Nina's opinions on American Lit

Lonely

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 03:21:33 GMT

Pg 143

"Yes. But my lonely is mine. Now your lonely is somebody else's. Made by somebody else and handed to you. Ain't that something? A secondhand lonely."

Weird. I believe Sula says this because she so to speak takes credit for everything she has done in her life. Nel still doesn't think she had any part of Chicken Littles death, or that her husband abandoned her. Everything to Nel is Sula's fault. Nel is the good half - but half is 50%, meaning she is equally good/bad as Sula is.

A secondhand lonely? I think I understand what Sula is trying to say, but I still don't think it is possible to have a second hand lonely. If your lonely, you are lonely. You can't blame being lonely on anyone else - even if someone else left you... Just because I'm lonely, doesn't mean the person next to me is.

Caring

Sun, 17 Apr 2005 21:40:01 GMT

Honestly, I am not sure if I care for anyone in this novel. If anyone, I care for Nel and that is all. She is silent - always holding in all of her thoughts. She feels guilt but just lets everything become a burden to her. Sula is the complete opposite and I would go crazy if that girl was my friend. Nel is married to a guy that only married her because he could not get a real mans job. Then the jerk sleeps with Sula and abandons the family.
So necessarily, I don't care for anyone in 'Sula,' but I feel sorry for Nel.
I think I feel more sorry for Toni Morrison though. Even though she makes money off me reading her novel - she must feel some real pain in her life to depict a Black community like this. Yes, these communities were looked 'down' on by whites and life was harder for them. BUT not every person died or killed someone. Where are the happy people? The ones who just go on with their life in a normal way? National Suicides Day? Please! I am definitely not racist - but those days are long gone and over with. Why write a novel assuming that parents love leads you to kill? Usually a parents love leads you to put your life on the line to protect your child - "I would rather die then let anything happen to you..." etc. If African Americans still feel mistreated or ranked lower then whites - don't go write a book bringing up all of the memories.
And I bought the book! I supported the cause! ...And I was thinking about joining Oprah's book club because I love her so much. I wounder if she actually picks out the books herself.

Sula

Fri, 15 Apr 2005 00:29:08 GMT

WHAT!!!!! When she went in his room hugging and rocking him I thought it was because she missed him and now had the comfort that her child was ok. Coming from war, you would imagine Eva missing him and glad to know that he was alive... being the only man besides Boyboy and I presume her own father that she ever cared about.
I like how Plum said he felt "some kind of baptism". He felt reassured that everything was going to be alright. The irony of using the word baptism when dealing with death.
I understand though. Not saying I would ever, or have known anyone to ever do such a thing to their child - but Eva saw the same qualities in Plum that she did in Boyboy. Her hatred for Boyboy led her to get rid of the only male 'legacy' he had. It said she didn't hate men, just the father of her children. She was able to raise the girls, see Hannah now... Pearl has moved away. But Plum is different ... it said he was like Tar Baby, and tar ultimately committed suicide. The mother did what she felt was right, even if it was an awful thing to do. He stole - and he left for long trips coming back when he pleased. Eva didn't need another burden in her life.
The weird part is that Hannah knew. Looking in her mothers eyes she knew she did it to him and left it at that. I would just be worried about the whole house burning down - which if this wasn't a book, I'm sure it would have.

Noise Ending

Tue, 12 Apr 2005 21:01:38 GMT

I really liked this book. It wasn't hard to read and it is something I can see myself picking up and reading. I am afraid of death though, so thinking about it more than I had to - while reading this book for the last week really wasn't all that nice. I wish the last chapter was a little different. Wilder on a tricycle? Come on! Something should of been said about the family or Babette mentioning how he got shot etc.
It is amazing how death can consume people in such a matter. Willie was popping the pills like candy... Also, this book was written in like 1985 - family's were still considered 'nuclear'. Divorces were no where near as common, and in this book both of the people involved in the marriage had been married previously with children from different marriages. It really makes you think.
In addition, when Jack received the gun from his father-in-law I thought it was foreshadowing him committing suicide. Plus, if you go somewhere with a plan to kill someone with three bullets - don't fail! I thought it was classic though how Willie was like who shot me, and Jack said he did it to himself.
What happened with the bloody car though? If I was that neighbor I would be asking some serious questions!
And now... on to Sula.
(I can't believe I have read 9 books in this semester already. I have had a book from last summer that I read half way through still sitting in my room because the whole last semester I could never find time to read it. A book I like and picked on my own! Ironic.)

Quote from White Noise

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 03:43:47 GMT

Pg 207

"The more you practice something, the less likely it is to actually happen."

How true is that! It is amazing how many things said in this book are true. It really gets you thinking. It isn't a hard read, just makes you think about everything. It is only things that you aren't prepared for that happen. It wouldn't be considered a disaster if it happened all the time and if you knew exactly what to do. It is like on tests, you study and study (practice) and it is only the questions that you don't know... the few you didn't study for, that are on it.

Quote

Thu, 07 Apr 2005 23:11:29 GMT

Page 81/82 very bottom of page

"Murray says we are fragile creatures surrounded by a world of hostile facts. Facts threaten our happiness and security. The deeper we delve into the nature of things, the looser our structure may seem to become.... Not to know is a weapon of our survival.... strongest where objective reality is most likely to be misinterpreted."

I know this is from the previous section, but I absolutely love this whole paragraph. It is so true. Ignorance is Bliss. What you do not know cannot hurt you. I actually put this whole quote up as one of my away messages online because I like 'the meaning' so much.
Also, In an essay/exam I just wrote for my Political theory class, I used parts of this section in the paper. The paper was to explain Why Rousseau thought human beings by nature were asocial. A lot of Rousseau's ideas were - in nature, humans used only what they needed, they didn't know a lot so they coudn't worry about anything. They were secure with who they were because they knew no different... and how advancements in science etc. made people worse off and unhappy.

White Noise

Tue, 05 Apr 2005 01:25:34 GMT

List of Themes, Issues, Concerns:

There are many themes in this novel already.
1. Noise. There is continual talking throughout this novel. Gestures such as being elbowed, staring. “harsh noises of damp passion,” “dreadful wrenching sound,” “speaking foreign languages,” “place was awash with noise” “unspeakability” “mime,” “pronunciation of consonants,” “unhappy sounds” “repeat the noises,” “message was being transmitted,” “swiftness and noise of their leaving,” “but the basic sound defeated me”
- also, silence. The absence of noise. Numerous types does Jack say “everyone was silent” or “there was silence etc.” & listening
2. Color – or lack there of (white)
- Whitewashed, colors our vision, white-winged, white can, Everything is white, white items, death : see a white light at the end of a tunnel, blank, plain, washed pink sorrow, it was cold, dark and empty, pure, smooth and white
3. Identity - “love helps us develop an identity secure enough…” “wholeness and identity”, appearance, looks- weight. “waves of identity and being”
4. Foreign languages – “I can speak four languages,” “He spoke languages I couldn’t understand. German, English, Chinese, Latin, Swedish, British voice, Greek etc. foreign affairs, multilingual people, Hindi, Vietnamese
5. Culture – There are so many different ethnic groups and places around the world mentioned in this book. i.e. Tokyo, Watertown, Korea, China, London, Los Angeles, O’Haer, Surabaya to Iron city, Denver, Boston, Montana, Indonesia, Peru, Chile, Boliva, Utah, Africa, California, Zaire, Japan, New Zealand etc
6. Waves and radiation – this is the title of Book 1, so you know this is a very important theme. Context: through wavebands, through energy levels, waves and radiation, waves of identity and being, a new wave of information, the perfect wave, the flow is constant, deeper waves, waves of relief, energy waves, incident radiation, infrared detecting, Mylex-suited men dying, sulfuric acid from factories across the river, nameless energies
- aura’s
- forgetfulness
THE MOST MENTIONED/IMPORTANT THEME:
DEATH:

Pg 6 Maybe there is no death as we know it.
Pg 7 The mood was one of deadly serious anticipation;
Pg 9 The robe is black
Pg 11 Town called blacksmith
Pg 15 Who will die first?
Pg 18 Shouldn’t death, I thought, be a swan dive…
Pg 19 a family tragedy
Pg 20 She fell apart when her mother died.
Pg 21 A tragic sense oh history
Pg 22 the daily seeping falsehearted death.
A smallish man with six weeks to live
Pg 25 convicted killer
Hitler majors, Advanced Nazism
Pg 26 death’s-head insignia
Plot to kill
All plots tend to move deathward.
We edge nearer death every time we plot.
Pg 27 possible to ward off death
Pg 30 except fear of death
Who will die first?
Pg 30 deathly power
Pg 33 having a heart attack
Pg 36 Death, disease, afterlife, outer space
Pg 37 death and rebirth
Death is a waiting period
Pg 38 stop denying death
Or to death for that matter
Dying is an art in Tibet
Here we don’t die, we shop
Dying is a quality of the air
Men shout out as they die
To die in an apartment…
People notice dying better
The dead have faces
Pg 39 When he dies suddenly
Pg 40 Cinema of car crashes
Man dying during the inspection of the grade school
Collapsed and died
Pg 43 Just hazardous to your health
Maybe she thinks they died in their sleep
Like who did he kill
Pg 44 Six people killed
Grudge killing
Time was running out on him
Pg 45 Kill one famous person
Pg 46 Isn’t that why Tommy Roy killed those people?
Pg 47 I woke in the grip of a death sweat
Is death odd-numbered?
Pg 53 I hope it lasts forever. (life)
Pg 55 My mother’s death
Pg 57 about dead men
Pg 64 calamity and death
When the King died
Pg 65 one who kills for his beliefs
Pg 66 we’re suffering
Mass killings
Pg 68 when James Dean died
James Dean is dead
James Dean died
Actor’s death
Pg 69 James Dean dies… broken neck
Ask me Monroe, Jeff Chandler, John Garfield, Clift
Pg 70 Did his mother know that Elvis would die young
Have the grace and wit to die early
Pg 71 three others had died
Gladys died
Gladys’s death
Pg 72 of his own dying
Mother had died
Elvis made death threats, received death threats
The Tibetan Book of the dead - guide to dying
He bought off the skeptics by dying early
Years before her own death
Madness and death
Pg 73 six murders
Death
Assembled in the name of death
Tributes to the dead
Dialogues with the dead
Names of the dead
Against their own dying
Become a crowd is to keep out death
Break off from the crowd is to risk death
To face dying along
Pg 74 Death was strictly a professional matter here.
Pg 76 takes my dying for granted
Inferior dying
Own eventual death
Pg 79 the grave and dramatic air
Wandering in some remote and holy place
Pg 82 extinction
Pg 88 ghostly
Pg 90 death machine
Manual of disasters
Death simulator
Attitudes of death
Pg 91 crash landing
Maintain a grip on the future
Pg 93 turbulent weather and terrorist acts
Pg 97 The old burying ground
Pg 98 the power of the dead
The dead have a presence
Composed solely of the dead
Do not advance the action according to plan
Pg 99 sister died
Died of lingering dread
A man in Glassboro died
Governor of the state died
Man died outside of Tokyo
Obituaries
Age of the deceased
I’m dead
Time of our dying
Age on dying
Feeling sad about death
Pg 100 he accepted death
Guarantee of our relative longevity
I will die unexpectedly
I want to die first
Pg 101 claims my death
Than her death
Her death is capable
My death would leave an abyss
Such is the dignifying power of our subject
Pg 102 I don’t want to die first
Between loneliness and death
Pg 103 her death would leave me
Don’t let us die
Pg 104 was she dead
Mists of the dead
If she was not dead was I
Timeless
Pg 105 life or death

I think I proved my point that this is an important theme, I am afraid of dying so it is weird thinking about death page after page. Obviously, Death and Waves of radiation are the most important mentioning so far, and they are much intertwined ideas. i.e. Mylex man dying from the grade school

Bicycle Repairman

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 02:40:12 GMT

What a weird SciFi novel. Thank God it was only 40 pages, but still I think it was a harder read (not by a lot)than Time out of Joint. Honestly, I wouldn't really consider this a Scifi novel, except for the fact that it is set in the future. Time out of Joint was a real SciFi novel in my mind... but I don't like SciFi, and I didn't mind reading Bicycle repairman. Some of the things in the novel were hard to understand at first, and needed to be read over again. Come'on, we already have 'mooks', look at Sleeping Beauty's mirror on the wall. It's sad, but that is what I was reminded of.
I am not sure if I like the way 'Bike' was written. Even though I liked it more than the other, I like chapters - separations etc. I thought the whole plot was kind of messed up though. I was really looking for something more... and I'm not sure of what. I liked the ending though, it ended on a much better note than Time out of joint.
Obviously these books are in the same genre, so they have multiple things in common, and each were written 40 years before their 'year' in the book. I didn't really think 'bike' was too far out of reach. In 30 years who knows if we will still have our same amendments... or 'squats'. Time out of Joint was just too unrealistic. It takes training to even be in a space shuttle, I don't think that they will just be dropping off random people on the moon anytime soon.

Time out of Joint ending

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 02:05:11 GMT

Now I remember why I don't like Science Fiction, the book was good until about page 200. I hate books that are 'that' unbelievable. I realize these books are all fiction, but at least some of them, in a weird way could actually happen. What was with Venus, and the moon and all interplanetary travel? No way! This book was too strange. Margo was really married to Bill, Sammy was really Vic's son, Junie isn't married to Bill. This book had me interested for awhile. It never would be a book I would pick if I was reading for fun in my own spare time, and now I know why I don't pick SciFi books.
Concluding thoughts : It was an easy read, the ending was kind of confusing, and I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone else.

Time out of Joint

Mon, 28 Mar 2005 00:22:28 GMT

pg 164

"Ragle Gumm - Man of the Year"

This book is really interesting and very confusing. The year is 1959, but here is a Time magazine in 1996 with him as the man of the year. Supposedly now he is 46, in 1996 he would be 93 years old. And how would he have been in WW2? This is very strange, and there are only like 60 pages left in the novel. What is up with Mr. Black? I guess I have to read to find out, but I wish all these little clues would add up so they make sense now.

Science Fiction

Fri, 25 Mar 2005 04:19:45 GMT

Science Fiction is a huge genre in American literature. If you go on to a search engine and type in 'science fiction' seriously thousands of web pages appear. America is intrigued by things that are 'different.' (As seen in Geek Love). For example, where would our world be if there wasn't Star Wars... or The Lord of the Rings. I would like to state here though, that I have never seen, read, watched etc. anything to do with Star Wars or the Rings. Science fiction usually does not interest me. Actually, I find it weird and unentertaining. However, we have a SciFi channel, that obviously stays in business, so people do enjoy it.
Some Scifi books/movies I have liked, just not the 'extreme,' super unbelievable ones. So I guess there is a genre in a genre, Scifi... and then extreme Scifi. Time out of Joint seems like it is a good book. So far it has my attention and I do want to keep reading it. Plus, it seems like an easy ready, which is nice after Geek Love. In general, people are interested in reading/watching things that don't happen in their own lives. Scifi makes you think, and wonder about the world and the millions of possibilites. Although I am not a big fan, there are tons of people who are. And this genre is not going to disappear anytime soon.

Geek Love Ending

Wed, 23 Mar 2005 15:20:49 GMT

Wow! The ending wasn't really a shock, think about it nbow, it was probably the best idea to end a strange book. Overall I liked the book. Atleast I didn't mind reading it... even though it was time consuming. Oly saved Mirandas tail, ans now Miranda knows the truth about who she really is. It makes sense now why no other family member was talked about in the present sense, bit that whole idea in itself was very odd. I wonder what she (Dunn) was thinking when she wrote a novel like this. I liked how the novel finished with a note, good idea. I wish Chick wouldn't of died, and the whole concept about Elly just really didn't make sense to me. What did Arty actually have done to her? Arty was one mean character... he deserved everything he got in the end.
In my journal, I think three times ago, I said I was weird for thinking that Arty was Mirandas dad. I was right. For a family like that, plus incest, I'm surprised Miranda didn't turn out with more than a tail. Anyways, overall an interesting, but good, read.

Arturism

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 20:20:38 GMT

page 190
end of second paragraph

"Says his awareness is such that he feels the pain of others and is therefore required to alleviate it by offering the sanctuary of Arturism. Obvious horeshit."

Bravo! Norval Sanderson is right on the money. It is great to see, that someone who is there, at the circus, instead of an outsider reading in, can sense the load of bull crap that Arty is trying to pull. This line was amazing.

the norms

Wed, 16 Mar 2005 05:33:52 GMT

pg 151 3rd paragraph, middle

"Always remember," my father used to say, "how much leverage you've got on the norms just in your physical presence."

pg 161 big paragraph in middle, whole paragraph.

How scary is that?! Granted, now thinking about it, it is true. If you see someone in a wheelchair etc... you always smile, or feel like you have to be extra polite. For what reason? Thinking about it, I think I am nicer to people with a 'problem' (I don't know what word to use), like you feel like you have to be ... or something.

Nun

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 02:52:50 GMT

p23, end of second paragraph from the bottom

"Could that senile slut of a nun have broken her word after all these years and told the girl the truth?"

I read this line on thursday, and exactly one week before (the previous thursday), I was in The Vatacin City and St. Peter's Bascilia. For some reason this line just sticks in my head. I went to Catholic school, and I'm not offended or upset by the line, it just strikes me as something that should be thought of instead of written. Also, my mom went to a Catholic school and the priest got the nun pregnant. Even for people who aren't religious, this statement should still leave the feeling of something wrong.

Geek Love

Fri, 11 Mar 2005 03:43:45 GMT

issues/themes/concerns

*Body self-image
*Freak
*Family
*Obsession
*Art
*Image in - eye of the beholder
*Medicine/drugs - medical art work

This book is the weirdest thing, and strangely enough I wish I didn't have a test tomorrow, so I could read more of it instead of studying.
I have tons of questions and thoughts, but mainly does Miranda ever find out that Olympia is her mom? And who is Miranda's father? I know this sounds strange but it sounded like it was her older brother Arty at first. WEIRD.
This is the first book that I think I will enjoy reading. (from our list that is, I do like reading other novels)

Sad Cafe

Wed, 09 Mar 2005 00:05:42 GMT

I like the ending. The ballad ends justs like it begins. Dreary August Days once agian returned to being dreary. Now, Amelia has two people she never mentions, and when she does it isn't nice. Maybe McCullers ended the short story this way to show how people can be effected by love. Marvin Macy went through a hell of a lot to get Amelia to love him, and now Amelia knows how she acted because Lymon treated her in the same manner. Amelia waited on the porch for three years but he never returned to her. So is it better to love, or to be loved? Ms. Amelia experienced both in this short story. Being loved did phase her, but now she will bear the heart break of not having her love returned.
This ending ties the book together. Page 71 mentions the 12 mortal men; whereas on page 4 they are also mentioned at the bottom of the first paragraph. When there is nothing to do, people listen to the chain gang. The book begins, and ends, with an empty feeling - leaving everyone no choice but to listen to the chain gang.

love

Sun, 06 Mar 2005 22:38:49 GMT

I think I would rather be loved, and give love. I can understand the authors’ argument that it is better to give love, but I’m not sure I fully agree with it. When you love someone your heart feels like nothing else. Your world stops when that person leaves, and you feel whole when they enter a room. Without the person you love, nothing around you matters as much. It is a feeling of warmth and happiness and completeness all in one.
It is just as important to be loved though. When someone loves you, they treat you totally different than anyone else would even think of. There are certain emotions and gestures that are nice to experience. It is great to know that someone loves you, and that you can go to that person for anything at anytime.
In this situation I would rather it be ‘all on nothing.’ What is the point of loving someone if that love can not be returned? You can’t miss what you don’t know.

Agency

Wed, 23 Feb 2005 08:00:16 GMT

To survive in this world, one needs to possess a lot of different attributes. Even though this book was written in 1939, all of the same rules apply. You need to be careful, and always watch your step. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Friends are only close when it is a benefit to them. Pay attention to everything that goes on around you, even if you act that you don't notice. Remember: people are always out for themselves; trust no one. If you want to achieve something in your life, the only person it is up to is you. Be honest, but don't give away all of your information. Always have something to have a heads up on someone else. Listen to what others have to say - don't talk as much, you already know your own thoughts. You will never learn anything from talking. It is important to say the right things at the right times, but it is just as important to withhold things that you want to say at those right times. Live each day like it is your last. When you go to sleep at night, make sure you are happy and hold no grudges. Hindsight is always 20/20. Admit when you are wrong. Don't take all of your anger out on the people you love the most. Remember the little things in life, they all add up to be your life. Be proud of yourself; leave a legacy so people remember you in the way you want to be remembered. Spend your money wisely, but remember you can't take any of it with you to the grave. There are greater things in life than getting an A on a test - and when you don't, its not the end of the world. When you look at things like 9/11 and the tsunami, realize life is too short to get mad over tiny things. Love with all your heart, but be wise. Make a fool of yourself, and make people laugh. Laughing is a cure for anything. Live like you wre dying. Love like you have never been hurt. Dance like no one is watching. Work like you don't need the money. MAke sure to always follow the Golden rule. You don't like to be hurt, either do your friends or family. Watch your actions, and think before you speak. A smile can make a person's day. The breathes you take in life don't make your life special - its the special things in life that take your breath away. Don't be afraid to cry, emotions are a good thing. To the world you are one person, but to one person you might be their world.

You need these skills to live in this world; not only to live but to actually be alive. The world works in crazy ways. Everything has a reason - nothing happens on accident. There are no mistakes, and don't regret anything that ever happens in your life. Each day holds a different lesson to be learned: YOUR IMAGINATION IS YOUR CURRENCY TO THE WORLD.

Live, Laugh, Learn and Love.

Can it be a good detective?

Sat, 19 Feb 2005 03:06:57 GMT

Chandler created a good character with Philip Marlowe. It is obvious why he would appeal to a large readership. He is honest, truthful and likable. He could be one of the only 'good guys' mentioned in the book.
He seeks the truth for $25 a day. He is working on a case and people around him make more money than he will probably ever see. Marlowe deals in a dark world here. He is around people getting murdered, a lot of crime, and even 'smut'. It seems like he is the only knowledgeable person here, especially when compared to Carmen or Vivian. People always like the good guy.
I like Marlowe. He tells the truth and only withholds information that he feels can hurt the people he is working for. He admits that he is honest, and doesn't know how far that will get him. He stayed low and then talked to the cops. Also, he didn't sleep with Vivian even though she was basically throwing herself on him. Good man.
I do find him appealing. A 33 year old detective graciously dealing with crime and deception. He coincidently is in all the right places at exactly the right time - and sees everything that could be in any way possible way related to his case.

Detective

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 03:32:45 GMT

Americans are interested in anything that will intrigue them. Mystery's do the job nicely. They provide intellectual stimulation while at the same time letting the reader/watcher want to know what happens. Once you start a detective story, you always have to finish it. You need closure, and this involves solving the mystery. Mystery's bring the person into the novel/T.V.
Also, when you read a novel like The Big Sleep, you tend to read it differently then you would another novel. The tone is different and you read in a slower, more provocative kind of way.
Americans are interested in crime, (look at the news). When it comes to movies and books, you always want the good person to win in the end, and for the police to get the 'bad guy'.
I watch Law and Order all of the time. I love it. Something happens, and you see the different paths taken to solve the crime.

...end...

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 05:14:12 GMT

WTF? I get it.... you are picking books that end in a 'different' kind of way. Can I just expect this from the next book we read? Ok, I actually really liked the book until it just stopped making sense. What happens to the guy getting the girl, and then living happily ever-after? I think I am beginning to like books/movies that are predictable. At least they aren't disappointing. A mob scene? Please... Faye wouldn't just run up and leave (I rephrase that, a normal person wouldn't, especially after Homer treated her that well). Tod just goes crazy, he tries to be as normal as he possibly can watching over everyone else be crazy, and now he just becomes one of the crazy people in the 'burning of L.A.'? At least I understood this book, so this is my favorite book out of the three we have read so far. (It wouldn't be hard for the next book to become my favorite).

Now, in all seriousness, maybe it was the best ending for this book. Tod, finally 'laughs' at himself. Some comedy. It is like he is becoming the 'people' that he described in the first chapter. He basically gives in to the madness. He realizes he can't get Faye, Homer is lost in his own mind, and the other characters are not important to him. Everything just echo's in his mind now... like a siren. He simply gets to the point where he falls apart. I have no idea why this book is considered a classic. 'A Tale of two Cities' I can understand. This book... no. Maybe because it described the 'true' Hollywood in the 30's. It doesn't show the glamorous part that everyone wants to be a part of. But how hard it can actually be living in a city that people think is 'perfect'.

Book Connections

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 22:17:46 GMT

From the first two books we have read in class, it is amazing that there are as many connections that are once again tied into the Day of the Locust. One big connection I see is want, desire and desperation. Here are just two areas where desire is being shown.
*Pg. 91 "He expressed some of his desire by a grunt." Tod wants Faye so bad. He is willing to do almost anything to hold her down, or pay to have her. Tod stays around Faye and puts up with a lot just to be able to be next to her. In this section Tod finally gets a kiss from Faye, but Earle might now be in Tods way. Will we ever know if he 'gets' her?
*Pg. 110 "... and idealist who desired only to share his art with the world." This line is about Harry, wanting to be an actor. He was full of dreams, and married a beautiful dancer, who later left him with the child. He was after fame, to make people laugh, but his wants were never completely satisfied - as we know from him saying he almost made it big once.
These are just two lines, which actually have the word 'desire' in them. There are a lot of this book which continues with the idea of wanting, and desire. Desire is meant the same from talking about a person, to moving to a different neighborhood, to wanting to solve a mystery.

Another simple connection that I will make quickly, is between real and fake. Harry's death was real, but at the end of chapter 18, a movie was being shot an people were 'fake' dying. "...the young man shouted, then clutched his breast and fell forward dead."

THe day of the Locust.

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 15:39:22 GMT

Compared to the other two novels we have read, this one definitely starts out the best. It isn't boring, and it is understandable. I couldn't find a lot of things that jumped out at me to be similar to The House on Mango Street, or the Crying of Lot 49.
Tod seems like a complicated person, and the Crying of Lot 49 was very complicated. There are talks about an audience and performers, and that might tie into the Couriers Tragedy.
Each book is about someone wanting something. Tod wants Faye, Oedipa wanted to solve the mystery, and Esperenza wanted to live some where else.
Homer seems almost depressed to me. He also wants Faye, but seems to be in a state of sadness. He is always running away from people. There was an undertone of sadness in the House on Mango Street.
Lastly, in this book there appears to be sarcastic lines, images and an idea of possibly comedy. In Crying of Lot 49, there were a lot of puns and images.

Conspiracy

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 05:26:50 GMT

Conspiracy

I liked how the book ended, and not just for the fact that it ended. It was perfect, left now to the imagination. Oedipa realizes that the more she tries to find out, the more questions she is going to have. Near the end of the book it was obvious that Oedipa was starting to detach herself from the case. She needs a new beginning – her husband is on drugs, her therapist is officially crazy, and Metzger left her to get married to someone else.
We have no idea what happens at the auction, who the secret bidder is, or why Driblette even mentioned those lines about the Trystero. A good book leaves the reader thinking (and by no means am I saying that this is a good book, just it ends in a favorable way).
In my opinion, it’s all a conspiracy. HAHA – jokes on Oedipa. Is it a conscience that everything was owned by Pierce, and that he still controls everything (even though people think he is dead)? I think not! Pierce has got Oedipa where he wants her – he knew she wouldn’t be easy… she went crazy trying to solve the Trystero mystery. Oedipa has really nothing to look forward to, her husband is in his own little world and Oedipa will constantly be reminded of this ‘Trystero’. The secret bidder is going to be Pierce; why else do you think it was never mentioned about how he died? Oedipa is going to laugh it off and be able to escape this mystery by finally being rescued by Pierce.
The end.