APLit2010

In Elaine Ware's criticism of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ware focuses analytical attention to Bromden's character and the idea that he might be experiencing identity crisis. After all, Bromden is torn between the desire to maintain his Indian heritage and the pressure to develop behavior acceptable to the dominant white culture. The insane asylum therefore could be a symbol of this identity crisis and the overwhelming pressure to fit into a specific culture. Kesey sets Bromden's childhood in the 1920s and 30s, a time when the U.S. government was struggling to decide whether Indians should maintain tribal customs or should adopt white culture. As the narrator from the novel, Bromden never reveals his first name which should have been precious to him, as it is in his native culture. His identity crisis is further complicated because he is the son of a white woman. Ware uses sufficient evidence not only from the novel, but outside sources as well. There is historical data connected to many of Ware's claims in addition to textual evidence. This critical analysis provides thorough character analysis that state Bromden's personality traits and the reasons for his actions, such as silence as a technique for survival. Ware's suggestion that Kesey is criticizing white establishment in the American society might very well be true. After all, Kesey was famous for delving into the 1960s hippie culture. This novel presents the downside to the "mixing pot" of the U.S. society because cultures end up swallowed and gone forever.

Raymond Tatalovich's criticism offers an interesting perspective on the ideas put forth in Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience". The main point is put forth in the title.. does Thoreau intend to call people to morality or anarchy? His intentions are to extract from this essay the root of his implications and theory of obligation to the government. He argues that Thoreau believes that the consent of people is necessary in order for the government to operate - a type of contractual agreement. However, he does recognize the fact that the majority in society controls the norms and can imprison people that go against them. Therefore, he does not defend civil disobedience to a point that will get someone imprisoned. Tatalovich also does a fabulous job at bringing to light other civil disobedience "leaders" such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He states that Thoreau however, takes a much stronger stance on the extent to which people should act out in favor of their own views on what's right and wrong. It should also be noted that Tatalovich sees deficiencies in Thoreau's view of the government as an operational unit and its efficiency. However, he argues that in no way is he a no-government man by offering this quote: "I seek rather, I may say, even an excuse for conforming to the laws of the land. I am but too ready to conform to them. Indeed ... as the tax-gatherer comes round, I find myself disposed to review the acts and position of the general and State governments, and the spirit of the people, to discover a pretext for conformity" (Thoreau 33). This criticism offers a good perspective that will enable me to compare the government conformity in Catch 22-militarily, versus the liberalistic mentality of civil disobedience. There is a stark discord between these two concepts and I believe it will be riveting to delve into a comparison between the two based upon the role and operation of the government.

Argument: The writer argues that Sinclair is fighting for social justice and what is right for the masses. His whole cause for humanity was social justice and his type of writing gave off that feeling. The genre that best describe his writing is social protest. Evidence: "Upton Sinclair dedicated himself to a cause-he once wrote that if his heart were cut in half after his death, the words inscribed there would be "Social Justice." falls generally into two genres: the novel of social protest and the "historical" novel. Sinclair muckracked and used a lot of satire and "Fame came early for Sinclair because of one of his social protest novels whose "cause" has largely vanished today but which is still assigned reading in many classrooms because of its realistic portrayal of the life and mistreatment of poor immigrants." Thoughts: I think this is a very accurate portrayal of Sinclair. He wanted social justice and he worked towards getting it all of his life. Through the novel, The Jungle, justice was achieved by exposing the meat industries.

Argument: Canadenis' argument is that Marlow goes through a metamorphosis by focusing his mind on Kurtz and carelessly allowing himself to enter into the state of "darkness." Evidence: 1. When the manager first mentions Kurtz to him, Marlow seems unequivocally grateful for the new distraction, immediately fixating his attention on the trader and inquiring about him endlessly. 2. Kurtz is like Marlow's doppelganger, his corrupted "other self"-which explains why Marlow experiences such revulsion upon learning of Kurtz's unforgivable transgressions in the name of profit. Marlow sees too much of himself in Kurtz already-and he doesn't like what he sees. 3. The "effect" that Kurtz has on Marlow varies throughout the journey, from self-illumination to one of absolute horror and disgust. Kurtz's gruesome story reveals to Marlow that each person simultaneously possesses the capacity for both great good and for unadulterated evil-and his ultimate decay serves as firsthand evidence of the consequences of embracing one's dark side and forsaking morality. Quotes: "Marlow begins his quest into the "heart of darkness" with nothing but noble intentions and a genuine thirst for adventure." "Consequently, he greets the images of agonizing chain-gangs, malnourished "unhappy savages," the gory murder of his helmsman by javelin, the echoing cries of "infinite desolation,..." Own Thoughts: 1.Canadenis gives a more understanding insight/explanation on how Kurtz is Marlow's "double" just like how Leggatt is the narrator's "double" in The Secret Sharer. 2. This source also has a good way of explaining how Marlow does not necessarily mature, he just allows something/someone to take control of him.

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.

This article discusses Ibsen's different plays and the subjects that they focused on. The author of the article says that Henrik Ibsen was banished because of his style of writing, bringing to light many social issues that all of the people of that time preferred to keep in the dark. The article stats that an Enemy of the people examines the idealism that takes place in society, to me this means that the play focuses on the way that the people of the time thought and what their priorities and goals were. The author of the article discusses the purpose of Hedda Gabler. The author says that Hedda Gabler also tackles a different problem in society. The issue in this play was feminism and how women were held to certain standards and expected to behave in certain ways. The author goes on to state that Henrik Ibsen had the greatest influence of any playwright in the twentieth century. After reading this article I am really interested on writing my paper on how Ibsen writes his plays in order to bring social issues into public light so that maybe the problems that he writes about can be corrected.

This article is a biography of Henry James' life. His social, economic, and geographic elements have all factored into his writing style. Writing many fictional tales, "roughly 112 tales attest his lifetime of dedication to this genre", he continued to strive for the realistic characters depicting the people he had met. "The completely objective point of view, in which the reader is presented solely with what anyone present would see and hear, and the first-person point of view, in which a character tells the story as he or she perceives it, were both traditional" styles that James employed in his writings. Unlike manyother writers he was also a critic of other literary works, art, and plays which only contributed to the sheer dynamics of his characters.

"Presented with the collision between the artificial and the natural, the restrained and the free, we side emotionally with Daisy. We sympathize with Winterbourne, too, to the extent that he seems capable of coming "alive" and to the extent that he speaks up in favor of Daisy to Mrs. Costello in Vevey and, later, in Rome, to Mrs. Costello and also to Mrs. Walker, another American who has lived in Geneva. For the rest, however, our emotional alliance with Winterbourne is disturbed or interrupted by his Genevan penchant for criticism." This literary criticism is presented through the emotional (theme and tone) presented in the novel. Ohmann and Bloom cirtique the use of tone and the vernacular used through out the story to disect James' effectivness. When i read the book i truly felt for Daisy and her many partners where as these two authours are refuting his purpose.

This literary critique of Henry James and many of his infamous books that deal with many gender roles during that time period. A reoccuring theme that has been revealed in many of his novels is the feminine character who us breaking the mold in some way. Donatella Izzo (the writer of this article) quotes "his suffereing female protagonists still manage to "carry life away with them in armfuls"(18)" This quotation exemplifys the amount of life these powerful women posses.

Arguement: Fitzgerald is most interested in the way he uses dialogue to create his character. Throughout his books characters are allowed to be differentiated by the way they speak. It is also proven that "language" functions as an "index to sensibility." Claim: If we are able to understand a fiction conversation we should take into considerations how it plays into the dynamics of the plot and the characters. Evidence: "From a perspective that focuses on the dramatic--rather than the poetic--qualities of Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan appears as an actor whose whole existence is theatrical, a character whose identity is almost entirely limited to the role she performs in conversation."

Argument: In Going After Cacciato Tim O'Brien uses a method of utilizing personal experiences and feelings to provoke more real like emotions and ideas from the characters. Evidence: "…Tim O'Brien develops themes such as true courage, loneliness, and psychological effects of war by using narrative techniques, such as recounting thoughts and emotions of characters, in order to emphasize their fantasies, confusing, and obsessions. Thoughts: I believe that this is a very accurate claim because the story does have much more emotion in the style of writing O'Brien chose. If the novel was written in a different way like in a way with less true attachment or feelings the book would've lost its feel and would not have been as big a success.

C. L. Chua analyzes A Thousand Splendid Suns in an attempt to find out if it was as much of a success as The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's first novel. The different literary devices that Hosseini used are mentioned to perhaps give validity to the various arguments Chua makes. A shortfall of the critique is that perhaps not enough emphasis was actually placed on an argument; a majority of the essay was a very well written summary of the novel with only a light touch at the very beginning and end of the essay on the actual argument. "He [Hosseini] felt impelled to tell an Afghan story different from The Kite Runner's. That book had been about men-fathers and sons, male friendship, male treachery. Hosseini now felt drawn to tell a contemporaneous story about Afghanistan's women." Chua uses a clear and logical argument to assert his opinion that Hosseini really delved into the life of an Afghanistan woman in the current times. The critique remains coherent but I wish it was more focused and consistent in the argument. It would have been overall better if Chua has also given more of their insight of this novel. I'm not sure if the author of this article is male or female but depending on their gender, it could create a bias. Another bias that may exist is that the author of this critique really enjoy Hosseini's first novel The Kite Runner so they may be more inclined to say that his second novel was just as good since they are already a fan. "Hosseini's two women are strategic contrasts physically, socially, and psychologically. Socially, Mariam is from the rural lower class; Laila, the urban middle class. Psychologically, Mariam is accustomed to humiliation; Laila, to consideration. Physically, Mariam's features are "unshapely," "flat," "unmemorable," "coarse," while Laila is a green-eyed blond beauty." The stark differences that Chua notes about Hosseini's protagonists help to understand a main theme of the novel which could

Argument: Hopkins writes about very controversial topics because they are extremely realistic topics in todays society. Claim: Ellen Hopkins impacts the lives of her readers and tries in influence them positively. Her books are eye openers. Evidence: "I write about subjects that many authors prefer to shun--drugs, abuse, suicide, sexual orientation. Today's young adults deal with these issues on a daily basis. Only by shedding light on them can we come, not only to understand them, but to move beyond them toward a more positive future." http://bna.galegroup.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/bna/short_bio/GALE%7C20439570/Hopkins,%20Ellen

Gloria Pond points out how there are various traits that are associated with alcoholism and in this article she relates these traits to a family who suffers from alcoholism. She does not specify weather these traits are acquired through heredity or environmentally determined. The argument between the behaviors of the characters and alcoholic anonymous are continuously back to back drawing more information for the reader. The author brought up some logical examples of alcoholics throughout the article. She would focus on details of background information of alcoholic anonymous and then go to information about the book. The evidence provided about alcoholism is typical in the aspect that it gives background and supportive information that coveys the authors perspective. Even though the author does not go into great detail about alcoholism she provides a sufficient amount of information to get the point across. Pond believes O'Neill accurately demonstrates families ups and downs while dealing with the disease of alcoholism. The author has a slightly negative bias about the recovery of alcoholism. Other than that she goes straight off of the information given. She states that alcoholism is a dangerous disease that creates bad habits. She also implies that most people do not recover from the disease. In the end it comes down to each alcoholic blaming one another for their problems