Basil's Blog

Great Pip

2010-04-14T18:45:00.001-07:00

In the Introduction to my Barnes & Noble Classics version of Great Expectations, writer Radhika Jones talks about the perhaps autobiographical elements present in the novel. These connections in the introduction are useful to a reader who is unfamiliar with Charles Dickens and his writing, like me. I am contemplating this is a topic for my paper. After all, Pip is easily the most likable character in the story. Once we meet Pip, we immediately become friends with and sympathetic for him. His sister’s treatment of both him and Joe draws pity for the two characters. Also, Pip’s childish naiveté is charming he has a way of inadvertently doing and saying things that make him exponentially cuter. As I finish my reading, I hope I am able to continue to see this trait in Pip.

Part III of Hamlet

2010-03-07T19:31:00.000-08:00

What is odd about the Ghost’s appearance to Hamlet in the Queen’s bedroom?

First, the purpose of the ghost is peculiar. Previously, he always comes with a purpose of either looking for or informing Hamlet. However, now he seems to be reminding Hamlet of his duty. This is happening while Hamlet chastises his mother for her actions. If anything, the Ghost should be happy with what his son is doing, since he is “revenging” the deeds of his mother by making her feel guilty. Also, Hamlet does not need a reminder about killing his stepfather. He is perhaps as motivated, if not more, to avenge his father’s murderer as his father is. Next, the visibility of the Ghost is strange. Earlier in the play, Bernardo and Francisco easily see him, for example. However, the Queen, the very wife of the dead Hamlet, is unable to see him.

How Sophocles Made "Oedipus" Interesting

2010-02-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

Since most of his contemporaries had heard the story, Sophocles had to craft the story in such a way to facilitate its entertainment value. However, since his audience only knew an abridged version from the “Odyssey,” he was able to embellish it. The story of Oedipus is, of course, a very unique, entertaining one; therefore, Sophocles’ job became telling it in a way to most effectively utilize its interesting plot. He does this by making the play very emotional and taking advantage of his viewers’ knowledge of the story.

Oedipus’s refusal to accept his guilt serves to reinforce the dramatic irony in the story. Initially, Oedipus is making threats upon the killer to the priest. His repeated calls for the death of the murdered of Laios has a comical effect, for a viewer who already knows the ending. Then, the arrival of Teiresias starts the process of getting the truth. And Oedipus adamantly refuses to listen to Teiresias. He says, “Say what you will. Whatever you say is worthless.” Then, his stubborn rejection turns into disrespect. He starts brazenly insulting Teiresias by mocking his age and blindness. The dramatic irony here is entertaining because the viewer knows that Oedipus is only setting himself up for a greater shock. And if one did not know better, one might start questioning the outcome of the story based on Oedipus’s conviction about his innocence.

Sophocles is able to create a lot of suspense before the revelation about Laios’s true manner of death. At first, Teiresias and Oedipus are just arguing in the abstract. Then, the messenger starts the process of implanting suspicion about the truth in Oedipus’s mind. However, the shepherd that is summoned to the scene gives the conclusive testimony about the murder of Laios. There is a substantial time delay before he makes his presence; the truth is revealed during the middle of the fourth scene of the play. To the viewer, all of this drama would have been unfolding for many minuted. During this time, Oedipus is in a state of confusion and quite scared because of the implications that are hinged on this information.

Then, the audience begins to pity Oedipus, despite his abominable deed. First, the death of Iocaste cements the reality of the situation. Her manner of death, and how Oedipus reacts upon seeing his dead mother, evokes sympathy for the plight of the family and the family’s abrupt fall from grace. Next, Oedipus’s reaction is also sad. He first laments his birth: “ If only I had died,/This weight of monstrous doom/ Could not have dragged me and my darlings down.” The juxtaposition of this statement coupled with the knowledge of his “true” birth is depressing because it shows how truly "unlucky" Oedipus is. Next, Oedipus’s justification for making himself blind is an emotional one. The topic of the kids is broached and Oedipus remarks that cannot bear to see his own children anymore, which is possibly the worst punishment for a parent, considering what he did.

Sophocles is able to make the otherwise generic story of Oedipus very gripping through his thoughtful additions in terms of plot and dialogue. He also uses the structure of plays to highlight some of the things he does with the plot.

White Lies

2010-01-31T14:38:00.000-08:00

I don’t care if my mom wants to wash my mouth with soap. I like it better this way, not having to tell who I really am. Taylor and Susie fascinate me. Their lives are so much more interesting. Plus, I don’t like any of my colored classmates any way.

…

I’m glad Natasha is in our class. I don’t like being with all of THEM with only Taylor. Taylor is too shy. Natasha she seems nice enough. We always eat lunch together, the three of us, in the corner of the schoolyard. We usually just talk amongst ourselves. Come to think of it, Natasha never talks about herself. She is always asking us questions about our lives or families. And she’s determined in her questioning too. After school, whenever we go to someone’s house, it’s always either mine of Taylor’s. I wonder why Natasha never invites us?

I have decided to find out more about Natasha. After all, the three of us need to stay together. However, I am growing suspicious of her. Whenever I ask her a question about her life, she seems to always pause before answering. And a lot of what she talks about seems fake. I’ve never been to her house. Actually, I haven’t ever even seen her parents. But I’m probably just being unreasonable.

It is Friday today. I tell my mom that I will be coming home late today, since I want to go home with Natasha. After school, I tell Natasha that I want to go home with her:

Natasha: “You can’t come with me; I really can’t have anyone over today.”
Me: “Why not? It’s the last day of school. You can’t have anywhere else to be.”
Natasha: “ Uhh…actually I’m not going home today. I have to visit my father at work.”
Me: “I can’t come with too? I won’t be any trouble. And I already told my mom that I wasn’t coming home.”
Natasha: “No, he’ll get really mad. I’ve gotta go now.”

Natasha left that day and was never seen again…

WFB and HOD and "Three Ways of Going Wrong"

2009-12-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

The Kerr article brought up an insightful connection between the novels that we have read this semester. As Kerr talked about the evolution of the Kurtz and the magistrate, one thought struck me. Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians teach the truth that the more time you spend with a group of people, the more you assimilate. This assimilation is shown by sympathy, compassion, and understanding of the native peoples.

In Waiting for the Barbarians, Colonel Joll, immediately is hostile to the barbarians. He arbitrarily view the barbarians as a threat. When he interrogates them, he is certain that he is being lied to; he continues with his pointless investigations. Next, the army officers that visit the Magistrate during the first chapter also hold this view. When the Magistrate offers his honest views of the barbarians, the main officer scoffs and immediately looks down upon the Magistrate. However, the Magistrate is not that way anymore, assuming that he was at one point.
The article quotes the reason for this evolution from the book: “sunk, after years in this backwater, in slothful native ways.” We know that he has spent a substantial amount of time on the frontier, and his time in the frontier has also exposed him to a lot of things. For example, he takes an interest in the archeological artifacts there, and he now speaks the frontier’s patois. The hallmark of this metamorphosis is his taking a barbarian concubine. He is genuinely curious to find out more about this person.

In Heart of Darkness, this theme rings true. Although Marlow is not at the same level of hate of the barbarians as Joll, he is still biased against the Africans. Marlow retains his prejudices about Africans and generally does not seem too concerned about the going-ons over there. At best, he is a passive, sometimes critical observer. At worse, his silence to the other Europeans is symbolic of his acquiescence to the system. However, he adopts a totally different stance once he spends time with Kurtz. As Kerr says, “He develops a curiosity about Kurtz and even finds himself drawn into the role of Kurtz's partisan and fellow-conspirator, as if he really were on Kurtz's side, as his enemies in the company believe.” Kurtz is the Magistrate’s equivalent in Heart of Darkness. He has transformed from a simple European imperialist into an enemy of the company. By the end of Kurtz’s time, everyone agrees that he has gone too far. By the end, he has become the “native” that he is supposed to be only working with.

WFB- Initial Impressionss

2009-11-22T15:05:00.001-08:00

The first, probably most, noteworthy stylistic element in the novel is the use of ellipses. I think this stylistic element only adds to the entertainment of the book. The plot moves rapidly since within every chapter there are multiple changes of setting, characters etc. The length of these shifts is varied. At certain times, these shifts in time are longer, whereas other times they are only one page long. Waiting for the Barbarians has easily been the simplest book––in terms of readability––all semester. Although the novel has the occasional three-syllable word, the text is largely understandable without any assistance. The first person narrator seems to be pretty reliable; he is able to describe in detail what he perceives is happening and how it affects him.

The most interesting aspect of the novel so far––for me–– is the Magistrate’s opinion of the barbarians and how that frames the context for the other elements of the story. His view of the differences between the people from the Empire and the barbarians certainly differs from the norm. First, he tells us of his distaste when the barbarians try to deal with the people from the empire: “…the settlers litany of prejudice: that barbarians are lazy, immoral, filthy, stupid.” Furthermore, the Magistrate has a memorable discussion with the young, arrogant graduate from the War College. Here the Magistrate defends the barbarians, much to the disgust of the army conscript. However, his respect for the barbarians translates in an odd manner with the barbarians’ women. The almost blind woman that is his concubine is the most striking example. Also, he has a mistress (or whatever you want to call her) in the motel. His behaviors with respect to these relationships do not seem to be that respectful. Although he respects the woman that lives with him, he is not faithful to her.

Short Summary of Literary Criticism

2009-11-16T19:29:00.000-08:00

"Heart of Darkness and Racism"
By Hunt Hawkins

This article responds to a series of statements and comments made by Chinua Achebe (a modern scholar).

-Achebe has repeatedly called Conrad a racist
-thinks he's racist because of the focus on racism and the portrayal of the Africans, while simultaneously not including them in the story

However, the author disagrees.

-Conrad doesn't talk about Africans because of his ignorance about their culture––Congo
-He's staunchly anti-imprerialist––Belgians
-His discussion was concomitant with the birth of evolution as a theory
-He shows the hypocrisy of the "civilizing mission"and how it's a "sham"
-Shows that evolution leads to evolutionary regression for Europeans––Kurtz
-Conrad didn't recognize the link between imperialism and racism
-Blames Kurtz for making the Africans "evil"
-Marlow doesn't exploit the Africans
-Racism inherent at this time
-At least Conrad isn't "extreme[ly] racist"

Part 3 of Darkness

2009-11-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kurtz––man, myth, total beast. Part III of the story seems to focus exclusively on him. However, we learn about him through the eyes of his peers. The reviews seem to be mixed.

On the one hand, Kurtz has a number of positive attributes. He clearly commands the respect and admiration of those whom have spent time with him. For example, the Russian defends Mr. Kurtz for wanting to shoot him; he says, "You can't judge Mr. Kurtz as you would an ordinary man." Then, Marlow is told that: "You don't know how such a life tries a man like Kurtz." At this point, Marlow says, "I suppose it did not occur to him that Mr. Kurtz was no idol of mine." However, this attitude changes. Marlow later says, "I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man." For instance, we learn that "Kurtz had been essentially a great musician." Furthermore, even the natives hold a vigil for him.

On the other hand, Kurtz has a variety of idiosyncrasies. The Russian describes one such situation: "I don't mind telling you, he wanted to shoot me too one day––but I don't judge him for that." We learn this was all over a small amount of ivory. He is also described as "contemptibly childish" because of his desire to meet kings at railway stations. Also, he has allegedly hurt the company. The Manager bluntly says, "He is very low, very low... Mr Kurtz has done more harm than good to the company." Shortly thereafter, we learn that "Kurtz had ordered the attack to be made on the steamer."Yet Mr. Kurtz is supposed to be the future of the company.

How much of the Manager's complaints do you buy? What is your opinion of Kurtz? Is he more crazy than he's worth?

Sound and Innocence

2009-10-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Faulkner and the Theme of Innocence Author(s): Lawrence E. Bowling Source: The Kenyon Review, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer, 1958), pp. 466-487 Published by: Kenyon College Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4333892

The first thought provoking quote from my article:
" As Benjy, narrator of the first section, personifies the human- ist view of innocence as "want of knowledge and intellect," so Quentin, narrator of the second section, personifies the puritan view of innocence as "moral purity." From the earliest to the latest of his recorded experiences, Quentin is obsessed with the idea that the perfect state which one should strive to preserve or achieve is absolute purity."

It doesn’t take much persuasion to convince someone that Benjy represents innocence; however, it is slightly harder to prove this for Quentin. However, Mr. Bowling does a great job of that in his subsequent discussion of Quentin’s character. First, he cites Quentin’s obsession with cleanliness. This reasoning makes sense when the reader remembers how often Quentin tries to keep things clean. He gets angry when Caddy may get her clothes dirty in the water when they were young, Herbert leaves his cigar on the mantel, or when he gets angry after a fight because there’s blood on his clothes. Also, Quentin is obsessed with cleanliness and order before he commits suicide. Next, there’s not much explanation needed about why Quentin detests Caddy’s promiscuity. He believes that losing one’s virginity is a stain on his purity. I guess I never thought of Quentin's idiosyncrasies as being an attempt at purity––I became convinced. According to the author, Quentin dislikes girls because he believes them to be impure, frequently associating them with “shadows.” Then, the author gets to a similar point that was made by one of the members of the class: “Although Quentin's obsession with innocence does not lead him exactly to idiocy, the result is essentially the same.”

However, other portions of the article were less agreeable:
"The third section of the book is presented from the point of view of Jason, who is at the same time both guilty and innocent. He is guilty in the sense that he wilfully commits innumerable actions which he knows to be immoral and vicious; but he is innocent in the sense that he remains ignorant of basic human principles...Unless moral knowledge is achieved, the "child" does not "know," and in- nocence has not truly been lost. Jason suffers great travail. But out of his suffering comes no important discovery, no truth. Like Benjy, Jason "blunders on" in his own "cluttered obscurity." As a result of all his actions, Jason acquires nothing worth acquiring, learns nothing worth knowing"

I think the author here is trying to make a "square peg fit into a round hole." The problem with articles like this, in my opinion, is trying to take the metaphor, analogy, or example to far. I do not see how Jason would fit under any standard definition of "innocent." I believe he's smart enough to realize when he's being downright cruel. For instance, he knows how badly Luster wants to go the play, yet he still is able to burn the tickets right in front of his face. The author tries to cover himself through the analysis that coming upon truth is key to innocence of basic human principles. There is no reason why Jason would not know what he is doing is downright despicable; he does know this but does it regardless.

However, later in the article I find more to cheer about:
"In Faulkner's writings, the center of the family circle (and the source of its love) is the mother. What is wrong with the Compson family is that it has no center, no mother, no love. Consequently, the family falls apart before achieving integration. As soon as Mrs. Compson has performed the animal function of giving birth to a child, she sees that it is kept out of her sight and outside the house as much as possible."

During our class discussions, the topic of Mother has been broached on a few occasions. However, I do not remember Mother as being directly blamed for the demise of the entire family. It does seem to fit that the lack of any love or affection from mother may have been the cause. Rather than just not being a positive influence, Mother is an entirely negative influence with her spiteful manner and nature. Also, from this quote, the author tells of how disengaged Mother truly is. Another important factor in the story of this dysfunctional family.

Getting A-head: With Herbert

2009-10-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

Herbert Head is probably one of the least developed characters in the novel. We are introduced to him in the second chapter, but Quentin's mind repeatedly wanders to memories of Mr. Head. At first, he is portrayed as a decent guy; we are told that he offers a job to Jason in his bank and gives Caddy a car. Then, Herbert and Quentin argue at Caddy's wedding. Finally, Quentin reveals to us that Herbert cheated at Harvard on both exams and cards. What is your view of Herbert? What do you think his role was in Quentin's suicide? Are Quentin's descriptions of him biased fabrications or genuine truths?

Short Story Update

2009-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I started my research in the Brewster library. I did not have much remaining time in that particular free, however. Once at home, to my surprise, I learned that my family had a copy of “Unaccustomed Earth” by Jhumpa Lahiri in the library. I was already familiar with her because of her descent and my family’s subsequent appreciation for her writing, but also because I was essayist for the short story by her that we had read earlier. After having discovered the book, I now had to decide which stories in the collection I would read, if I ultimately decide to choose a story by her.

I started to read two of the stories in the book. The first, “Hell-Heaven” was a nice read. It was a story about a man’s desire to return to his homeland for a very simple reason––food. The story then became about the person whom he meets. However, I read another story. “Once in a Lifetime” was also very culturally oriented. It deals with the first-person account of an immigrant girl recounting her experiences with a nomadic lifestyle.

After browsing the New Yorker’s website, I read another story, this one by Tim Gautreaux. It was about a man who inherits a mansion from his grandfather only to run out of money after making so many renovations.

I have not been able to make a final decision yet. Maybe over the course of the next couple of days I will be able to finalize a selection, but as of now I am still a short story free-agent.

A Horrible Battle

2009-09-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Basil Latif
AP-1
710

“Battle Royal” is a story from the ‘50’s that takes the reader back in time. The setting of the story forces the reader to contemplate the implications of living at that time–– specifically race relations. The story depicts Southern racism in a peculiar manner: an ominous speech by the grandfather at the start, a strange congregation of elites at a brawl in the middle, and the grant of a scholarship to a black teen at the end. Ultimately, the story is able to expose the hypocrisy and brutishness of the whites at the time.

The story’s depiction of the battle alone does enough to cement the impression of extreme racism and moral degradation present at the time. At the start of the battle, the narrator provides a telling description, “I was shocked to see some of the most important men of the town quite tipsy. There were all there––bankers, lawyers, judges, doctors, fire chiefs, teachers, merchants. Even one of the more fashionable pastors” (¶6). The consumption of alcohol by some prominent, respectable professions, most importantly the pastor, seems to be problematic. Specifically, if the pastor of a town is engaging in the same lowly behavior as the non-clergy, there seems to be an even greater problem. The situation gets worse. The reader then learns of the presence of a naked blond dancing for the men. The aforementioned analysis applies equally here, except, perhaps, to a greater degree. Being drunk is borderline irresponsible but watching a naked, young woman dance could be considered morally irreprehensible. The reader is provided with a description of a man here, “I noticed a merchant who followed her hungrily, his lips loose and drooling” (¶9). There is little that needs to be said about this; however, it is interesting that all of this transpires under the watchful eye of a pastor! Of course, what follows is only worse. The men excitedly watch the boys fight each other. The commentary here is priceless, “The men kept yelling, ‘Slug him, black boy! Knock his guts out!’ ‘Uppercut him! Kill him! Kill that big boy!’” (¶23-4). Finally, the boys are ‘rewarded’ by having the opportunity to battle over gold coins spread out over the floor. Later, the reader discovers the truth, “ I was overjoyed; I did not even mind when I discovered the gold pieces I had scrambled for were brass pocket tokens advertising a certain make of automobile” (¶103). The white men are cruel enough to deceive the boys to think that they are being rewarded for their blood with money that is ultimately fake. The end of the evening follows a similar pattern.

The scholarship given to the narrator should be considered an empty victory. The manner in which the protagonist is treated betrays the whites’ true intentions. Before his speech, the narrator is in awful condition, “I was limp as a dish rag. My back felt as though it had been beaten with wires” (¶59). Surely, the correct manner to treat an honored speaker, even then, is not to have him fight to the death before his speech. However, this is exactly what happens. Then, as soon as the exhausted narrator starts speaking, the crowd shouts “louder.” As the speech progresses, the protagonist has a little trouble. Then: “the room filled with the uproar of laughter until, no doubt, distracted by having to gulp down my blood, I made a mistake and yelled a phrase I had often seen denounced in newspaper editorials, heard debated in private” (¶79). The negative reaction to the word “equality” shows the true feelings of the men. They do not care about this gifted negro boy. His scholarship should be viewed with contempt. The scholarship does not seem to stem from an appreciation of his skin color, rather an acknowledgment of it. After all, it is only a scholarship to a negro college.

Although the South may not have actually been this way, Ellison sure seems to encourage his reader to hold that opinion in this story. The value of reading a story from a previous time is apparent after reading “Battle Royal.” Now, the reader can appreciate the progress that has been made to break down racism “brick by brick, stone by stone.”

Cathedral of Revelation

2009-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

“Cathedral” by Raymond James Carver is a story about overcoming prejudice. In the beginning, the narrator is suspicious of his wife’s friendship with Robert, this blind man from her past. His skepticism may partially be a product of jealousy, but it’s also because of his ignorance of blind people. As the story progresses, he changes from an insensitive jerk, with no hope for redemption, to someone who starts to figure out what blindness really is. The narrator is able to overcome his ideas about the blind through the time he spends with Robert.

The narrator has many preconceived notions about the blind. First, he has some enmity towards the concept of a blind man married to a woman. He makes statements like, “And then I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led. Imagine a woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one” (¶15). To the narrator this is a travesty of the highest order. Next, he demonstrates his dislike for the blind quite bluntly when he says, “And his being blind bothered me…A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to”(¶ 1). The narrator is clearly not in any way, shape, or form ready to accept this kind of different person.

However, the narrator overcomes his bias by admiring the Robert’s handling of his blindness. First, Robert breaks down stereotypes that the narrator has about blind people’s abilities. The narrator is confident that the blind do not smoke. The narrator explains his why he thinks the blind do not smoke, and then he remarks, “But this blind man smoked his cigarette down to the nubbin and then lit another one. This blind man filled his ashtray and my wife emptied it” (¶42). The repudiation of this stereotype sets the stage for further appreciation. Next, he is truly impressed by the way the blind man is able to eat. He respects how Robert eats when he says, “The blind man had right away located his foods, he knew just where everything was on his plate. I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat” (¶45). This is the one of the first things the narrator sees Robert do, and he is impressed. Also, it is the first positive comment that the narrator makes about Robert.

The narrator is able to overcome his last vestiges of intolerance by spending time with Robert. First, the two men share drinks together. They both indicate that they have a preference scotch and then end up drinking it. Then, the men smoke together. Here, the men spend time together, and Robert shows kindness for the first time to the blind man, when he asks if the blind man is sleepy etc. This leads to the ultimate bonding experience that the two men share. They watch the show together about cathedrals. Then, finally, they get the idea to draw one together. Not only do the two men bond through this experience, but this is the first time in the entire story that the narrator truly begins to grasp what it is like to be blind. It would be hard to imagine that the narrator would have the same feelings for the blind as he did at the beginning of the story after this experience.

Raymond Carver seems to be demonstrating the power of just getting to know people that are different from you in this story. Prejudice against different people is unwarranted without actually getting to know them. When we spend time with people we are able to realize the quality and value of people whom we may be doubtful about.
(620)

Wasted Teenager

2009-09-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

“Teenage Wasteland” is at its core a story about guardianship. At the beginning of the story Daisy, Donny’s mom, is his guardian, however, this role suddenly is given to Cal during the middle of the story. In the end, neither Daisy nor Cal is able to resolve Donny’s issues. The story shows us that, in the end, how some people are managed or treated can be completely irrelevant.

Daisy seems to be behaving as a responsible parent. When she is told to take a more active role in Donny’s schoolwork, she seems to oblige, “From early October through November, at Mr. Lanham’s suggestion, Daisy checked Donny’s assignments every day. She sat next to him as he worked, trying to be encouraging…” (¶4). She is, in fact, solely focused on Donny’s success to the point of slightly neglecting her other child for the sake of Donny. Later, as she is told this approach is actually causing the problems it is trying to fix, Daisy takes yet another place in her child’s life. Per Cal’s recommendation, she withdraws almost completely from Donny’s life and gives him the freedom that Cal says Donny is crying out for. Immediately following this withdrawal Donny reaches rock bottom again; Daisy is informed that Donny is failing History. Even when Daisy was in charge of Donny’s schoolwork she only managed to raise his scores by one grade letter.

Cal, on the other hand, treats Donny like a pal. It becomes evident that the tutoring sessions are a little more than meets the eye, “It was Cal this, Cal that, Cal says that, Cal and I did that. Cal lent Donny an album by the Who. He took Donny and two other pupils to a rock concert. In March, when Donny began to talk endlessly on the phone with a girl named Miriam, Cal even let Miriam come to one of the tutoring sessions. Daisy was touched that Cal would grow so involved in Donny’s life, but she was also a little hurt, because she had offered to have Miriam to dinner and Donny had refused. Now he asked them to drive her to Cal’s house without a qualm” (¶55). At this point, it is clear that Donny marches to Cal and not Daisy’s drum. However, Cal’s lax policies lead to Donny demise. Shortly thereafter Donny is expelled from this school and then runs away.

Donny’s problems do not seem to be very major. Donny is described as, “He was merely going through a difficult period in his life. He required some academic help and a better sense of self-worth” (¶10). Treating this problem is the intention of both Daisy and Cal, but neither can ultimately do anything to resolve it. We are told that Daisy had similar issues as a youth, yet she ends up leading a pretty normal life with a husband and two kids. It seems Donny is just a different breed.

In the end, we learn that some kids are just incorrigible. The two vastly different approaches of the two adults in the story both yield negligible results. Anne Tyler seems to be making a point of individuality in this story. Some persons can never be happy under the control of anyone, whether parent or tutor/friend.

Interpreting Maladies

2009-09-10T21:51:00.000-07:00

Interpreting Maladies

“Interpreter of Maladies” is a story about two cultures meeting in a taxi ride. Although all of the characters in the story trace their roots to India, the husband and wife were born and raised in America. On the other hand, Mr. Kasapi, our taxi driver extraordinaire, is a direct product of India. The husband and wife should be viewed form an Indian perspective also because of the role their parents played and the exposure to Indian customs in their upbringing. All of the adults in the story are involved in unsuccessful marriages. Ultimately, the characters’ Indian heritage and culture leads to the demise of their marriages.

In the case of Mr. and Mrs. Das, cultural motives were the cause of their union. As Mrs. Das shrewdly recaps, “Our parents were best friends who lived in the same town. My entire life I saw him every weekend, either at our house or theirs. We were sent upstairs to play together while our parents joked about our marriages. Imagine” (¶140)! As we discover, the two were engaged as early as high school and then went on to the same college. This manner of engagement is certainly not typical of mainstream America, and therefore can be attributed to their Indian culture. However, there is a further impact to their young marriage; it led to early childbearing. The arrival of children led Mrs. Das to sequester herself from her community. She describes her own isolation when she says, “Always tired, she declined invitations from her one or two college girlfriends, so have lunch or shop in Manhattan. Eventually the friends stopped calling her, so that she was left at home all day with the baby, surrounded by toys that made her trip” (¶143). Although it is not explicitly mentioned in the text, the reader can infer that this frustration was the reason “Bobby was conceived in the afternoon.” She had been unhappily married for quite some time now all because of a marriage that happened when she was too young.

Mr. Kasapi’s unhappiness is also because of his cultural background. First, cultural taboos play a detrimental role in Mr. Kasapi’s relationship with his spouse. Mr. Kasapi complains about never having seen his own wife completely naked. It can be inferred that culture accounts for this peculiarity when the narrator says, “He had, of course, seen plenty of bare limbs before, belonging to the American and European ladies who took his tours” (¶ 99). Since Mr. Kapasi has been exposed to other cultures as a result of being a tour guide, he is able to apply certain norms to his own marriage. The quote leads us to believe that Western women are more likely to show their “bare limbs,” whereas Indian women are less likely to do so. Next, a conscientious reader should wonder why the couple still finds themselves together. The marriage is clearly not a happy one, “He wondered if Mr. and Mrs. Das were a bad match, just as he and his wife were. Perhaps they, too, had little in common apart from three children and a decade of their lives. The signs he recognized from his own marriage were there––the bickering, the indifference, the protracted silences” (¶79). Also, Mrs. Kasapi does not think very highly of her spouse, “his wife had little regard for his career as an interpreter” and she calls him a “doctor’s assistant”(¶78). These statements illustrate how miserable the marriage must be for the two individuals involved. Perhaps the reason they have not yet separated is because of culture. Divorce, after all, is not as accepted in other parts of the world as it is America.

Jhumpa Lahiri herself may not be against her Indian roots, but this story can be interpreted in such a manner. The story may not even be a criticism of India, but at the very least, India’s customs are to be blamed for these particular cases. The story masterfully combines the plight of both Indians living in the subcontinent as well as Indians that have moved to other parts of the world.

Some Important Books...for me

2009-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

Some books that made a lasting impression on me:

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman
I loved this book because it was one of the first books I had read that was nothing but pure comedy. Some examples of this can be seen in the titles of chapters such as: Nine Presidents Who had Hooks for Hands, What You Did Not Know About Hobos, Jokes that Have Never Produced Laughter, and History's Worst Men's Haircuts.

Giant: Road to the Super Bowl by Plaxico Burress with Jason Cole
This was one of the first autobiographies I've read, and it helped that it was written by a favorite (and active) football player of mine. It had some good tidbits of advice and unintended humor.

Pakistan: Eye of the Storm by Owen Bennett Jones
This is one of the most complete and informative books I have read about my parent's homeland.

The Real Fidel Castro by Leycester Coltman
In my quest to learn more about the Cuban dictator, I came across this book by a Former British Ambassador to Cuba. In it, he details the larger historical circumstances behind Castro's rise to power as well as what could be considered trivial information about this Cuban.

A Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald
I include this book partially because I'm proud that I finished this 700 page monster. In addition, it was amazingly detailed and a surprisingly interesting account of the reasons for Enron's collapse.

Stupid White Men by Michael Moore
In Stupid White Men, Moore analyzes several controversial current events issues, such as the 2000 election, with spectacular clarity and wit. It was one of the first political books I had ever read and didn't disappoint.

Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
This book was fascinating in what it explored and how it explained it. It provoked my thoughts and made me consider things I hadn't even dreamed of thinking about until then.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins
This book opened my eyes to activities that have been taking place which I could scarcely imagine. It was an engaging read into what goes on behind the scenes with multinational corporations.

The Hardy Boys Series by Franklin Dixon
I've read more of the Hardy Boys than is ever necessary. It's surprisingly fun to read over forty books about how two detectives along with a bumbling friend of theirs can solve different crimes.

Mr.Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
This was one of the first "chapter" books that I had read. Then, I read it a couple of more times making it one of the few books that I've elected to read more than just once.

Summer Reading––The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini

2009-08-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Kite Runner is a truly gripping read from beginning to end. However, the success of the story is that it's the not your traditional feel-good plot. The book takes place primarily in pre-revolutionary Afghanistan, not the typical setting for your average American reader. The main character is Amir, a young Afghani boy growing up in relative luxury. He is inseparable from the son of his father's servant, Hassan. Amir is internally tormented by a single event in his childhood––witnessing the rape of his childhood friend by a bully. Furthermore, Amir witnessed the entire rape and did nothing to stop it. Meanwhile, the protagonist is plagued by feelings of inadequacy because he doesn't quite measure up to his father's standards. Although the majority of the book continues in a relentlessly depressing fashion, the end provides some resolution; Amir is able to resolve some of his feeling of guilt by helping Hassan's son.

Some of the most memorable scenes in the book are moments when the young Amir is made to feel guilty by his or other people's actions. Almost immediately after the rape, Amir and Hassan climb to the top of their favorite hill. Here, Amir is unable to cope with the tremendous feelings of guilt from letting his friend get raped (something his father would have never let happen). He then proceeds to take pomegranates from the tree and hurls them at the face of his recently victimized friend. Finally, Hassan, in frustration, splatters a pomegranate at his own face and asks Amir if he is happy. Thisw action demonstrates the relationship between the master and the servant, but also shows Hassan’s loyalty. Another instance of remarkable imagery in the novel takes place at Amir's birthday party. Here, Hassan is serving the guests with punch and other refreshments and is faced by Assef, the bully who raped him. Assef makes small talk and then playfully punches him. While all of this is going on, Amir is watching from the inside of his house, which shows Amir’s inability to act once more. Another scene that does a wonderful job of juxtaposing Amir's guilt and his feelings of inferiority to his father takes place later in the book. Amir and his father have to leave Afghanistan for Pakistan because of political turmoil in their homeland. They are traveling with a group of these migrants in a truck. At a checkpoint, an officer offers them passage on the condition that he gets to spend “30 minutes” with one of the married women on the truck. At this point Amir’s father can tolerate no more. He argues with the officer and risks his own life in the process. Ultimately, the officer gives up on his attempts to be with the woman. What Amir must be going through at this point must be truly indescribable.

In the end, we learn that Amir as the witness may have fared worse than Hassan as the raped. It was Hassan’s outlook that helped him cope. He wasn’t worried with living up to his father’s legacy. Rather, he was just focused on his life. On the other hand, Amir was constantly suffering from what happened to Hassan. He had insomnia and was unable to properly handle what he was facing. In the end, however, Amir is able to live a seemingly normal married life. He also adequately addressed the demons of the past by helping his friend’s son escape from cruelty and subsequently adopting him. (579)