and the fault because he was the main cause of the Ekdal's family problems. I believe that Henrik Ibsen reveals that hiding the truth, but telling the truth, too all the time is destructive as shown through the Ekdal family that got devastated.

Wild Duck #2

Motifs play a significant role in the development of the characters in the Wild Duck. The motifs of death, sickness and illness are caused from lies that are created. Death is portrayed through the recurrence of the pistol. The purpose of the pistol and how Hedvig talks about a book she read about death once, all contribute to the foreshadowing of Hedvig killing herself. Also, Ibsen mentioned the motif of decay in regard to alcohol and how Hedvig's eyes get worse, or decay. Hjalmar talks about retouching photographs when he talks about Hedvig. He wants to shelter her, and re-shape her life. Hedvig has the mindset that staying at home is the best scenario where she can "help Daddy and Mother" (163). I noticed Relling, a doctor, talks of disease in the play. He says that Gregers has "got a disease in his system" (177). Relling states that Gregers has a "moralistic fever", as well. Relling sees through Gregers and finds him to be sick because he is such a man of truth. Later, when Hjalmar is ill, Relling prescribes to him the "standard one. I try to keep up the life-lie in him" (202). Relling does not like Gregers because he believes in the exact opposite viewpoint. Ibsen says through Relling that the truth is not necessary all the time, and it can be destructive because of the way he portrays how the Ekdal family is torn apart by the truth.

Wild Duck Journal #1

Gregers Werle, is such a man of knowing the absolute truth that he crosses boundaries to attain this truth. He reveals to the Ekdal family the complete stories, some untold, of their life. He brings up to Hjalmar that Gina had an affair many years back. He leaves Hedvig wondering who her real father is, because she originally thinks that Hjalmar is her real father. Gregers says he only brings it up because he wants the truth, and only the truth. Thus, Gregers is truth seeking and an idealist. He has a false conception of himself because he thinks that it is his job to notify everyone of the absolute truth. In reality, though, he is hurting others. He is the instigator of Hedvig shooting herself. Also, Gregers faces an emotional boundary in regard to his relationship with his father. While Gregers is gone to Hoidal for work, communication between him and his father are brief and only occur through business letters. It is clear that their relationship suffered while they were away from each other because they get into an argument quickly over Gregers becoming a partner in his fathers business. Similarly, Hjalmar struggles with his relationship between him and his father, Old Ekdal. For example, when at the party Hjalmar intentionally turns away when his father walks in so he does not see him. Also, the Ekdal's may not be as well off as the Werle's because Old Ekdal works for the Werle's and they do not want them to stay in his house, which could be a social issue.

We Journal #3

The language experiences an apparent change for D-503 in the last entry of the novel. Up until this point D-503 is still struggling with his internal conflict. Although, in the last entry the sentences  becomes more straight forward. D-503's style of writing emulates that of the beginning, in the first entry. In the middle part of the book D-503 changes from his mechanical and clear writing to more jumbled and confusing sentences because of the conflict that he is experiencing inside of him. At the conclusion of the novel, D-503 returns to his old way of writing his thoughts, similarly to the first entries, "However, on the Fortieth cross-town avenue, we have succeeded in erecting a temporary barrier of high-voltage waves. And I hope that we shall conquer. More than that- I am certain we shall conquer. Because Reason must prevail" (232). I noticed that Zamyatin capitalizes "R" in reason, this could signify that reason represents a higher being and is the leader of the society of one-state.  This can infer that D-503 has accepted the benefactor and the controlling government. Thus, the short sentences illuminate that he has accepted and come to peace with the "unfreedom" that the government gives the people of one-state. Also, as throughout the entire book, Zamyatin uses figurative language frequently in the last third of the book.

I noticed a recurrence of the motif of the color blue towards the last section of the book. Additionally, blue still embodies the same thing for D-503, which is calmness, "The little blue flowers stir, bulge. What if I were made of glass, and he could see that in some three or four hours..." (152). In this quote I see D-503 associating flowers with the color blue, giving it a peaceful connotation. Another motif that was noted again was nature, specifically birds and insects. D-503 thinks to himself "Slowly, just overhead- a bird. I see: it is alive, like me. Like a man it turns its head right, left, and black, round eyes drill into me [...] A dark insect with tiny, transparent wings crawls along the back, and the back twitches to drive it off" (158). Since there are no animals in one-state, D-503 is becoming more aware of his surroundings outside of one-state. In the second half of the dystopian D-503 pays more attention to the weather and animals just outside of the green wall, this is before he goes on the integral.

The setting changes for a good amount of timr to being on the spaceship, the integral. The goal of the integral is to take over other planets through the use of the integral. I find the spaceship fascinating because at this period in time space travel was not very close to completion and nobody would accomplish this feat for another 50 years to come. The one-state is taking a leap of faith through the use of the integral. D-503 is aware of the possibility that this is a perhaps a dangerous mission and finds it very interesting as he says, "'Do you realize how wonderful it is to fly, not knowing where-to fly- no matter where... And soon it will be who knows what's to come?'" (200). D-503 seems to find it fun to not have a definite and planned out schedule. In contrast, the society of one-state is exactly the opposite of this where everything is organized and one's schedule is based off of the tables of hours. D-503 may be experiencing what it is like to not be completely restricted and controlled by the government.   

We Journal #2

The language in the second third of the dystopian, We undergoes a subtle change. The novel is focusing more on the internal conflict that D-503 is experiencing. He keeps contemplating what his real self is because in his dreams he is someone different. I believe his struggle is illuminated through the varied sentence structure, "The lecture. How strange that the voice coming from the gleaming apparatus is not metallic, as usual, but somehow soft, furry, mossy. A woman's voice. I imagine her as she must have been once upon a time: tiny, a little bent hook of an old woman, like the one at the Ancient House" (109). The syntax of this passage is complex. Zamyatin uses anywhere from sentences that are two words long to sentences that are twenty eight words long. This syntax represents D-503's struggle in finding his identity because his imagination creates two different perceptions of himself. D-503 repeatedly thinks about the imaginary number. I believe he is fascinated by imaginary numbers because of his interest in his own imagination. I noticed that Zamyatin still uses similes to describe the conflict D-503 is having, "All that had happened yesterday whirled like a hurricane within me..." (92). We see that Zamyatin uses figurative language, typically similes, when D-503 is talking about something of importance.  

The motif of the color blue is further developed in the second third of the novel. It still serves the same function of representing peace and calmness for D-503, "My thoughts tick quietly, with metallic clarity. An unseen aero carries me off into the blue heights of my beloved abstractions" (115). D-503 associates blue with "beloved abstractions", which has a serene connotation. This helps to show that D-503 has not completely changed, but that his identity still has not fully developed. I feel like colors do not serve as big of a purpose as they did in the first third of the novel, though because the other colors are not mentioned as much as previously. I noticed that the outside of One-State is mentioned frequently throughout this section. "I raised my hand, the yellow eyes blinked, backed away, and disappeared among the greenery. The paltry creature! What absurdity-that he could possibly be happier than we are! Happier than I, perhaps; but I am only an exception, I am sick" (93). D-503 starts to question what it would be like to be outside of the confinement of One-State.  He ponders whether the society he lives in is better than being out of One-State.  

More culture connections became prominent in the second third of We. Many times the characters, such as D-503, refer back to what the ancients did. Also, other characters look down upon the ancients because they feel like the society that they are currently living in is much improved.  The color red is used to allude communism in the novel, "The dark-red walls of the ancient house were already before me" (93). I didn't realize this until I was a little further into the book. My knowledge on the setting of the first third of the novel was limited because I hadn't read the entire book so I wasn't entirely sure what it was. Now that I am in the heart of the novel I can see that this book is set in One-state that has no wildlife or nature of any sort, "Man ceased to be a savage only when we had built the Green Wall, when had isolated our perfect mechanical world from the irrational, hideous world of trees, birds, animals..."(93). The Green Wall is a barrier set to purposely not let any of nature in because it infringes on the "perfect" society of One-state. Interestingly enough, D-503 sees a creature outside the green wall and wonders if that creature is happier than his society.

We Journal #1

In the dystopian novel We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin, the setting is designed to represent the confinement that the characters live in. It is set in the future to encompass the dystopian aspect of the novel. It is important to know that in One-state almost everything is made out of glass, and therefore the characters lose a sense of privacy and freedom, because the glass is transparent. Additionally, One-state is entirely based on the society as a whole, which is why it's called we. It is therefore not focused on individuality. People have names that have a prefix and a number. A male will have a consonant and an odd number; whereas, women have a vowel which is followed by an even number. D-503 seems to praise to the society that he lives in. Furthermore, D-503 says that, "In half a minute she'll be here, for our daily walk" (4). This is an example that shows that D-503 follows a precise and organized schedule for his day.

I noticed some prominent motifs, such as light and color. D-503 uses colors often when he is expressing his emotions. Colors are blended in with all situations in the novel. Blue represents peace, "I woke: soft, bluish light, glimmer of glass walls, glass chairs and table. This calmed me..." (32). Also, the sky is described by the perfect blue that surrounds One-State. D-503 uses the color yellow when describing I-330. Pink is used when talking about women, especially his partners. The "pink coupons" and when he talks about women's "pink lips", which all contribute to this motif. Green is used when talking about that wall surrounding One-state to show the lack of freedom the society possesses. Lastly, light is used throughout the novel in a variety of ways. This illuminates that not all aspects of D-503's life and others living in One-state are being completely controlled.

The language is creative and uses some figurative language. An example is shown when Zamyatin uses a simile, "And the brass rhythms: "'Ta-ta-ta-tam! Ta-ta-ta-tam!' Like brass stairs gleaming in the sun, and every step taking you higher and higher, into the dizzying blue...." (5). I believe Zamyatin uses more complex language to exemplify the futuristic setting and the complicated math aspect of the novel. Certain sentences can be confusing, but the overall language is very clear. D-503 uses mathematics in his speech many times, which could emphasize the importance of math that is placed on this society. He uses math terms such as parabolas and tangent line to describe the face of a person often. Through the setting, motifs, and the language Zamyatin provides a way to get involved with the nightmare-like society that We is set in. 

Journal #5

Personal Philosophy

Name: Roluffsism
1. Be trustworthy. By having integrity and gaining trust from others you can be labeled as a responsible person that people can rely on. My parents taught me to be honest and trustworthy ever since I can remember. I think that honesty is a key trait to living a better life and is the basis for getting along well with others.
2. Live life to the highest of your capability. I think that whether you believe in God or not, you should live life to its fullest potential. By living your life to the most of your ability happiness can be achieved easier. Simply put, life will not be very fun if you are not happy. Do not ever take life for granted. Also, if something is worth doing, then give it your all. 
3. Create strong relationships with your family. Typically, friends come and go. In contrast, family does not. Your family is permanent; therefore, it is extremely important to be on good terms with your family members. You will be with your family all your life and by having a strong relationship with your family you will enable yourself to be happier.
4. Do not allow the small things to annoy you. This may sound simple but it can be hard to do sometimes. You cannot let the small things bother you, otherwise you will never become happy. I believe you can live a better life by not sweating the small stuff and let go of it by forgetting about them. Focus on what's important and let the little things go.
5. Positive attitude. All of my guiding principles relate back to happiness because I believe that is a key to living a successful life. If you wake up with a bad attitude, your day will most likely be bad. We should choose to have a great attitude even when things are not going your way. By having a positive attitude you can live a much more content life. You control your destiny.
6. You decide the type of life you live. If you set low standards you never reach high status. It is important to set high goals for yourself so that you have always have something to work towards and to stay motivated.
7. Volunteer and help people out. It is crucial to be a giver. I believe it has two benefits. First, it  helps to benefit the community you live in. Secondly, as a bonus it makes you feel good inside. Indirectly you benefit from the good feeling obtained from helping others. Therefore, I believe this is important to do. I've done a lot of volunteer work and I personally find it extremely rewarding.

Journal #4

I believe that Meursault comes to the realization at the end of the novel that everybody dies. He recognizes that there is no way to avoid it, so he comes to peace with the fact that he is going to die. Once he learns that he is to be put to death by the guillotine he wishes that he had a chance to escape the machine, but that isn't possible. He feels like your past really doesn't matter once you die. Meursault believes that the world really has no meaning.  Therefore, he doesn't worry about his past because he's going to die eventually and his death happened to be earlier than he anticipated. Meursault lives an absurd life where his emotions are not imminent and he lacks displaying his emotion.

Camus does not want us to follow in Meursault's footsteps. He wants us to recognize that we do have a purpose and should be motivated to live our life to the fullest. He uses Meursault as an example to show the destructiveness of living life with no purpose. Camus provides Meursault's acceptance in the end of the novel to show that we should know death is inevitable for everyone and that we shouldn't worry about it because it's unavoidable. Camus suggests that everyones life is equal and no different from one another.

Journal #3

Albert Camus purposefully divided The Stranger into two parts. Meursault experiences a change between the first and second part in the story. He starts off as a character that is disconnected from society and a person that doesn't display his emotions. The first five chapters each start off the same way with Meursault being at the office, "I worked hard at the office today" (25). This highlights Meursault's mundane and repetitive life. Additionally, Meursault transforms as a character from part one to part two. His relationship with women changes dramatically. In part one, Meursault and his mother, Maman, have a relationship that is unique and unlike the norm because they didn't spend much time together. Although, in part two, Meursault shows his emotion for Marie. This is exemplified while he is imprisoned for killing the Arab. The young man is contrasted with Meursault because the young man lacks emotional attachment, "The young man and his mother were still staring at each other" (75). Also, the prisoner uses the same endearment of "Maman" when he says good-bye to his mother which Meursault called his mother in the part one. When Meursault is in prison he no longer behaves this way, because he shows how much he misses Marie, and he says, "I was tormented by my desire for a woman" (77). He misses his freedom and is tortured by not being able to be with women. Also, the syntax changes from part one to part two. In part one, the sentences are short, choppy and direct. In contrast, the sentence structure in part two is different, they are longer and Meursault begins to voice his thoughts about his feelings. 

Journal #2

Option 1:

Albert Camus use of the sun highlights part of the reason why Meursault ultimately ends up killing the Arab. The sun beats down on Meursault and causes him pain so that's partially why he kills the Arab. Camus throughout the novel gives the sun a negative connotation. The sun is bright. In contrast, Meursault is a dull character. The sun helps to highlight Meursault's going against society's norm. Life for Meursault is different than others, so the sun for him is not a positive thing. It brings him suffering and causes him to act out of anger and made stupid decisions. The glaring light on Meursault's body is the breaking point for him, "The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes. That's when everything began to reel" (59). The sun, bright light, and glare lead to Meursault's pulling of the trigger on the Arab. This did not help Meursault to achieve happiness, "Then I fired four more times at the motionless body[...] And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness" (59). Temporary pleasure does not counter the lifelong consequences which illuminates that making decisions out of angry does not typically end well.                      

Journal #1

Salamano: Old Salamano is Meursault's neighbor and plays the role of the grumpy old man in the novel. He gets annoyed easily by his dog and beats him. Although he doesn't treat his dog very well, he finds a great friendship with his dog because they have a companionship that he didn't really have with his wife. When he loses the dog at the Parade Ground, Salamano becomes very upset because of the friendship that the dog provided. Old Salamano reacts much differently than Meursault because you could hear weeping in his apartment when he couldn't find his dog.

Raymond: Raymond is Meursault's other neighbor and is portrayed as a "pimp". Raymond seems to be using Meursault to help accomplish his retaliation that he has with the previous girlfriends. When he gets revenge on his ex-girlfriend and slaps her, it is shown that slapping a woman is perceived as wrong in society. Additionally, Raymond learns a lesson that one must respect cops because they have authority over you. Raymond acts as a contrasting character to Meursault because he reacts with much emotion.

Meursault's Boss: The boss originally seems to be somewhat selfish because when he hears the news of Meursault's mother dying he seems angered that Meursault will be gone and won't be able to work. Although, it appears he has Meursault's best interest in mind because he offers him a job opportunity in France. He tries to warn Meursault that being indecisive and having no amibition is not a good combination when working. He is put the book to emphasize Meursault lack of decision making and ambition.

Journal #8

1) I believe the title, Their Eyes Were Watching God  portrays this novel well. Multiple times throughout the book a reference is made to God, typically indirectly. Also, in the climax of the book, the title is stated when Tea Cake and Janie are in the hurricane. They looked up to God, possibly provide protection and safety. Thus, the title Their Eyes Were Watching God  helps develop a theme in the story of the protection that God can provide.

2) Another title that would work well is Opportunities on the Horizon . This would work because it also helps to convey a theme of Hurston's novel. Janie has more freedom as she moves from one husband to the next. By the end of the novel, Janie achieves her independence. The reader's focus would be put onto Janie more. The theme that women should not be submissive to men, but should fight for their independence is better developed.

3) I used "Flow of the Waves" as the title of my short story. I used this because the ocean waves are the most prominent motif in my story to represent the power that they possess. The women also represent going against the current in their fight to combat the barrier that men set against them. The ocean is a huge part of my short story; therefore, that's the reason why I included it in my title.

Journal #7

Analysis of Literary Techniques:

1) Alliteration: “‘He’s a whirlwind among breezes,’ Jeff Bruce threw in. ‘Speakin’ of winds, he’s de wind and we’se de grass’” (49).

Hurston uses alliterations on many occasions throughout the novel. By using the repetition of the letter "w" it reiterates the power that the wind has, which mirrors Jody. "W" has a hard sound which provides another example of the strength that Jody has over the town of Eatonville. Alliteration helps to develop Jody's character as a leader and as someone that others see as powerful.

2) Imagery:“Joe’s funeral was the finest thing Orange County had ever seen with negro eyes. The motor hearse, the Cadillac and Buick carriages; Dr. Henderson there in his Lincoln; the hosts from far and wide” (88).

The use of imagery helps to bring the scene or passage to life and create a mental picture. In this instance, Joe's death is an intense and somewhat dramatic moment and by creating a picture in our head we can envision what is really happening. Death is a harsh reality, and Hurston helps to portray that by using imagery.   

3) Metaphor: “She was a rut in the road” (76).

Hurston uses a metaphor in the case to show that Janie is aging. Hurston does not blatantly tell us that Janie is getting old, but decides to use a metaphor. By doing this, the reader is more engaged because the passage is unique and different. The objective was not only to keep the reader from being bored, but to be visually appealing to the reader.  

Journal #6

Revisions to Pastiche:

After reading over the comments from the peer review, and re-reading my rough drafts I found certain things that needed to be fixed and improved. First off, I need to make my pastiche substantially longer. Additionally, I noticed that I could make my theme much more in depth and clear. Essentially, the purpose of my paper needs to be more focused on developing the theme. Also, to further mimic Hurston's writing style, I will incorporate more literary techniques, such as alliterations and better imagery. The flow of my pastiche was choppy and was not very smooth so I focused on changing the sentence structure of my pastiche to improve the flow.

Journal #5

Pastiche using page 84:

Then Will started to consider Hope. Hope, that warm creature that looms over when necessary.  She stays in the clouds, but is capable of being with everyone. What enables hope to be with us? She straightens and stabilizes the ones wanting strength. Being provided, only when it's needed, this creature is prepared with an arm to put around us. Been prepared to account and help but hardly anyone accepts. He is likely to find it from a passing raindrop. He feels excited and enthusiastic. Oh Katie! She shouldn't have to find this wonderful formation of happiness alone. He wanted her to find it, but knew it wasn't possible.  Almost everyone wuz having a tough time finding hope. They'd be able to find it soon as a cloud brought in some gloom. Rather, that's what Katie thought. Others knew this would not be the case, though. So the next rainy day Will waited outside to find this glimpse of strength from the clouds. People that never believed this would help, went outside to discover it. Deciding to wait didn't work, the rain brought something else. Concern, the rain didn't bring anything, but seeded the people with doubt and concern.

By basing this on the passage off of page 84, I altered the ending tone from the beginning tone. I created a sense of happiness by using words, such as, warm, hope and clouds. As the story progressed, the tone shifts to a dull setting. The rain is supposed to provide hope, but brings concern and doubt because it doesn't help, and only hurts the people. Words used in the later part of the passage, like gloom, concern, and doubt help to develop the dull tone. I used anthropomorphism, like Hurston, to bring hope to life. Also, by capitalizing the "h" it gives it a God-like quality and a sense of protection and that it is above us. By making hope a character, it allows the reader to more easily relate it to life.  

Journal #4

Page 84 displays Hurston's use of syntax, word choice, tone and sound devices.

Syntax: Hurston has a unique style to her writing. In the long paragraph at the beginning of the page, Hurston uses straight forward and simplistic sentence structure. The word death is mentioned many times, and the short sentences are abrupt. The flow of this passage is choppy and the passage follows the same pattern throughout. This type of sentence structure is used to show death's suddenness and abruptness.

Word Choice: Hurston starts off the passage with the word, "so", which is an informal word. Also, Hurston says that death, "Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back" (Hurston 84), she could have said death is waiting to striking at any moment, but decides to provide an image of how death can occur anytime. In the passage, Janie refers to Joe as Jody. Hurston does this because Joe prefers to be called Jody. Also, being calling him Jody is more affectionate.

Tone: The tone of this passage starts off being saddening because of the repetition of the word, death. Also, Janie attempts to resolve the problems with Jody despite the circumstances, but Jody gives her a cold look, showing he doesn't want to talk. This creates an upsetting tone because Janie's relationship with Jody is deteriorating and he is sick.

Sound Device: One of the sound devices used in this passage is alliteration, "He stands in his high house" ( Hurston, 84). This signifies deaths power and the repetition of "h" is somewhat abrupt like death itself. In a way, death is watching over us all like God, which is likely why it is capitalized.                                               

Journal #3

Examples of stylistic attributes from Their Eyes were Watching God:

1) Hurston's use of consonance: "'He's uh whirlwind among breezes' Jeff Bruce threw in. 'Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows'" (Hurston, 49).

2) Hurston's use of symbol: "Tain't no use in scufflin' over all dese stumps and roots in de dark (Hurston, 44).

3) Hurston's use of personification: "The porch laughed" (Hurston, 53).

4) Hurston's use of imagery: "They's jus' some puny humans playin' round de toes uh Time"( Hurston, 54).

5) Hurston's use of a simile: " By that time Matt was wringing and twisting like a hen on a hot brick (Hurston, 58).

Analysis:

1) Zora Neale Hurston uses consonance in this passage to reinforce the influence that Joe Starks has on the people of Eatonville. Hurston emphasizes that the people of the town bend, or follow, what Joe does and says. Wind is used because it is powerful and represents Joe's strength and leadership. Also, wind could be an allusion to God because of it's invisibility and powerfulness.

4) Hurston uses imagery not only in this passage, but throughout the book to help illuminate that the people sitting on the porch are lesser people. Hurston uses the word puny to describe them as lower people. Interestingly enough, time is capitalized. Hurston wants time to be a reference to God, and how the porch sitters are messing with God, as well. Joe likes having the image of power and to be looked up to by others, so when he sees Janie talking to porch sitters he doesn't like it at all because it hurts his image as the mayor.  

Journal #2

Dialect Rules (of two African-American men having a conversation):
1) "Ayy"= Hey
2) Using "bro", "dawg", or "man" at least once in every conversation
3) Any words that have "th" will be changed to "d", such as "dem" and "dat"
4) No exclamation marks are to be used
5) Every time the word do is used, it will be said as "does"
6) Words ending in "ing" will change to "in'"
7) "Ya"= You
8) "Tuh"= To
Dialogue (Reference to page 22 in Their Eyes were Watching God):

Jamal hasn't been able to workout in days. He is starting to feel like he is fat and out of shape. He has been so busy that going to the gym hasn't  been able to fit into his schedule. You could call Jamal a person that is addicted to working out, especially lifting weights. Jamal is experiencing withdrawal and needs someone to talk with.

"Ayy dawg. What ya been up tuh Rasheed?"

Rasheed has no job and typically stays around his house watching T.V. every day. He is envious of Jamal's muscular body, but does not have the drive to get to the gym.

"Uhh ya know man, not too much, just hangin' around the house."

"I sure haven't been able to go the gym like I typically does bro. I feel like I've already gained some weight".

Rasheed was astonished. He isn't fat and he never exercises so he can't comprehend why Jamal is saying the things he is, "Jamal, dawg, ya doesn't have tuh worry. I would die to be in the shape that ya are in and to have dem muscles ya got".  

"Rasheed, man, ya are right. I doesn't need to workout as much as I does. I doesn't need to go to the gym everyday".

"Glad I coud help ya, dawg".

"See ya, bro".

Journal #1

Janie is perceived as an attractive woman and a confident person. Even before Janie speaks a word, the people sitting on the porch comment on her looks, "the great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume"(Hurston 2). Janie's hair is a symbol of her beauty. Janie is not afraid to be different from the norm, which is exemplified when people sitting on the porch say, "what she doin coming back here in dem overalls? Can't she find no dress to put on?"(Hurston 2). A woman wearing overalls in out of the ordinary, but Janie does not seem to care because she is comfortable with who she is. Despite being critical of Janie, she is envied by others because she is attractive. Janie is perceived as someone that is higher up than the passive porch sitters, "still it was a hope that she might fall to their level some day" (Hurston 2).

The narrator uses characters to explain her points and values, mainly from a women's perspective. The main character, Janie, is used along with the narrator's voice to highlight themes such as the empowerment of women. We can see that the author is favored and slightly biased to women through her choice of a character who is a colored woman perceived by other characters as not as intelligent, but through the narrator's clever use of imagery and similes it is revealed that she is anything but that, especially through the beginning passage which hints at Janie's journey throughout the novel and her return. The narrator uses foreshadowing when saying, "She had come back from the sodden and the bloated; the sudden dead, their eyes flung wide open in judgement" (pg 1). Not only does the narrator hint at what is going to happen, but also that Janie is a character that takes action.

Post #4- Mini Test

Questions:
1.) "It was a rustling sound that woke me up. Because I'd had my eyes closed, the whiteness of the room seemed even brighter than before" (Camus, 9). This is an example of ______________
2.) "What dat ole forty year ole 'oman doin' wid her hair swingin' down her back lak some young gal?"(Hurston, 2). This sentence shows the __________ of this book.
3.)"The great rope of black hair swinging to her waist and unraveling in the wind like a plume" This is an example of a _____________.
4.) In Their Eyes were Watching God, the porch is a _____________.
5.)In The Stranger, Meursault is the ___________ of the book.

Post #3- Ambiguity

Ambiguity gives the possibility of more than one interpretation of what you are reading. An ambiguous  phrase is unclear. Typically, there is one basic meaning and then a more complex meaning. Authors will usually use ambiguity intentionally to add depth or for comedic purposes to make the story more interesting. An example of ambiguity is in The Stranger, Meursault says, "I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to" (41). Meursault is vague in what "it" is because he doesn't specify what he is referring to whether it is about marriage or love.  Even after the reading the passage it is unclear what Meursault means so we are left feeling uncertain.

Post #2- Climax

Climax: Is the peak, or the major event that takes place in the story.
It is thought of as the most action packed part. Climax is one of the components of the plot, it comes after the rising action, but before the falling action and conclusion. In The Stranger, the climax is when Meursault shoots the Arab. For someone that has taken chemistry, a good way to remember that the climax is the peak is to think of an activated complex, see picture below:

Post #1

1. Which of the three books did you enjoy the most and why?
I liked Their Eyes were Watching God the most because the African-American dialect in the novel was unique and I found it extremely interesting. Also, the culture of the blacks kept me interested because it is much different from my culture. Janie has a tough time deciding whether to follow what her Grandma, or Nanny, wants for her or to do what she wants in her choice of husband. An example of this is that Nanny wanted to Janie to marry a rich man;whereas, Janie originally wanted to be with someone that makes her feel better, but does not have a whole lot of money. Nanny's desire for the security from wealth is a result of her time as a slave who was envious of the slave owner's wife who had the privilege of sitting and watching instead of the physical labor required of Nanny. In addition, I particularly liked Hurston's writing style. I liked the use of figurative language throughout the book. The climax of the hurricane kept me reading and I thought overall Hurston did a great job of keeping my attention throughout the entire story. The pace or rhythm at the beginning of the novel was slow and elongated by the use of imagery and metaphors however, Hurston speeds up the pace near the end with rising tension.

2. Which of the three books did you enjoy least and why?

The book We was extremely hard for me to get interested in. I enjoy math and science, but this book was not my style or something that I like to read. The author, Yevgemy Zamyatin, creates narration that is plain and boring. I found it strange how people were dressed identically and had to walk the same way. It was frustrating that throughout the book little is mentioned about the people that live outside of the wall. The setting was dull and I was not amazed by the futuristicness of the setting either that Zamyatin created in the novel. For this reason, dystopian novels are hard for me to get into and to comprehend because I am not into that type of novel.

3. If you were to write an essay on the third novel (the book not addressed in the previous two questions) what element or elements would you focus on in that essay and why do think they are important?
The Stranger, by Albert Camus was a decent book in my mind. Camus portrayed the main character, Meursault, as a person with no emotion. When he learns of his mother's death he displays no sadness as if he has no attachment to his mother. Society expects us to act a certain way when we experience these types of difficulties and when Meursault lacks any emotion typical while grieving he becomes thought of as a stranger to the reader and other characters. Additionally, Meursault is not afraid to say what he is thinking, he does not care what society and others think of him. This brings up the question, does doing something against the norm of society a bad thing?