Group items tagged

Literary Analysis #2 Argument: In his work analysis, Kellman argues about the difficulties that Indian/East Indian immigrants face in the course of their American lives. Most of the characters in Lahiri's novel were either born in the United States or immigrated at a young age. Kellman argues that through the transition, these characters have lost their Bengali roots. Kellman critiques the thoughts and actions between the main characters and their familes who have retained a strong hold on their Bengali roots and ideals. He depicts the clash of cultures and how Lahiri's charcters struggle to thrive in "Unaccustomed Earth." Evidence: "If her Indians are everywhere, they are at home nowhere"(Kellman). "Lahiri's characters strike their roots in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington State, corners of the earth unaccustomed to Bengalis. However, the transplantation does not produce the vigor Hawthorne expects in relocated tubers. Most of the characters in these pensive stories are transplants who never find a soil in which to thrive" (Kellman). "Her characters belong to generation 1.5; children of immigrants, they were either born in the United States or arrived too young to have formed an Indian identity" (Kellman). "Though dragged along on family visits to Calcutta, they lack an appetite for Indian foods, languages, and spouses" (Kellman). "For Lahiri's characters, the tension between Old World and New World identities is often embodied in the generation gap between parents who look back to India for models of behavior and of thought and of children who strive, however futilely, to pass for unhyphenated Americans" (Kellman). "Nevertheless, even those children who manage to attain worldly success are haunted by a sense of loss"(Kellman). "However, the problem for Lahiri's characters is only in part an unbridgeable chasm between cultures. She depicts a world in which to be human is to fail" (Kellman). Thoughts: Kellman present

Hilda Kirkwood's purpose is to review and talk about the short story called Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. She explains how Salinger's writing style and techniques add to the overall effect of the short story he wrote. She also touches upon the themes of the story, which I found interesting because it was similar to the themes of the Catcher in the Rye. Kirkwood sets up her criticism in a somewhat organized manner. Her ideas and thoughts are not logically in order, however, they all relate to each other and connect very nicely. The author provides direct quotes from the story to further enhance and help her explanation of the plot and characters. She is able to focus on Salinger's writing style while still be consistent with the specific details from the book. In my opinion I think there is enough evidence to support the author's case. She includes many examples from the story to help support her case on Salinger's techniques as an author. Kirkwood concludes that Salinger is an amazing writer and his writing is unique. Also, the message of Franny and Zooey was to "connect" and somehow the characters weren't able to. Assumptions on the short story may contribute to the author's purpose because the book appeared in the New Yorker, so the author knows the story is worthy writing about. The fact that the author praises Salinger as a writer numerous times throughout the criticism contributes makes the author a little bias. The author is passionate about Salinger's writing style and I can tell simply by her explicit statements on him. I can tell that Kirkwood knows that Salinger is known for writing about being connected because that was his main focus in the Catcher in the Rye.

Argument: In using music as a symbol and motif in his novels and essays, Ellison contributes jazz artists not only as musicians who inspire and express Ellison's evolution as a person, but represent a social case that he personifies through their music. Claim: Ellison uses the motif of music to both represent evolution of a person, and the social distinction/respect a black man gains through music. Such musicians as Louis Armstrong, have unintentionally utilized their music to raise their social class and respect (an element of Marxism). Quote: "He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. At the school he learned to play cornet. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart...The band went through a number of personnel changes over the years but remained extremely popular worldwide. They toured extensively travelling to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America for the next twenty years until Louis' failing health caused them to disband. Armstrong became known as America's Ambassador."

Argument: Sears states that Lahiri's novels, Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake, reflect the ordinary, yet difficult and unsolved tales of foreign immigrants who cannot find their identity in the United States. She argues that due to the racialization in the U.S., foreigners cannot feel as though they belong in any group, so they must constantly struggle with being an "other". Evidence: "Lahiri's work reflects the impact of the history of racial politics in the U.S. on the formation of identity by demonstrating that racialization in the U.S. makes race an intrinsic and inescapable part of identity for immigrants who are not white." Thoughts:"an analysis of these stories shows that race misperceptions can be traced to the racialized history of South Asian Americans in the U.S and the ambiguity that results from trying to categorize individuals on the basis of race and ethnicity." Sears presents a clear argument as well as many examples from Lahiri's work that showcase the struggle with identity. However, I would have liked to hear more of their voice. I like that they brought a new point to the argument at the conclusion, stating that misunderstandings go deeper than race and culture. Race should not be the single identifying factor of a person.

Presenting a new perspective on the minimalism in Beckett's works, Dr. Bai explore the ways we find existentialism within "Endgame". Specifically, Bai dissects the work to show how the stage directions, stage setting, and self-reflective dialogue. Ironically, it is the smallest details of the work which in this case present the greatest amount of information. Because the nature of Beckett's plays are so deeply minimalistic, sometimes to the point of nothing, it would seem that in fact the only place to find the deeper meaning of the plays he has written would be in the only things present, which in this case are the self-dialogue and stage directions. For instance, Bai uses the interaction between trash bin ridden Nagg and Nell to help show that their inability to kiss and touch further exemplifies how the tragic comedy of the play comes to focus. The comedic presence as both struggle to reunite, even though there is literally maybe a foot between the two bins. In this case, "so close, yet so far" would accurately describe the situation. Basically, existentialism is the ideology of human nature, and what better way to explore these thoughts and tendencies than through a work such as "Endgame" that breaks the stage down to a meta-physical and psychological presentation.

Branislav L. Slantchev's purpose of discussing Eiji Yoshikawa's, Taiko, is to relate this work to Yoshikawa's more popular title, Musashi, and to also show the few faults Yoshikawa has made in his writing. Slantchev's opinion is that since so few people know of Yoshikawa, those who are familiar will become enthralled and find his work flawless. Slantchev is one of the few to finally go against the majority critical opinion and voice his personal issues with Yoshikawa. The article begins with a general summary of Taiko with an explanation of the tale as one that is about bringing "prosperity to the ravaged land is an inspiring, if bloody, tale of courage, imagination, and political intrigue." This statement already sets up the beginning with the multiple literary similarities between Taiko and Musashi. The article even discusses the "historical reality" still being "fictionalized." Nevertheless, Slantchev still continues to praise Yoshikawa when speaking of the engaging narrative and attention to battles until he reaches the character development. Slantchev argues, "Hideyoshi is so likable, he appears terribly one-dimensional." This statement is supported by the fact that even though the main character, Hideyoshi, has a "monkey face" he is still able to have success when it comes to the opposite sex. Slantchev recommends many other novels that would actually contain a more balanced point of view. Ultimately, Slantchev still ties his argument back to how Yoshikawa is still a stunning author that has the ability to write a complex mixture of "loyalty, honor, calculation, and greed that is bound to baffle the foreigner." There is a perfect consistency of admiration as well as points of dissatisfaction within the article. Thorough evidence is provided for all of the arguments made. Slantchev does appear to possess a slight bias in writing his article, as he occasionally slants his writing in comparing Taiko to Musashi almost too often. Al

Argument: Coupland illustrates the characters in Girlfriend in a Coma as confident and collected while simultaneously demonstrating their struggle to find their place in the world. Each chapter interrupts the flow of the story, often jumping from one major event to another, skipping the minor details in between. Hamilton is concerned that they are not doing anything to change the world on their own but rather wasting their time with careers such as modeling that have no positive impacts in the world around them. Karen's fears transform into a reality when she falls into a coma for seventeen years. As time passes, her friends lose all of their dreams, hopes, and passions for their careers. An apocalyptic event has not taken place so Coupland takes his story Girlfriend in a Coma to the extreme by inventing and transforming the book from a story about teenagers into a story about teenagers whom are trapped in adult bodies. Evidence: "And they don't cope well. "There's nothing at the centre of what we do," Hamilton complains, and Coupland homes in on his true subject. Waking from her coma, Karen is alarmed that her friends mirror the new soullessness she sees in society: "Their dreams are forgotten, or were never formulated to begin with...they seem at best insular, and without a central core, which might give purpose to their lives." "Coupland successfully raises the pitch to the apocalyptic with his sarin-style, X Files-ish mass sleeping, but then stumbles headlong into adult fable by pursuing his Big Moral Question. Why are our lives empty? Jared, a ghost, takes over from Richard as narrator, introducing a dangerously glutinous, pan-Christian murk of cosmology as he leads the adult-kids though fumbling dissolution towards an ethical gravitas." "Such chapter headings as "Reject Every Idea" (familiar from Generation X) slice across the continuity of Couplan

Argument: Bruce Reeves points out that although "To Have and Have Not" is not one of Hemingway's better-known novels, it has had an insight on issues during the time it was written, and brought with it a new form of writing. The main theme is dealing with pain and hardships, overcoming them to move on with life and existence. Hemingway portrays his own personal struggles and life experiences through his work. Often times his characters experience and go through similar things he did. Evidence: "It was considered a forerunner of the "tough guy" school of fiction, but it has come to be seen more as a unique work…"(Reeves). "To Have and Have Not is arguably his one book in which the sum of the parts does not equal the individual fragments."(Reeves). "He assumes that everyone is equally alone."(Reeves). "Harry Morgan with relentless energy from one situation to another, until he is cornered with no hope of escape."(Reeves). Thoughts: Reeves summarizes the novel and describes the characters to show the main themes and meaning of the novel. I have also found that there are many correlations between Hemingway's characters from one book to another, such as how they act and their personalities. The characters are put in difficult situations that challenge their emotional strength. They all seem to know something bad is going to happen to them in the end.

Argument: The idea of Doublethink allows totalitarian regimes to keep their iron grip on power without degrading its people and exposing them to thoughts which might cause them to question the regime control. Thus these types of governemnts should keep a "reality control" on its people Claim: Knowledge of Doublethink in such regimes as totalitarian ones, can lead to an instability amongst the citizens and ultimately lead to a failed state. Support: "Doublethink was a form of trained, willful blindness to contradictions in a system of beliefs. In the case of Winston Smith, Orwell's protagonist, it meant being able to work at the Ministry of Truth deleting uncomfortable facts from public records, and then believing in the new history which he himself had written" "Doublethink's self-deception allowed the Party to maintain both huge goals and realistic expectations: 'If one is to rule, and to continue ruling, one must be able to dislocate the sense of reality. For the secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one's own infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes'" "Doublethink has grown to be synonymous with relieving cognitive dissonance by simply ignoring the contradiction between two worldviews"

Argument: Coupland uses noteworthy pop-culture to name and create his novel Girlfriend in a Coma. The Smiths' a popular band of the '80s was the reason behind the books title while Karen Ann Quinlan was the true reason the teenage girl in the book who slipped into a coma was also ironically named Karen. Starting with the basics Coupland constructed Girlfriend in a Coma to mean more than what was put on the surface. The turning point of Coupland's career as a serious author blossomed after he successfully published Girlfriend in a Coma, a dark and daring book that involves post-apocalyptic events. Difficult overbearing situations was what fascinated Coupland and was one of the main influential reasons Coupland wrote the novel Girlfriend in a Coma; the thrill of watching teenagers and later on adults survive in a world where their only worry was to find their true purpose on Earth. Evidence: "On the surface, the book seems vintage Coupland, taking a cue from pop-culture icons like Karen Ann Quinlan, the New Jersey teenager who spent 10 years in a coma before dying in 1985, and The Smiths, the quintessential band of '80s disaffection from whose song the book takes its title." ". And yet, Girlfriend in a Coma is Coupland's most audacious novel to date, and it marks something of a watershed in his career." "Sitting in a posh Toronto hotel lounge sipping coffee, Coupland struggles to find words to describe the genesis of Girlfriend in a Coma. "It's so weird to talk about this out loud," he says. But eventually, between frequent changes of subject, he remembers that it began with a quote from novelist Thomas Pynchon. "He said the way young people deal with the overwhelming-ness of existence--I'm paraphrasing--is through time travel or sleep," Coupland says. "So what I wanted to do was present sleep and time travel, and the coma as the embodiment of both." "Then there was his fascination with Karen Ann Quinlan. "I just remember in the '70s, every

John Steinbeck portrays a committed man in many of his works, as he struggles through the hardships presented to him to acheive happiness. This ortrayal of the common man is a recurring theme within his novels, as these men are then tortured by outside forces, such as those representing capitalism. Evidence - "committed man" who develops a conscious responsibility for his own behavior coupled with a conscience that is at the service of his people -Steinbeck's talent for combining undistorted perception with a conversational narrative style, one that deals so serenely with issues often approached hysterically that readers suffering from wartime pressures frequently missed the understated points -portrayal of man's slow metamorphosis from victim to victor -new kind of hero for a war-weary and disillusioned world is evident only in retrospect Analysis This portrayal of steinbeck parralles that of his socialist agenda, a common recurrence in many articles I have previously read. Throughout the Pearl the main character is taken advantage of, most of the forces symbolizing the wealthy.