Maus Part 2 (Extra)

After reading Maus 1 and Maus 2 I was able to see many similarities and differences between the two. First of all, one difference that I noticed was that Maus 2 seemed to break down the story line a lot more. However, the story line does seem to go in the same direction as the first. Another difference that I noticed in Maus 2 as opposed to Maus 1 is that it seemed to be a lot more detailed and therefore I enjoyed Maus 2 more. The details that Spegielman is able to really describe well in Maus 2 is when he starts explaining the torture that they went through. I found that Maus 1 was a difficult story to accept because of the storyline its only the beginning of the story, making Maus 2 even harder to accept because of the details of the tragic events that really took place. Although Maus 2 was a difficult story to read and accept because of the tragic events that are described, I really enjoyed reading it and definitely liked it better than Maus 1 because Spegielman provides more details.

Maus

I found the way that Spiegelman attempts to describe and try to be able to have the reader's relate to the experiences of the Holocaust and a troubled relationship to be very affective. The book is able to depict the Holocaust through an actual survivor and thus makes it easy for people to feel connected and able to experience little parts of what survivors went through. Because of this I really enjoyed reading the novel because it was very well written and was told through the eyes of a survivor, which makes the book more personal. Not only that but because the Holocaust is an actual event, the book reveals so many emotions not only for the characters of the book but also for readers. I also thought that the way the book was written, with animals representing people, such as Jews represented by mice, Germans represented by cats and so on to be a very clever way to go about writing this novel. Instead of the traditional Jews and Germans Spiegelman uses a different approach with cats and mice, being a very effective and interesting comparison.

Slaughterhouse 5

I thought that this novel wasn't necessarily one of my favorites,but I did find it to be interesting and made me think. To me the most interesting part of this novel was the phrase "so its goes". The phrase is referring to the Tralfamadorian's idea that although a person may be dead in a particular moment, he or she is alive in all the other moments of his or her life. This phrase was repeated throughout the entire story. However, I found a lot of other parts of this novel that had to do with the Tralfamadorians to be very interesting. For example, the Tralfamadorians believe that all moments repeat themselves and that all moments of time have already happened. Because of this they have the idea that their fate is already decided and so therefore, they accept it and don't believe that they have any power or chance to change their fate. They also believe that here on earth people think of time as a linear progression, which to them is a mistake and not the right way to look at things. I found the ideas of the Tralfamadorians to be very interesting and unique and especially made me think about their idea that our fate is already chosen for us.

Waiting for Gadot

I found Beckett's Waiting for Gadot to be a very interesting and crazy play to read. However, the main issue I found to be so different and interesting was the relationship between Estragon and Vladimir. They seem to be so close but yet in a weird way. For example, Vladimir seems to understand and see that Estragon is very dependent on him and really needs him even though he seems to play it off like he doesn't need Estragon. This is made very clear when Vladamir states that Estragon would be "nothing more than a little heap of bones". This line really caught my attention because it seemed so funny for two individuals to be so close yet make remarks like that towards each other. Also, Vladimir and Estragon always talk about leaving each other or parting, but they never do. Another interesting part about these two individual's relationship was the way in which one repeat what the other one said. For example, when the two characters switch lines in the dialogue, with each asking the other, "It hurts?" and responding, "Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!" Maybe this way of switching lines and showing repetition is symbolizing the repetitiveness in Vladimir and Estragon's lives in general.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

I really enjoyed reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God" and I also found it to send out an interesting message. I found that throughout the whole story Janie has set out on an adventure to find true love, but not only true love and happiness but also her own independence. When she was married to Logan, she experienced neither love or independence. Jody showed her love and happiness at one point in time but denied her her own independence. And finally with Tea Cake Janie experiences the love and happiness she has been searching for also becomes secure in her own independence. Although it seems funny that in the end she ends up shooting Tea Cake and ultimately ends up alone, she does not feel alone. Janie feels Tea Cake's presence around her because when she was with Tea Cake she truly feels happy and in love and even though Tea Cake is gone she still feels that and therefore, is content being alone, and although she is alone, Janie doesn't actually feel alone.

"As I Lay Dying" (Extra)

After finishing reading "As I Lay Dying" I came to find that Addie's coffin symbolizes a lot. For starters, the coffin itself seems to stand for the burden it has on the family. All of the crazy circumstances that took place and horrible luck all led back to the fact that this family is trying to get this coffin to Jefferson to bury their mother and wife but if it wasn't for the fact that they were trying to do this, all these disasters wouldn't happen. Therefore leading back to Addie's coffin, the Budren family has to get this coffin underground if they have any chance of getting back to a normal life. Not only this but all the disasters that took place throughout the story lead back to the coffin as well. For example, laying Addie in it upside down, drilling holes in their mothers face, Cash breaking his leg trying, the fire, the mule's dying. All of these disasters are simply because they are trying to bury this coffin. I also believe that Addie's coffin brings out all the problems associated with this family. Darl's issues, Dewey Dell and her abortion, Jewel having a different father, Anse laziness, Cash's leg, Addie's affair, all of these problems come out and are realized because of the death of Addie.

"As I Lay Dieing"

After reading the first part of William Faulkner "As I Lay Dieing" I really started to like the way each chapter was told by a certain character. I really enjoyed getting the insight views and thoughts of each character and not only this but outsiders views on certain characters as well. It really helped me to understand and relate to the characters, which made the reading more personal and more exciting to read. One particular part that really stuck out to me in the first section of this book was the fact that the oldest son of Addie, Cash, who is preparing Addie's coffin not only while she is sick and dieing, but yet right outside of her very own window of the room she is laying in "dieing". I find this part to be very interesting and even though I can't seem to put a finger on what could be the reasoning behind building one's coffin while they are alive and right outside there window is, I am anxious for an explanation. As if it isn't enough that somebody is dieing they have to be reminded everyday by their son building a box that will be where one lays when dead and buried into the ground. I found this part to not only be disturbing, but simply cruel.

Mrs. Dalloway

Mrs. Dalloway is definitely a book that I have never read and is one of a kind. The way the story jumps from person to person and in and out of one's thoughts is a tough to keep up with. However, after reading further and getting more use to the way this book is written, I find myself enjoying the story. Although the story seems like a simple story about Mrs. Dalloway getting ready for her party, there is plenty to take from the story. One particular part of the story that really stuck out to me was Peter and his pocketknife. While Peter is talking with Clarissa he is constantly opening and closing his pocketknife. One possible explanation for this may be that Peter is confused or unsure about things not even that but maybe that he isn't able to make decisions. Therefore, opening and closing the pocketknife, not able to decide whether to keep the knife open or closed could connect with his unsureness. I also find Clarissa Dalloway to be a very interesting story. Clarissa seems to struggle to find herself, her identity and I feel as though the whole point of the party or any other parties that she puts together is a way of trying to find herself and wanting to fit in with this type of lifestyle. Mrs. Dalloway is a character that I think a lot of people are able to relate to because many people throughout their life at some point struggle with their identity and figuring out their place in life.

Tradition and the Individual Talent

Throughout this essay Eliot goes over many interesting ideas regarding poetry and poets. Eliot discusses how in the English tradition that art progresses through change or "separation" from traditional ways. However, Eliot believes that works of art are only recognized when they conform to the traditional ways. I found this idea of Eliot's to be very interesting and i definitely agree with what he is saying. We constantly are comparing readings, poems, essays, books, etc. to the "traditional way" or to the great writers. If the piece of work doesn't compare or show similarities to the way we see as being the right or "great" way, we might very well look past this work. Take for example The Waste Land, I know that I had never read anything in relation to this poem, and I definitely did some comparing of my own to other poems that I prefer, or "traditional" poems. However, just because The Waste Land isn't something I have read before and can't be compared to the traditional ways but that doesn't mean that I should look past it and consider it not to not be a good piece of writing. After looking more closely into this poem, I was able to find interesting and unique parts of the poem that to me made this a stand out poem from others, creating its new "tradition" and as we all know, becoming a well-known piece of poetry.

The Waste Land

After reading through the poem The Waste Land, like everybody else I'm sure, I was so confused. I couldn't understand what the heck this poem was talking about. It just seemed to bounce from one thing to the other with no real meaning behind it. Even though I was able to pick out certain things about the poem such as in the Burial of Dead section when the speaker refers to seasons, and claims they are German and not Russian, I still was not able to find the meaning behind all of it. The poem seems to jump from this speaker being German and not Russian to a wealthy, a man who died by drowning all the way to Jerusalem. However, even with my state of confusion throughout the entire poem one section I think I was able to make a little sense out of. In the "A Game of Chess" section in the first part i was able to pick out that the speaker is referring to the high society and the lower classes. It is portraying a very wealthy high maintenance women surrounded by nice furnishings. The women is waiting for her "lover" and begins having frantic thoughts and even cries. After all of this, the women plans for a day of playing "a game of chess" In the second part of this section, it skips over to London where two women sit talking about a third women. In between the "HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME", referring to the fact that the bar is closing, another women Lil, tells another women how her husband is in the army. The women continues to tell Lil that she needs to improve her appearance before her husband leaves her. Lil then tells the women, her husband would never leave her. Although i was able to break down these parts of the section, I am still left confused on the purpose and meaning of all of this and how it ties together with the rest of the poem. After reading through this poem, I am left in absolute confusion but also am anxiously wanting to know what T.S. Eliot was thinking about when he wrote this and what he was trying to accomplish through writing this poem?

The "Metamorphosis"

Gregor Samsa wakes up one day to find that he has for no apparent reason been turned into a giant bug. Not just a giant bug but rather a cockroach or a dung beetle. Although Gregor's physical appearance has completely undergone a change from the very beginning, as the story goes on more things gradually go through a "metamorphosis".
For example, at first Samsa isn't quite sure how to use his many new insect legs but as time goes on and Gregor is able to master his body as a bug he begins to crawl around just like any insect would. Not only this, but Gregor's human voice is there in the morning when he is able to yell out to his family from his room, however later on when the Chief Clerk arrives Gregor can no longer communicate with his human voice and instead, as the Chief Clerk refers to as an "animal voice" is sounded. Gregor's food preferences also start to make a change from wanting tasty human-like foods to preferring rotten cheese that his sister brings to him.
Besides the obvious changes that take place for Gregor becoming an insect there are other less obvious things such as Gregor finding comfort in being alone and in dark places to easily being startled much like any other insect would.
Even though Gregor physically looks like a giant bug, crawls around like a giant bug, makes giant bug noises, whatever a giant bug noise might be and prefers to munch on rotten cheese and garbage, is Gregor really completely a giant bug if he still feels human like emotions such as guilt, sadness, neglect or loneliness and these being only a few of the emotions that Gregor feels throughout the story.