Journal #2: Blood Wedding

In all three plays, there is a common theme among the female characters; all of them are seen as inferior to the men.

In Blood Wedding, Lorca tags the bride character as "bride", not giving her a real name. However, Lorca does give the man the bride is in love with, his name is Leonardo. This creates a sense of inferiority towards the woman character because she is not actually given a name, just a title. And while she is just given a title, Leonardo is given an actual name, giving the impression that he is superior to the female character.

In The Wild Duck, Ibsen creates the character Gina, who is Hjalmar's wife. She is seen as inferior because she is the one who makes food for the family, and acts the role of a servant for Hjalmar. To furthermore support this, the character Mrs. Sorby is the house-keeper for Old Ekdal. Again, this being a servant position creates a sense of inferiority for the women, and how they are not treated with as much power as the men.

Journal #1: Blood Wedding

When reading the first acts of both The Wild Duck and Blood Wedding, there were many similarities between the two. One of the main similarities that I found was that they both included the word "knife". Ibsen and Lorka uses the knife in both Blood Wedding and The Wild Duck as a symbol for authority, as well as foreshadow future events that may occur in the story. Although in The Wild Duck, Ibsen does not use the knife to foreshadow anything, the knife is used to show authority. For example, in both passages, the knife is mentioned in an almost demanding way. In act one of The Wild Duck, Ibsen writes, "In from the dining room come laughter and the hum of many voices in conversation; a knife clinks upon a glass; silence; a toast is made" (119). In this context, the knife is used to catch the attention of the party members, and to silence them in order for a speech. This gives the one holding the knife power because he/she is silencing everyone, making them pay attention to him/her. And in Blood Wedding Lorka writes,

Mother
Son, your breakfast!

Bridegroom
Never mind. I'll eat some grapes. Give me the knife.

The bridegroom says this in a demanding tone. He rejects his mother's request and demands for the knife in return. This creates a demanding tone which furthermore implies that he is in control, and he feels in control over his mother. He does not have to listen to her word. So, the knife represents his authority over her.

Comments

This idea of having both a private/public life is a very interesting. I had not picked up on how Ibsen and Sophocles include this. I would look at this a bit more and try to develop an overall theme. Good work bud! (Tanner, Wild Duck #1)

Wow great poem Mr. Quach! You did an excellent job at connecting Oedipus with his complications and his ultimate failure. Also, I thought the motif of "darkness" was great because it set the negative tone which paralleled the corruption of Oedipus. Lastly, creative title. Well done Quach, keep it up! (Quach, Oedipus #3)

Great job with the analysis! However, I would argue that style does have a very important role in the two plays. The writers style in a way creates the plot itself. For example, both plays have tons of foreshadowing, and through this device both the writers can establish a stronger plot. I would say that the style develops more main themes than the plot, but great job! I enjoyed reading it! (Tania, Wild Duck #4)

Journal #3: The Wild Duck

Hedvig

Dear diary,
Life is great here with my family. But I am angry at the fact that I am not attending school. Although my mother teaches me a lot of things, mostly about economics, I want to learn more. This is because I am such a curious person, I believe that a proper education would solve the many questions that I have about the world. Also, I would like to have time to explore the world. I feel that I am so confined to this household and my family that I do not have time for myself. If I could go outside and explore what is on the outside of my normal life, I feel that I would be more entertained. Not that I do not like that I am always with my family, I do not mind that at all. It is just that I feel like exploring. I want to be given a chance to do something that my mother and father do not tell me to do. Of course I do not mean any trouble though.

My wild duck is so fascinating! It is very mysterious and I feel like it is detached from all of its surroundings. I mean, it is the only duck in the attic. There are other birds in there as well, but they are not the same, I almost feel bad for the poor duck. Its wing is badly hurt, and it was picked up by a dog's teeth, that is why I feel so bad. But it is kinda like me, and that is why I love it so much. It seems to be full of curiosity like me, and it has an interesting look to it. Well, obviously because it was harmed so badly. But what astonishes me the most is the fact that it is still alive after all of that!

Journal #2: The Wild Duck

Out of the books that I have read, I have found that the moments of intensity differ in the way that author portrays it. Since freshman year, I have read all different genres of books, thus I almost can expect how the author will portray the climax or other intense parts of the book. However, plays and novels are surprisingly similar in the ways that the intense moments are portrayed.

Take Oedipus the King for example. The climax of this play is obviously when Sophocles describes Oedipus blinding himself. Like most novels, he builds up suspense to heighten the intense moments to grab the readers attention. Throughout the whole play, Sophocles foreshadows a tragic ending, but the reader obviously does not know what it is. This is very common in plays, especially tragedies, because that is exactly what they are aimed to do at an audience. In The Stranger, Camus does this as well. Camus builds up suspense right before Mersault kills the Arab by using the sun. However, Camus does not foreshadow to the climax as much as play writers do in their works. However what differs the two is when the suspense kicks in. In The Stranger, for example, Camus creates suspense right before he kills the Arab, while in Oedipus the King, Sophocles creates suspense from the beginning of the play when Oedipus wants to discover the truth behind who killed Laius. I think that play writers do a better job at creating this suspense, and intense moments because they design it for an actual audience, rather than a reader. Having a gradual increase in suspense starting from the beginning of a play sets the mood for the rest of it, and it is almost a surprise at when the intense moment occurs.

Journal #1: The Wild Duck

I believe plot is valued greatly in literary works, however the writing style of an author is more important in my opinion. It is rather a strong writing style that creates a strong plot of a story or novel.

In The Wild Duck, Ibsen uses a style that includes many of the actions the characters would perform on play. Ibsen even includes precise movements that each character would do on stage. For example, he writes, "GINA. Because then you'll be free later on, you know. (She goes back into the kitchen. A short pause.)" and "EKDAL. (at the door to the loft, behind the net). Hjalmar!" (160). This creates a stronger visualization for the reader, in that they can picture the scene in their head. Ibsen includes these many actions in writing style because of this reason. He uses it to his advantage. Also, he uses many dashes and commas in his writing. For example, "HJALMAR. And if I should seem unreasonable at times, then-good Lord-remember that I am a man assailed by a host of cares. Ah, yes! (drying his eyes.) No beer at a time like this. Bring me my flute. (Hedvig runs to the bookcase and fetches it.) Thank you. There-so. With flute in hand, and you two close by me-ahh!" (146). Ibsen writes in a more casual style, almost mimicking how most people talk with short, almost choppy sentences.

Sophocles on the other hand has a completely different writing style than Ibsen. In Oedipus the King for example, Sophocles writes with very little action, but rather leaves the reader to interpret their actions. For example, Oedipus says, "Not at all. Apollo told me once-it is my fate-I must make love with my own mother, shed my father's blood with my own hands. So for years I've given Corinth a wide berth, and it's been my good fortune too. But still to see one's parents and look into their eyes is the greatest joy I know" (216). Sophocles writes in an almost riddle-like manner, which was greatly influenced by the time period of when the play was written because plays during the 5-6 B.C. used this writing style. However, his writing style is very strong because it leaves the reader to figure out what he is intending to say. Thus, Sophocles writes many well known tragedies.

Journal #3: Oedipus

Plot plays a significant role in the progression of the story. During this time period, play writers would familiarize the audience with certain characters in plays, such as Apollo for example. The audience would always associate certain events that would happen to that character because their story remained the same throughout all of the plays. Sophocles familiarizes the audience with his characters as well, but he does it for a different result. He changes the story of a certain character to grab the audiences' attention, shocking them in a way. In my opinion, this is why Sophocles progressed in play writing so well. He created new plays in a way, thus the audience would pay more attention and they would be more excited for his next play.

For me the ending of the play was very cliche in that it was the typical ending for a tragedy. The main character goes through a whole speech trying to stress the mistakes that he did. However, it was interesting that in his time of great peril, he did not kill himself, but he rather blinded himself. Oedipus claims to have done it because, "I, with my eyes, how could I look my father in the eyes when I go down to death? Or mother, so abused... I have done such thing to the two of them, crimes too huge for hanging. Worse yet, the sight of my children, born as they were born, how could I long to look into their eyes? No, not with these eyes of mine, never" (243). He did it because he could not bear to see his mistakes with his eyes. He does not want to see what he did. Oedipus feels as if blinding himself would be better because then when he died, he would be blind, rather than seeing everything he had done previously.

Journal #2: Creative

I find Oedipus' reactions interesting. It seems every time he asks for the truth, he only suffers when he is told it. Its funny in a since because even though he is told that the truth will hurt him, he seems to want it anyways, and he accuses the other person of causing him distress. In this sense, he seems very arrogant and does not take others seriously. For example, when Tiresias says, "I'd rather not cause pain for you or me. So why this . . . useless interrogation? You'll get nothing from me" Oedipus responds by saying, "Nothing! You, you scum of the earth, you'd enrage a heart of stone! You won't talk? Nothing moves you? Out with it, once and for all!" (178). This clearly shows his personality towards these situations. He does not care what the truth brings, but he rather just hear it even though it will cause him pain. He also does not believe what others tell him. For example, Oedipus says, "Much as you want. Your words are nothing" when he responds to Tiresias. So he almost hides reality by not believing. This also ties back into the motif of blindness and how Oedipus cannot see the truth of what is really being told. He just denies it because he wants to remove it from his thoughts.

He even ignores his wife when she tries to speak to him. On page 222, Jocasta says, "Stop - in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough" and in response, Oedipus says, "Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, must see the truth at last". Again, this shows his arrogance and his ignorance for other people. This may come down to the level of power, and how men had more power than women during the time. During this time, women were not allowed to perform on stage, it was something that only men could do. It was seen as a privilege too, so men gained power from this.

Journal #1: Literary Topics

I have found it interesting that Sophocles uses the motif of sight and blindness. In fact I noticed a hint of irony when Oedipus talks to Tiresias. Although Tiresias is blind, he clearly "sees" how horrible the society is ran by Oedipus. But the funny thing is, is that although Oedipus has sight, he is "blind" in that he thinks he is doing a good job at being in charge of the society, while in reality, the society is poor and is terrible. I almost get the feeling that being blind is having the ability to see. Also, there is a motif of heat. For example, he uses "blazes" and "fire" throughout the story so far. It seems that every page has a reference to heat in some way. I'm not quite sure why Sophocles does this, but if I were to take a guess, I would say that it has to do something about sight, and being able to reveal something unknown. And by unknown, I mean that Oedipus is unaware of his blindness to society. For example, he writes, "torches blazing" many times, especially on page 170. A burning torch gives me the image of trying to find something that is unknown, or just trying to find something in general.

Another thing that I noticed was how arrogant Oedipus is. This adds to the blindness he possesses because he does not want to admit, and doesn't notice, that the society is poorly ran. This plays a huge role in the plot of the story. Because of his arrogance, he denies everything, thus leading him to his downfall.

This plays along with the large amount of foreshadowing. Sophocles uses foreshadowing to help shape the story, obviously foreshadowing Oedipus's downfall. He mentions death, and always capitalizes it. I believed that this is foreshadowing someone's death. Not necessarily Oedipus's death, but one who plays a significant role in the story.

Journal #3: 1984, Topic C

Topic C
Warnings

George Orwell has many warning signs in 1984, but the one that stood out to me most was his warning that if history keeps going on the same way, humans will lose their qualities. In other words, if we keep on getting into large wars, humans will only care about that, and will do whatever it takes to become the world superpower. Through the description of the buildings and the Party, the government, I could tell that that the society was terrible. The buildings were described as falling apart; they “smelled like rotten cabbage”. By this description, I could tell that the society was poor. What I thought was odd though was that the government was collecting money for Hate Week, which was war related, even though they don’t have enough money to support living conditions. Also, the society is under constant surveillance, suggesting that dehumanization is taking place. This is exactly what Orwell was trying to express, that if humans keep going into wars, then they will suffer.

I believe that Orwell does make this warning clear and believable because of the way he describes everything. Like I mentioned before, the economy is not stable enough to support living conditions, however the government is collecting money to prepare for Hate Week. Along with this, movies and even television are all about war. In the first part of the book, he makes it clear that this is a growing problem because the movie is about a family who is being shot at by a helicopter. The people at this movie laugh too, they are laughing about a mother and a child being killed by gunfire.

I really didn’t catch an alternative to this warning; however there may have been slight hints to alternatives. I guess that thinking for yourself may have been one, but I’m not very sure.

1984 Topic B: Julia

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Topic B

Julia

            Julia is much like Winston, both sharing hatred for the Party.  She is involved in many organizations such as the Junior Anti-Sex League, and displays herself as being a normal citizen of Oceania.  Julia is the ideal citizen on the outside, however on this inside she is a rebel.

            Winston’s first impression of Julia was that he hated her, and wanted to kill her.  She was the kind of girl who was suspicious of being a member of the Thought Police for the Party because she was young and he wanted to “smash her skull in with a cobblestone” (101).  Later, however, he and Julia get to know each other better, and eventually have an affair. 

            Julia rebels against the Party by having sex.  Sex is against the law in this society and is considered to be a terrible thing because the Party “was trying to kill the sex instinct, or, if it could not be killed, then to distort it and dirty it” (66).  This is because the Party does not want people to rise up and question the authority.  They want people to stick as a unit, and be happy with the life that they are providing for them.  This is somewhat successful in a vague sense seeing how they keep this going for a while.  But in the end, they were caught, and consequently they are sent to the Ministry of Love where they removed from society.  This ultimately shows that the Party is in control of the society.  Through this, one can come to the conclusion that in this society, the government has complete dominance over the citizens, making the society a Dystopia.

Journal #1: 1984, Topic A

            “That’s coral, that is,” said the old man.  “It must have come from the Indian Ocean.  They used to kind of embed it in the glass.  That wasn’t made less than a hundred years ago.  More, by the look of it.”

            “It’s a beautiful thing,” said Winston.

            “It is a beautiful thing,” said the other appreciatively.  “But there’s not many that’d say so nowadays.”  He coughed (…) But who cares about genuine antiques nowadays-even the few that’s left?” (Orwell, 95)

            The society in 1984 is seen as trying to move on from the past.  Throughout the first section of the novel, Winston notices that mostly everything from the past is either gone, or ignored.  This is because the Party (which represents the government) hides things from the public, making up lies to cover for the things that they don’t want to be released.  They do this to prevent rebellion among the citizens.  The proles (people who do not work for the Party) have the only items remaining from the past.  The Party members do not have such items because the Party does not want rebellion to

            This can be shown through the passage because when the old man says, “But who cares about genuine antiques nowadays-even the few that’s left” he implies that the Party has removed things from the past.  

Journal #8: Personal response/Thesis

The first time I read The Stranger I didn't enjoy it as much as I do now.  I definitely liked it more the second read, probably because I understood it more and looked in depth to find a deeper meaning to the novel as a whole.  I found it kind of cool how Mersault only sees the physical thing in life and Camus does this to prove his world view of existentialism/absurdity.  Also, I found it interesting that Camus connects the story with the Myth of Sisyphus at some parts.  Like when Mersault is in jail and he is thinking through his life and comes to the conclusion that life is pointless, sort of like Sisyphus.  Camus views life as an endless, useless task,showing it through Mersault.  All of these reasons make this novel, in my opinion, a good one.


 Thesis:
             In The Stranger, Albert Camus creates a contrast between weekdays and weekends,  to show Mersault's internal change from suppressing his thoughts to expressing his thoughts, illustrating that freedom from society is reached through a change in one's routine.  This is shown through the repetition of the weekend, Camus' dull use of imagery when describing work and a bright use of imagery when describing the beach, and the contrast of diction when comparing weekdays to weekends.

   

Journal #7 Thesis

Topic: Repetition of weekends
Thesis: In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the repetition of Saturday and Sunday to display the freedom from society.
(I'm still working on my thesis, I am sure that there are a couple of things that I need to add)

Quotes:
1) "That's partly why I didn't go there much this past year.  And also because it took up my Sunday" (5)
2) "He told me that he spent Saturdays and Sundays and all his days off there" (50)
3) "Masson immediately said there was a doctor who spent his Sundays up on the plateau" (54)
4) "... I used to wait patiently until Saturday to hold Marie's body in my arms" (77)
5) "He was wearing the new suit he used to put on to go with me to the races sometimes on Sundays" (92)
6) "... I'd be getting four days' vacation that way, including Sunday" (19)
7) "Yesterday was Saturday, and Marie came over as we'd planned" (34)

I looked through the book multiple times and could not find more than seven quotes that mentioned the weekend.  This is why there is a lack of quotes.  However there is definitely another topic that I tabbed and that is that Camus never mentions days of the week, he only refers to them as "yesterday" or "today".  He may do this to show the daily routine of a humans lifestyle in a demanding society.
(I'm not exactly sure how to word this as a thesis)

Journal #6: Questions

1) Why does Camus only refer to Saturday and Sunday and not the week days?

2) Does the symbolism of the cigarette represent freedom from society?
     (Also the motif of sleeping/tiredness)

3) Why does Camus always describe things in color?  Is it to represent how he perceives the world only physically, not emotionally?

4) Why does Camus only state "the Arabs" and not actually have a name for them?

5) Why is the sun set a cheerful tone when Mersault is with Marie on the beach, but it sets a pressured/irritated tone when he is on the beach without her?


Comments...

1) Why does Albert Camus use such short and choppy sentences? What effect does this have on the story? (Matt Merckling #2)
   Albert Camus uses short and choppy sentences to represent how humans think things through, thus developing a routine.

2) Is Camus using the motifs of coffee and cigarettes as symbols for something larger? Is it something to do with emotion? (Megan Davis #4)

Through the motif of coffee and the symbol of cigarettes Camus portrays freedom from society, escaping the stressful lifestyle into one more relaxed.

3) What is Camus trying to say about human experience by creating a character that seems to lack motivation? (Tanner Bean #2)

Through Mersault's lack of motivation, Camus expresses that in the human experience one will tend to focus on the present more than the future.

4) What is the meaning of the robotic lady (pg 43)? She does not have a big impact in the story other than showing up at Meursault's trial. Why is she included and/or for what purpose is she in the story? (Andy Luu #5)

Camus includes the "robotic lady" into The Stranger to show the routine based life one will have in a demanding society.

5) To what purpose does Camus put such emphasis on physical description and feeling, especially regarding colors? (Montana Agnew #2)

Camus puts emphasis on physical descriptions rather than emotional descriptions to connect the reader to the character. Camus describes the beach on page 49 to bring out the feeling of relaxation, while not actually stating that Mersault felt relaxed. Camus might be trying to portray a possible theme that humans will tend to understand things better through the physical aspects of life rather than emotional.

Journal #5

I believe that Camus split The Stranger into two parts to show Mersault's personality change.  Before the split, Mersault is very clear and precise with everything he does.  He plans everything out ahead of time.  However, when the novel splits into Part 2, Mersault begins to question things that he had not questioned before.  The reader gets a sense of Mersault's emotions that he hid in the first part of the novel.  Also, Camus probably split the novel into two parts to make the reader almost feel as if he/she was starting a new book., and to get a deeper sense of Mersault's change in character.

Journal #4: 6 Questions

1) Why does Camus only reference Saturdays and Sundays and not other days?
"He told me that he spent Saturdays and Sundays and all his days off there" (50).  I think Camus uses this to show freedom from society.  On weekends Mersault "hooks up" with Marie, thus showing freedom from society and work.  Camus sets a relaxed mood when Mersault is at the beach, but when Mersault is working Camus shows him as precise.

2) Why does Camus only show Mersault as seeing the physical life and not the emotional?
Maybe Camus is trying to express that humans desire the physical aspect of life, rather than the emotional aspect of life.  Through Marie, Camus is expressing this one-sided life because Mersault always sees Marie as "glistening" or "beautiful" (51), and never really expresses his emotional feelings towards her.


3) Why does Camus describe everything with a color?
I believe he does this to stress Mersault only paying attention to the physical side of life.  In the physical side of life, there are colors everywhere and everything can be described by a certain color, but in the emotional side of life there are not colors, everything is either black or white.

4) Why does Camus use the dog (Old Salamano) as a symbol, and what could it represent?
I thought about this one for a long time, but I could not come up with a sufficient answer.  The best guess I have is that the dog represents something to do with the lack of freedom.  Because his owner yells at him, it may show that the dog has no freedom from society.

5) Why does Camus show Mersault as being precise, and being relaxed?
These characterize Mersault as a person, showing the reader that in society, he has to be precise in his planning, and when he is not working, he has the freedom to do whatever he wants.  This is important to the story because it definitely shows a contrast between the two lifestyles. 

6) What does the motif of sleeping and drowsiness represent?
I think they represent freedom.  Sleeping is something Mersault can do to escape from society.  Sleeping is his freedom from his work and from other problems as well.  Also, the cigarettes may represent this freedom from society, it is his way of escaping the chains of other people's demands.

Journal #3: World View

1) Successism

2) In this world theory, there may or may not be a God, it all depends on the person's opinion.  But in this theory, everyone has a shot for success, disregarding race and economic status.  Throughout my life, I have seen plenty of successes and failures, by many different people.  Because of this, I have always believed that everyone has a chance of being successful. 

• There is no limit to what you can achieve
• Cherish what you have done
• Race does not define success
• Every person, no matter the amount of money they have, can achieve
• Success is not always achieving what is desired most
• Point out weaknesses so you can improve on them
• Do not focus on the present, focus on the future
• Be trustworthy, do not lie about who you are

I find successism important because I base every action I do off this.  It's who I am and I will always strive for my goals.

Journal #2

1) Which translator has the most literary value
I would argue that Matthew Ward's translation has the most literary value because it characterizes Mersault more than the translation by Gallimard.  Ward's translation describes Mersault more efficiently because he portrays him as being exact, and precise.  For example when Camus rights, "I'll take the two o-clock buss and get there in the afternoon.  That way I can be there for the vigil and come back tomorrow night." (3).  The way Ward characterizes Mersault, helps the reader understand his personality and thoughts.  Also, the way Camus translates helps establish a stronger tone when comparing the two translations.

2) Title The Stranger
I would title The Stranger as The Unknown.  This is because the whole novel itself is very vague, and the reader does not always know what is on Mersault's mind.  He switches from thinking about one thing to another, almost as if he cannot process something fully.  For example, when he is thinking about his Maman he is not sure when she died and says, "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know (...) That doesn't mean anything.  Maybe it was yesterday".  Mersault seems to be trying to ignore the fact that his mother is dead, but does not show the reader exactly what he is intending.  He seems to be wondering more about something else, and is tucking his mother's death away in his mind.

Journal #1: The Stanger tabbing method

My tabbing method worked well last time, however I think that symbols and motifs are easier to find than other techniques, and are sometimes obvious when used so much; I will not be tabbing those as much as last time, only the ones of importance.  So this time, I am going to mainly tab characterization (dialogue, syntax, etc.) and setting (how it portrays a theme, how the author explains the setting, mood, tone, etc.).

Symbols/motifs - smoking, sex (physical things) - yellow
Setting - how it displays a certain theme, the atmosphere/tone of the symbols/motifs - green
Characterization - how Mersault develops over time, how Mersault focuses on the physical side of life rather than emotional, other characters and how they affect Mersault - blue
Repeating literary techniques (diction, syntax, etc.) - how these repeating techniques portray a certain theme, where they are used and what they used for to describe certain things - pink

Journal #10: Themes

Theme: In the human experience, one will tend to change the way they act or they will change decisions in order to get what they desire.

"You sho loves to tell me whut to do, but Ah can't tell you nothin' Ah see!" (Hurston, 71)
Janie finally talks back to Joe because she wants to feel like she means something, rather than hiding her feelings, like she normally does.

"Janie did what she had never done before, that is, thrust herself into the conversation." (Hurston, 75)
Here, Janie decides to actually speak up and say something to the people sitting on the porch.  This is something that she has never done before, and she had always wanted to talk on the porch.  It says that she thrust herself into the conversation, this is diction and it portrays this theme because Hurston uses thrusting in order to show that she did something that was not normal for her to do.

"Tea Cake love me in blue, so Ah wears it." (Hurston, 113)
In this situation, Janie branches out and wears cloths that she never had done when she was married to Joe because he wouldn't let her.  And now that she wants to be with Tea Cake, she is changing her ways so she finally do what she wants to.

"He was glad of the chance because he hadn't had his hand on a box since he put his in the pawn shop to get some money to hire a car for Janie soon after he met her.  He missed his music.  So that put him in the notion he ought to have on.  He bought the guitar on the spot and paid fifteen dollars cash." (Hurston, 123)
Tea Cake had a flashback to when he had a guitar and played music with it.  This relates to the theme because he wanted to play guitar again, so he spent money for himself, which he usually spends on for Janie's needs.  He has a change in his decision when he remembers the time he played the box, and how much fun he had.

Journal #9: Pastiche 2

Zach sat on his great throne while sipping lemonade through a straw, as he watched his friend Jim paint the fence in his back yard.
"Come on der Jim, put yer back into it!  I haven't got all day!" 
"Yes Zach."  Jim sighed.  He had been working on this fence for at least an hour or so and had not taken a break.  It wasn't fair, Zach had been sitting on the lawn chair this entire time and had his sister going to get him lemonade and snacks.  Jim thought back to the day before where he had accidentally broke Zach's grand bike.  He remembered the painful shock to his arm as Zach's fist collided with it.
"Jim there's no time to day dream, get going with it!  Yer not gettin' paid ya know, so ya may as well finish it up as fast as ya can!"  Zach screamed with authority.
"Yes Ah know." 
Jim finally finished within another hour, and sighed with relief.  Then he looked up to Zach who just gave him a smile and pointed to the dog house with buckets of paint laying on the ground beside it.


This pastiche shows the theme of....
- Superiority, the way on which a person or multiple persons show that they have control over another.

Literary Terms and why I used them....
1) Diction
- I chose words such as great throne and grand to represent Zach's superiority, making the character seem like he was very superior to Jim.  Also, I chose the word "up" to indicate that Jim had to look up at Zach, making it seem like Jim was as of a lesser status to Zach.

2) Flashback
- The flashback was in the middle of the pastiche where Jim was recollecting the day before.  Jim had broken Zach's bike, and was punched because of it.  This associates with the theme because it shows that Zach uses aggression to show his superiority over Jim.

3) Dialogue
- I made Zach have longer more demanding sentences and Jim have short responses to show the reader that Zach had superiority over Jim.  The dialogue shows the superiority that Zach has because Zach is more demanding while Jim seems to just do what Zach is telling him to do.

Journal #8: Literary terms

1) Diction
- "Tea Cake fell in beside her and mounted the porch this time" (Hurston, 101).
- Everyone leaves the store because it is getting dark outside.  But Tea Cake stays to talk with Janie.

Hurston uses the word mounted to possibly show Tea Cakes assertiveness and his eagerness to talk with Janie.  She wants to let the reader know that Tea Cake intends to stay and his desire for Janie.

2) Dialogue
- "You doin' right not tuh talk it, but Janie, you'se takin' uh mighty big chance."

"Tain't so big uh chance as it seems lak, Pheoby.  Ah'm older than Tea Cake, yes.  But he done showed me where it's de thought dat makes de difference in ages.  If people thinks de same they can make it all right.  So in the beginnin' new thoughts had tuh be thought and new words said.  After Ah got used tuh dat, we gits 'long jus' fine.  He done taught me de maiden languages all over.  Wait till you see de new blue satin Tea Cake done picked out for me tuh stand up wid him in.  High heel slippers, necklace, earrings, everything he wants tuh see me in.  Some of dese mornin's and it won't be long, you gointuh wake up callin' me and Ah'll be gone." (Hurston, 115)
- Pheoby and Janie are talking about Tea Cake and how he is a risk to run off with.  Pheoby thinks that he is just in it for the money and is going to use the money Joe made.

I noticed two important things about Hurston's dialogue.  First, it is usually between two people , and she does not indicate who is speaking.  The reader must find this out when one of the characters says the others name.  I think she does this to engage the reader, so he/she will be able to tell who is speaking by the way they talk.  This establishes a stronger bond between the reader and the characters in the book.

Secondly, I noticed that throughout the book Hurston has the character of more significance tends to speak longer than a minor character does.  The quote above is a perfect example of this because Janie, obviously being the main character, is talking to Pheoby, a minor character.  Hurston does this to possibly focus the reader more on the main characters, and have a better understanding of who they are, rather than the minor characters, who do not have a big role in the story.

3) Mentor
- "But anyhow, watch yo'self, Janie, and don't be took advantage of.  You know how dese young men is wid older women.  Most of de time dey's after whut dey kind git, then dey's gone lak uh turkey though de corn." (Hurston, 112)
- Same scenario as Dialogue


Hurston uses Pheoby as a mentor to Janie, telling her to be careful about Tea Cake.  Hurston does this probably to build suspense for the reader.  When the reader is first introduced to Tea Cake, he/she has suspicions about him.  This scene builds the suspense even more because it gives you another character's negative feelings and thoughts towards Tea Cake.

Journal #7: pastiche

Then Jim pondered Revenge.  Revenge was the huge monster who flew in the sky, waiting for an attack.  The gray-eyed one who lived in a cave, far away from anything, or anyone.  Why would Revenge creep out of the cave from which he lies?  He who can snap ones soul at any given moment.  He who waits patiently for days, for months, for years time, just waiting for the perfect time to strike.  Been sitting there well before it even knew of its own existence.  Jeffrey could be attacked by it at any given moment without recognition of what was going on.  He feared for him.  Scared Jeffrey!  It's not his fault for accidentally breaking the bike!  Jim had sent many people to talk to Jeffery's nemesis, but he had just waved them off like they were mosquitoes trying to land on his arm.  All this talk of revenge was a big rumor, but nobody, especially Jeffrey, knew how to handle it.  He would hopefully find out soon, once his nemesis confronted him somehow.  Jeffrey gave up all hope.  At least that was what he thought.  However his friends told him differently so he would know that there was still a chance of apology.  If Jeffrey didn't know by the next day, he was going to find out when the kids gathered around the play structure after lunch.  Kids who didn't even know Jeffrey gathered round, wanting to see what was going to happen.  They just sat under the slid, waiting.  Scare, that mysterious figure, had settled over the kids.

I chose revenge because I thought it would be an interesting noun to base my pastiche on.  To match Hurston's writing, I tried to keep my sentences vague, for the purpose of letting the reader interpret revenge his/her own way.  Like the last sentence, I left the ending bare because I wanted to get the reader to have his/her own ending.  The whole scene that I attempted to convey was a young kid who accidentally broke his friends bike, and his friend was mad at him for it.  That's where the whole revenge part plays in.  

Journal #6: Hurstons use of Death (pg. 84 passage)

 She uses death as a proper noun; thus giving me the impression that "Death" is a human.  I think that she puts it this way because it gives the reader a different view rather than the literal meaning of death.  She gives Death a character.


 She gives the reader many views of what Death is and what it represents throughout the passage.  This makes the reader think to why she would not focus on Death one way.


 I thought it was interesting how Hurston said in the last sentence, "Rumor, that wingless bird, had shadowed over the town".  In the sentences above that, she refers to Death as a bird dropping feathers marking the dying.  I think she did this to illustrate the importance Joe had to the town because he was the Mayor of it and practically built it.

  The way Hurston wrote about death throughout the chapters made it seem like it wasn't such a bad thing.  She made it seem more like the way of life, which it really is, rather than from a humans perspective where a human refers to death as a terrible thing.

  Hurston used Death as something that is higher than others.  For example: "Rumor, that wingless bird, had shadowed over the town." and ""He stands in his high house that overlooks the world".  She does this to illustrate the superiority that Joe has over the town, and Janie.

  The motif of the tree is  mentioned in this passage.  She includes this because she wants to reinforce that death is the way of life, and it happens when you get older.

  Hurston capitalizes the word "no" in the passage in order to emphasize Janie's stance on trying to help Joe, and showing the reader that she has become more vocal.

  She uses dialect in the sentence, "These medical doctors wuz all right with the Godly sick, but they didn't know a thing about a case like his".  Hurston does this to show Janie's sympathy for Jody.

  Used "two-headed man" to refer to Joe in order to show his different sides.  Sides being his affectionate side, and his superior side.  There could be many other possibilities.

 The word stand is repeated many times throughout the small passage.  Hurston uses diction because what she means by stand, is waiting.  She probably chose stand over waiting because waiting is vague, it does not clarify if the person/thing is tired, excited, ready, etc.

Journal #5: Thesis/ comment

Hurston uses Joe as a symbol to illustrate the theme of superiority; that is, the control one has over a single, or multiple beings.  She does this in order to help the reader understand the strength of Janie's relationship with Tea Cake.


I commented on: Nikki's, Cara's, and Matt's  

Journal #4: 3 patterns

1) Lake/Fish
"Ah been down tuh de lake tryin' tuh ketch me yh fish." (Hurston, 38)
Also appears multiple times later in the book, but I'm not sure exactly what pages

2) Joe's desire to continue improving the town
"Janie was astonished to see the money Jody had spent for the land come back to him so fast." (Hurston, 41)
"Dis town needs some light right now." (Hurston, 44)
Also building the shop

3) Porch (possibly represents power or superiority)
"Take for instance that new house of his. It had two stories with porches, with bannisters and such things." (Hurston, 47)

Journal #3: Harlem Renaissance (Louis Armstrong)

1)  Research someone during the time period of the Harlem Renaissance
            Lewis Armstrong was a famous African American jazz artist  in New Orleans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance.  He was a very talented trumpeter and singer and influenced how jazz music was played.  Instead of playing the typical collective improvisation, he did solo performances in which he succeeded greatly.  It was astonishing for an African American to become so talented at music because of the racial opinions.

2) Create rules for a dialect.
Pronunciation
"s" sound becomes "z" sound
"o" sound becomes "aw" sound
"t" sound becomes "k" sound

Grammar
change "s" to "z" only at the end of words
change "o" to "aw"
begin sentences with "okay"

Vocabulary
Sprout = kid
Bait = old
Chow down = eat

3) Dialogue

It was a bright and sunny day out in the neighborhood.  Jim was playing basketball on the street with a couple of his friends and decided to go home to get something to drink.
"Awkay, hellaw there yawung sprawuk!  Nice day we are having isn'k ik?"
Jim turned around and jumped back when he saw the mysterious man leaning against a mailbox. 
"Uh yeah it's great weather, I couldn't ask for it to be nicer."  Jim said with a frightened voice.
"Awkay, saw what are yawu dawing?"
"Well I was going to get something to drink, in fact I should probably-"
"Awkay, wawuld yawu mind gekking me sawmekhing kaw chaw dawwn awn?" said the mysterious man.
"I'm sorry, I don't even know who you are."
"Awkay, I'm sawrry, haww rude of me.  I am Lewis, I'm prekky baik as yawu can prawbably kell."
Jim just gave him a blank stare and then finally responded, "Yeah sure."
"Awkay, khak khawse baskekball gamez awf yawurs sure lawawks fun!  Can I play?" Lewis asked.
"Sorry, I just met you about five minutes ago, and no offense but you are giving me a little bit of a bad vibe."

"Awkay, well I can make khingz bekker.  I lawve baskekball, yawu shawuld jusk give me a chance!" Lewis said desperately.
"I am just going to leave now." Jim said as he walked off to his house.
"Awkay, cawme back awukside when yawu are dawne!"

Journal #2 (Analytic)

She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her.  She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum on a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight.  So this was a marriage!  She had been summoned to behold a revelation.  Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid. (Hurston, 11)

1) Hurston writes about things in nature in positive ways, possibly referring to the beauty of life
2) Motif of blooming; reaching maturity, the time for marriage
3) Motif of bees; the bees could be representing a person  who is seeking a desire 
4) Symbolism of the "tree"; possibly represents life, and when the tree blooms, the person reaches the age of maturity or adulthood
5) Hurston suddenly changes mood from very positive, to very depressing; she probably wants to show the reader that the first part of the paragraph is what Janie wants, and the last line is reality
6) Hurston uses things such as the bees and trees to show how Janie wants to feel
7) Is the breeze personified to make a better description of her surroundings? Or does it mean something more?
8) Dust-bearing bee may be a person in search of a new life
9) A possible theme for this passage: growing up is a long process, and it takes time for one to know what they want to do.
10) A possible thesis statement for this passage: Zora Hurston uses a tree blooming as a symbol, in order to illuminate the theme of growing up.

Journal #1: If you could tell your life story to one person, to whom would it be? Where would you begin?

If I were to tell my life story to someone, I would probably tell it to a good friend or someone in my family because I trust them the most.  Also, I believe that a person who I know better would pay more attention to the story.  If the person was a complete stranger to me, he/she would not want to listen, or at least I would not if I were them.

I would start off my story at the end in order to engage the listener.  This way, the person would be more curious to how the ending came about, rather than being bored by a long story without any inclination of where it is leading to.  Telling a story is very much like writing a book, you must catch the reader's attention in the beginning rather than in the middle if you want them to pay attention and be engaged.  A good way to catch someones attention is either to start telling the story at the end, or come up with something interesting in the beginning.  Personally, I think it would be better to start at the end because I believe it is more effective.